With an exciting 7 game World Series coming to an end on November 1st, the 2017 baseball season was put to rest. However, the sport will continue to be the subject of the month. Last Tuesday, former pitcher for the Phillies, Roy Halladay, passed away at the age of 40. He had been flying an A5 along the Gulf of Mexico when the aircraft crashed. His father Harry, a former pilot, influenced his passion for flying planes, which he pursued after retiring from his 15 year MLB career.
Many, including his wife Brandy and two sons Ryan and Braden, will greatly miss the two time Cy Young Award winner. 47 year old, Bill Smith, had seen Halladay flying the A5 just days before the crash and stated that Halladay was “really well-respected in the area and really well liked.” Although thousands of people are showing sympathy towards the Halladay family, Michael Felger, a Sports Hub radio host, does not fall into that category.
He voiced his opinion on the matter last Wednesday, criticizing the pitcher and referring to him as a “moron” and a “jackass”. It didn’t stop there. He added: “That ain’t no tragedy. It just sort of angers me. You care that little about your life? Your little joyride is that important to you that you’re going to risk just dying?” This comment got him a week suspension from being able to appear on NBC Sports Boston. The network explained that, “Felger’s comments are not representative of our network’s views or standards.” While Felger realizes what he is at fault for, he apologized but was quick to add, “I’m done beating myself up over it”.
For those who are fans of Halladay, his family announced that tomorrow, a memorial for the beloved pitcher will be taking place at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida.
