Curt Schilling's Retirement Comes as Anticlimax

Confirming an MLBnewsonline exclusive report from nearly a year ago, former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling finally was forced to admit he would be unable to pitch again, and announced his retirement via internet.

"...The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime," Schillihg said in his blog: "43 Pitches."

Though some speculated Schilling might return, an independent health analysis of his condition revealedd that even the finest surgeons in the world would have vitually no chance of restoring the 23-year veteran's health or ability to throw.

Still, the three-time world champion said he has no regrets.

"The game always gave me far more than I ever gave it," he explained. "...I did everything I could to win every time I was handed the ball. I am and always will be more grateful than any of you could ever possibly know."

Curt Schilling Obviously A Hall Of Famer

Nobody questions that ESPN is a godsend to sports fans. Sportscenter, Monday Night Football, ESPN.com, ESPN magazine, and Kenny Mayne are all terrific.

But ESPN also does some silly things. Not only does it have a creepy obsession with Boston sports teams, but Peter Gammons’ trade rumors are notorious for almost always being erroneous, it once employed Keith Olbermann, and it seems to think that spelling is not only a sport, but one that warrants television coverage. And now this.

The top story on ESPN.com today questioned whether Schilling belongs in the hall of fame. Hall of Fame debates are fine, but Curt Schilling? Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez must not be close enough to retirement. ESPN itself notes that since 1992, among righthanders, he has 83 complete games (only Greg Maddux is within less than 25). Only Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens have more strikeouts. Only Pedro has a better K/9 ratio and Schilling’s strikeout to walk ratio is better than any pitcher in the modern era. That’s some excellent evidence for the Schilling is not a hall of famer argument.

Curt Schilling was one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation. A six-time all-star, he was instrumental in three World Series championships and starred in a 4th, pitching a complete game shutout in the 1993 World Series to force a game 6. Over 3000 strikeouts are good for 14th all-time, and had he not pitched his first two and a half years in relief, he would be top ten or higher. He also did that bloody sock thing.

The only explanation is that ESPN is still bitter that their decision to let a hockey announcer broadcast the ALCS backfired. Gary Throrne’s claim that Curt Schilling’s bloody sock was fake led to this blistering criticism from Schilling: “Gary Thorne overheard something and then misreported what he overheard. Not only did he misreport it, he misinterpreted what he misreported.” Schilling has never been a fan of the media and he made it pretty obvious back then that he was not happy with ESPN, so now they post this hilarious "story."

Curt Schilling is Finished; Repeat: Finished

The often brash and brilliantly arrogant Red Sox hurler Curt Schilling recently opined in public that the BOSOX medical staff was correct in denying him the shoulder surgery he wanted last winter -- a procedure recommended by his personal orthopedic surgeon (who has at least twice carved on Schilling in the past) to reconstruct/repair/restore his frayed biceps tendon.

That offending tendon, by report, had been reduced to a few strands of bandied connective tissue (the biceps tendon, by the way, serves to flex, that is bend, the elbow joint and is not a prime mover with pitching motion).

Contrary to popular belief, surgery is definitely not always the answer to every woe. Sometimes it makes things better, sometimes it makes things worse, sometimes things are unchanged postoperatively.

In some cases, it's a crap shoot, but, clearly, surgeons get paid to operate, that's what they like to do, and, it seems, every problem they encounter is something to fix with a knife (talk about self-assured arrogance?).

It is unclear exactly what surgical procedure was recommended, but sewing the withered ends of two paint brushes together (which, anatomically, is what a muscle, tendon, or ligament rupture looks like) is no job for the fainthearted. And yet, despite the medical reports, Schilling is in active rehab and apparently throwing on the side.

So what happened to the biceps tendon? Something, some activity, wore it out. Did it regenerate from scar? Parabiosis? Reanimation of dead tissue? Not likely.

Either the initial MRI reading and subsequent diagnosis was incorrect (which is common) or that tendon is holding by the thinnest of threads. The suspicion is that it is the latter -- and you can be certain you have not heard the last of Curt Schilling's biceps tendon. Curt Schilling will never pitch in the Bigs again.

Curt Schilling's Career at End; Buchholz's Begins

Confidential, speculative information emanating from the Red Sox trainer's room fortells of a grim future for former ace Curt Schilling, who at 41 will be lucky to pitch ever again, let alone be effective.

With Schilling's rehabilitation going painfully slow, his anticipated demise opens the door for 23-year-old Clay Buchholz, who despite some rough going in the early spring stands a good chance to hold off John Lester, 24, and veteran Bartolo Colon, 34, for the fifth starter's spot.

Ordinarily, Buchholz would be headed for Triple A Pawtucket, with no chance for a big-league shot until later in the year. But Schilling's two failed shoulder surgeries -- plus his holding off on a recommended third such operation -- potentially finishes his status as a front-line starter, and likely may end his career altogether, secondary sources close to the Red Sox medical staff and trainers told MLBnewsonline.com.

Expect these projections to be affirmed by August 1 or earlier, and no later than the end of September.