I do try to control my raging Boston homer impulses here on UmpBump, but there’s only so much a girl can do. I’ve just got all these BoSox-centered thoughts rattling around in the old bean, and I’ve got let some of them out! But if you stick it out for a few paragraphs, there will be some assorted MLB-wide random thoughts towards the end.

Curt Schilling may be an opinionated guy, but he’s not afraid to admit when he’s wrong. He played catch yesterday, after what he described as his longest period without throwing a ball since he was five years old. And he admitted that the course of rehab recommended by the Red Sox doctors—which he fought tooth and nail—is working. And the weight bonus has been dropped from his contract. Bartolo Colon is pitching for Pawtucket on Saturday. And yesterday, Boston’s other old man, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, threw 8 innings of shut-out ball in Detroit. Good times for Boston’s venerable hurlers.

Gordon Edes (still at the Boston Globe, at least for the time being) had a quick observation about Julio Lugo:

Julio Lugo began the day ranked at the bottom of all defensive categories for big-league shortstops. He had the most errors (9), the lowest fielding percentage (.919), was last in assists per nine innings (2.36), and last in range factor (3.49). The rest of the Sox infield? Mike Lowell, Sean Casey, and Dustin Pedroia have one error apiece, Kevin Youkilis none. Most of Lugo’s errors have come on routine plays, an indictment of his fundamental skills more than his athleticism…

This jibes with what I’ve been observing. Lugo gets to the ball and then bobbles it, or lets it go under his glove, or even snags it and then throws it away. It just seems like he’s not focused, as if he’s thinking too many steps ahead instead—he looks like he’s taking his eye off the ball when it’s coming to him and then getting rid of it before he gets his feet under him. Basic stuff. Lugo has called himself an aggressive shortstop and has admitted that sometimes, his enthusiasm results in mistakes. I wish he’d get a little more Zen-master-like focus.

Anyway, compare Edes’ observation, above, with this sentence from Nick Cafardo, the man who took over the Sunday Notes column from him:

Is there a shortstop alive with more range than the Angels’ Erick Aybar (please, no “range factor” stats)?

Ugh. For the record, Erick Aybar is leading MLB shortstops in range factor this season. He’s 13th in fielding percentage. Or, if you’re Nick Cafardo, in “‘fielding percentage’ stats.” Cafardo also interviewed Johnny Damon, who sounds like a bit of an ass:

You’re 34 years old with more than 2,100 hits. Do you ever think about playing a long time and getting 3,000 hits and possibly making it to the Hall of Fame?

JD: “I’m starting to think about it. I never thought about it because it’s a team game and there are so many pitches I took to try to work the pitch count to make it easier on people like [David] Ortiz, Mike Sweeney, and Manny [Ramírez]. I mean, what if I just swung and got the hits and all the times I played when I shouldn’t have to make sure other guys stay fresh? If you think about that over seven or eight years, how many would I have had? I’m starting to think about it more.”

Apparently, Johnny Damon could have had a lot more hits by now, if he hadn’t been trying to selflessly help the team. (Whaaa?)

At a recent game in the Fens, we were sitting right behind the Boston bullpen. We watched Hideki Okajima rub the parrot for good luck before the game. We watched Julian Tavarez flirting with the girls seated next to us. Billy the bullpen cop saw an adorable little boy walk up to the metal fencing and peek down into the pen; Billy got Jonathan Papelbon to walk over to the fence and say hi. The little boy’s eyes widened to the size of catchers’ mitts. We saw the guys trying to throw pumpkin seeds into a plastic cup. (Only one seed went in, by my count, but some unseen hand was throwing those seeds with a lot of great, biting movement on ‘em. It would really dive in against a righthanded hitter, with good downward break as well. Wonder who that was?)

Boston’s now enjoying a 4-game lead for first place in the AL East. The Rays are 4 back, the struggling Yanks and the Jays a game behind them, and the Orioles are back in the cellar where they belong.

Other MLB randomness:

Have you ever noticed how Placido Polanco has a head like a midget? It’s a midget-shaped head on a regular-sized body. Strange.

Barry Zito will return to the starting rotation without making any appearances out of the bullpen. This seems less like a return to sanity on the part of San Francisco management than like they utterly and completely lack for any sort of plan, at all. But then, we knew that.

The players’ association is investigating suspicions of collusion regarding unsigned veterans like Kenny Lofton and Barry Bonds. But old is old and indicted is indicted, no?

MLB looked into the blow-up doll incident in the White Sox clubhouse and decided it was a “team issue.” GM Ken Williams has been assured by Ozzie Guillen that it won’t happen again. Yet the skipper has told the press he sees nothing offensive, immature, or otherwise pathetic with having lewdly positioned blow-up dolls in the clubhouse because it’s a clubhouse, and what happens in the clubhouse should stay in the clubhouse because it’s the clubhouse, goddammit, and if grown men want to play with dolls in their clubhouse than that’s their clubhouse-given right! Clubhouse. (Note to self: rename office cubicle “the clubhouse;” purchase opium; hire harem boys; acquire a quantity of mead, one of those roasted pigs with the apple stuck in its mouth, and a cake; send Outlook invites for Friday afternoon orgy.) Now, it should be noted that there was, at one point, a naked blow-up doll in my freshman year dorm room. I have no idea how it got there, but one day I woke up and saw it, lo and behold, perched atop my roommate’s wardrobe. And a couple of months later, it vanished. I offer this anecdote just by way of saying, random and tasteless blow-up dolls could happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

UPDATED 2/8/08 9:24 am–below

Curt Schilling has a shoulder injury. And according to reports, it’s more serious than the injury that caused him to miss 7 weeks last season.

Curt Schilling has visited Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed surgery on his shoulder in 1995. Sources have told reporters in Boston that Morgan feels Schilling needs surgery, while the Red Sox would like him to rehab his shoulder without surgery. The sources also say that the Red Sox have inquired about voiding his contract, which calls for a base pay of $8 million with several more million in incentives. Obviously, Schilling does not want his contract voided.

At this point, the injury is believed to be a rotator cuff or labrum tear. Surgery would end Schilling’s year, almost certainly. And he’s said this is definitely his last year.

Neither Schilling nor the Red Sox have publicly commented on the injury or the dispute as of yet, which is an ominous sign. If Schill had just visited Dr. Morgan to say “Aah,” he would have no doubt quickly released a statement to quash these rumors.

Schilling had a physical before he and the Sox inked this deal. Did they miss something? Or did he hurt his shoulder pulling the lever for McCain on Tuesday?

UPDATE: Schilling has “screaming pain” in his arm and”can’t throw a baseball, and has pain simply shaking hands or opening a door.”

From the Boston Globe:

Schilling will attempt to give the shoulder-strengthening program another try. If he doesn’t respond as well as he did last season, he has the option to walk away from his contract and have surgery to prepare for ‘09 with another team…there are no shock waves on Yawkey Way. Both sides knew there wasn’t much left in his right shoulder before all this came out.

Here, in its entirety, is the statement released by the Red Sox:

Curt Schilling was examined by Red Sox doctors in January after he reported feeling right shoulder discomfort. Curt has started a program of rest, rehabilitation and shoulder strengthening in an attempt to return to pitching.

Seems that Schilling’s desire to have surgery has gone by the wayside. Neither side has addressed the supposed contract-voiding debate, but Curt has since posted a response of his own on his blog:

There have been disagreements these past few weeks in an effort to provide me with a solution that would allow me to pitch as much as possible during the 2008 season. At no time did I ever consider taking a course of action against the clubs wishes. In the end, regardless of who agreed with whom, I have chosen the clubs course of action and will vigorously pursue any and every option I can to be able to help this team to another World Series title in 2008.

Please understand that a lot of what has been reported is not true. When the club feels it’s appropriate to further discuss the details of this issue publicly I will elaborate…

After being diagnosed by the Red Sox medical staff I sought a second opinion, as anyone would, and when it became clear there was disagreement (which is not uncommon by the way), I agreed to see an independent Doctor from a list the Red Sox provided me, for the third opinion.

They were saying on the radio this morning that Curt’s injury is not a labrum or a rotator cuff, as previously speculated, but a problem with his biceps, according to the Boston Herald:

It is Morgan’s diagnosis that Schilling’s main problem stems from the bicipital groove, the portion of the bicep tendon which runs outside of the shoulder…and is an irreversible problem, if just using the Red Sox’ recommended remedy of a cortisone shot and rehabilitation.

“In my opinion a conservative approach will be unsuccessful, and that a surgical option is medically the correct thing to do and has the only potential shot of him being able to salvage his coming season,” said Morgan, who estimates Schilling could be ready to pitch by the All-Star break with the procedure…

[The third doctor] agreed with Morgan’s diagnosis that the pitcher’s biceps tendon had become diseased, but also concluded Schilling’s rotator cuff was a significant problem, and he wouldn’t be ready to pitch during in 2008 if Morgan’s proposed surgery was performed.

Morgan says the biceps (or the tendons?) in question “look like spaghetti.” I suppose that’s the medical term.

J-Walk, one of my favorite Tucson bloggers, posted recently about the terms and conditions on Curt Schilling’s website, 38pitches. The terms are … well … kinda intense.

Let me share his observations with you.

It has the standard “you agree to be bound” verbiage — probably one of the most ridiculous concepts ever conceived:

By accessing and using the Web Site, you consent to and agree to be bound by the terms of the foregoing Terms. These Terms of Service, together with 38pitches.com’s Web Site Privacy Policy [see the link on the Home page] and any other legal notices published by 38pitches.com on the Web Site, shall constitute the entire agreement between you and 38pitches.com concerning the Web Site.

And, of course, the equally ridiculous:

You should review these Terms regularly as they may change at any time at the sole discretion of 38pitches.com.

He probably has a team of lawyers who convinced him that all of this nonsense is necessary.

Note to Umpbump readers: you will never be asked to consent to and agree to be bound by the terms of our foregoing Terms. Ever.

The time for knee-jerk reactions to the Mitchell report has passed. Now it’s time to commence with the backbiting and fingerpointing. Let’s look at some reactions from a few clean players.

For the most part, the players not involved in the Mitchell report have been keeping their heads down and not saying nuthin’. Those who do speak have mostly stuck to banal comments and harmless generalizations. The players named by Mitchell have resorted to a) silence, b) denial, or c) lame-ass apologies, such as those by Brian Roberts (”I didn’t inhale!”) and Andy Pettitte (”If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize…I accept responsibility for those two days.”)

The most interesting exception to this sit-down-shut-up-boo-hoo-poor-me spectacle has been the former players who were clean, and who are pissed as hell they had to compete against these cheaters. If there is any doubt that using steroids was cheating (and nasty, no-good, dirty, cheateriffic cheating at that), listen to the words of folks like Joe Oliver and Mike Greenwell. As Oliver wrote in an email  to Boston Herald columnist Joe Horrigan,

I had to vie for a job every year and now I know it had something to do with certain players having a competitive edge on me…I spent all that time in the early hours running and lifting weights, these guys would shoot up and be done and get stronger, faster, and the owners knew who they were and the GM’s knew who they were. Every time I argued for a contract, I was competing with juiced catchers in the same boat looking for a job. They got the higher paying jobs and I got screwed.

That reflects the sentiments of Mike Greenwell, another former Red Sox player. He was never the kind of guy who got the awards or the glory or the big-money deal. He just showed up to work and played hard. (In fact, he turned running into the Green Monster into a kind of art, occasionally kicking the wall in retaliation for some of those bumps and bruises.) He had a couple of All-Star game appearances, over the course of his 12-year career, and then faded gracefully from view. His best season was 1988, when he came in second in MVP voting. And who should happen to have beaten him out that year? Why, Jose Canseco, who just that year had his 40-homer, 40-steal season. Now that Canseco has fully admitted to using steroids, shouldn’t the Gator get the hardware? That’s what he said back when Jose’s first book came out:

“Where’s my MVP?” Greenwell told the Fort Myers News-Press. “[Canseco’s] an admitted steroid user. I was clean. If they’re going to start putting asterisks by things, let’s put one by the MVP.”

[…]

“I do have a problem with losing the MVP to an admitted steroids user,” Greenwell told the News-Press, adding that not winning the award likely cost him millions of dollars.

Even Curt Schilling, whose comments on the subject have been mostly of the don’t-make-waves variety (for a change) admitted that the idea of an uneven playing field disturbed him.

As a competitor, the one thing I can’t help but think is how different, or if at all different, my career numbers would be if I was playing against a level playing field and in an era that was already offensive-tailored and knowing that a lot of guys, well, everybody that’s been named, has done something against me in the past.

As for my part, I’m glad to see at least some players, current and former, standing up for themselves. Maybe it will help the players’ union remember, the next time they’re tempted to stonewall even the most pathetic, flaccid, symbolic steroid testing program, that it’s not just the Cansecos and McGwires and Bondses that they represent. But (heavy sigh) probably not.

PS—Just look at those pictures of Oliver and Greenwell and compare them with this shot of Canseco. Even with his catching gear on, Oliver looks like the proverbial ten-pound weakling next to Jose. And Mike Greenwell is a dead ringer for my fifth-grade homeroom teacher, Mr. Grosky. You have the Incredible Hulk in a mullet, there, versus Mr. Grosky. This playing field has a steeper incline than the Matterhorn.

Dear Curt,

I read on your blog, 38 Pitches, that you’ve decided to play one more season in Boston. That’s great news! You’ve had a great career and you deserve to finish it in the city where you’ve had your greatest success.I also read that there’s a weight clause in your new contract and that you’ll be working hard this offseason to lose weight and get in shape.

I’m writing to encourage you to make that weight loss quest public. In light of today’s release of the Mitchell Report, your struggle with weight gain takes on new meaning. You’ve got a blog — use it to tell the story of a baseball player who is working hard to succeed au natural. Show us before and after pictures and workout videos. Do whatever you can to remind young ballplayers that baseball is all about hard work and playing (and training) the right way.

As an added benefit, publicizing your diet will only bring you closer to your fans, especially those who have struggled with weight loss.

Moreover, it will be a great excuse to dive into multimedia. Compared to other athletes, you’ve always been ahead of the game when it comes to technology. But you’ve never been one to take advantage of graphics — at least not on 38 Pitches.  This is your chance. Photos, Curt! Photos!

Sincerely,

Umpbump

1. How many innings does Schilling have to pitch to qualify for his $3 million?

2. We’ve already written about the “weight clause” in Schilling’s new deal. But nowhere has it been stated that Schilling must lose weight, simply that he will be weighed six times throughout the season.

For all we know, the clause could basically say that he needs to stay under 350lbs or something. This way, Boston looks good by not guaranteeing him more than $8 million and Schilling can look good by not demanding more guaranteed money AND making it seem like he gives a rat’s ass about conditioning.

So what’s the deal, Curt? Are you really gonna slim down? Or is this all just a clever ploy?

3. If Schilling is going to lose weight, how is he going to do it? Slim Fast? The South Beach Diet? Or just good old fashioned exercise?

Will his weight loss adventure be the subject of a future reality show, to be broadcast on MLB.TV? Will we be treated to blog post after blog post about how Mr. Bloody Sock is sooooo craving chocolate right now?

My guess is Schilling hires a personal trainer, which I would totally do if I had millions of dollars. I guess it’s a little lame to pay a guy to yell at you while you strain to touch your toes, but whatever it takes, right?

Just as long as Schilling doesn’t get the same guy Tony Gwynn hired.

NOTE: ESPN.COM says “Schilling would get a $375,000 bonus for pitching 130 innings, and an additional $375,000 for every 10-inning increment up to 200. He also will have the random weigh-ins, one per month, and get $333,333 each time he maintains his weight.”

Of course, that still doesn’t tell us what weight Schilling is expected to maintain. The problem wasn’t that Schilling got fatter as the 2007 season went on. It was that he showed up fat and stayed fat.

UPDATE: As a few commenters pointed out, Tom Verducci reports, “Schilling will get bonus money based on periodic weigh-ins. To collect he must be no heavier than 230 pounds, a weight he’s had trouble staying under in recent years.”

As I previously noted, I had mixed feelings about the possibility of the Phillies signing Curt Schilling. Fortunately, I won’t have to worry about it any longer. He’s going back to Boston.

And in other news, Indians pitcher Paul Byrd and his HGH rumors are returning to Cleveland for one year and $7.5.

So now, as a Phillies fan, I’m stuck wondering: where will the Phillies find more pitching?

There are, as I see it, three options.

1. They can promote a prospect. The Phils have a couple of promising pitchers in the minors. The first is Josh Outman, who should make the major league roster just because he’s got a great, great name. He also led the A-league last season with a 2.45 ERA, and earned a promotion to AA.

The second is Carlos Carrasco. Here’s how Phuture Phillies describes Carrasco:

Carrasco is a long ways from a finished product, but he does have a pair of major league pitches. He throws a plus fastball that sits at 91-92 mph and touches 95 with good life, as well as a quality changeup. His mechanics are nearly picture-perfect, as he looks like he’s throwing an easy side session while popping 92s and 93s.

It’s possible both Carrasco and Outman will see time in the bigs next season, but it’s doubtful either one will start the season in the majors.

2. They can sign a free agent. But who’s available? Andy Pettitte says he’ll only play for the Yankees, so he’s out. Kris Benson is a free agent. The Phils probably won’t sign him, because he’s coming off Tommy John surgery. On the other hand, I think Anna Benson would be a big hit in Philly. I’m secretly rooting for the Bensons to come to town. And by secretly, I mean openly.

If not Benson, there are the following guys to consider, according to MLB Trade Rumors:

Shawn Chacon (30), Matt Clement (32), Bartolo Colon (35), Josh Fogg (31), Jason Jennings (29), Kenshin Kawakami (33), Joe Kennedy (29), Hiroki Kuroda (33), Brian Lawrence (32), Kyle Lohse (29), Rodrigo Lopez (32), Mike Maroth (30), Odalis Perez (31), Kenny Rogers (43) - Type B, Kazumi Saito (30), Carlos Silva (29), Jeff Weaver (31), David Wells (45), Kip Wells (31), Randy Wolf (31), Jamey Wright (34), Jaret Wright (32).

Randy Wolf would seem to be a good fit, since he has pitched in Philadelphia his entire career, except for last season, when he briefly chased his dream of pitching in L.A.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the team roll the dice with Matt Clement, who clearly has some upside. Lohse would be welcome back, but he will probably be looking to make more money than the Phils will be willing to pay.

3. They can trade for a pitcher. But who’s available? The names floating around include John Garland, Noah Lowry, Dontrelle Willis and Johan Santana. Let’s assume Santana is a pipe dream. Willis, as Paul pointed out in a previous post, isn’t a good investment. Lowry won 14 games for the Giants in 2007, so he must be doing something right.

(But will somebody please explain to me how Lowry won 14 games, despite the fact that his WHIP was an unsightly 1.55 and he walked as many guys as he stuck out? Moreover, Matt Cain managed to lose 16 games pitching for the same team, and his WHIP was way lower — 1.26 — and he stuck out twice as many guys as he walked!)

Then there’s the rumor that the Giants are shopping rookie phenom Tim Lincecum. Word is San Fran is looking for a big bat. I’ve been killing myself trying to figure out somebody the Phillies could swap for Lincecum, but I just don’t see it happening. I think the Giants would want more in return for Lincecum than Pat Burrell and the one year he has left on his contract. Shane Victorino is a fun player, but hardly a “big bat”. Chase Utley is going nowhere. You hear me, Gillick? NOWHERE.

That leaves Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins. Howard is a former NL MVP and Rollins is a candidate for MVP this season. Can the Phils trade an MVP for a pitcher who has yet to prove himself at the big league level?

Probably not. Well, they certainly can’t trade Howard. He is one of those once in a lifetime players.

But Rollins is just very good, not great. More than anything, he’s very well rounded. He’s a good fielder. Good base stealer. Good hitter. But not irreplaceable. Moreover, after his big-talkin’ big hittin’ 2007 season, Rollins will never be more valuable.

Plus, Lincecum is still making rookie money, so acquiring him for a high priced player like Rollins would free up money to sign a guy like Aaron Rowand. Or another pitcher, like Wolf, Clement or Lohse. OR — dare to dream — Mike Lowell.

And the idea of pairing Lincecum and Cole Hamels is tantilyzing. All of a sudden, next year’s starting rotation look like this:

Cole Hamels
Tim Lincecum
Kyle Kendrick
Jamie Moyer
Adam Eaton

Ok, so ending that list with Adam Eaton leaves a sour taste. But, like I said, there’s no reason the Phils couldn’t sign a guy like Wolf to replace Eaton, bumping the disappointing starter to the bullpen.

Of course, the Phils would be giving up on Rollins (who is my favorite player in the universe). And they’d have to find a new shortstop, either via trade or free agency. And it’s a thin free agent crop. Let’s say they go with David Eckstein, who is supremely overrated, but would be a hit in Philly. That would leave them with a lineup that looks like this:

1. Shane Victorino CF
2. Chase Utley 2B
3. Ryan Howard 1B
4. Pat Burrell LF
5. Jason Werth RF
6. Mike Lowell 3B
7. Carlos Ruiz C
8. David Eckstein SS

Not bad, right?

Now if the Phils can just figure out how to fix the bullpen.

Word has just come down that Curt Schilling (and family) will be staying in Boston. No sooner had the news leaked out than I saw that the man known as Big Schill will be slightly smaller next year, or (literally) pay the price:

ORLANDO - Curt Schilling’s new 1-year, $8 million deal with the Red Sox (which is pending results of a physical) will include $2 million worth of incentives if he meets weight requirements. The team hopes to insure that Schilling will be fit when he comes to spring training, a source close to the negotiations said moments ago.

But just as I was wondering “How in the heck did they ever get Curt to agree to that?!” I learned that the Weight Watchers plan was the hurler’s own idea:

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.

Other performance incentives include $3 million based on innings pitched and another $1 million if he gets a Cy Young vote (any vote). So while the AP reported a total of $5 million in potential bonuses, it actually adds up to $6 million, even if that final million is rather unlikely. In short, unless he misses serious time or gets seriously husky, Curt will make the same as he did last year and finish his career in Boston. The other teams who called, according to Schilling’s blog, included Philly, St. Louis, Houston, and Arizona.

For a list of reasons why I’m psyched about this, click here.

Of course, everyone is talking about where A-Rod will land, and rightfully so. But since that won’t be settled for quite some time, and since talking about A-Rod gets old after a while, let us today turn our attention to the second most arrogant free agent on the market: Curt Schilling.

Actually, I don’t know if that’s fair. Since Barry Bonds is a free agent, Schilling might only be the third most arrogant free agent. Let’s just agree that he’s up there among the arrogant elite.

Recently, the 700 Level instituted “Schilling Watch.” And today, the Philadelphia Inquirer tells us that the Phillies are interested in Schilling. And, I’ve got to admit, I’m a little conflicted. Schilling the pitcher would be a perfect fit for the Phillies. He’s only looking for a one-year contract, so he’s a low-risk investment. And he showed this season that he’s still got some gas left in his tank. Schilling could win 15 games next year behind the Phils’ high-powered offense and be a strong playoff pitcher, should the team make it that far.

On the other hand, it would take a real effort on my part to cheer for Schilling. Simply put, I find him supremely unlikeable.

And I’m not alone. There are lots of folks in Philly who don’t like Schilling. The guy didn’t exactly endear himself the first time around. Mitch Williams, who is currently one of the hosts of the Phils’ post-game show, is still pissed that Schilling put a towel over his head so he wouldn’t have to watch while Williams pitched in the 93 World Series.

Should the Phillies bring Schilling back? Probably. Do I want them to? I just can’t decide.

Somebody make me feel better about Schilling returning to Philly.

At the beginning of the year, I thought the Red Sox made the right move by holding off on re-signing Curt Schilling. After all, this was supposed to be his final year on the diamond. His fastball is no longer fast. And his waistline is wee a bit, shall we say, Papi-esque.

Based on his regular season stats, the Sox should just let him walk away: for $13 million, you expect better than a 9-8 record and a 3.87 ERA. Contrary to what some in Boston have written, his transition from a power pitcher to a wily, finesse pitcher was not seamless.

But there are at least eight compelling reasons that the Red Sox should let Curt retire in a Red Sox uniform:

1. The old guy’s still got it. This season he came his closest ever to pitching a no-hitter, in June against the A’s. With two outs already recorded in the 9th, he was one good pitch away. (Random aside: In his successful no-no, Clay Buchholz didn’t shake of Varitek once. Curt shook Tek off on that last pitch, certain that the batter, Shannon Stewart, was taking. I will defend Varitek’s pitch-calling to my grave! TO MY GRAVE!)

2. And he can dial it up a notch in the postseason. In four playoff starts, Curt gave up 2 or fewer earned runs in three of them, getting through a full seven innings work in two. His only rough start (5 earned runs in 4.2 innings) came in Game 2 of the ALCS.

3. He makes those around him better. By all accounts, having Curt Schilling in your rotation is like having a second pitching coach on the staff. After Daisuke Matsuzaka’s sub-par start in Game 3 of the ALCS, Curt Schilling took the young hurler aside and gave him some tips on locating his fastball. Can it really be coincidence that Dice-K was much improved in his last two starts in the postseason? With younguns Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz (both 23) joining the rotation next year, Schilling’s wisdom could be a real asset.

4. He’s good in the clubhouse, too. Before Game 5 of the ALCS, when Boston was down 3-1 in the series and was facing the prospect of winning three in a row to keep their season alive, Schilling and David Ortiz called a players-only meeting. Their advice? Take it one game at a time, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time. Simple enough. But it was coming from two guys who could say, “We did one better than this in 2004; we were there; we know what to do.” To the press, Curt Schilling may always be a bit of a blowhard. To the fans, he may always be something of an enigma. But to his teammates, he’s The Guy.

5. You can never have too much pitching. In Boston, we call this the Bronson Arroyo Corollary. Moreover, with another 40+ pitcher almost certainly returning (17-game winner Tim Wakefield, who has a unique contract with Boston where each side mutually decides to re-up his $4 million recurring option), we could very well see a situation in which Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling alternate brief DL stints. As long as the young guys can stay healthy and as long as Curt has enough left when October rolls around, I don’t really care how much time he misses during the regular season.

6. Boston can afford it. The Red Sox have a healthy revenue stream, thanks not only to the deep pockets of the ownership group, but to their 80% ownership of NESN (on which almost all Red Sox and Bruins games are broadcast, as well as popular pregame and postgame shows, and even a reality dating show called Sox Appeal). And let’s face it, Fenway Park is a cash cow—it sells out every game despite having the highest ticket prices in baseball (by far) and every night there isn’t a game, the Red Sox rent it out as the most popular event venue in Boston. When I attended a Scotch nosing (I kid you not) there in September, there were two other events taking place at the same time, and a park official told me they were booked solid straight through the Christmas season.

7. Free agent pitching is scarce this year. Including Schilling, who filed yesterday, the other starting pitchers on the market are Matt Clement (whom Boston will almost certainly not retain), Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse, Joe Kennedy, Bob Wickman, Eric Milton, Elmer Dessens, Jason Jennings, Tony Armas, Kip Wells, and Russ Ortiz. Then there’s Bartolo Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young winner, who is coming off two very rough years. There’s Livan Hernandez and Jon Lieber, but neither are what they once were. David Wells is on the market again, but if you’re going to sign an old, chubby guy, why would you pick Wells over Schilling?

8. The Bloody Sock. Need I say more? This man has to end his career with Boston. Lest you doubt his Boston bonafides, consider this: he’s already released a list of teams he’d be willing to go to if Boston doesn’t re-sign him; that list contains every team to make the playoffs this year, except one; and the single, solitary team that Curt doesn’t want to play for is…drum roll please…the New York Yankees. Why? Because, as he’s said in the past, it would mean that everything he did in Boston was a lie.

Curt Schilling is a probable Hall of Famer. And he must go to Cooperstown wearing a Red Sox cap. The Red Sox should cough up the dough.