Roy Halladay Apologizes to Fans - Seriously

It's real easy to root for Roy Halladay, even after his recent performance. Not only did he give us two seasons of spectacular pitching, the type of pitching that we'll tell our grandkids about. But he also seems like an incredibly decent human being -- the kind that you want to root for.

About an hour ago, he called over members of the Philly media and talked with them about how he feels bad for letting fans down. You can read it all by following this link, but here are some excerpts:

I just wanted to thank [the fans] for their support. And my heart goes out to all of the people who spend all of their money and go out to the games and don't get to see what they want to see. . . . I feel bad for the fans that I'm missing the time.

I just wanted to reach out to the fans, thank them for their support and apologize to the ones who pay the money and show up in the second inning and it's 9-0. I apologize to the fans that I won't be out there for three months.

I just want the fans to know that I'm thinking about them. I don't take that for granted. I don't take playing for Philadelphia for granted.

I feel like the fans are a very important part of it, too. It’s hard to explain how much you appreciate them when you come from places where you don’t have fans like that. I think it’s important to recognize them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I have no idea what any of my sports "heroes" are like as human beings off the field. There's just no way to know that fully. The best guy on the field might be the worst guy off the field. Or vice versa.

But, based on what we have to go with, Halladay seems to be a one-of-a kind athlete. He's literally been at the top of the game, and he seems like a decent human being as well.

Kudos to Roy Halladay. We'll miss you while you're gone, and we hope we get to see you break faces as a Phillie again later this season.