Philadelphians react to Halladay deal

    The deal that would send Roy Halladay, arguably the premiere pitcher in baseball, to the Philadelphia Phillies and Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners is close to complete.

    The deal that would send Roy Halladay, arguably the premiere pitcher in baseball, to the Philadelphia Phillies and Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners is close to complete.

    Listen:
    [audio: 091216mpphillies.mp3]

    It was a mix of joy, surprise and concern along Market Street regarding the pitcher trade-off. Phillies fan Joseph Appell says the switch is clearly a better deal with Halladay’s strong track record.

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    Appell: I was happy I mean I was hoping we’d get him before.

    Meanwhile, Mets fan Tom Johnston says what’s good for the Phillies is bad for their opponents.

    Johnston: I’m concerned about the trade, I think it’s an upgrade, Cliff Lee did very well in the post season but Halladay is a very, very, good pitcher and it makes the Phillies even stronger so as a Mets fan I’m very concerned.

    Brenda Dean was surprised by the news – and was sad to see that Phils ace Cliff Lee will be leaving town after a strong Phillies tenure.

    Dean: I wish Cliff Lee good luck, we’ll miss him but we still want our Phillies to persevere and win.

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