Schilling leaning toward retirement
Curt Schilling may have pitched his last game in the major leagues, but he's still got time to make up his mind about the '09 season.
"I don't know that hinting [at retirement] is the proper word, I think I said it, I don't think I was hinting at it," Schilling said this morning during his weekly appearance on sports radio WEEI's Dennis and Callahan program. "The more I move away from playing, the more I think I'm likely to probably not to come back and play."
"There's just things that I thought I might miss that I don't and things that I didn't think I might miss that I do and I think the things that I really don't miss are far outweighing the things that I do," the rehabbing righthander said about being away from baseball this summer. "The baseball stuff that I miss, the day of, walking out to the mound, driving to the park, walking to the bullpen... just that Fenway thing, I miss that. Watching the games and watching these guys get ready to pitch, I miss. I miss the day of. Beyond that I don't miss much else. I don't miss the daily mental grind. I don't miss in here the media thing. I don't miss a lot of it and I'm enjoying like, being normal, for the first time..." ...
"It hit me a couple of days ago that, 'Wow, if I don't ever play again then I don't have to work anymore'. It's weird. I still haven't gotten it down 'cause I'm not someone that can just sit around and 'hey, what do you feel like doing today?', I'm always trying to get something done, do something, go somewhere." ...
"The big test will be probably over the winter time, going into spring training next year, how I react to actually not doing anything, but I don't know that that's going to change between now and then the way I feel," Schilling said. "And I guess the other part of it is it's not like I got a taste of it... it's 23 years, so I got to experience a lot of things..."
In a blog entry on 38pitches.com on Friday, Schilling wrote that "the pendulum is swinging very heavily in the direction of it just being over."
Schilling left open the possibility that he could get motivated to pitch again before the start of spring training. "I’ve never sat around and not gotten ready to head to Florida, well not in 23 or so years anyway," Schilling wrote. "So to me that will likely be the last real test for me and whether or not I want to put the time and effort into getting after it one more time."
Schilling said that a few weeks ago he thought of trying to get ready to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, a 16-country event scheduled for March with the championship game March 23 at Dodger Stadium. "Next I started thinking about the original plan of pitching the 2nd half of next season," Schilling wrote. "Thing is, that urgency just is not there. I miss some things I didn’t think I would, and don’t miss many things I expected too."
Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed the surgery on Schilling's shoulder, estimated a few hours after it ended that Schilling could be throwing a ball in four months and throwing from a mound within seven months, by late January. "Range of motion is improving greatly and pain is becoming less and less an issue," Schilling wrote. "I’ve still got a rather lengthy amount of time before I decide anything."
Schilling, a six-time All-Star, is signed only for 2008 at $8 million. He did not rule out returning to the Red Sox at some point next season but at this point, Schilling would only return in a second-half of the season role. "Yeah, that would be the only way I come back," Schilling said today.
He finished last season, his 20th, ranked 14th on the career strikeout list with 3,116. His career record is 216-146 with a 3.46 ERA. He is 11-2 in postseason play and was co-MVP of the 2001 World Series with Randy Johnson for Arizona.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Let's remember Shill was VERY eager to get his 08 contract finalized last year, then the twinges and aches showed up and...oh I quess I can't play...oh I think I need surgery...oh, I don't think I'm coming back now. Theo, why didn't you gauranteee that 8 mil? Talk about Carl Pavano taking the Yankees for a ride! Manny faking knee injuries? Add Shillings Oscar performance of 08 to the list of
nonsense.
Schiling is now going to retire because his big dumb mouth helped chase Manny and any chance of a World Series outta here.
good riddance Curt, your a stand up guy.
So when all is said and done good old teamate Red Light will, if need be, throw you under the bus after complaining about his own rehab...then he'll take his $8 million and "retire" into the sunset (??)...Quite a teammate!!...What about Doc Morgan's advice now?? He'll certainly be throwing by January and pitching somewhere.
Unlike Manny, Schill doesn't need an agent...but he's already starting his negotiation. The Rays surely don't need him to spoil their chemistry---and believe me they and their fans have it. He claims no Yankee uniform will he don (heard that before)...the Dodgers have their veteran now. I don't think he'd fit in with the Cubbies as their manager doesn't like his style...so where will Curt land? Stay tuned.
say, "Good luck in Kansas City or wherever!"
BTW, watch for Schill leading the champagne toasts and interview spots when the Sox re-peat this year...
I would retire too if I get paid $8 million to do nothing for a year. Good Idea shilling.
haha
Whatever you do, please don't pull a Brett Favre on us, Curt. We'll always love you for everything you gave us. Go out with dignity and your legacy intact., if that's the decision you come to
who cares!!! why does he have to come out with this statement now?? Is he in need of some attention? What an ego maniac..
Who cares...?!
This guy has been playing a shell game for the past three years for his own amusement.
With all that has happened with this team, he is no longer relevant or needed.
Do some more Dunkin Donut commercials, Curt.
not soon enough.
oh, and please stop blogging
Wow. All this negativity directed at someone without whom we would have never won the WS in '04. I can guarantee you that he didn't want to be injured this year. And how many of us would return any money if we were under contract and got hurt and couldn't perform. Please !!!
Yes, Curt speaks his mind and we don't always agree with what he says but in a City that gave Manny a free ride for so long when he work ethic was horendous, why are we vilifying someone whose work ethic was beyond reproach? He didn't choose top be injured.
How quickly they forget that Curt Schilling took all of the pressure off his teammates in 2004 and put it on himself with his vow that he was coming to Boston to help end a curse. The Sox would not have won either of their last two championships if Curt didn't keep his promise. Pedro didn't want to be "the Man," he insisted he couldn't do it alone. While we all know nobody can do it alone, it takes a great, confident player to shoulder the burden when no one else will. Curt, I love you for what you've done and I love hearing your opinion on everything, even when I disagree with it. I will never forget what you did for Boston. If possible, please come back to pitch for the Red Sox and help us win another World Series either this year or next.
let's take it for what it is...the guy likes to talk and be the center of attention. And maybe he did con the sox out of $8 mil in '08. But I didn't hear anyone complaining about his performance on the mound when he was wining some of the bigest games in the history of the franchise over the past 4 years. He never dogged it or threw his teamates under the bus. Yes, who cares, but cut the dude a little slack!!!!!
Why is everyone so negative about Curt?
He helped the Sox to the first WS since the "beginning of time" and now we have 2 in this new millenium.
The Sox mis-diagnosed the situation not Curt as his doctor even said he needed surgery back in March, and the Sox brass said no. It is the fault of Epstein and Co. that they signed him for 8 million as they would have done a physical first, right?
If Schill can pitch next year, then we should welcome him back one last time in the second half. Look at this year's second half, would not a Curt Schilling be very helpful right about now - probably better than Tyrd, Pauley, Zink and Buchholz.
YEEESSSSSS! PLEASE RETIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE DON'T NEED YOU TO KEEP TALKING!! PLEASE GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!
Schiling is now going to retire because his big dumb mouth helped chase Manny and any chance of a World Series outta here.
good riddance Curt, your a stand up guy.
Oh yes, lets say "goodbye" to Shandra too.
Also not relevant....or likeable.
I cant stand this guy, hes a fake and a phony all wrapped up in one. Him and his charities, he acts like he cares. Lets see how much of this free 8 Mill he decides to dontate......HE SUCKS never liked him since he got here.
If only Sean Casey would retire. Good god, this is why we left Eric Hinske go? We exchanged a younger player with XB pop and the versatility to play four positions for a slow-footed first-baseman who can't pinch-hit (well under .200) with no power and a back-up catcher's production. His .340 average is about as deceptive as Lugo's RBI total in 2007. A total blown signing by Theo.
Oh, but he's good in the clubhouse. How many freaking good citizens do we need?
By the comments I'm willing to bet that at least 80% of the people who posted a comment trying to put Schilling down is either a Yankee fan or a Tamba Bay fan. Red Sox Nation will always remeber the guy who came to town and promised to deliver a World Series and so he did. Manny and Pedro had already been here for a long time but they didn't deliver it. The biggest piece of the puzzle was Schilling and he delivered it. That is how he is going to be remembered.
If only Sean Casey would go on WEEI and announce his kinda, sorta, maybe retirement. Good god, what a disappointment he has been. His .340 average is every bit as deceptive as Lugo's RBI total last year. Here is a slow-footed singles hitter who can only play one position and is dreadful in pinch-hit situations. Twelve freaking RBI's in 160+ plate appearances. And we let Hinske go for this? I want to vomit every time a positive nugget is sent Casey's way. An enormous disappointment.
Message to Curt:
It's over. Please just go away, and maybe we'll miss you.
You can take the $8 Million that you swindled from the Sox, and whatever they pay you to appear with wannabee hard guys D & C in the AM, and buy yourself a ticket back to Arizona. I've heard that there's plenty of room out there, where you can take your giant ego out for daily walks.
How quickly they forget that Curt Schilling took all of the pressure off his teammates in 2004 and put it on himself with his vow that he was coming to Boston to help end a curse. The Sox would not have won either of their last two championships if Curt didn't keep his promise. Pedro didn't want to be "the Man," he insisted he couldn't do it alone. While we all know nobody can do it alone, it takes a great, confident player to shoulder the burden when no one else will. Curt, I love you for what you've done and I love hearing your opinion on everything, even when I disagree with it. I will never forget what you did for Boston. If possible, please come back to pitch for the Red Sox and help us win another World Series either this year or next.
Do you people forget that, when Schilling came here, he included an incentive in his contract tied to the Red Sox winning the World Series? Or how dominant he was in last year's postseason? He brought us fans two championships in four years after an 86-year drought. Yes, he talks a lot - too much for some people - but there is no more clutch performer than him when the stakes are the highest.
What a loser he is. He gets paid for doing nothing.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
E-mail your question
- Amalie Benjamin,
- Nick Cafardo,
- Chad Finn,
- Adam Kilgore or
- Tony Massarotti
Or if your comment or question is non-specific to a particular reporter, enter it in the form below:browse this blog
by categoryINside Boston.com