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Schilling hangs em up

Fman99 Mar 23 2009 10:37 AM

Courtesy of the AP. That second paragraph kills me... I'd have no regrets either if someone dropped $8 mil for me to sit around in gauze. ] Schilling announces retirement after 23 years BOSTON -- Curt Schilling retired from baseball Monday after a career in which he won World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the game's most dominant pitchers and grittiest competitors. The 42-year-old right-hander said on his blog he's leaving after 23 years with "zero regrets." Schilling missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after signing a one-year, $8 million contract. "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," he wrote. Schilling had surgery last June and had said he might come back in the middle of this season. He was not under contract for this season. He made no reference to his injury on his blog. Schilling won a World Series with Arizona in 2001 and with Boston in 2004 and 2007. In his first year in Boston in 2004, he helped the team win its first World Series in 86 years, pitching Game 2 of a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals after a surgical procedure to suture a loose tendon in his right ankle and with blood seeping through his sock. The sock is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 1986 draft, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles before playing for the big league club. He pitched for the Orioles, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona before being wooed to the Red Sox by general manager Theo Epstein. Schilling, one of the sport's hard throwers, finishes his career with 3,116 strikeouts, 14th most in baseball history, a 216-146 record and a 3.46 ERA. He was even better in the postseason, with an 11-2 record, the best of any pitcher with at least 10 decisions, and 2.23 ERA in 19 career starts.

metirish Mar 23 2009 10:51 AM

A great pitcher on his day but an insufferable prick.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 23 2009 11:16 AM

I can't remember... which team paid him the $8 million to not pitch in 2008?

metsguyinmichigan Mar 23 2009 11:33 AM

Curt falls short of the HOF, I think.

Edgy DC Mar 23 2009 12:00 PM

Greatest Alaskan in big-league history. Sorry, Shawn Chacon.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 23 2009 12:07 PM

I dunno. Excellent winning % (dumb stat but the writers care) and even better postseason winning % (11-2 while playing for 3 WS champs and 1 WS loser). Kept his profile high and positioned himself on the opposite side of the Steroid Street vs. Bonds & Clemens who will also be eligible for the Class (2013 -- which also includes Sosa and Piazza -- holy shit!) 3-time 20-game winner 6-time All-Star 1 Bloody sock I say he gets in.

Vic Sage Mar 23 2009 12:23 PM

="metsguyinmichigan":gxmg8nss]Curt falls short of the HOF, I think.[/quote:gxmg8nss] Black Ink: Pitching - 42 (Average HOFer ≈ 40) Gray Ink: Pitching - 205 (Average HOFer ≈ 185) HOF Standards: Pitching - 46.0 (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Pitching - 171.0 (Likely HOFer > 100) He's a 3000 K pitcher, with a history of winning "big games" and has 3 rings. He's got at least 10 top 10 WHIP & ERA+ seasons. with 5 seasons in top 5 in Wins and 4 seasons in top 5 in CY voting. His career ERA+ of 127 is equal to that of Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson and John Smoltz. He was a power pitcher with impeccable control. He was just very good with Philly, but became a great pitcher at an old age, elevating his game when he went to Arizona, and then Boston, pitching through continuous injuries. Whether he was just an accumulator, and not great enough long enough is a legit question, and i'd say he's a close call either way, but i wouldn't have a problem with his enshrinement. dinosaur jesus Mar 23 2009 12:28 PM I think he's a Hall of Famer. His total wins and ERA might not look that impressive, but in the context of his time they're just fine. And the bloody sock is the best piece of theater in baseball history, whether he was faking it or not. Better than Ruth calling the home run, better than Gil Hodges and the shoeshine ball. Just fantastic stuff. I don't have to like the guy to give him that. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 23 2009 12:30 PM ="Vic Sage":933k0xj3] ="metsguyinmichigan":933k0xj3]Curt falls short of the HOF, I think.[/quote:933k0xj3] Black Ink: Pitching - 42 (Average HOFer ≈ 40) Gray Ink: Pitching - 205 (Average HOFer ≈ 185) HOF Standards: Pitching - 46.0 (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Pitching - 171.0 (Likely HOFer > 100) He's a 3000 K pitcher, with a history of winning "big games" and has 3 rings. He's got at least 10 top 10 WHIP & ERA+ seasons. with 5 seasons in top 5 in Wins and 4 seasons in top 5 in CY voting. His career ERA+ of 127 is equal to that of Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson and John Smoltz. He was a power pitcher with impeccable control. He was just very good with Philly, but became a great pitcher at an old age, elevating his game when he went to Arizona, and then Boston, pitching through continuous injuries. Whether he was just an accumulator, and not great enough long enough is a legit question, and i'd say he's a close call either way, but i wouldn't have a problem with his enshrinement.[/quote:933k0xj3] Plus, for those voters who are of the "Hey, I remember him!" variety (pro-Rice/anti-Blyleven), he has the 2001 and 2004 postseasons-- including Bloody Sock-- on the ol' mental resume. Edgy DC Mar 23 2009 12:35 PM I stop reading at 3000 Ks and "equal of Seaver and Gibson," you know? smg58 Mar 23 2009 01:00 PM He delivered in too many big games to not get in. dinosaur jesus Mar 23 2009 01:22 PM Equal of Seaver and Gibson--that's crap, ERA+ or not. But how about Dazzy Vance? They're both great strikeout pitchers who had their best years after they turned 30. Edgy DC Mar 23 2009 02:17 PM ="dinosaur jesus":1fnuyqbi]Equal of Seaver and Gibson--that's crap, ERA+ or not. But how about Dazzy Vance?[/quote:1fnuyqbi] Well, he threw 3261 innings, compared to Gibson's 3884 and Seaver's 4782 2/3 innings. And a lot of those extra innings are going to be late-game high-leverage types of thingies. So, no, he's no true equal. Nymr83 Mar 23 2009 08:03 PM I think Schilling compares unfavorably to Bert Blyleven because of the 1300 inning difference between them, and I'd be hard pressed to say he's a HOFer when Bert is still not in. If Bert was in I'd say Schilling should follow. Gwreck Mar 24 2009 12:40 AM 3.5 seasons with the Diamondbacks, but they were his best and where he won the WS MVP. 2 WS with Boston. Nearly 8 years with Philly, although some shortened by injury. First pennant. Which cap on the HOF plaque? Edgy DC Mar 24 2009 05:15 AM Depict him hatless, with the sock flung over his shoulder. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 24 2009 06:17 AM Schill was a Phil. Nymr83 Mar 24 2009 06:22 AM Schilling isn't exactly the poster child for "which hat should i wear"? but it is a growing problem with today's player movement, maybe blank caps are the way to go for some guys. duan Mar 24 2009 09:00 AM schilling's going to be a good barometer for the 'next generation' of pitchers who won't get near 300 wins. Glavine, Maddux & Johnson are the freaks that have been able to hang around for 300 (not yet for Johnson obviously) but then after them ain't NOBODY going to get there for a long time. Does that mean that there's no pitcher who deserves the HOF? I don't think so. DocTee Mar 24 2009 11:41 AM Rob Neyer makes a pretty convincing case for yes: [url:10l9m1oo]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4008946&name=Neyer_Rob[/url:10l9m1oo]