Some may have heard the name, Roy Halladay, while others may have not. Those who have will probably think of the Hall of Fame, American baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. An ace pitcher on every staff he pitched for, Halladay was a work horse, leading the Major Leagues in complete games seven of his 16 seasons. This distinction stands as the most since World War II. He was nicknamed 'Doc' by a Toronto Blue Jays announcer in reference to the Wild West gunslinger, Doc Holliday. He compiled a 203 and 105 win loss record. Roy threw a sinker, cutter, curve and splitter/change. He is widely considered the best pitcher of this millennium. What many don't know is Roy 'Doc' Halladay had some demons (physical pain and addiction) and these demons would lead to his inevitable end.
In 2013, Roy Halladay became a pilot and it was his love of airplanes and flying, mixed with his use of several drugs that would seal his faith. It is said Roy actually applied for his pilot's license knowing full well the use of those drugs disqualified him from obtaining a license.
A loving family man, Roy had a beautiful wife, Brandy, and two great sons of which he was very devoted to. A loving son, he spoke with his dad , a commercial airline pilot, routinely and assured him of his fitness to fly and operate a plane. His father and Roy addressed report suggesting he took a lot of chances and bent a few rules about where to fly and at what heights.
Records show that Roy flew over 700 solo hours and maintained his planes meticulously. Where Roy seemingly cut corners was flying when he might not have been drug clean and of course, where and how low he flew. 'Doc' often used a mixture of amphetamines, morphine and other prescription drugs to combat pain from his playing days. His addiction to these various pain killers even landed him in rehab after his retirement.
Prior to the accident that would take his life, the locals spoke of seeing Roy doing aerial acrobatic moves, flying just above the water, buzzing the beaches and watercraft and even flying under an expansion bridge. Roy told his father he was always careful but, in the same breath, that he loved flying low in order to feel the same rush as a fighter pilot.
On November 7th, 2017 Roy 'Doc' Halladay, the Hall of Famer pitcher, loving husband, father and son crashed 18 minutes into a solo flight over the Gulf of Mexico. Onlookers say they saw Roy's amphibious plane making a series of extreme acrobatic aerial stunts just above the sea before plunging into the water. He was 40 years old when he met his sad and inevitable end.
Note: the author loves the man and his story but sadly the use of pain killers and opioids have caused many stories of addiction and the resulting heartbreaking stories of hardships and death.
