Roy Halladay left a calling card yesterday – for both Phillies fans as well as the National League.

There’s a new sheriff in town. A new ‘Doc’ as well.

Halladay looked to be in July form in the first week of March. He strode to the hill for the Phillies first exhibition game against a New York Yankees lineup that was minus many of its stars.

That didn’t seem to matter to Halladay, the Phils big free agent pickup in the offseason.

For some reason, I don’t think we’ll be hearing a lot about Cliff Lee today. Lee was great last year after he was acquired at the trade deadline. He put the Phils on his back and got them back to the World Series, where they fell to those same Yankees. That was not Lee’s fault.
He beat the New Yorkers twice.

Fans hoped for a Koufax-Drysdale-like combo of Halladay and Lee at the top of the Phils’ rotation. Didn’t happen.

Lee was dealt to Seattle for prospects.

Fans have been grumbling ever since.

Not yesterday.

Halladay was delivering a message. This is what I’m all about.

All he did was throw 24 pitches, 21 for strikes. He struck out three and did not surrender a hit.

Basically, he was advertised. This season can’t start soon enough.