So Schill’s coming back to Boston. I say, good.
Love him or hate him, and there’s really not a lot of in between for Mr. Bloody Sock it seems, Curt Schilling is without a doubt one of the most important pitchers in Red Sox history. The guy said when he signed with the team way back in 2003 that his main priority was to bring a World Series title to Boston.
He helped them win two.
Mission accomplished.
Schill’s been everything that the Sox could have wanted from him over his tenure. We all know that he’s not the same guy he was when he got here. He can’t consistently touch 95 on the gun anymore. He can’t blow away hitters. Here’s the thing, though. He doesn’t have to.
Curt Schilling has learned how to get by on smarts and moxie. He may only be able to make 15-20 starts, but he’ll be very valuable for the Red Sox. If the pitching staff remains as it is constituted right now, he’ll be invaluable as a teacher for Lester and Buccholz next year, and still a valuable mentor for Daisuke and Beckett. With him in the mix, they’ve got six starters for next season, and that’s plenty, with him and Wakefield probably each not good for a full season, but each good for 15-20.
Theo made the right move giving Schilling one more go-round. Personally, I hope to be at his final Fenway start, whenever that might be. I want to stand up and cheer the guy, because without him I don’t think they ever win the 2004 Series. And, if they never won in 2004, there’s a good chance they don’t win in 2007 either. Other than Bennedict Clemens and Pedro, I can’t think of a Red Sox starter that’s been more important to this team, especially in my lifetime. Big Game Josh is on his way, but right now he’s still No. 4.
This is a great way to start the defense of the title.
The views and opinions in the Enterprise blogs are those of the author and are not neccessarily shared by Falmouth Publishing.
