Farewell to Mr. Bloody Sock

Boston Globe: Schilling to have season-ending surgery

Curt Schilling revealed this morning that he will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder on Monday, saying there was a "pretty decent chance that I've thrown my last pitch forever."

The 41-year-old Red Sox righthander made the disclosure during his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI's Dennis and Callahan show, sounding very much like a player whose career could be over.

"I don't want it to end this way, but if this is the way it has to end, I'm OK with that," Schilling said. "If it's over and my last pitch was in the 2007 World Series, I'm OK with that. I just can't stress enough where I am mentally with this. I have not a regret in the world. ... None of this makes me bitter or angry or pissed. It is what it is. In that sense, honestly, it's very, very easy for me because of what I've been able to experience compared to what I wanted when I first started my career, but if I have some say in how this is gonna end, I want it to be different than what it is right now."

Thanks for the memories, Curt. We'll always have 2004.

Enjoy yourself out there stumping for John McBush this summer.

No No No No!

"He's not just a good kid because he threw a no-hitter," Terry Francona said. "He's a good kid because he's a good kid."
(Reuters Photo)
Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox tonight. Amazing. The miracle boy, 24-year-old cancer survivor, who already came back to win the last game of the 2007 World Series last year, with another career moment. The local TV news just reported that he had invited his girlfriend's parents to see him pitch tonight. I imagine they were suitably impressed!

He pitched really well, but an amazing diving catch in centerfield (video) by who else, wonder boy Jacoby Ellsbury, in the fourth made it possible.

Boston Herald: Photo by Matthew West
Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury dove to catch Jose Guillen’s line drive to end the 4th inning.
Everyone is always excited when a pitcher throws a no-hitter but you could see all the emotion from the players and coaches who watched Lester battle and come back from his cancer diagnosis. If you didn't have a tear in your eye as the game ended you are one cold MF.

Another record-setter tonight is Jason Varitek who is now the only catcher in the modern era to catch four no-hitters (Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz, and now Lester). If Curt Schilling hadn't shaken him off with two outs in the ninth of his no-hitter last June and thrown the slider Varitek called for (instead of the fastball that got smoked) Varitek may have caught his fifth no-hitter tonight.

The last two no-hitters in the majors are now the Red Sox (Clay Buchholz's in September being the previous.)

ProJo Sports Blog: Here is the full list of no-hitters for the franchise:

May 19, 2008: Jon Lester, vs. Kansas City
Sept. 1, 2007: Clay Buchholz, vs. Baltimore
April 27, 2002: Derek Lowe, vs. Tampa Bay
April 4, 2001: Hideo Nomo, at Baltimore
Sept. 16, 1965: Dave Morehead, vs. Cleveland
Aug. 1, 1962: Bill Monbouquette, at Chicago
June 26, 1962: Earl Wilson, vs. Los Angeles
July 14, 1956: Mel Parnell, vs. Chicago
Sept. 7, 1923: Howard Ehmke, at Philadelphia
June 3, 1918: Hub Leonard, at Detroit
June 23, 1917: Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore, vs. Washington
Aug. 30, 1916: Hub Leonard, vs. St. Louis
June 16, 1916: Rube Foster, vs. New York
July 19, 1911: Smokey Joe Wood, vs. St. Louis
June 30, 1908: Cy Young, at New York
Sept. 27, 1905: Bill Dinneen, vs. Chicago
Aug. 17, 1904: Jesse Tannehill, vs. Chicago
May 5, 1904: Cy Young, vs. Philadelphia

Boston Herald: Jon Lester to Royals: No way
Sox lefty unhittable at Fenway

Boston Globe: Lester throws no-hitter against Royals

Joy of Sox: JON LESTER PITCHES A NO-HITTER!!!

AP: Cancer survivor Lester throws no-hitter vs Royals

Baseball Notes, Mostly Sawx

Boston Red Sox' Jacoby Ellsbury hoists the World Series trophy prior to the Boston Celtics basketball game against the Washington Wizards in Boston Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, as teammates Manny Delcarmen, left, and Tim Wakefield, right, look on. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

- Curt Schilling takes the hometown discount to sign with the Sox; he inserted a weight clause that pays him:

$2 million in bonuses for 6 seperate [sic] weigh ins.

I inserted the weigh in clause in the 2nd round of offers, counter offers. Given the mistakes I made last winter and into Spring Training I needed to show them I recognized that, and understood the importance of it. Being overweight and out of shape are two different things. I also was completely broad sided by the fact that your body doesn’t act/react the same way as you get older. Even after being told that for the first 39 years of my life. Now I can’t get on Dougie anymore, which sucks, and I am sure the clause will add 15-100 more jokes to Tito’s Schilling joke book.

Maybe that's what I need to lose weight, a $2,000,000 incentive? I'll just declare free agency and see how that works out for me. I feel the pounds dropping already.

- Kevin Youkilis wins his first Gold Glove; only George "Boomer" Scott ever won the award playing first base for the Sawx. Too bad the Sawx didn't keep Orlando Cabrera after the 2004 World Series; he won the Gold Glove at SS in the National League.

- Charlie Pierce (the man who gave us "C+ Augustus") on the Sawx winning the Series: Slate: The Red Sox Win Again
And it feels great, thanks for asking.

- Alex Beam, dyspeptic columnist but true Red Sox fan, gloating about the Yankees in the Globe: The sorrow and the pity: a Bronx tale

- And my non-Sawx note, just another reason why the Sawx MUST NOT SIGN Me-Fraud: A-Rod's recent post-season performance (hat tip to Red Sox Stats Guy):

Since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS — the night Boston began its epic comeback from three games down against the Yankees — (Alex) Rodriguez has come to the plate with 38 runners on base, over the span of 59 at-bats. He left every single one on base, going 0-for-27, right through the Yanks’ Division Series loss to Cleveland this month.

Photo Links

Dice-K's debut
Dice-K delivered a pitch with Kansas City's David DeJesus on first base.
(Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)


Spent the day assembling my taxes, my least favorite task of the year. During the afternoon I watched Dice-K's stellar debut for the Red Sox. It was just Kansas City (though they've had the Sawx's number the past few years) but he looked pretty impressive. Dennis Eckersley was falling all over himself with excitement in the NESN studios afterwards. Move over, Curt Schilling. There's a new sheriff in town.

Boston Globe: Dice-K's Debut

Boston Globe: Zoo babies

Dependable Renegade: McCain visits the Lower East Side

Dependable Renegade: John McCain visits Indiana

Apartment Therapy: Tea Eggs for the Holidays

Joey Has Two Moms

Mom's the Word

Years ago, then-Giants second baseman Jeff Kent was changing out of his uniform when he glanced at the nearby reporters and cracked, "There are no queers here, are there?" The comment barely raised an eyebrow.

Valentine is aware of the stigma. That is why his family asked that this story not be published until Valentine secured a spot on the major league roster.

"We've almost never been treated badly," said Deb Valentine, Joe's birth mother. "But we live in the real world, and you don't 100 percent know how people will react."

Here's the startling thing: Thus far in Joe Valentine's life, few have reacted.

Born in Las Vegas on Christmas Eve 1979, Joe is the biological son of Deb Valentine and a man she prefers not to discuss, a man Joe does not know. Deb declined to discuss the circumstances of the pregnancy, but when she delivered Joe at Sunrise Hospital, the person by her side was Doreen Price, her life partner since they first met in a bowling alley in 1975.

I think the Red Sox should trade for this kid. We need the pitching (David Wells, Curt Schilling & Keith Foulke are not exactly having career years) and then his two moms could get legally married in Massachusetts.

It's been a year since gay marriage came to Massachusetts (thank you Supreme Judicial Court) and look what's happened: NOTHING! We still have the lowest divorce rate in the nation, and there's been no plague of locusts or anything of the sort. Well , there was that moron Ron Crews who moved here from Georgia & ran for Congress against my Congressman, the estimable Jim McGovern, but Crews lost 2-1 & hopefully has taken the hint and gone down south of the Mason Dixon line again.

Haters need not apply here in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Baseball Hearings

I'm laid up today, so have watched much of the baseball hearings. A few observations:

1. Conveniently, Sammy Sosa has lost his ability to speak English. His statement is read by his translator. I laughed out loud when the translator read that Sosa denied doing steroids. Just look at a picture of him from 1999. He's a juicer. During the hearings he has perfected the befuddled look I remember well from doing worker's comp hearings with clients for whom English was a second language, supposedly, although they did fine speaking with me outside the hearing room. I sincerely doubt that his English is this poor. (n.b., see #7, below) As the hearings go on, his answers become more and more confused. "I don't know" is his favorite answer.

2. Jose Canseco is an idiot, but he's the only honest player on this panel. He is being the honest idiot he is. At least he is answering the questions about baseball steroid use somewhat honestly. Sadly, he truly believes he is a hero for writing his book! He testifies that the hearings are taking place solely because of his book. He takes the position that steroids are a huge problem during the hearing, while in his book he sings the praises of steroids. Dolt.

3. Mark McGwire has shrunk a great deal from his playing days. Sammy Sosa is also very much smaller than he was in "The Year That Saved Baseball". Neither has the steroid acne today.

4. Congress is full of cowards. No one has even managed to make McGwire take the 5th Amendment, although it's clear that the 5th is his fallback position. They're letting him get away with "I'm not here to talk about the past" and offering to become a spokesperson against steroids which is just ridiculous. So we know: McGwire was juiced. Roger Maris still owns the single season home run record as far as I'm concerned. The only guys who have exceeded it are Bonds, McGwire & Sosa, The Juice Boys. I'm with Jim Bunning -- throw those tainted records out.

And why Roger Maris isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame, I can't believe, that's another injustice that should be rectified.

5. The most powerful testimony by far was from the parents of the two young men who committed suicide after taking steroids. They must be furious watching these baseball players avoid the questions.

6. The funniest testimony has to be from the doctor who advised MLB on their steroid policy. He was combative from the get-go, for reasons that are unclear to anyone watching the hearings from the outside. He got members of Congress to shout at him! Didn't look like he was enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.

7. New entry for funniest moment: Dennis Kucinich addresses Sammy Sosa in Spanish, and Sosa answers in English! Second language duel-off!

8. Saddest testimony: All these multimillionaire baseball players saying they didn't see much steroid use, or they just can't say. Curt Schilling denying what he said three years ago about players using steroids & human growth hormone (difference between then & today: Today he's a player rep! Deny everything!) All I gotta say to you guys is, no guts, no glory. Slink off. Shame on you all.

I reiterate my call for the tiny hypodermic needle to be placed next to all of the records of the juicers. In addition, Mike Greenwell (I saw him hit for the cycle in Fenway Park!) should be awarded Conseco's MVP award.

Sports Movies

ESPN has a couple of articles on their site about the greatest lines in sports movies:

Top 100 Sports Movie Quotes

From some players, their favorite lines from the movies:

Sports Movie Liners

Both of these articles missed a few great lines:

"Attitude reflects leadership, Captain."
- Remember the Titans

"Coach: What are you?
Players: Mobile! Agile! Hostile!"
- Remember the Titans

"Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you're not good at them."
- Tin Cup

"Skip: You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!
Larry: Lollygaggers!
Skip: Lollygaggers."
- Bull Durham

I got my idea for this post from Basegirl, who loves Jason Varitek & his favorite quote.

Hey, what Red Sox fan doesn't love the Captain of the World Champion Boston Red Sox?

I'd also like to point that Curt Schilling in his testimony today worked "World Champions" into the first sentence of his opening statement. Good job Curt! (You d***ed Republican.)

Friggin' Prayin'

The Red Sox are up 2-0 in the World Series.

The Red Sox are up 2-0 in the World Series.

Can this be real? Can I let myself believe it's real? I can't get excited yet. I can't let myself get excited yet. I was one of those fools who had opened the champagne during Game 6 in 1986, because it was all over, in the bag, just a few easy outs away. And then it all slipped away, the agony, the howling, poor Billy Buckner driven out of town by the wrath of Red Sox Nation.

Curt Schilling was amazing last night. I keep thinking about that poor cadaver they practiced on with the tendon sheath stitches. Was the dead guy a Red Sox fan? Is he up there in heaven lording it over the other Red Sox fans about how he's helping break the 86-year-old curse? Or was he a Yankee fan & God is involved here -- a Yankee fan had to be sacrificed to break the Curse of the Bambino?

Speaking of religion, we enjoy Curt's frequent references to God. He's an avowed Christian and for example in last night's post-game press conference, he said "I'll never use the words unbelievable and the Lord in the same sentence again." Very Christian.

Righty-oh, there, Curt. I watched Letterman last week the day after the Sox vanquished the hated Yankees and saw our God-Squadder Curt read the Number One reason the Sox beat the Yankees: "We got Babe Ruth's ghost a hooker and now everything's cool." OK, if Curt's a Christian, I guess that's a very Christian statement.

My friend heard him interviewed on WEEI (our local sportstalk radio station) a few days back. In a short interview he said the word "frigging" at least a dozen times. Now, when I was a kid & I used that word, my parents treated me as though I had said "f**king". Because that's really what you're saying when you're saying frigging. So I guess using "frigging" is very Christian, too.

Last night I finally realized what Curt is doing when he sits in the dugout between pitches with his head in his hands. He's praying. They did a close-up from the side, and he has a chain around his neck (cross? saint?) in his fingers, his eyes are squeezed shut, and his lips are moving. Curt Schilling, praying between innings.

Frigging praying. Frigging praying. That's what all of Red Sox Nation is doing today.

Go Sox.

For further reading, try Schilling Gives Boston a Leg to Stand On by Tom Boswell in the Washington Post; Schilling again prevails on blood and guts alone by Sean McAdam in the Providence Journal; Fans get Curt-ain call: Ace's morning pain gives way to night of life by Stephen Harris in the Boston Herald; and Painful day, then win sewn up by Jackie MacMullan in the Boston Globe.

UPDATE: How could I forget George (not hack Peter) Vecsey? Schilling May Become Another Gimpy Legend

Bread and Circus

Circus has cheered me up this morning. I hereby abandon politics for sports! For me, yesterday proved a veritable trifecta: Curt Schilling wins another for the Red Sox (THIS IS THE YEAR); Calgary Flames heading to the Stanley Cup finals (I want the Stanley Cup go to a Canadian team in what may be the final year of the NHL as we know it); and Liverpool F.C. finally dumps Emile Heskey. I know, I know, I'm a little late on the Heskey signing, but I just heard about it. Why he is still being chosen for the England National team is beyond me.