Schilling

Wow, the same topic in consecutive posts....

Love him or hate him.... Not many people sit on the Schilling fence. I am one of those on the love him side. For not too many players have demonstrated that they want the ball. Not too many players have risen to the occasion on the biggest of stages and shone like Schilling has.

Whether it was going out the day after the Phils were handed a historically unpleasant 15-14 loss by the Blue Jays in the '93 World Series and shutting out the Jay, or his post season performances with Arizona or the Red Sox, Schilling has proven himself to be a money player.

The other side of Curt is his outspokenness and that is where many fans are rankled. But that too is where I appreciate the candor and honesty Curt has exhibited. When he essentially demanded his way out of Philly what he said was what many Phils fans felt, that the team wasn't committed to winning. Unlike Scott Rolen who made a similar demands not long after, Curt has a way of saying what he thinks in a mature and open way, where Rolen comes off like whiner who will take his ball and go home if he doesn't get what he wants.

Curt Schilling should be a Hall of Famer. There, I said it. For me to say that, well, I'm surprised I did. As I will point out in a future post, my opinion is that the HOF has been seriously watered down by players with "numbers", players who are not true legends of the game, who do not engender an aura of greatness, as the Hall was originally intended to house. Schilling has the aura; Schilling is a player who will long be remembered for the bloody sock, for helping to restore greatness to the Red Sox nation, and for more than 200 wins during a career tarnished by many injuries.

But the best praise I can heap on Curt is that he was and is a true Philadelphian. While he wasn't born here, he was adopted and beloved here for the qualities mentioned above. Not many players achieve that status in this city where we're more preoccupied with rating our players on the blue collar scale than their stats, but Curt has made the top five on every list I can think of, including the humanitarian one for his dedication to cause to find a cure for ALS.

Curt, please wear the right red when you are enshrined into Cooperstown. Philly is where you were given the opportunity, and Philly is where you were embraced and first glowed in the bright lights. In your heart you KNOW a red P is what should be on your head in the hallowed halls.