So Long Schilling, Curt's Career Likely Over

On the heels of the high Boston's currently on from the Boston Celtic NBA World Championship the city was delivered some rather sad news today. Curt Schilling and his bid to pitch again for the Red Sox in 2008 is now over, and most likely so is his wonderful career. Pretty much since spring training I was skeptical of Schilling's ability to come back and pitch for the Sox, however I received some hope as it looked like he was responding well to the program of rehabilitation the Sox had put him on. The hope was false however, and Schilling's now due to have surgery this coming Monday.

I don't blame the Red Sox for how they approached this situation one bit, after all, Curt was already going to be making millions of dollars from the Red Sox this season if he threw a pitch or not, so why not try to rehabilitate him, even if the odds of him throwing in 2008 were low. I also still think that the Sox should not have signed Schilling for the 2008 season. There was just too much risk, and much like the Timlin signing, I think emotion may have overplayed some business decisions, which is rare for this current administration, and very Yawkey-like *shudder*.

Either way, what's done is done now, and the Red Sox post-Curt Schilling era has now officially begun. I believe that it'll be tight (maybe Jim Rice tight) however in the end The Schill should make to Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame. He's one of the best post season pitchers in baseball history, has won three World Series, and is 14th All-Time in the K's. I thought Curt needed 20 more wins and another solid postseason or two to solidify this, and I'm sure this may be his greatest trepidation right now. Either way he has nothing to be ashamed of and has had an absolutely wonderful career. He'll forever be Saint Schilling in Boston and it's highly unlikely we would have won one World Series, let alone two, without Curt.

So three cheers for Curt on a wonderful career, and a huge thank you to all he's done to make the city of Boston and its fans, once again the hub of baseball. You'll be missed Curt.

Click Here for Steve Silva's great recap on all things Schill.

Comments

[Eric]

i have to disagree with you on giving the red sox a pass on how they handled schillings health.

curt didnt want to re-hab.. he wanted to have surgery b/c surgery meant a greater chance of pitching in the future. i think everyone involved had to be realistic that he wasnt going to throw in '08. so curt got a 2nd opinion and that opinion was to have surgery and the sox still said no.

now, schilling is in the exact spot he didnt want to be in... not pitching in '08 after a rehab attempt and most likely not pitching again.

i think the way the red sox handled it was irresponsbile and not in the best interest of the players health.

[Jason]

Red Sox management really screwed up Curt's season, there's no doubt about that.

With that said, I hope Curt leaves the game as a member of the Red Sox. Nothing would be worse than seeing him trying a comeback next season with a team like the Marlins, Reds, or Pirates.

Curt, THANK YOU!!!

[Derek Hixon]

I don't know I think Curt's overall health is fine, he even said that his shoulder strength is very strong, it's just he's not @ MLB pitching level.

You have to be realistic here, this is a business, and a lot of people thought last year should have been Curt's last year. He's old and his arm is in disarray from the abuse of one of the most violent motions in all of sports, throwing a baseball.

Curt should have been realistic with his health and age and moved on. I'm sure he wanted to come back because he loves the game, but he's also a student of the game, and realizes how thin his chances of a the HOF may be, and that's honestly the reason he came back. Remember in '07 when he was saying he'd love to pitch for Tampa?