Photo: Philliedelphia/Steve Trapani
Could former Phillies ace Roy Halladay have joined Twitter? In the age of fake accounts, everyone must be somewhat skeptical. But, one thing is for sure: today @Dochalladay32 hit Twitter. Is this the real Roy Halladay?
Generally, fake Twitter accounts are run by people who know how to actually use Twitter. This Halladay's first tweet proved to be problematic:
Awesome event. Me, Chase Utley, AJ Burnett, Kyle Kendrick, Dewayne Staats & more! email factrfundraising@gmail 4 info pic.twitter.com/dy6hcFwWIR
— Roy Halladay (@Dochalladay32) March 11, 2014
Then, a second tweet that didn't go so well:
— Roy Halladay (@Dochalladay32) March 11, 2014
Then the Halladay account got the FACTR Fundraising tweet right, without deleting the first:
http://t.co/QrjUGXTlWb & [email protected] Get tix now, great prizes, photo w/ players and more! all ages pic.twitter.com/RYVMIEmWiF
— Roy Halladay (@Dochalladay32) March 11, 2014
And, just for good measure, why not tweet it again?
http://t.co/a190ACqrBT & [email protected] Get tix now, great prizes, photo w/ players and more! all ages pic.twitter.com/dQKJwa2sTT
— Roy Halladay (@Dochalladay32) March 11, 2014
Finally, an apology:
Hey everybody. Thanks for following. I had to retire before I had time for social media! Please be patient while I figure this out!
— Roy Halladay (@Dochalladay32) March 11, 2014
Sounds like Roy could use some help with his account, should it really be him. That remains to be seen, but this account sure sounds like it is run by someone who worried only about pitching for the last 20 years.
As for the charity? Halladay is indeed involved with FACTR. FACTR's site reports:
FACTR Baseball is excited to announce that Roy will be committing a generous portion of his time to FACTR Baseball. Roy will serve as the roving pitching instructor of all FACTR Teams – placing FACTR’s pitchers on an advanced throwing program, attending multiple events with the teams as a coach, and spearheading fundraising efforts to give back to FACTR’s mission of childhood cancer.
As FACTR's site notes, Halladay had a FACTR hat with him at his retirement press conference. FACTR's website does feature that same ad that the purported Halladay account tweeted.