By John McMullen
We all know this city’s history and how long we have been waiting for a championship.
But, winning isn’t everything.
I can't express how much I agree with my colleague's recent assessment of the Philadelphia Phillies’ woes.
As Tim McManus so eloquently stated, the team has spent far too much time sacrificing arms at the expense of lumber. And, I think we all understand if the Fightin’s acquiesced to demands of Curt Schilling, they likely would have brought home some hardware in the past decade.
But, it wouldn’t have been worth it.
If there were an award for the most hated man in professional sports, Barry Bonds would likely win in a landslide. The undisputed champ in my mind is Schilling.
I'm in the minority but I celebrate the fact that the Phils jettisoned this jackass, fully aware he has garnered two world championships.
Anything that saves me from listening to this insufferable lout on a daily basis is a positive. Having seen a couple of Curt’s blowups behind the scenes, let’s just say there is a gap between the true nature of the man and the image he likes to project in public.
Schilling’s self-serving rhetoric during the congressional steroid hearings last March was just the tip of the iceberg. If you want a few laughs, pick up the issue of GQ that actually rated the 10 most hated athletes in professional sports and you might begin to realize what a hopeless fraud we are talking about.
On days Schilling doesn’t pitch, he is famous for paying homage to Adam Copeland by striking a series of five-second poses for the benefit of those with flash photography and of course, the TV cameras. His manager with the Phillies, Jim Fregosi, actually christened him with the nickname “Red Light Curt.“
In fact, Schilling’s need for attention is so overwhelming that many (including yours truly) doubt his legendary “Bloody Sock” performance in the 2004 postseason, when this bastion of physical fitness supposedly pitched on an ankle tendon sutured back in place.
You may be able to ignore the fact that pitchers in pristine physical condition couldn’t have pulled that off and Schilling‘s next career move will likely be pitchman for Krispy Kreme. But, during the game, as cameras continually focused on the red stain on Schilling’s sock, it, curiously, never spread.
Well, as the Red Sox headed to New York this week, Schilling was back at it, calling the New York press “bad people.”
Nothing like a generalization to bring home intellectual inferiority.
And after getting shellacked by an overrated Bombers team, Curt left Yankee Stadium before Thursday’s game in full uniform to go to the hospital for a “personal matter.” Of course, he made sure to leave through the press exit so all those “bad people” saw it and had to write about it.
The malady confronting Schilling was so serious, he was back on the field 45 minutes later. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Curt just wanted that picture of him coming out of the Stadium and getting in the car in uniform,” a Boston official told the New York Daily News.
Yep, his own people are fully aware of what a phony Schill is.
Winning isn’t everything...
Let low rent towns like Boston celebrate pariahs...We are better than that.
-You can reach John McMullen at JMcmullen1@comcast.net
3 comments:
Finally, I read something about how full of crap Curt Schilling is.
A refreshing read, I'll look for your column from here on.
Go A's,
Ryan Kelling
Hello John-- I just read your article on realgmbaseball.com about Schilling, and I for one wish more people agreed with you. I live in Boston now and nothing brings about nausea quite like seeing some poor soul supporting this mouthpiece by wearing his jersey.
He is a hemmorhoid on the collective ass of baseball.
Thanks,
Alan
Dear Mr. McMullen,
I found your email address on the bottom of your article and decided to reply based on some of my thoughts. I sincerely hope you read this email because I always love a good sports debate. I recently read your article entitled "Winning Isn't Everything" and respectfully disagree with your claims against Curt Schilling. I am from Sharon, MA and yes I am a biased Boston Red Sox fan. However, I feel as though my sports opinions have an objectivity that extend beyond my emotional attachment to a certain team.
First off, to say that the Phils were correct in ditching Schilling because of his persona even though he could have helped them win a championship is ridiculous. The goal of the Phillies organization is to bring a championship to the city of Philadelphia. If Curt can help them do this, who cares whether or not you like the guy? Personally, I do not like Manny Ramirez, but I would trade him for very few people in baseball. As far as Schilling as a person, I could not disagree with you more. I have the utmost respect for this man. This respect was earned by Curt. Sure, he talks too much, likes a lot of attention and loves to stick his nose into controversial issues. However, Curt is the first person to stick up for his teammates, help them in their development and shield them from the unrelenting media that stalks boston players. For example, he taught Jonathan Papelbon the splitter and backed Keith Foulke as soon as the media turned on him last year.
I have no idea how you could deny the bloody sock incident. This tendon was sutured to the bone by Dr. Bill Morgan. This is a fact. It is unquestionable. It has never been done to a human being before. Schilling agreed to do this and risk his career. Clearly this cannot be viewed as anything other than a selfless act. If Schilling is physically able to be on that mound he absolutely will, without question. This is extremely admirable considering guys are out there like Pedro Martinez who will skip a start due to a hurt toenail.
Schilling carries himself with the utmost respect of the game and his teammates. If you watch closely to Schil's starts you'll notice that when he comes out of the games and a reliever comes into the game, he waits at the top of the dugout to greet the reliever and thank that reliever for cleaning up Curt's mess. Schil has treated the fans of Boston like his personal family, taking every opportunity to tip his cap and let the fans know he appreciates their support.
Whether Schil does all of these nice deeds for show or for his own personal benefit is irrelevant. He does them and they are the right thing to do. He carries himself as a respectful professional and a competitor. He teaches our young guys as much as he can and treats the fans with respect. Whatever person he is behind the cameras in his own personal life is his business. For 3 hours every day, Curt Schilling is unquestionably a professional and a competitor at that. It pains me to see anyone view him any other way. Hopefully you find my email interesting and I would love to hear your response. I'm an avid sports fan and feel very passionately about their issues. I am currently a junior in college and attending Emory University in Atlanta. I hope to hear back from you with your thoughts. Thanks very much for reading my email.
Sincerely, Michael Stern
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