Uncertainty for Schilling

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Monday will mark one month since Curt Schilling last pitched in a game, and the Red Sox ace remains uncertain about when he will return and somewhat discouraged by his rehabilitation.

''I've had a boot on for the past couple of weeks, so my ankle isn't getting any stronger," Schilling said yesterday morning on WEEI's ''Dennis and Callahan" radio show, which makes a sizable donation to Schilling's ALS charity in return for his appearances. ''It was weak when I hurt it to begin with. So I'm not going back out there until it's strong, if not stronger than it was.

''How we can do that, and how quickly we can do that, is going to be the big question. There's some discomfort, but nothing like there was. I'm throwing with my short boot on as best I can to keep the arm as best I can so there's a lot less lag time between being ready [to come out of the boot] next week and getting out there and pitching."

Schilling said yesterday he doesn't see a need to talk to the print media that follows the team. When his stress reaction heals and he's ready to pitch, he said, he'll be willing to talk. For now, he defers questions to the club's medical director, Tom Gill -- even though the team does not allow Gill to talk to the media.

Initially, Schilling and the club expected him to need the removable plastic cast for two weeks. He'll be in the cast until Friday, at least, when he's reevaluated back in Boston. That means 3 1/2 weeks, minimum, in the cast.

''I'm hoping that we're near being out of it, but there's a lot of work to be done once I get out of the boot," Schilling said on the radio. ''You think about some of the basic concepts of what's happening, what's going to happen going forward."

David Wells returns to the rotation today, 23 days after going into his own boot for a sprained plantar fascia ligament in his right foot. Wells spent two weeks in a boot, then needed nine days to strengthen his arm and rediscover his mechanics before pitching in a game.

Wells, a remarkable healer for someone his age (41) and body type, threw a bullpen session, a simulated game, and a light bullpen after coming out of the boot. Schilling figures to need at least that much work after leaving the boot behind, because he needs to strengthen not only his arm but an area of his body -- his ankle -- that was subjected to considerable trauma over the last year.

Based on Wells's throwing regimen alone, Schilling doesn't appear likely to return until the very end of May or beginning of June at the earliest.

Schilling sustained the stress reaction, April 23 when he attempted to throw a fastball harder than he had at any point since going under the knife following the World Series. The result of that pitch: ''Sharp pain," Schilling said, when announcing his move to the disabled list April 27.

He began throwing with the boot May 5 in Detroit but apparently hasn't taken any further steps in his rehabilitation. Most of his physical activity, according to manager Terry Francona, is simulation work done indoors.

Schilling remains in the removable boot coming and going to the park. He walks around the clubhouse each day without the boot, but walking and driving his body off hard rubber atop an elevated mound are two starkly different tasks. When he has thrown a baseball, he's done so on flat ground while wearing a boot.

''It felt better last week, which was an improvement," said Schilling, who's traveling with the team and doing his rehab on the road. ''I feel almost like [the] meaningless one because I'm not out there yet."