2007 World Series Champions
Oct 29th, 2007 by Curt Schilling
“God has his fingerprints all over this game.”
I stole it. Clint Hurdle said that about game 4 and it resonated with me all day long. What Aaron Cook and Jon Lester went through to get to this point, to get the ball, was God’s work. What they did after “Play Ball” was awe inspiring in a million ways.
Hate to see the cheap shots taken by fans and writers at what went down over the last 5 days with regards to the series and Colorado’s team. They may not use it as an excuse, I certainly don’t expect to hear it from Helton, Holliday Hurdle or any others, but the 8 days between games, in my opinion, had a negative effect on them. I still believe we are the best team in the world, and 8 days or not we would have won, but I think it did impact them in many different ways. 8 days off and then you step in the box and have to face the best pitcher on the planet? Hats off to the NL Champions for redefining comeback and “against all odds”. What they did to even get to the 2007 World Series needs to be etched in stone. I think it will be lost over the next few months because of the outcome of the Series but it shouldn’t be, they did it with class and style. They played the game right and hard. Seeing true, old school, blue collar guys like Todd Helton finally getting into the World Series after putting up Hall worthy numbers his whole career is a cool thing.
There are a litany of people that deserve huge kudos for what just happened. From a personal standpoint it starts with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What I have been able to experience, watch, be a part of, just adds to the already overflowing life of incredible memories I am totally undeserving of. To be able to participate in, and witness, events that millions of people around the world will never forget is pretty much indescribable.
I thank the Lord for an incredible wife, 4 beautiful and healthy children. Shonda remains my rock. In a life that sees me pretty much absent from the home for 6-8 months a year she has held the fort. That’s saying a lot when that fort contains 3 boys, ages 12, 8 and 5, and a young lady of 10. Wherever next year takes us it’s incredibly comforting knowing the ships in order and my children, even though I THINK they miss me, are being raised by a woman of virtue, passion, devotion and love that knows no bounds.
I thank the Lord for keeping George Kerr well all year long. George is suffering from ALS, and we had a deal that he’d promise me to live life to the fullest this year, and hang on, in exchange I promised him we’d win a World Series. He sent me a pre game email before every start this year. We’re now going to begin working on next years wager.
I thank the Lord for bringing Peter Despain into my life. Pete, as the frequent visitors here will remember, was the young boy I was introduced to through 38 Studios President, Brett Close. His daugter Natalie was in class with Peter when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Natalie, obviously a young lady mature beyond her years, asked if I would talk to Pete and try to cheer him up. We spoke and became immediate friends, finally getting a chance to meet this year in Texas. Peter would email me “Sox mojo” each night before I pitched. I would hope it’s now easy to understand why ‘bad games’ for me this year never seemed as bad as they otherwise might have. When a young boy is emailing you updates on his surgery and chemo, and his dad is filling in the blanks when he’s too sick or tired to type, a loss is a bit less ’stinging’. Real life comes into clear focus and wins and losses linger a lot less as well.
On the business side of things it all begins at the top. Mr Henry, Mr Werner, Mr Lucchino, they all have made the extreme commitment not only to us as players, but to our families as well. In a day and edge of P&L statements and win or go home ultimatums I cannot begin to describe what it’s like to work for people that care about you and your family beyond the workplace.
Passing the torch to the GM and his ‘minions’ as dumb people are apt to call them, Theo and the crew upstairs are obsessive about the game and the team. No stone is left unturned, no event too insignificant to scout. Kyle, Dana, Dave and the advanced scouts here, along with our video stud Billy Broadbent, work ludicrous hours doing totally unappreciated and invisible jobs whose results come out on the field. These guys are in some cases baseball ‘lifers’ who never step on the field, never are seen in front of a camera, but who’s contributions at times are as valuable as the guy throwing the 1-0 change up with the bases loaded and no outs, and getting out of the jam. Doing so because those guys spent countless hours compiling data and scouting video that says that was the thing to do. It’s a HUGE leap of faith for any player to put his trust in anyone not wearing a uniform and in the dugout but we’ve got a team of passionate people here that allow that to happen, and a second World Series in 4 years is proof of that.
Handing the torch off to the manager, and coaches. It’s no secret how I feel about Tito. I started his first game as a manager in LA over 10 years ago and I’ve been with him for every game he’s ever managed save 2 months in 2000. Trust me when I say as good a manager as he is, and he is good (8-0 in the world series, 7-0 in must win elimination games), he’s a ten times better man.
That doesn’t peter out when you talk about his coaches. Brad Mills is a manager in waiting. Millsy’s loyalty and dedication to Tito and the game, and us as players is unquestionable. He’s as smart a baseball man as I’ve been around and probably the reason Tito is as good as he is. I’d bet Tito would agree as long as Brad wasn’t allowed to hear it. That statement stands even when Millsy wears the pants 3 sizes too small…….
Demarlo Hale, Luis Alicea, two true baseball guys. The only negative about coaching staffs as talented and passionate as ours is that they are often times the names at the top of managerial searches every off season. I’d heard Demarlo’s name mentioned many times before I knew him, as a serious managerial candidate in a bunch of different instances. It took about 2 days in spring training to understand why.
Dave Magadan. I faced Mags quite a bit before he retired and started coaching but never really knew him until this year. I was blown away by his routine. He was in the video room as much, if not more, than I was all year long. I’d never heard the term ‘cage rat’ before this year either. Tim Mccarver called him that the other night and it fits like a glove. If he’s not on the top step watching his hitters, talking over an opposing pitcher, or in the video room doing the same, he’s in the cage with one of them doing some drill. Total dedication and great guy to boot.
Don Kalkstein. Sports Psycholgist. Hmm, is there a team or market more in need of someone like that than this one? Given the length of our season, the grind of the schedule, the market we play in and the other things that come with playing in a ‘win it all, always’ environment there is no doubt a need for someone not coaching, to chat with. DK is the goods. His dedication to the Dallas Mavericks is his only real vice (though it’s a necessity since he works for them I guess, but my Suns are still better!). DK is, after all is said and done, someone I would call a friend before anything else. He’s one of those rare people that makes you drop any and all pretenses about 8 seconds after you meet him and chat, about anything. He’s also Tito’s Fantasy Football bench coach and an incredibly horrid NFL talent evaluator……
John Farrell is the best. I’ve never had the privelage of being coached by someone that has had as much impact on as many different pitchers as this man did here this year. Any good pitching coach understands that his staff is 10-20 totally different and unique men/kids with as many different opinions and views on how to pitch. The great coaches understand that they have to be personal instructors to each and every one. In addition to the life draining amounts of time required, you can’t fake it. To be great you have to care, and he does. That’s the one thing that will stick with me if I never get to work with him again, was the amount of care and interest he had with every single one of us. The careers he’s changed this year will have far reaching implications, good ones, for this organization and Sox nation as a whole.
The other ‘behind the scenes’ folks that truly to make our lives what they are. Our strength coach Dave Page. A more passionate guy would be hard to find. He doesn’t make any pitches, drive in any runs, but he lives and dies with every out of every game. His dedication to us is just another small sliver of the pie that makes this family go.
Our clubhouse guys. When you hear players and athletes talk about families, and how we are one for an extended period of time every year, in many cases these are the guys we think about. From our Traveling Secretary Jack McCormick, pretty much our wife away from home who handles every single detail of our travel and life outside the lines, to Pookie, Luke, Joe and the gang. Day in and day out these guys have jobs that on the surface might seem ‘cool’ and ‘fun’, but in reality they are absolutely blue collar. For a WHOLE lot less money than they deserve they work 70-80 hour weeks making the entire thing run like clockwork. From laundry, to meals to errands to family emergencies, these guys are truly what makes this whole thing feel like a family. Familiar faces that you know you can count on at the most crucial times.
All that stuff, in my opinion, is absolutely crucial to what we do. Being able to come to the park knowing that strolling to the mound and throwing the ball is the absolute ONLY thing you need to think about, or be concerned with, matters. So much happens outside of the 27 outs, the 9 innings, the 200+ games, that has a direct and extreme impact on how we do, what we do, it’s hard to imagine being on a team that doesn’t provide that support. It’s been that way since the day I put on a Red Sox uniform, through the last out of the 2007 World Series.
What a year. The Red Sox everyone thought they knew, are gone. This is a new franchise, a new team. The foundation has been laid and the core talent is in place, with a whole lot more coming, to make trips late into October a much more common occurence than the world at large expects. I am hoping we can do it with a touch of grace, and class.
I’ll leave it at this. My personal situation will most certainly be talked about in the paper, on the radio and on TV. Many people will propose to know exactly what the Sox ‘think’ about me, and many more will claim to know what I am going to do, and what I want. They will claim to know what works best for whom, and who should say what to who, when. The only place that will be true is here. My thoughts are to post here once the process begins, and to keep anyone that cares about the situation informed via this blog.
If you care to check back a few posts to the uproar in spring training go ahead. Re-read the things I posted then because they are no different now. Shonda and I want to remain in the game one more year. Our preference is for that last year to be here, in Boston, as a Boston Red Sox. We also understand that if the feeling is not mutual we’ll find another home for this final season and make the very best of whatever situation we find ourselves in. There is no lose here. The ultimate win is to do what I said above, remain here and end it all here. Anything short of that is still going to be pretty damn fun and special.
There will be no ill will, there can’t be. What we’ve been allowed to witness, partake in and enjoy, goes so far beyond what we’d hoped and dreamed our time here would consist of that we’ll have nothing but thanks to offer to anyone concerned.
To Red Sox Nation we’d like to offer our deepest and most profound thank you for making the last four years some of the greatest moments personally and professionally, of our lives. Much like the fans in Philadelphia, and Arizona, you always treated my wife and my children with respect. You were far better to me than I deserved at times, and never worse than I deserved at others. The only thing I know I can say without a doubt is that I took the ball, every single time, and never ever left anything in the tank.
If October 28, 2007, was the last time I ever wear this uniform, thank you. It was an honor and a privelage to be allowed to play here.
Gee - you must have spent the entire flight back on your blackberry or whatever. Nice writing. Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate your integrity and efforts on behalf of this team (even if we absolutely would not agree politically…..) I’ve been pulling for you all season and am really glad your W.S. game went so well.
Any idea how one could send emails to Theo, John, “powers-that-be” about who I’d like to see them re-sign, and NOT (A-Rod) ??? Would be wonderful for Red Sox Nation to be able to express their opinions.
Thanks Curt.
Curt- Thank you for the great season and the leadership and intensity you bring to Boston- you’ve made the team stronger each year and they would not have those rings without you. I hope you stay in Boston-G
“The only thing I know I can say without a doubt is that I took the ball, every single time, and never ever left anything in the tank.
If October 28, 2007, was the last time I ever wear this uniform, thank you. It was an honor and a privelage to be allowed to play here.”
That’s all we asked! Thanks for everything….here’s to one more year! Congrats to you and the entire Red Sox organization.
Congrats on the ring! It is the best feeling in sports to win a championship.
Curt, it has been a privilege watching you pitch in a Red Sox uniform. I hope we can watch you again next season, one more time.
Great Season!
Great Playoffs!
Congratualtions!
Good luck in the future and thanks for writing this blog.
God Bless you and your family. It was/is an honor and a privilege to have you pitch in Boston. Red Sox Nation loves you and always will. Congrats on the huge win again this year, what a dream team it is. Thank you Curt for keeping this blog for us.
See you at Spring training! We adore you!
Wow, I really enjoyed the series, even if I did have to sit up half the night to watch it, as I’m in the UK.
Congratulations Curt and good luck, whatever you choose to do and where you choose to do it. Well played.
Congratulations man! That was a fun ride all year!!
Hopefully my Cubbies can get there soon…
Congrats Curt! You guys deserved this title from the get-go! I hope the team does the right thing and brings you back! I know you need to look out for your family and number one, but you commented before how the Latino players measure respect in dollar signs. While you should get what you can in life, I hope you you weigh all your options and factor in the “winning ability” of the team you end up on and not necessarily the highest amount of money.
If it is about winning as most players say and not the money, I think it’s a no brainer. I respect all you have done in this town and hope it continues for as long as you decide to remain in the game, finishing out your career right here in Boston. You have etched your name forever in the Boston Sports scene, have brought much joy to my sports experience and for that I simply say, “Thank You Sir”!
Congratulations Curt Schilling.
After 86 yeras of turmoil in Red Sox Nation, you and the other greats (both current and former players) on the Red Sox have helped them win 2 World Series in 4 years.
I really hope that you can end your career with the Red Sox.
GOD Bless All.
Hey Curt, it’s been an amazing time watching you play in Boston. Thank you for your integrity, your faith in God, your never give up attitude, and your perseverance to play your best every time you took the mound.
I’m praying you’ll finish your career with the best team in Major League Baseball, the Redsox!
-Chris Matera
Curt - Thank you (and the entire organization) for a wonderful season.
Phenomenal job Curt! Hands down phenomenal! All praise goes to God first for giving you and the team all the talent and skill to be able to compete at this level and in clean manner! Way to go!
It was awesome watching you pitch and watching the entire team work together as a unit. It’s amazing how you have all demonstrated mastery yet stayed humble enough to credit each other with the success. You guys are the real deal!
You guys committed to bringing teh best out of each other. It was evident through the ‘happyness’ exhited by everyone from Papelbon to Manny. You threw your hearts into this and that’s what matters. Awesome job!
simply amazing…
Congrats to you and the team!!
It has been a pleasure reading all year long, hope we get a few off season blogs and we hope to see you in Ft Myers come spring time!!
Cheers,
kc
In a way I was surprised when I checked my RSS links and saw that you had a post after last night’s game. But, in another way, I’ve read your blog since you started and I’m not too surprised by the timing or your openness.
I’ve mentioned before in other comments, I am and always will be a Yankees fan. But, as over time I’ve discovered I’m more a fan of the game and passionate and honest players such as you.
Thanks for sharing your perspective with respect to all those who surround you, on and off the field. I’m looking forward to continuing to read your blog, regardless of where you end your career as a player and embark on your next stage in life.
Curt,
Congrats on the World Series win!!!.
You are and always will be my favorite player.
Hope to see you next year hoisting another trophy!!
Love, Diane
Great Job!!! So proud of you!!!
Curt,
Just wanted to leave you a note to say THANK YOU for everything since coming to Boston. 2 World Series Championships in 4 years. I need a bigger and better word than awesome to describe the feeling of it.
Yes, it was a team effort but it could not have been done without you. You are THE MAN in my book.
2007 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS. Sounds so good, so good!!
Congrats to you, your family, the team and all of Red Sox Nation!!! We never lost faith when you were down to Cleveland (how could we after ‘04). We knew you would bring another Championship back to Boston once you made it to the World Series. Excellent pitching from you and the entire staff throughout the post-season.
We would love to see you back in a Red Sox uniform, but have you given any thought to perhaps retiring on top, taking a year or two off and return as a coach? With your meticulous note taking and video watching I wonder if that part of it interests you at all.
Great season, awesome playoffs! Congratulations again. Time for all of RSN to catch up on their sleep.
Great job Curt. You really helped the team stay focused and excited, and I was so overjoyed watching you charge the mound last night! Congrats!
schill, what you have done for us has been AMAZING. Whether you go out as a red sox or with another team, you will be a boston legend forever. I truly hope that you return next year, but the champagne is still flowing from last night, so ENJOY IT! GO SOX AND THANKS FOR EVERYTHING SCHILL! HOPEFULLY SEE YOU TOMORROW AT THE PARADE!!!!
It’s been a great, great time to be a Sox fan, and you are a huge part of it. Thanks for taking the time to interact with fans, and thanks for all your work on the mound and in the community.
I’d be glad to chat about theology with you sometime– I don’t understand how we can divine God’s plan, whether from athletic contests or tsunamis– but this morning isn’t the time for it. Thanks and congratulations. Sox fans will always be grateful for the way you performed here.
Hope to see you around for another year!
This is a beautiful post that brought tears to my eyes. I think you have real talent as a writer, and I hope you not only continue to blog (and maybe more often during the off season) but that you might consider writing a book.
Thank you for four awesome years, and hopefully one more. You have added so much to the team, and you have brought great joy to the Nation. We’re grateful to you, and to the entire team, from the fans. But like you, we also are grateful to all the ‘behind the scenes’ guys. You’re right, we don’t often consider them as part of the win, but without them we would not be on top of the world today.
I’m too tired to think coherently, having stayed up till 2 waiting in vain for the RiverDance, but we’ll be at the parade and will be sure to wave.
Again, congratulations on a win well deserved. And that’s from a University of Colorado graduate!
Wonderful post. Thanks for a great season Curt!
Curt - thanks for everything you have done for the Nation and for baseball. We know that these two rings don’t happen without your courage and leadership.
To say that you are a TRUE role model is an understatement.
We hope that you stay in the uniform but no matter what - you have fans for life in almost any jersey
Love the blog and thanks for your access and your thoughts and feelings.
Best of everything! Jon
Curt, on behalf of all baseball fans, I comme4nd you for helping turn the Red Sox into the amazing team they have become in the past four years. What you guys did in 2004, what you did this year, I don’t think anyt other team will ever repeat. This is just the stuff of Hollywood, only better –cause it’s real!!! I sure hope you’ll play at least one more season, though I know the bones start nagging you after a while (I’m 36). You made the game watchable again.
Curt,
Thank you so much for giving your whole heart to the team and our city. So many times stand out when you’ve been a great leader — teaching Papelbon the splitter, winning Game 2 of the World Series this year, pitching and prevailing over pain and a torn tendon in the 2004 postseason. While winning is always a team effort, the team effort is inspired and guided by outstanding and selfless contributions. I’ll always appreciate how you mentored our young players and helped children in Boston with your generous support for ALS and cancer patients.
What you’ve done reminds me of a passage from Isaiah, “Help those in trouble, then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”
On a personal note, the first baseball game I ever saw was with Tito managing and you pitching in Philadelphia when I was a kid. Then I moved to Boston and had the pleasure and privilege of watching you win two World Series with the Red Sox. Thank you Curt!
Minh
Curt,
In 2003 I was shattered when Boone hit that home run. In 2004 I was shocked and thrilled beyond belief. In 2007 I am very satisfied and proud to be part of Red Sox nation, as I have been for 30yrs.
A fantastic job Curt by you and the team. I will not forget how classy you are as this year ends and I hope you come back. If things don’t work out, you have been an inspiration, not only in baseball but in your charity as well. I hope Peter Despain knows how lucky he is to have you in his life.
Brent
Burlington, Ontario.
No, no, Curt…thank YOU.
The privilege has been all ours, getting to see a Hall of Fame athlete give us four special years in a Red Sox uniform, and I join my prayers to yours in hoping that there is (at least!) one more to be had here. I can’t imagine you finishing up anywhere else, but I will wish you nothing but the best wherever you go, and this includes the many, many years to follow your playing days. In a very short time, you have integrated yourself into the Red Sox scene so deeply that it’s tough to imagine it without you.
Thank you for four fantastic years, two world championships, and a give-it-all-you-got style of pitching that I have rarely seen from anyone else in Fenway Park.
Godspeed,
Rob
Congrats Red Sox….To Todd Helton, thanks for the opportunity to watch you guys play in the WS. I was at Coors Field three years ago, and I was one of about 100 fans in the whole stadium. Seeing if packed last night was an awesome feeling for me. Thank you Todd and Curt.
Even rarer than the World Series win, is seeing an athlete who exhibits an thankfulness to our Lord and a love for his wife and kids. With the sports world so full of questionable ideals and morals, it heartens me as a fan and a person that there are still good guys who play the game. Thanks for a GREAT seaon and continued blessings to you and your family!
Congratulations to you and the whole Red Sox team - and your management.
I was brought up as a Red Sox fan and went through all the agony of all the World Series losses, back in 1967 (St. Louis Red Sox, 7 games…), 1975 (Cincinnati Reds, 7 games…), 1986 (Mets, 7 games…). Heartbreakers all. It’s so refreshing to have the Red Sox finally being winners!
My aging mother and aunt (now 88 and 86, respectively) have now lived to see the Red Sox win not one, but TWO World Series in their lifetimes, something we had almost despaired of seeing.
2004 was great, the breaking of the Curse. And now this year - to see the Red Sox out there with the confidence, the ability to come back and win, that used to be the purvue of the New York Yankees - was a beautiful thing. I don’t care if people now say the Red Sox are the new Yankees. GOOD! I’m glad to see it!
Congratulations again to you all.
Congratulations to all of you…and thank you. THIS proves the Sox are not a ‘fluke’.
You guys are awesome. And I agree with Chris…I have had the immense pleasure (which ain’t easy livin in Texas) of seeing you pitch twice…and it was amazing. I also hope yer a Sox next year…but whatever you do…you have made history.
Cool, huh?
Thank you for a great season!!.I hope to see you in a RedSox uniform next season along with the rest of the 2007 RedSox players.I give you a internet pat on the back for a job WELL DONE!!!.
Whatever your decision for the 2008 season,just remember,you will always be welcomed in Boston and the surrounding area!.
Regards,
Andrew
This team, this franchise is a metaphor of the human spirit, pushing beyond the struggle and most of all BELEIVING!
Keep the faith Curt, your one in a million (and I am glad your our 1 in a million).
I just discovered your blog last week, and I started reading at the beginning. I had to skip from Spring Training to the World Series entries this morning. It like starting a book at the beginning and peeking at the last few pages. This is all fascinating reading, thank you for sharing your thoughts with your fans.
I live near Philly, I am a Phillies fan, and I have been a big fan of yours since your Phillies years. I became a Red Sox fan after attending college in New Hampshire.
I watched the game last night holding my 2004 World Series Champs hat in my hands, not quite ready to put it on during the game. I have superstitions of my own, I guess. Shortly after midnight I was able to put it on and celebrate! I’ll have a 2007 World Series Champs hat soon!
Congrats on your 2007 World Series Victory! It was an excellent series to watch!
I wish you the best of luck on the road ahead! If you don’t stay in Boston, come back to Philly, we’d love to have you!
Congratulations! Thanks for being such a leader on the field and off, and for leaving behind such a capable annuity of pitching talent you helped to mentor and develop. A great legacy in performance and leadership.
Best of luck - I’m sure you’ll do what’s right for you and your family next year…but I’m also sure RSN will get the chance to watch #38 become a number no one else wears on a Red Sox jersey sometime soon. I’ll be sharing my applause, as drowned out as it will be. And I’ll ensure my children learn the lessons of respect, perseverance, and dedication, in part through the legend of Curt Schilling.
Congrats to you and the entire organization. What a fun time I have had watching this season. Sorry to see it end, except that we can get some much deserved rest. I let my son stay up for every post season game, so he would have the memories. Thanks for the memories and see you next year!
Did you ever think, on that fateful Thanksgiving Day in Arizona nearly 5 years ago when the Sox execs took the holiday off from their families to join your family, that the 4-year deal they signed you in would result in 2 World Series wins? Wow.
Congratulations, and don’t fret. You will wear the Sox uni at *least* one more time: Tomorrow in the parade
If this is goodbye, it has been a pleasure. Your presence with the younger pitchers next year would probably affect them for their entire careers (Lester, Buchholz, etc) and that has as much value as the stats you are able to put up. Lest we forget, you threw 8 2/3 innings of no-hit ball just a few months ago.
Mr. Schilling:
Thank you for all that you’ve given to the Sox fans this past year & past. With all the talk of dominating Beckett, outstanding plays of rookies, Paps becoming the next Rivera, Tek being Tek, and Mike Lowell playing like a MVP, perhaps your name hasn’t gotten much mention recently in the national media (other than your potential free agency), but we all know you were one of the anchors on this team in the playoffs. And we will NEVER forget that you risked and sacrificed your career to help us win the ‘04 WS …
In a perfect world, this team will stay exactly the same for ‘08 for repeat performance, but we all know that’s not going to happen. When Theo became GM, I finally gotten over being frustrated by the Yankee “empire” because I KNEW he will do what it takes to put a championship caliber team. I may not always agree with his moves but I know he knows what needs to be done and go out and do it. So I trust that he and the management will do what’s best for the future of the team … I just hope that they understand that you can’t put monetary/statistical value on “heart”, “class”, and “guts” …
Enjoy the celebration in Boston and PLEASE do all of us a favor and let the guys that don’t get much ink or get even negative ink (Coco, Hinske, Julian, Alex, & rest of the bullpen not named Okajima/Paps) we all appreciate what they’ve contributed to the team this year.
Best of luck to you & your family, and God willing, we’ll see you back in April wearing a Boston uniform …
First of all, thank you for writing such a wonderful, heartfelt and selfless thank you to everyone in the Red Sox organization for this incredible year!
It was a pleasure and a joy to watch you guys work hard as a team each and every game to play to the best of your abilities and make no excuses for times when you weren’t so perfect. I am so proud of all of my Red Sox players and yes, you are all mine as a proud member of RSN! I’ve lived and breathed Red Sox for so many years and never ever gave up on you.
Curt, thank you for your faith in God and sharing it so publically with us all. I am a single mother with 2 boys who’s father deserted them when we divvorced and I’ve always encouraged them to be their best and believe in God for everything. I encouraged sports in them, taught them how to hit and pitch and stood on the sidelines to cheer them on every game.
Now they’re such huge Sox fans like mom and every time I see you stand on the mound before your first pitch and take out your beloved cross from around your neck and say a prayer, I tell my boys, “Look at Curt, that is how you get the best in life, when you openly share your love and need for God and not be ashamed to show it to millions of people!” You are very special, as a player and as a human being and I hope and pray that God will guide the Sox organization to do what’s best and re-sign you for your last year. I can’t even imagine seeing you in another uniform!
Thank you for your love of the game and your love of your family and, esp for your faith in God. You’re an inspiration in so many ways in and outside of baseball and you have no idea how you touch people’s lives by your words and actions.
We love you Curt and thank you for an incredible year! I know you’ll be back with us next year God willing, but if not, then it’s because HE wants you to touch other’s lives beyond the realm of Sox nation. But may I be a little selfish to say that I want you to stay with us!
Love to all you wonderful guys in every part of the Red Sox organization! Now let’s celebrate!! Oh and can you please do the Riverdance with Paplebon for us? That would be a sight to behold!
Big Smiles!!
Michele
Congrats, you guys are a class act. That much was obvious watching you all out on the field. The Sox come across to us fans as having such a depth and teamwork that another championship almost seemed inevitable.
God definitely has his fingerprints on the game - it’s laced with such subtlety that only our Creator could have inspired it. ‘
Papelbon’s final pitch was a beauty, and utterly worthy of the celebration that ensued. It was a pitch tailor-made to cap off the series. And the Rox at least went down swinging. It would have been a shame and a waste to watch that pitch sail by.
Enjoy the next few months, but please come back for another season!
Thank you for helping bring two championships to our town. I have been following the Red Sox for 40 years, and have never felt better about the team since when they signed you. Your respect for the history of the game, and what it means to the fans is refreshing. Some people may find your comments self serving, but I always read them as though you were connecting with the public who follows our team. You seemed to understand what we wanted and were looking for, and with the talent you were given, were set on providing the Boston fans with winning teams. You demonstrate the heart and mind of a winner, and I and my children will always have the memories of the two championships you helped bring to the Red Sox. I would hope you remain here until you retire, but wish you the best of luck where ever life takes you. Thanks again -
Congrats to the whole team. Great season.
I hope you stay with the Sox for your last season. Know that many fans are praying for you…
Congratulations! Thanks for a great year and a great write-up. It is really awesome to get your perspective on the whole organization and what it takes to have a team like this (as in “good” beyond just talent) go all the way.
I still remember reading how Theo and crew finally convinced you to come to Boston after days of hanging out at your home. Didn’t they spend thanksgiving with you or something? (I have no idea what truly happened)
I remember thinking at the time “if there ever is a turning point from our epic woes it’ll be because guys like that took huge risks to reputation for the potential of huge rewards - it’ll have to be guys with big vision”.
Miraculously, it turns out that’s exactly how it all played out. You’ll go down in Boston legend now because you took a huge chance you believed in.
Congratulations Red Sox Nation!
Congratulations doesn’t seem appropriate. ‘Wow’ seems closer. Seems every few years you’re covered in champagne.
So happy for you! I don’t want to see this season come to a close. Its just been too much fun. Today is a bit like the day after Christmas… you guys left us wanting MORE MORE MORE. I can’t believe there isn’t any baseball magic tonight. ;D
Seriously, congratulations and God bless — 3 time champion, Big Game Hunter.
If for some reason you don’t stay in Boston, everyone I know in Arizona is DYING to have you back, with the Unit, for one more run. (I guess that wasn’t too subtle…
Thanks so much Curt for everything you’ve done for Red Sox fans all over the country. You are certainly a person to be looked up to and admired. Thanks for being outspoken on your personal beliefs and standing up for what you believe in as well. Not enough people do that. Hopefully you’re back in uniform next season. Until then, we got the Suns to occupy our time! Go Sox!!!!!!!
Curt,
I’ve been following the blog regularly and dropping comments here and there - reserving the opportunity to post something truly meaningful for a more important occasion. Now that that moment is here, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I can’t really find the words.
Thank you.
Thanks for being a class act Curt. The loss hurts today, but it is somewhat comforting to have lost to the best team in baseball with some of the classiest men that play the game. Congratulations on a great season, enjoy your off-season.
- The Hosh
(rocktober is over.)
You are such a class act, Curt. Thank you so much for the years you’ve spent here with us in New England, winning us two championships. I really appreciate the opportunity here to let you know how special you have been to us here in New England.
Whatever the remainder of your career holds for you, I wish you the very best. As long as you stay away from the Evil Empire, I will always be a fan of you.
At the risk of being accused of sappy drivel, I am one of (I am positive) many who genuinely hope you end your career here in Boston. It is no coincidence that in your 4 years here, this team has won twice. Some will credit Tito and others the trio of owners – but in my very humble opinion, even before you knew it, you (or someone very much like you) were always the missing piece.
At the time of your signing, this organization was in desperate need of a personality that could talk the talk and walk the walk – and, more so, in need of an individual who could drive them away from the late 70s and early 80s mindset of 25 players, 25 cabs. It would not have worked if that personality were solely an executive or even a manager – that personality needed to suit up with the 25 and demonstrate the how to walk before you tried to talk.
True, I do not always agree with your positions and, Yes, your large personality may come across to some as haughty– but facts are facts. 4 years in uniform, 2 world championships.
In the lore of Red Sox history, our children & grandchildren will hear of Robert’s steal and Ortiz’ dramatics and Beckett’s dominance – but, the way I see it, without you, neither of those teams win. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
WOW This is AWESOME. Curt, again, no matter what happens (and I hope we’ll see you in a RS uniform in spring training) you will ALWAYS stay in the hearts of Red Sox Nation…THANK YOU!!!!!
Curt,
Congratulations. What a team. What an accomplishment. I only wish that my kids (11 and
could have stayed up to watch it.
Thanks for your contribution over the last four years. What you’ve done on the field, especially in the playoffs, has been nothing short of phenomenal. However, the thing I have most appreciated is your candor and insight that has given me more of an understanding of what it is like to be a professional baseball player than ever before.
Finally, thank you for being transparent in your faith. I love having my kids see a person they admire living out his faith unashamedly and unapologetically and with great humility. I could see that same look in your face after your game 2 win that you had in 2004 that indicated that it was more than just a baseball thing that you experienced.
I hope that things work out so that you’re still with the team next year.
Thanks for be such a class act and top-notch pitcher. This team is definitely the best in the world this year and greatest Sox team of all-time. This team will only be surpassed by next year’s team. You guys are loaded. I definitely hope to see that #38 in red & white in the future. Thanks for helping to bring a lifelong Red Sox fan’s wildest true to fruition. Go Sox!
Congratulations Red Sox team!!! Thank you for a GREAT year!!!!
The nail-biter at the end was AWESOME.
Thanks for all the memories and the inspiration Curt. I am proud to see my 6 year old son want to wear his #38 sox jersey to school every day over the last couple weeks. Years from now when we look back at these “glory days”, it will be your contributions to this team that we’ll be talking about first. Congratulations.
I’m sure I speak for all of Red Sox nation when I say I sincerely hope that 10/28/07 was not the last time Curt Schilling donned a Red Sox uniform… While our rotation may be loaded with young talent, there’s no substitute for a player of your caliber, and our chances of repeating in 2008 improve dramatically if you and Mike Lowell return…
Come back for 2008, win your third World Series ring with Boston and cement your hall of fame legacy Curt!!!
Hi Curt. Having some experience being second-guessed in professional sports at a very low level, I feel so good for you guys and Tito.
Through it all, you guys stuck to your guns and didn’t listen to the idiots on the radio, in the newspapers, on the net, or on the TV. My feeling is if any of the them had to manage this team, they’d soil their pants almost immediately.
Congratulation and while I’d prefer to see you stay, best wishes to you and your family.
God Bless You
The day you launched this blog, I took the opportunity to post, “Thank you for 2004.” I guess I now I owe you another debt of gratitude. That’s my favorite kind of debt. I hope you stick around, and I get to run up a tab.
My God. What a way to end the season. And what a tribute to all the people who don’t get headline press and starting pitcher money. You continue to demonstrate how it takes more than talent to be a legend– it takes heart, soul, and true class.
It’s been a pleasure and a privilege watching you play all these years, especially in Boston. I know I speak for the entire Red Sox Nation when I say we sure do hope to see you back for one more year. But in the mean time, enjoy the off season. Few have earned it more.
Congrats. You really deserve it!
Dear Curt,
I have been a baseball fan since I was a young kid in the early 1990’s. I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania as a Phillies fan. I became disillusioned with the organization after their trades of yourself and Rolen, as well as their refusal to surround you with the talent needed to win a championship. On those grounds, I began rooting for the Red Sox in the late 90’s.
I was elated when I learned that you spurned the Yankees and were accepting a trade to the Sox. I always admired your warrior mentality on the mound. When the Sox were down in the ALCS against the Yanks I told all my friends that if you were given the chance to pitch again, you would not falter.
As I sat and watched your performance in the bloody sock game, I was nearly moved to tears, as in my mind you turned in a performance that exceeded hall of fame standards.
I was equally in awe of you this season, as you reinvented yourself as a pitcher and simply performed through sheer grit and determination. As you walked off the mound in Fenway, for perhaps the final time, I sat glued to my seat and peered back into my memories of the many years I have watched you perfect your art on the mound with grace and integrity. It has been an honor to watch you perform.
I am hopeful your Red Sox career will continue. If not, I just wanted to take the time and give you a warmhearted thank you for the grace and dignity you displayed over the years. Your performance transcends the sport, and exceeds the limits of baseball and carries over into everyday life. What I have learned by watching you perform is that even when the chips are down and things are stacked against you, the only way to succeed is to grit your teeth and forge ahead to the best of your ability, and let everything else take care of itself.
Thank you for years of memories,
Sean Richmond
smr25@pitt.edu
Curt -
Simply the fact that you have this blog shows how in touch you are with the pulse of Red Sox Nation and all of your other fans.
You play the game with grace, honor, and class and I hope to see you wearing red next year.
I wish you luck and courage in your future.
-D
Congratulations from southern New Hampshire! It is so refreshing to read your true comments about a game or series, devoid of the synthesis that goes on in the media today. Your entry here did a fabulous job of pointing to the people behind the scenes who make the organization work. Indeed, there are some clear signs that a solid and well-run organization—a la the New England Patriots—is what gets the job done. That’s not to take anything away from the 25 players who don the uniform, but it does validate that everyone in an organization has a vital role to play. The media gets a sometimes deserved negative rap for looking at things through their own clouded glasses, focusing on the players a little more than they should while focusing too little on the other key contributors (say, the advance scouts who helped make that pick-off play possible). In the end, everyone has a role to play and that was echoed time and again by players and management alike during the post-game festivities in Denver. If this indeed is your ‘last call’ in Boston, you’ll be remembered by me as a hero for helping to bring not one but two championships to Boston. And if your train continues on here in Boston, then we’re so thrilled you decided to stay aboard.
Schill, congrats and thank you for working so hard all year to bring the championship home again. I hope your negotiations start working out well with the Sox, hoping you’ll be back around. Whatever you do, just do NOT go to Yankees. And hey, you probably get 1000 of these requests every single day, but I would give absolutely so much if you sent me an e-mail or something…anything…that I could keep as an awesome memoir from this World Series. You’re one of my favorite Sox of all time, and it’d be great to just have one thing from you, especially since this may (unfortunately) be your last year with us. Keep up the good work Curt, and have an awesome offseason.
Thank you Schill! What an amazing end to a phenomenal season. Hope to see you back at Fenway next season.
Mr. Schilling,
Players are always brought in to be a key piece of a team. You were brought in specifically to be the Final Piece, and you never shirked that impossible burden. Not when the press questioned every quote. Not when your body began to show the effects of age. Time and again you took the ball, and gave everything you had. Often over the last two years it wasn’t as good as you push yourself to be, but you never let that stop you from trying to improve that result when you could have been cruising on reputation.
10/28/07 won’t be your last day with the Red Sox.
You will get your victory lap with the team that was smart enough to draft you in the first place, cement your legacy in Boston and move on to Cooperstown with the only good scarlet letter there is on your plaque.
Thank you.
Congratulations to you and to everyone else you mentioned in your post! It was incredible to see another WS win for the Sox.
I’d like to second what someone has already said: It’s really been a privilege watching you pitch and I hope upon hope that you can return next season in a Red Sox uniform and for more than just my own selfish reason - I still haven’t gotten to see you pitch live!
It’s so great that you have this blog and even greater that you are so well spoken, or in this case written. I will definitely keep checking back!
Thanks again for being part of an amazing season, Curt.
Sniff, sniff…
You got me all choked up!!
First off, I was pretty psyched and pleasantly surprised to see you took the time to write today, considering all of the celebration and general tiredness that you must be feeling at the moment.
It was some great stuff to watch last night - and this whole series. Not one of you didnt’ contribute in some way or form to make this happen. This is definitely a special team.
I am going to keep the hope - and the belief that the Red Sox organization will do the right thing and keep you for the last year you are looking for. I think any time would be foolish to not want you in the lineup — and the mentorship that you provide to the team in general I should think is an intangible that no amount of money in any contract can define.
I’m so glad to have found this blog this season and feel like I’m connected to this team not only by being a member of Red Sox Nation, but by being “inside your head” a little bit.
Thank YOU so much for sharing your thougts and your time with us.
Best wishes for a lovely off season with you and your family.
Thanks for a fantastic four years Curt. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for us, and I’m hoping we’ll see you back in a Red Sox uniform next year.
What a lovely piece of writing, and thank you so much for sharing those thoughts with us. I, too, am anxious to know how to barrage those powers that be with NO AROD emails. In spite of Fox airing the Series so that neither kids nor working people could enjoy watching (Mom and apple pie don’t get ratings?), the great American game is still exemplified by Mike Lowell, not broadcast contracts. Arod/Boros represent everything that threatens the viability of the game we love. Just look when they announced their walk-away from the Yankees. Another slap of the ball from Bronson’s glove, another shout in Toronto. Let us know, please, how to make our feelings known. Til then, you’ve given us so very much, the least of which may be this marvelous blog. Thanks; I pray you will stay in Boston.
hope to see you for one more season curt. you boys did a great job this season and in colorado! thanks for everything!!!
Curt, I hope to see you in a RedSox uniform next year. You are a great ball player and an awesome pitcher. It must be a great feeling to have 2 championship rings for the RedSox. You Rock Curt!
Thank you for everything Curt. I hope it works out that you come back man. One thing is for sure you are a winner. You know how to do it. Thank you for lifting this franchise to heights we all dreamed it could reach. In 2003 we all thought we were 1 good pitcher away from the next level. And you certainly provided us with that winning aura. Lets face it man, In the post season you win. Period. The record shows it. Your 2 losses came in 1993 when you were a baby, and in 2003 with a tendon lapping in the wind. Nobody ever talks about the fact that the 4 of 5 times you’ve pitched in the post season, your team has gone to the world series. And to win 3 out of 4 is very impressive. I hope you can pick up another 10-15 wins to cap your regular season numbers. I don’t think you need them but there are some that say you are only on the cusp o Cooperstown. I don’t know why. 215 wins 3000k and an ERA of 3.50 primarily through the steroid era I think speaks for itself. Not to mention you’ve played on some pretty bad teams that failed to either give you run support or save a game for you. Again, I want to thank you for everything, and I hope to see you on the hill in a Sox uniform again next year. You deserve the proper goodbye, not just us thinking this might be your last time at Fenway. Just know that no matter what happens you will always get the heroes welcome whenever your in Beantown.
I hate to sound selfish because I’m not but in my opinion:
2004 was for them (The elders of Red Sox Nation, the ones every fan thought about when that last out was made)
And,
2007 was for me (And by ‘me’ I mean the younger generation of Red Sox Nation who were brought up on the history of despair and pessimism in regards to Boston Sports, ones who still clutched to the team throughout the pain of having Yankee friends during the 90s)
Thanks Red Sox. Now everyone can proclaim out loud, “2007 was for me” and be proud of their faith in the future of this Old Town Team.
Any possibility of a 6 man rotation next year? Loose a bullpen guy and trust that starters can get us deep. It would keep the innings down for the 40 year olds and the youngsters as well as allow dicek to pitch on his 6 days. It would also certainly allow for every one to stay fresh for a deep post season right? And if there is an injury we’re not looking for a fill in 5th starter, cause we already have one. Your thoughts.
Congratulations!
Last year was probably the first year that I started following the Red Sox… and I don’t mean just checking the internet now and again, I mean following every inning of every game. Ever since the start of the season it seemed as though every single person who was a part of the organization thought that this Red Sox team of 2007 was something special. And it was. I just want to thank you for a great year..
Also, next year if you don’t happen to be wearing a Red Sox uniform (which I hope you will be) I hope you make a start against the Red Sox so that you can get the ovation that you deserve. Looking ahead it seems as if the 2008 Red Sox will be a pretty excting team to watch, and I hope that you and Lowell and (I think Tim Wakefield has an option) Wake will be some of the excitements.
Thank you for yet another great year and congratulations,
Katie
Congratulations on your second ring. Would love to see you back, but obviously there is a baseball side of baseball as well, and you understand that. If we don’t bring you back, you will be missed. If you still come back, stay away from New York. Probably wouldn’t go into the NL either, because I’m not sure you could beat a bunt out like Cook did in Game 4 there.
I forgot one thing.
Have fun at the rally tomorrow.
Wish I could go, but my mom won’t be out of the hospital for a couple more days. (Not saying this for anyone to feel sorry for me.. it’s nothing life threatening..)
And one more thing.. My mom is a wicked active person and she was up until about 3 months ago when her weird little illness thing kicked in and before she started getting better. And so, when she wasn’t able to hike or bike around anymore for a while I convinced her to sit down and watch the Red Sox games with me. I ended up making her want to watch every game and it’s been a special little family thing ever since.. When she had to go back into the hospital to do some more small test things it was the night you guys won the World Series. So, it made me feel, I don’t want to say “better”, better knowing that she was watching the game..
Thank you .. again
<3 Katie
In church this weekend was that famous (and probably my favorite) passage about those who exalt themselves being humbled, and those who humble themselves being exalted. So true in the church of baseball too. Honestly I haven’t agreed with everything you’ve said here and elsewhere, but your heart is most definitely in the right place and everything else at a certain point becomes meaningless and silly. Congratulations. It’s time to enjoy this and forget about the rest for a while.
Wow, now I can die in peace part II. Francona is the greatest manager in Bo Sox history no matter what the idiots on EEI say.
Now, I expect a Papelbon dance from the Schill tomorrow.
ROLLING RALLY! I’m calling in sick!
4 years ago, minus a few months, after you had signed on to pitch with and for us/our team, your commercial for Ford came out, with you hitchhiking to Boston.
“I have to break an 86 year old curse.”
It was the right tone, the right message - and the right messenger. You broke it into smithereens. As several writers have observed, during this World Series, the name Babe Ruth was scarcely mentioned. Harry Frazee went undiscussed. I saw one image of poor maligned Bill Buckner, read one mention of Jim Willoughby, and a passing reference to Pedro and Grady and game 7 of 2003.
“I have to break an 86 year old curse.”
Studies have been done that showed that Emergency Room around Boston visits are less frequent during Red Sox games.
Now, they are less frequent after the games, as well.
Thank you for many hours and days of wonderment, past and future. One more year would be very nice, indeed.
Wow great post. Hope to see you back next year in a Red Sox uniform. See ya tomorrow at the parade. (I’ll be the one in the Sox hat, with the camera. Please wave. Teehee.)
Hi Curt,
Congratulations! Thanks for helping to bring another world series to this town and the great effort, intensity and talent that you bring to the game each time you’re on the mound. You’ve been a true leader for this team and a source of inspiration for so many people on and off the field. Thanks for always thinking about the fans and always being honest and giving us insight on what goes on behind the scenes. I really do hope that you’ll be back here next year for your final season and retire in a Red Sox uniform. Even if you aren’t, I think Sox Nation will always hold you and your years here dear to their hearts and we’ll wish you the best of luck wherever you may go. Thanks for all that you’ve done for us!
God did have his fingerprints all over that game, and over the Red Sox since you have been a part of the team. I will never forget the courage, skill and determination you gave to help this team overcome curses, histories, bad luck and no pitching.
Congratulations to each of the team for the championship, and thanks for the fun you gave us.
See you in the the hall-of-fame ceremonies!
-s
Hey Curt, I’m a 37 year old Bostonian living in Tampa. My dad lived and died and never saw the Sox win a WS. I have been lucky enough to see 2 so far. For that I thank you as well as the rest of the guys. You on the other hand I would like to say thank you and I hope Theo can keep you in Boston so you can enjoy another WS next year. I concider you one of the greats in Boston sports history. You take care of business on and off the field and I LOVE to hear what you have to say about any and all matters. Again, I say THANK YOU and enjoy the off season. Now you and Mike get your deals done and get to Ft. Myers in the spring.
P.S. If it doesn’t work out in Beantown, I’ll buy you a beer at Fergs.
Thanks again. R
This was an amazing year in baseball. Sure it is easy to say that being a fan of the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. It was pretty cool to see that even the late games of the season meant something.
I can’t speak for everyone but I know that there were times when the Sox would have a bad game or a bad series and it would be discouraging. At the time I felt the Sox were better than the way they had played during that particular game. But now it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that the Sox were the best team in baseball from about April 28th. Please forgive Red Sox Nation if we sometimes forget about 2004 & 2007 and criticize the team harshly. I honestly doubted that the Sox would win another world series within my life time after 2004. It will take Red Sox Nation a bit of time to adjust to the new Red Sox. I just hope that Red Sox nation always remembers the past and never takes winning as a God given right.
I think the Rockies are pretty special as well. I’ve been telling people about the 21 out of 22 games to get to the World Series. I hope people don’t forget that. There are many young and talented baseball players on that team. The Red Sox earned the world series win.
I want to thank you Mr. “he of the bloody sock” Schilling for the last 4 years. I love that you have opened yourself up for the fans by posting this blog. It has given the average fan a look into a world they would never get to see.
Go Red Sox!!!
-Diane.
If October 28, 2007, was the last time you ever wear this uniform, thank you. It was an honor and a privelage to be allowed to watch you play here.
Sorry for the stealing of the words. Just changed them around some to reflect how Red Sox Nation feels.
Congrats on the ring!
Curt, you are a true champion. You exemplify class, courage, heart, honor and character. I enjoy your entries here and have done so all season. Your opinions and statements are always well written and thoughtful. Only two words can sum up what I want to say to you: thank you.
Curt, it has been an absolute joy watching you pitch the last 4 years. I hope I can say 5 years at this time next year. I think the Sox management would be fools not to want to resign you for next year. I hope you and Mike Lowell both are with the team to get your rings next year on opening day at Fenway, because you both represent the city so well. Also on a side note, I have a lot of respect for what you and your wife do for charitable organizations for cancer and lou gehrig’s disease research. Keep up the good work on that end. If you do go elsewhere you will be deeply missed. I think even CHB will miss you.
Curt, I hope the front office plans to include you in the 2008 Boston Red Sox, but if not, thank you so much for your great performances in Red Sox uniform.
Curt,
It has been my previlege keeping tabs on you through the years…..besides being a man of conviction you are also a great pitcher. You were always one of my favorites, but since you put on a Red Sox Uniform your ranking went to number 1.
I enjoy reading your blog and I truly appreciate your honesty. The Red Sox have always been my favorite team since I was a 11 year old bat boy for a California League Red Sox team. I went on to play a few years of minor league ball for the Red Sox, but never made it to the big stage. I was the bat boy when Earl Wilson, Marty Keough, Albie Pearson, Ted Bowsfield and Jerry Zimmerson were playing for the Red Sox in the California League under John “Red” Marion.
The best that life has to offer to you and your family.
Sincerely hope that we can watch you next year in a Red Sox Uniform and hopefully repeat a World Series Winner.
Thanks for the memories…
Curt, where do I start?
Your heartfelt last post left me in tears. I have been a Red Sox fan since the mid 80’s and have to say that the core group we have had since 2003 has been my favorite group yet. I also love the new talent we have been blessed with recently and look forward to watching them grow. This season has been quite a ride! I live in South Carolina and finally subscribed to the MLB online and watched so many games - too many according to my Hubby!! I did fly to Baltimore to see your last series with the O’s. My brother and his family live there ( I am originally from MD). We went to the first 2 games and had a blast! I had the honor of meeting you briefly as you arrived and you signed my pink Boston hat. That meant the world to me and I will treasure that hat and that memory. A shout out to Timlin, Okajima, Beckett, Kielty, and Francona who also stopped to sign. You were all such nice gentlemen as I knew you would be. What a wonderful bonus for my trip up there!
I am saying many prayers that you will finish your career with the Red Sox. It wouldn’t feel right if you didn’t. But I am a sentimental fan and it is always very hard for me when my favorite players change teams. It is sad that fans have to pick to either follow a player or stick with your team. You can’t do both.
What you did for us in 2004 - no words can express. Forever gratelful. Thank you for the pride I feel as a fan when I see you take the mound knowing you will give 200% and more if needed. Whatever happens, know that Red Sox Nation loves you and your undying dedication. God Bless you and your family and the sacrafices you have made for our team.
best red sox team ever….
It’s nice to know that someone so famous, who spends so much time in the spotlight (in such an unrelenting media market) is so grounded. Not that I presume to know you at all, but I’m glad some athletes are able to be positive role models to all the little kids who look up to them.
Congrats on the World Series victory!
Curt,
A very eloquent and articulate post. I truly hope the Red Sox re-sign you next year so you can finish your career in a Sox uniform; the younger players have a lot to learn from you, and even when you don’t have your best stuff, you still find a way to post a W.
You have been a warrior for this team day in and day out, and Red Sox nation is deeply appreciative of all you have done both on the field and off. You always gave us 100%, and we know that you never left anything in the tank.
I hope October 27 wasn’t your last game in this uniform, but regardless of the off-season outcome, you will forever be a hero in Boston. Thanks for 2004 and 2007!!!
-Lugh
PS: My son is a huge fan of yours. Should I try to get an autograph on eBay or do you do public appearances?
Curt, what a wonderful post. I sincerely hope that you and family will continue to be New Englanders for some time to come. Have a wonderful and restful off-season - all of you deserve it. See you tomorrow at the parade! Are you going to dance with Papelbon?
Curt,
I’m not one to typically comment on blogs, but I have to say “Thank you” for the last 4 years that you’ve spent in a Red Sox uniform. For you to be such a huge part of not just one, but two Red Sox World Championship is something that I’m sure means a lot to every Red Sox fan out there.
I, and many others out there, hope to see you back for one more season as a Red Sox.
And congratulations to everyone involved in the 2007 World Champion team, from players to coaches, and from clubhouse staff to scouts. It was awesome to watch.
Curt,
Congratulations to you, and the rest of our terrific Red Sox team.
In 1986, I was 13, and on the edge of my bed crying as the ball went through Buckner’s legs. I didn’t watch a Red Sox game again for thirteen years, when some bright young stars named Martinez, Varitek and Garciaparra pulled me back in with their amazing presence, energy and excellence. I was older then, and smart enough, by that time, not to invest my emotions so strongly in a team that logic told me would always remain the tragic also-ran. It took some of the magic out of that peculiar New England attachment to baseball, but hey - it helped me survive 2003.
Then came 2004. Everything about being a Red Sox fan - everything I’d believed about baseball - was shattered into a million beautiful, poignant pieces. We all lost something then, I guess… even today, I have a hard time defining it. We were all glad to be rid of it, but at the same time, we were forced to redefine our relationship with the sport and team that we love so much.
And now, here we are, just a few short years later, and you’ve done it again. So marvelous. And the way in which you pulled it off, as a team - reaching down, way down, to scratch and dig and claw your way up from a 3-1 pit against the next-best team in the major leagues. Against two of the top 5 starters in the game, no less.
We’ll never know what went on in that players meeting you and David called, but we’ll always know that two veteran leaders, men with heart and character and charisma, were in no small part responsible for lifting a team, one more, onto the grandest pedestal in American sports. Thank you for that.
You’ve given us an amazing four years. You’ve fought for us, bled for us and inspired us. You’ve led a player-blogging revolution, perhaps one of the very first major athletes to sit down and communicate directly with your fans, all in your own words. You, and the rest of your teammates, have provided an incredible example for kids across the world of teamwork and hard play. Thank god that the days of “25 men, 25 cabs” came to a halt. What I see on the field now, what the Red Sox organization has become, is something I can point my son to and say “this is what sports is about. This is something wonderful that we can enjoy, and take pride in.” As a parent, this is invaluable. So few athletes, nowadays, accept their status as role-models, much less embrace it. How valuable, then, that men like you, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield become.
I find it difficult to comprehend your wanting to play baseball for another season. So many other aging athletes in these times don’t know how to bow out with grace; witness Michael Jordan coming back as a shell of the player he once was. Clemens with his ridiculous “savior of New York” puppet show, only to return and be injured and mediocre. For everything you;ve given us, we all know you’re finally looking the end of your career square in the eye - what better way to go out than to ride off into the sunset having helped accomplish what amounts to a modern sports miracle? I don’t understand what’s driving you for one more year, especially if it would have to mean playing one solitary year in some other park, in some other city. However…
If you stick to this decision, I’ll fervently hope that the Sox will retain you for this “final” season. It was a psychological wound to see Nomar suit up for the Cubs, Pedro for the Mets. You’ve proven that your reinvention of yourself is a success; even suffering an injury, you put up a respectable ERA and secondary numbers this year, and in the AL East, no less. It is a tremendous credit to management and player development that I’m not sure where they’d stick you - not with Lester and Buchholz banging on the door - but I hope, for all our sakes, that something works out. What’s one year, after all, to a team this loaded?
Regardless, though, we all know and understand that baseball is a business. We’ll hope for the best, prepare for the worst - and should you stay or leave, you’ve earned the undying respect and affection of the greatest sports fans on the planet. I’m just not ready for the love affair to be over, I guess ;p
Big Schill, I’m sorry. You were right about everything. I’m a hack.
Schill, the way you have allowed God to speak through you and use you, especially in MLB, is awe inspiring. It has been a privilege watching you pitch this year more than ever, and I hope you’ll be back for one more year with the Sox. Wherever you pitch, I wish you God speed and know I, and many others in Red Sox nation, will be rooting for you and watching your progress.
This post was the best from the whole season! I got teary eyed reading all your thanks, especially to our Lord and your wife and kids.
Congratulations on being World Series Champions, again!!! YOU AND THE TEAM DESERVE IT!!
Your biggest fan in SC,
Christina
Curt,
Congrats to you and all the Red Sox! What a year! Believe me when I say it was a blast watching you guys this year. From the “Mother’s Day Miracle,” to your 1 hitter, to Buchholz’s no hitter.
In a lot of ways you guys are like extended family to all of RSN, we live and die with every win or loss. And right now soaking up the life.
Like many I’m hoping your back with the best team in baseball next year.
Thanks Schill!
Curt, Great Post. I can’t thank you enough for bringing your God given talent to Boston and being a part of two world series championship teams. I appreciate everything you do on the field as well as what you and your family do off the field. No matter what happens you will always be remembered as a champion athlete in the Boston sports scene.
Congratulations. I quoted you on Shrink Rap. –Dinah