After undergoing season-ending surgery, Curt Schilling will not play for the 2008 Boston Red Sox.
I have to admit, in the heat of the Celtics' playoff run and the budding Red Sox/Rays rivalry (that just doesn't sound right, does it?), I completely forgot about Curt Schilling. Which is strange, because love him or hate him, he's the most unforgettable Boston sports figure of this century.
This is a guy whose first post-contract appearance in Boston was on a commercial where he boldly stated that he was going to come to Boston and break a curse. Who else would have had the balls to do something like that?
This is a guy who had elective surgery on his ankle so he could pitch in a playoff game, then repeated the same procedure a week later so he could pitch again. And won both games.
This is a guy who was so messed up from that ankle injury that he couldn't pitch the next season, yet he rushed himself back and even took over as the team's closer for a period of time. Then switched back to starter, and won the wild card-clinching game against the New York Yankees on the last day of the season.
This is a guy who communicates directly with the fans through his blog. A blog he had, by the way, before it was "cool" for a professional athlete to have one. He revolutionized communication between athletes and fans. He took direct questions from fans, he interacted with us, and he gave insights into his preparation and in-game performance that we were never going to get from the Boston Globe or Herald.
This is a guy who reinvented himself in 2006 as a guy who could actually pitch. He couldn't throw 95 mph anymore, so he figured out how to win at 89 mph. How many other pitchers could go from a Josh Beckett fastball to a John Burkett fastball and remain successful?
This is a guy who fought through injuries last season, only to grow his postseason legend. In what may have been his final game, he pitched a one-run gem against the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.
This is a guy who turned down multiple two-year deals to take a one-year deal for less money so he could end his career in Boston. Not because he knew he was injured and just wanted to steal Red Sox money (as some morons in the media, and some even bigger morons in the fan base have suggested), but because he respected the uniform and loved the fans. Most guys take the guaranteed two-year contract somewhere else.
Most guys aren't Curt Schilling.
If any athlete shouldn't be forgotten in any city, it's Curt Schilling in Boston. It's sad that his career may end with an injury. It'll be even more sad if he plays again, but somewhere other than Boston. So consider this a plea to Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox front office: do not let Curt Schilling end his career in another uniform.
I don't care if he's the worst pitcher in Major League Baseball.
I don't care what you need to pay him.
I don't care who you have to sit in order to play him.
Curt Schilling has done more for the Boston Red Sox than any player not named David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez over the last five years. If he wants to make it a sixth, we owe it to him to make it happen.
I don't want a "Pedro Martinez with the Mets" moment at Fenway Park.
I want Curt Schilling walking out to the mound for the first time in two years, in Fenway, to pitch the top of the first inning. I want to give him a standing ovation. I want him to walk off a Fenway mound after he decides he's made his last career start, tipping his cap in appreciation for the standing ovation we're giving him.
And I'm not a sappy guy. I could care less about the human element most times. I'm all for trading the Super Star when he starts to show signs of age. Or not resigning the fan favorite because he's asking for too much money.
But when you don't win a championship for 86 years, the rules change a bit. There are three guys I never want to see in another uniform. Curt Schilling is one; Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are the other two.
So, if there are hard feelings because of the disagreements over the treatment for his injured shoulder ... get over them. If there are concerns about his ability to help the team next season due to his age and injuries ... look past them. If you think he's asking for too much money ... give it to him anyway.
You owe me for all those years I watched and rooted for a bunch of overpaid stiffs who never could do what Curt Schilling and the 2004 Boston Red Sox did. He said he was going to bring us a championship, and he did. Two of them.
If he never pitches again, he'll be one of the most important players in Red Sox history. If he does pitch again, it'll be a travesty if it's not for the same team he redefined five years ago.
SeanMC is a senior writer for Bleacher Report and writes a column for Sports Central every other Thursday. You can read more articles by SeanMC on his blog.
Leave a Comment