Scott Carson

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 17th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts. Watch for his columns regularly on Sportsnet.ca.

With trade rumours flying, Toronto fans should head to the Rogers Centre Friday for what could be Roy Halladay's final home start in a Jays uniform.

This whole Roy Halladay dilemma that the Blue Jays currently find themselves in has got me thinking.

With the non-waiver trade deadline just on the horizon July 31st, Halladay’s start Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays could be his final as a Blue Jay at Rogers Centre.

And then his final start as a Blue Jay could be on Wednesday, July 29 in a matinee at Safeco Field in Seattle. This is all contingent, of course, on a team being able to come up with a parcel of players (at least three) to satisfy the Jays, and then Halladay agreeing to waive his no-trade clause by the end of the month.

So I paid particularly close attention to the 32-year-old right-hander on Sunday afternoon against the Red Sox and their impressive, yet loutish, throng of travelling fans. Remember, I’ve seen almost every one of Halladay’s 273 career starts. I was there when he came within an out of a no-hitter in just his second career Major League start. I was also there in March of 2001 in Lakeland, Florida when he got boxed around so badly by the Tigers that the decision was made to send him all the way back to Single-A to remake himself. And I was there in September of 2003 when he won his team-record 22nd game against the Indians en route to his first – and only – Cy Young Award.

Sunday against the Red Sox, with the Jays having a chance to win their first series in what seems like months, Halladay made his first appearance at home since the trade winds started to swirl. And showing yet again why he is the best starting pitcher in the game today, he kept the powerful Red Sox to a single run on an economical 105 pitches (and only 27 balls). This all came under the watchful eyes of several scouts and a pair of former Blue Jays general manager in Pat Gillick and Gord Ash.

Halladay’s only stumble was in the top of the first when the Sox came out swinging early in the count, but after that Doc was never threatened.

This all leads me to the point of this column. If Halladay is going to be dealt by the deadline, I think that it would be imperative for all Blue Jays fans, the hardcore and the fringe, the young and the old, with pants hanging off the butt or tight at the waste, to make an effort to attend Friday’s game. If it is indeed his final Toronto appearance, should fans not give him a proper send off?

We’ve had great pitchers leave Toronto before their expiration date. I think of Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Pat Hentgen and, yes, Roger Clemens, even though his two Cy Young seasons were, allegedly, chemically assisted.

The only one of those greats that were afforded a raucous adios was Key in Game 4 of the 1992 World Series when he battled Tom Glavine into the 8th inning before handing the ball over to Duane Ward and acknowledging the fans with a doffing of his cap.

A very classy moment.

I’ve always found it odd that the attendance at games started by the aforementioned great starters of this team have not been a great deal higher when they were starting.

The Clemens years were the most baffling.

He made 38 starts at the SkyDome as a Jay, going 22-8 with 11 complete games and an airtight 2.15 ERA. His team won 71 per cent of his home starts in those two seasons. If ever it was a close to guaranteed win night, this was it. The same holds true for Halladay’s SkyDome/Rogers Centre starts. His win Sunday drove his career home record up to 78-29 with the team winning 69 per cent of his starts.

So why don’t fans, if they are thinking about coming to the odd game, not circle Roy’s starts on the calendar and try and attend those games? If you don’t come to many games, why wouldn’t you at least want to come to one that they will likely win?

Well that chance comes around again Friday. Come on down, cheer wildly for the best pitcher this franchise has ever developed, and go home with the memories of a night that may not happen again.

Do I think that Halladay will be traded at the deadline? If I was a betting man I’d have to say no. Too many moving parts have to come together in a short amount of time and, based upon what I took from what interim CEO Paul Beeston said last week on the Fan590 in Toronto, it seems like the team won’t get around to this until after the season where, I suspect, they’ll try and sign Halladay to a contract extension. If that fails, inquiries about his services for 2010 will become serious, and it will probably keep the Jays on the front page of sports section in the off-season.

Would trading him now bring a larger cache then in the off-season? I suppose so when teams tend to overpay if they see the playoffs out in front of them, but that depends on who is making these big decisions in the Blue Jays front office. Perhaps a franchise-altering trade, as this one appears it will be, should be given as much time to get right as possible.

I’m sure the loyal ticket buyers should at least be afforded that courtesy, don’t ya think?