Hurry Up and Wait For Schilling

Curt Schilling announced yesterday that he will become a free agent after the 2007 season, as the Red Sox have decided no to offer him a new contract before the season begins. Says Theo Epstein:

"Curt's going to be 41 and at that age we get a little more conservative," Epstein said. "That doesn't mean we don't want him back. We have all the confidence in the world that Curt wants to pitch in 2008, and if he pitches effectively as I expect he will, we'll find a way to keep him in a Red Sox uniform. It doesn't make sense from a business standpoint right now to guarantee that kind of money a year in advance to a 41-year-old. Again, that doesn't change how we feel about Curt, his place in the organization. No. 1, he's our Opening Day starter and we couldn't be happier about that."

I've already discussed the benefits associated with locking up a pitcher of Schilling's caliber before his declaration of free agency. It makes sense, financially, not lock $13 million into a 41 year old, husky pitcher, but there is always the sentimental attachement to Schill. Here's his take:

"Disappointing? Yeah, but it's something I understood coming in was a possibility. That's the way it happens sometimes. That's a decision they made. Whether you like it or not, it's the way things are."

I don't expect Schilling to make much of this during the season, though Lord knows the media will now have another card in their deck of stories to cover when there isn't actually a story. So, it's sad we won't have the emotional security, but makes perfect sense in this cold, cold world of ours.

I Am Now Obsolete

This week, Red Sox bloggers the world over became obsolete. Our views, our information, all of it completely irrelevant, now that The Eagle-Tribune's Rob Bradford has his own blog, Bradford on Baseball. Bradford's the one of my favorite Sox writers, known for landing stories that are off the beaten path. He'll rarely cover the mainstream problems and suspicions, rumors and ravings . Instead, he'll find some obscure element to a player's game or personality and turn it into a charming article, his signature work. Bradford's fans no longer have to wait for the morning paper, but merely need to log on and check in on his latest postings. He also takes questions, which is great, because he has the access most of us can only dream of.

Spring Is Here.

Spring Training. Those are the two words I've been seeking for over 4 months, and they're finally here. Tonight they're more striking than ever, as there's nothing like getting one's butt kicked in an indoor soccer game to bring out the need for a little bit of baseball.

The pop of the glove, the crack of the bat, the chatter of the players and the fans, all sounds that go along with the opening of camps in Florida and Arizona are starting to trickle across the airwaves and imaginations.

This week in Fort Myers has been marked by the arrival of the Asian Sensation, Daisuke Matsuzaka. I don't care what anybody says, I think this guy is going to do fantastic. Everything about his body language and his eyes say he is in complete control. I don't expect the stress of the major leagues or Boston to get to him at all. He's played catch, hosted several press conferences, and managed to charm the world. He may just be worth every penny we paid for him.

And with that, my little burst of a Spring Training opener post is finished. Let's get this show on the road.

Moving Day

This is it. This is the week we've all been waiting for since the last out at the beginning of October.

Kind of.

Moving Day is something of a twisted holiday amonst diehard baseball fans, simultaneously the first sign that camp is opening and an indication that you really have a problem. I mean, it's just a bunch of trucks and empty sunflower seed buckets. We're excited over trucks and buckets? It's just a little sad.

But awesome, don't forget awesome.

This offseason has seemed particularly long for me in a number of ways, all of them thanks in no small part to the success in the new Theo regime keeping everything airtight over on Yawkey Way. Sure, it's professional and respectable, but it sure makes for boring reading during the winter months.

J. D. Drew is ready to cautiously roam the confines of right field, Daisuke Matsuzaka is poised to capture the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards, Julio Lugo is ready to hit home runs for the right team at the Fens, and JC Romero is ready to live up to his badass name.

Or ar least, that's what it feels like at the close of Moving Day.

Interview with Charley Steiner

Here's an interview I helped transcribe with James Guinn for Maury Brown over at The Biz of Baseball. It's with former ESPN personality/John Sterling wingman and current XM Radio host/Dodgers broadcaster, Charley Steiner. Whew, that was a long intro. Steiner discusses his past, his present, and his thoughts on the current state of the game of baseball.

You can check it out here. Special thanks to Maury Brown for giving me the chance to help out on this project. It was a good time.

The Newest Revenue Stream

Here it is, folks, an indication that the fans really do control the game (with their wallets). The Cleveland Indians are hosting the first-ever Fantasy Baseball Summit tonight at 6 p.m. EST. Check this:

In partnership with MLB.com, the club will hold its first-ever Fantasy Baseball Summit from 6-9 p.m. ET Tuesday at Jacobs Field. For $75, fans get parking in the players' lot, a buffet dinner in the visitors' clubhouse and two drink tickets. They'll also have access to a Q&A session with Indians general manager Mark Shapiro and assistant GM Chris Antonetti and be in attendance for a live broadcast of MLB.com's Fantasy 411 radio show, hosted by Mike Siano and Cory Schwartz.

The Tribe is one of the first clubs to truly embrace fantasy baseball in such a manner. But such events could become a league-wide trend, said Gregg Klayman, the director of fantasy and interactive games for MLB.com. [...]

But there's something else on the line, as well. All those who attend will be entered into a sweepstakes to win the right to host their league's draft party in the visitors' clubhouse. The rest will receive a 50 percent rental discount to hold their draft in virtually any room at the ballpark.

Talk about impressive. Forget the fact that Mark Shapiro has made some head-scratching moves over the course of the last few years, the fact that he's willing to be a part of something like this is a) great for public relations, and b) great for revenue. What fan wouldn't want to host their live draft inside the heart of their favorite ballpark? I know I would, that's for sure.

Which reminds me, I still need to work that out.

Wear Him Out

Over at Matsuzaka Watch, a site that has been completely dedicated to all things Daisuke Matsuzaka since the rumors of his availability surfaced in the fall, the author has just posted an interview he did with Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus. The focus is, of course, Matsuzaka, and it's highlighted over at Baseball Musings. Beyond the highlighted excerpt, though, this is a great interview that address some of the most pressing questions concerning the way pitchers are currently handled.

The Good, The Bad About MLB Communication

Baseball fans across the nation have had over week now to sit and stew over the announcement that Major League Baseball is going to be moving it's Extra Innings package from cable/DirectTV to DirectTV, exclusively. That means thousands of fans currently subscribing to the cable version of the package need to either switch to DirectTV, or do their best to get by on newspaper stories and box scores in USA Today.

The uproar has been noticeable in print and across the airwaves, most noticeably from the cantankerous bunch that is Red Sox Nation. John Kerry, a member of said Nation by default, puffedly announced that he was going to question the representatives of the FCC at a hearing last week, championing the cause of fans everywhere. Instead, Kerry managed to leave the hearing early and fax a letter of concern to the head of the FCC. Attaboy, Johnny.

Really, what's the problem here? It's simple: not everyone can get DirectTV. For some reason or other, cable is far more universal, and DTV has a number of limitations including, but not limited to trees and other immovable objects obstructing dish installation. Baseball, in the interests of picking up the paycheck from signing such an exclusive deal, is betting on the fact that it's loyal fans, who have sworn time and time again to never return to the game, will, in fact, return. And though I hate to say it, they always do.

Additionally, in the eyes of MLB there are two other ways to stay abreast of a distant team: XM satellite radio, which is also subscription based but totally worth the money if you drive a lot, and MLB.com's MLB.tv. Of the two, XM is best, in my humble opinion, due to the 24 hour baseball network and all the great music and news. MLB.tv is pretty poor and full of glitches that make watching a game, any game, a lot of effort.

There's little chance that the protestations of the fans and the misguided posturing of Senator Kerry are going to have any effect. All that remains is to find hope in the little things, like the fact that WTIC 1080 AM Hartford, Connecticut has agreed on a multi-year contract with the Red Sox, keeping them on one of the most recognizeable radio stations in the Northeast. You can get WTIC anywhere from upstate New York, to Ohio, to southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania when the wind and sky are right. That is most definitely a good thing.

Note to HC Readers

Today I learned a very valuable lesson: anything on the internet can be turned into porn. Anything. The image I had provided for the article "Schilling Worth His Weight?" was the cover of a 2004 Sports Illustrated issue entitled "Hot Sox: Do You Believe?" I was alerted by my friend that over the last few days that picture then changed to hardcore porn. The problem has been solved. The image is now from SI.com, so unless someone jacks SI, we're ok. If you're still seeing pornography, simply refresh the page and empty your browser cache.

Many apologies.

Ryan M. Brodeur
Writer and Editor, www.TheHotCorner.org

Schilling Sets Shaughnessy Straight

In today's Globe, Dan Shaughnessy addressed the recent issue of Curt Schilling's non-retirement with his typical amount of sarcasm and skepticism. The column more or less consisted of a question and answer session recounted in what we believe to be it's entirety. Shaugnessy repeatedly attempts to convince the readers that Schilling is doing exactly what Pedro and Damon did: hold the Red Sox over the barrel by using the media and the threat of public revolt should certain contract demands not be met. Unfortunately for Shaughnessy, his column has exactly the opposite effect.

Despite attempts to lure the 40 year old pitcher into switching his story, from one about finding a contract extension in a place he enjoys at the end of his career to a quest for that ever-elusive 'respect,' Schilling sticks to his story. I walked away from the column thinking that Schilling was going about it in what seemed to be more or less the right way, admitting that he would test free agency if not extended before Spring Training. The right way part comes in when he mentions, very succinctly, that it wouldn't be a spite-driven thing, simply a career-driven one. When asked about the worst part of playing in Boston, Schilling hits the nail on the head:

What is the thing you like least about playing in Boston?

"The media is the hardest part of this. There's so much of it and there's a lot of bitterness and jealousy here that doesn't exist in other places. You guys have an immense impact on the ebb and flow of the fans and their take on things. It's an ingrained part of culture here. These fans are waiting to see a guy in J.D. Drew -- who they think is going to break his toe Opening Day because of everything that's been said. Because of what's been written and what's been said. It's unfair to some guys . . . I just think there's a lot of potshots taken because it is personal. You and I have never gotten along very well. [...]

I think there's things that you write that are absolutely and totally unequivocally uncalled for. I think you take personal vendettas to the paper. I think you rip people in the paper because you don't like them whether they're good people or not. As an athlete, that bothers me, but as a teammate of these people, it bothers me even more . . . I certainly came in with a little bias, but I don't think that given what's happened that it's unmerited.

As hard as it is for some people in your business to believe, I don't enjoy talking to the media. I don't look forward to being in front of you guys . . . I find it ironic how people in the media say, 'I've been pretty nice to you,' as if they've gone out of their way to write things that are nice about me as if I'm not a nice person. I'm a good person. I don't wish hateful things on people. I don't hate anybody. I know that I treat people right. I've made mistakes and I've said dumb things, but I wouldn't think people have to go to extra effort to make me out to be a nice guy.

You don't know me beyond what you see in the clubhouse and what you've heard other people say about me. We'll never sit down and have a beer together because we both have families and we're too busy. We're going to know each other as well as a player and a member of the media know each other. And in the scope of things, that's not very deep. You've kind of got to go on what you can see and hear and what people tell you. I go on what I read."

I mean, cmon. Talk about a loaded question and a smooth answer, Curt does a great job here by not only addressing the question, but by addressing, politely, the issues between himself and Shaughnessy.

I guess the reason I'm writing on this whole gig is that Shaughnessy, while a talented writer, far too often plays the role of the hellraiser. He does his best to approach some situation or other with series of aloof, pedantic observations that rarely do more than piss a lot of people off. This column is just a great example of an overbearing media unable to reel in the big superstar.

Go Curt. It's just another reason we should sign him for 2008.