Trying not to think about what he'd heard in the morning on television, 27-year-old left-hander threw on a pair of blue shorts with a Phillies logo, a T-shirt and headed from the clubhouse to the ballpark concourse to get in an afternoon jog.
"Rumors are rumors until you get called in," Happ said, referring to a blockbuster trade that had been widely reported as done.
Before finishing his run, Happ was summoned to the manager's office by pitching coach Rich Dubee.
Knowing what was coming, Happ wanted to cry.
"I talked to a lot of guys in there and it is very emotional to even try to look them in the eye and know that they've been my teammates, I've been blessed to be able to play with these guys. It's such a great group. I know I've fed off them. Maybe at times, they've fed off me."And here, in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Happ and Dubee disappeared into a tunnel in the right-field corner. The pitching coach led Happ to an office where Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. waited with the news: He had been traded to Houston for Roy Oswalt. "This is all I've ever known," Happ said later, fighting back tears during a news conference.
Meanwhile, he got it together enough to give a few words to the Chronicle:"I was a little shocked, a little surprised today, but definitely looking on the positive, I hope to be part of their future and hope to help turn things around there. It's nice to go to a team that you know wants you."
