Halladay celebrated as one of baseball's good guys

Primarily known as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball during his career, Roy Halladay will also be remembered for his selflessness off the diamond.

In the wake of Halladay's death in a plane crash on Tuesday, those who knew him told stories about both his pitching excellence and his kindness.

Halladay was well-known to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, which had to announce his death at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

"You wouldn't know what Roy did because Roy would never tell you what he did. And that's the legacy of a great man," Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

Halladay trained in the public eye, and didn't shy away from those who recognized him. He engaged.

Shortly after the Toronto Blue Jays traded Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci profiled the right-hander. Teammates and rivals alike sang Halladay's praises.

"No one is more prepared," said A.J. Burnett, a former Blue Jays teammate who was then with the Yankees.

"I actually believe he's underrated," former Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said. "I would pay him three years, $240 million. No disrespect to CC Sabathia and any of those guys. But he's the best there is by far."

After Halladay no-hit the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 NLDS, his opponents expressed their awe to MLB.com's Tim Britton.

"I think words would ruin that performance," third baseman Scott Rolen said.

Joey Votto went a step further.

"I hate to use hyperbole, but he's an ace among aces," Votto said. "It's not fun being up there trying to hit nothing. Tonight was a nothing night. Sometimes you just don't get pitches to hit."

It's easy to see why Halladay received such accolades, and it wasn't only about his play or his athleticism. He shared his skills and paid it forward.

In 2008, - when Halladay went 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA over 246 innings and finished second in AL Cy Young voting - the Toronto Star's Richard Griffin wrote about the legendary starter and his philanthropy through the Doc's Box program. It was a luxury suite that he paid for to host sick kids at the ballpark.

"It bothers him to make as much money as he does," said his wife, Brandi. "He feels like he's out there doing his job. ... He works hard at what he does, but it doesn't mean that other people out there don't deserve those kinds of cheques, too. It's kind of humbling. (His charity work) is his way of paying back."

Detroit Tigers lefty and former Blue Jays starter Daniel Norris never played with Halladay, but still saw him as a mentor, as did others around the league.

In addition to reaching out to fellow humans, Halladay had an affinity for dogs, and adopted rescues. In 2016, he flew to Alabama to retrieve dogs whose ears had been cut off for dog fighting.

His love of dogs went further, as he even bought a dog for the Pasco sheriff's office.

Many more stories will surely filter out over the coming days. If Dan Shulman's sentiments are anything to go by, they'll be glowing too.