Hey Roy, Enough with the Tears!
Yikes. Roy Halladay may have hit rock bottom. Rock bottom usually needs to be reached before people make real changes in their worlds. For the sake of Phillies fans everywhere, let’s hope this is his rock bottom. The man needs serious help. Anyone who would use Tears for Fears as a warm-up/at-bat motivational song is clearly not in a good place.
Perhaps a stint on the DL can work as an intervention of some sorts, as the man needs one. People are crying that Doc has sucked for the past two years. He’s definitely sucked this year. Last year, he started the year off injured. He then went onto the DL for about eight weeks in May. He had two rough outings upon his return, but then got back into a resemblance of Doc-like game-shape going 5-2 over his next eight starts posting a 3.17 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a SO/BB ratio of 4.4.
Here are Roy Halladay’s numbers in a Phillies uniform, up until September 10, 2012:
86 games
49-23
IP: 621.2
ERA: 2.72
Hits: 570
BB: 90
SO: 548
WHIP: 1.06
SO/BB: 6.09
Then, on September 11, 2012, he changed his warm-up song from Led Zeppelin’s Moby Dick/Good Times Bad Times (a cover of it). That’s a mighty fine song for Doc:
to this:
That’s right, Tears for Fears Mad World. Doc? Roy Halladay changed his warm-up/at-bat to Tears for Fears? The same folks who brought us SHOUT, SHOUT LET IT ALL OUT. It’s not a terrible song, but belongs nowhere in sports…NOWHERE.
Todd Zolecki and others tweeted about the song choice prior to the September 11th game.
Am I a bit music-obsessed? Superstitious? Perhaps, but take a look at these numbers since the song change?
Games: 11
4-5 Record
IP: 51.7
ERA: 9.05
Hits: 57
BB: 28
K:58
WHIP: 1.64
K/BB: 2.07
In games when the song is actually played live, HOME GAMES, the numbers are brutal since the change:
Games: 6
W-L: 2-3
IP: 27.1
ER: 31
ERA: 10.30
Hits: 25
BB: 17
SO: 30
WHIP: 1.55
SO/BB Ratio: 1.76
The numbers are not as bad on the road. Apparently this Mad World curse or funk loses some of it’s power on the road, but the funk still remains. Here are Doc’s road numbers since the song change:
Games: 5
W-L: 2-2
IP: 26
ER: 21
ERA: 7.27
Hits: 32
BB: 11
SO: 28
WHIP: 1.65
SO/BB Ratio: 2.55
Something must be done. His Phillies teammates, the front office, or the public must demand a song change away from Tears for Fears. Music is a great mood enhancer/motivator. Locker rooms across the country can attest to this. I doubt, however, Tears for Fears is playing pre-game in any locker rooms in any sports.
Going back to the old Zeppelin song would be fine. If he’s opposed to that song for one reason or another, perhaps I can suggest something. In my world, there’s always been one perfect song for Roy “Doc” Halladay to use during his warm-ups and at-bats. That is Van Halen’s Somebody Get Me a Doctor. How great would this song sound on a summer night at Citizens Bank Park while drinking a cold beer?
It’s quite possible that the curse of Tears for Fears is contagious and has spread to the Phillies’ bats. From Halladay’s arrival until the day of the song change, the Phillies are 270-194. Since the Tears for Fears song change, the Phillies are 23-26. This must be stopped. No Tears for Fears at Citizens Bank Park. CHANGE THAT DAMN SONG!
*disclaimer: the math is good to the best of my abilities while crunching numbers on a lunch break*