Halladay's talent was obvious early on

Paul Willis, Special to The Rocky

Published July 4, 2007 at midnight

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As a high school player at Arvada West, Roy Halladay was physically superior to his peers and was a cinch for the all-conference team.

But enough about his basketball career.

Though he had the body for the hardwood and the ability to dunk over most opponents with relative ease, no one ever was confused about Halladay's calling.

"For all of us baseball guys who went to go watch him play basketball, it was a big sigh of relief every time he'd come down from a dunk and not break an ankle," said Chad Sigg, Halladay's catcher throughout youth baseball and high school.

Count Toronto Blue Jays fans among those who are glad the 6-foot-6 Halladay chose to focus on baseball.

The ace of the Toronto staff, Halladay has amassed a career record of 104-51, including 9-3 this season. He recorded his 1,000th career strikeout on June 20 and is at 1,007.

Halladay, a four-time All-Star, is one of five candidates for the final spot on the American League All- Star roster. Voting on MLB.com closes at 4 p.m. Thursday.

"I'd be surprised if we have anyone like that from Colorado for a while," said Arvada West coach Jim Capra, who coached Halladay for four seasons. "I mean, it's already been 12 years."

As a senior in high school, Halladay initially signed with the University of Arizona before being chosen by the Blue Jays with the 17th pick of the 1995 amateur draft.

"He signed to go to college just to get people off his back," said Halladay's former pitching coach, Bus Campbell, a scout for Toronto at the time who helped orchestrate the signing. "He was getting letters from everyone in the country, it seemed."

Halladay helped guide Arvada West to the big-school championship in 1994 and a runner-up finish in 1995 against a Cherry Creek team that boasted three future major leaguers in Brad Lidge, Josh Bard and Darnell McDonald.

He went 22-1 in his high school career, the loss coming against Tucson-based Salpointe Catholic.

Halladay, 30, lives in Florida during the offseason and is a family man, but he hasn't forgotten where he came from. He recently told a reporter in Toronto he often remembers his high school days.

"Probably more than you'd think," Halladay said. "It was a fun time being in high school and getting the chance to play and win with your friends. It was an enjoyable time."

Natural from start

Those who knew him best look back on the high school career of Roy Halladay, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, a Cy Young Award winner and a candidate for the last spot on the American League All-Star team.

Jim Capra

Coached Halladay at Arvada West; still coach at the school.

• On his first impressions in high school: "His freshman year during tryouts, you could tell he was going to be real good. He was throwing 82-84 (mph) as a freshman. He had good size and good character. He was a good hitter. He played first base when he wasn't pitching."

• On Halladay's hitting: "During batting practice one day in his junior year, he got hit on the wrist with a pitch. We looked at him like a franchise guy, so we decided he wasn't going to hit anymore. But we did let him hit a little bit during his senior year, especially in the playoffs."

• On how Halladay has distinguished himself: "I watched a deal on ESPN a few weeks ago and it said he's the No. 1 right-hander in the major leagues. He has a Cy Young, and if not for some freak injuries, maybe two or three. He's the only guy from Colorado with a Cy Young, so there's something to be said for that."

• On Halladay's legacy at Arvada West: "It's an honor for our school, our community and our program to have someone who you can say, 'Wow, this guy really made it.' "

Chad Sigg

Halladay's catcher from age 12 through high school. Played at Seward County and Fort Hays, both in Kansas, and is a firefighterand assistant baseball coach at Golden.

• On when Halladay began to separate from the pack: "Once we got to high school, he was a freshman on varsity,which was almost unheard of. Even at that point, he had scouts to almost every game watching what he was doing, so you knew that he was going to go places."

• On differences between how Halladay pitches now comparedwith high school: "He didn't have much of a changeup in high school. He could blow his fastball by anyone and his knuckle-curve worked as an off-speed pitch, so he didn't really need one. Now he has that changeup and he is more of a finesse pitcher."

• On Halladay's dedication: "Roy's work ethic was above and beyond everyone from a young age. Coach would tell us to run one mile and he'd run two."

• On whether anyone would call Halladay by his given name, Harry: "Oh, yeah. It was a family thing - his dad and grandpa were both named Harry - so we'd always call him Harry Leroy Halladay III. He'd get embarrassed but that didn't really stop us."

Brad Madden

Played shortstop at Arvada West with Halladay. Now the baseball coach at Golden.

• On Halladay's personality: "When it was his turn on the mound, he was down to business. Otherwise, he was a cutup. One year on one of the first days of practice, he came to the field with acast on his pitching arm. Coach Capra aged a couple years on that one. We couldn't keep the joke going for too long because Capra would have had a heart attack."

• On taking pride in being his teammate: "As guys who grew up with him we're really proud of him. Every time I see him on ESPN, I make sure to tell everybody, 'Hey, I played with that guy.' "

Bus Campbell

Halladay's pitching coach in high school. Campbell, 85, recently has worked with Brad Lidge of the Houston Astros and Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs.

• On recognizing Halladay's potential: "I knew when he was pitching in high school that he was going to be an outstandingmajor league pitcher. Now you're looking at a guy who could easily get to 200 wins."

• On how Halladay has changed: "A lot of the difference is the size. Now, he's 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, somewhere in that area. He's basically doing the same things he did then, but, naturally, it's a step up physically and a step up mentally. That's what so many pitchers don't do, is step up to the level that they're pitching at. Now, he's not what you'd call a strikeout pitcher, though he gets plenty of strikeouts. He's a groundball pitcher who gets double plays."

• On his ongoing relationship with Halladay: "I workedwith him from when he was 12 until, well, eternity I guess. I stilltalk to him whenever possible and still do things with him at times."

Looking back

Roy Halladay, on two coaches who played key roles in his pitching career.

• On Arvada West coach Jim Capra: "He's a great guy, very supportive. He was a good coach. We learned a lot from him just being respectful and he was always very serious. He knew when to push us and when to have fun. I couldn't ask for a better high school coach. I really enjoyed him every year I had him."

• On pitching coach Bus Campbell: "Bus is somebody I worked with from a young age. He's a guy that always did everything for nothing, he never asked for anything. He just wanted to do it to help. He's just a very rare person and very knowledgeable."

True to his school

After receiving an initial signing bonus of $850,000 from the Toronto Blue Jays, Roy Halladay gave back to his former high school. He funded the wooden outfield fence at Arvada West that served as a backdrop for more than a decade.

Now, with Arvada West overhauling its facilities, Wildcats coach Jim Capra does not want Halladay's contributions to be forgotten. Capra saved two sections of the fence. He plans to repaint them and put one in right field, one in left.

In addition, the Wildcats will commemorate Halladay's 2003 Cy Young Award on the press box or new outfield fence.

Have you voted for Roy?

Former Arvada West High School pitcher Roy Halladay is in the running to be named to the All-Star Game for the fifth time. Fans can select the final pitcher for each league's 32-player roster until 4 p.m. Thursday at MLB.com.

• American League candidates, team

Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers

Kelvim Escobar, Angels

Roy Halladay, Blue Jays

Pat Neshek, Twins

Hideki Okajima, Red Sox

• National League candidates, team

Tom Gorzelanny, Pirates

Roy Oswalt, Astros

Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks

Chris Young, Padres

Carlos Zambrano, Cubs