  Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay would like to see a continued commitment to the key players now on the team to entice him to stay at the end of his contract. (CP File Photo/Frank Gunn) |
Loyalty is one of the virtues that defines Roy Halladay as a person.
In some ways, he is loyal to a fault.
For Halladay, loyalty encompasses those around him -- his teammates, even general manager J.P. Ricciardi.
Halladay, the ace of the Blue Jays' starting rotation, has three seasons remaining on his existing contract, one that will pay him $10.5 million US this season.
But when his contract runs out at the end of the '07 campaign, Halladay would like to see a continued commitment to the key players now on the team to entice him to stay.
Clearly, he would prefer to remain a Jay for life.
"Is everybody staying? If they are, then I want to be a part of it," he said. "If it's all new people coming in, then it's a whole different thing you have to look at. If those guys are here it would be a pretty easy decision for me and I'd really want to stay.
WENT 8-8
"I enjoy Toronto, I like the people in the organization and that's the main reason I wanted to stay. I like the players we have and the direction we are going."
With Halladay, coming off an injury-plagued season that restricted him to 21 starts where he went 8-8 with a 4.20 ERA, it's not about the personal glory, but more the chance to wear a championship ring at some point in his career.
And Halladay wants to earn that ring through dedication and hard work, and he wants it to be a team effort.
"I want to be a part of something that is built up, not something that just goes out every year and by bringing in five or six different guys has a chance," he said. "If I did move on, it would be tough for me to go and play for a team just to get a ring. I'd want to go somewhere where it meant something.
"You look at the names on the Yankees over the years that have been to the World Series and sometimes you don't remember them. Look at Anaheim ('02), and Boston last year, you remember those guys."
A guy who looks at the glass being half full, Halladay doesn't think the Jays are that far away.
"I think I'm an optimist," he says. "Every year you come in believing the team has made the right changes and things are going to get better in the future. I've always taken that mentality. I'm just always waiting for that magical year where everybody does what they're supposed to do and everybody's healthy. If you look at it from that standpoint, I think we can compete."
Is that being optimistic or naive?
"I guess both," he said with a laugh. "Last year was tough. After the all-star break you're making plane flights home with two months left. That's not fun.
"But with the talent that's here and with what everybody's capable of doing it's hard not to be excited. It's a matter of guys going out and doing it. We're a team that needs everybody, we can't have three or four guys (getting it done), we need everybody."
Nobody more than Halladay.
