To the DL

Roy Halladay is officially on the DL and my The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly seems to have produced The Ugly. After reading and hearing about this through almost every sports writer out there, I was thinking how the Jays were going to handle this new DL stint. It seems every pitcher, player, or even bench coach is headed to the DL these days. In the end, maybe this is the best thing to happen to the Jays.

First, this is a great option to be safe than sorry. This is the franchise, leader, and straight up the man at the SkyDome. Putting him on the DL and having him recover and heal is better than having him go out there at 75-80% pitching and causing more damage to the groin or any other part of the body that is trying to compensate for the injury. I know a 75-80% Halladay is still better than almost 95% of the pitchers out there in the MLB when they are fully healthy but in the long run it's stupid to throw him out there.

Second, having Halladay on the bench recuperating might be what the Jays need to build some responsibility into the players and grow some hair on their chests. With their leader gone, players seem to know and understand that every single player on the team needs to contribute a little more. The little things that everyone puts in to try and make up for the loss of Halladay will in the end benefit the Jays. For every sacrifice bunt, legging out an infield hit, or throwing their body to catch that fly ball the Jays will be better off, not only now, but when Halladay returns. The loss of Halladay is not what the Jays need right now but it actually might be a good thing.

The DL is not a place where any player wants to be but if they put Halladay out on the mound instead of putting him on the DL, I would be a pretty disappointed in the Jays organization.