Monday, March 23, 2009

End of an Era

Photo from my files...

Some sad - but not surprising - news this morning on Curt Schilling's blog. He officially announced his retirement from baseball. After his injury struggles last year, and his increasing involvement in his video game ventures this year, I wasn't shocked by the announcement. I'm also happy that he's quitting before he becomes a shadow of what he once was, desperately tying to stay in the game. Still, to hear it officially does bring some sadness, appreciation and affection.

What an incredible career this man has had. Twenty seasons, 216 career victories, three World Championships over a period of seven years, a World Series MVP. Wow. But his greatest achievement was his role in "breaking the curse" in Boston. From the now-legendary contract negotiations with Theo over Thanksgiving dinner in 2003, his triumphant entrance into Boston, to his awesome post-season appearances in both 2004 and 2007 - he secured his legend in New England, if not in baseball history.

My favorite memory took place during the 2004 WS celebration. Curt gathered the team, each raised a bottle of champagne, and he proclaimed them "the best Red Sox team EVER!" I had tears running down my face. He was right.

Good luck in retirement, Curt!

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1 Comments:

Blogger Ted D said...

For all his moments of putting his foot in his mouth, I always had a soft spot for Schill. He spoke what was on his mind and didn't really care if you agreed with him or not. But the fact he welcomed the opportunity to bring a championship to Boston and then went out and did it? The guy could back it up.

10:30 AM  

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