Put a sock in it
Looks like any thoughts about the NBA playoffs are going to have to wait at least half a day. This Gary Thorne-Curt Schilling-Doug Mirabelli sock thing is way out of control. Yes, you'd think it was over, everybody hashed out when and where the misunderstanding took place, and we're now free to ponder how fast the air has gone out of the Orioles' balloon this week.
Nope. Because here's Schilling on his blog. Like you didn't know that was coming. Like you didn't know he'd knock it out after a game, and that he wouldn't find time during a busy season to pound out 1,500 words on it. That's not an unusual length for him and his blog, by the way. As one of the writers who regularly covers the Red Sox pointed out earlier this season, he's managed to do this regularly during the season, to write more in a postgame rush on his blog than the beat writers do on the average day of game stories, notebooks and their own blogs. But if there's one thing Curt Schilling will always find plenty of time to do no matter what the circumstances, it's to talk about himself.
Now, he won't find time to get his facts straight, especially while lecturing others to get their facts straight, because, as you might have seen in his latest posting, he got the name of our former Sun colleague wrong. Back during the '04 playoffs, it was Laura Vescey who wrote her doubts about the authenticity of the sock. Not Karen Vescey. He also misspells Jay Mariotti's last name and jokes about not really knowing the first name of Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman. Not that blogs are supposed to have credibility or anything. Our writings should, not his.
He's just a honest, straight-talking, team-oriented, stand-up ballplayer. One that will never miss an opportunity to let you know he is.
There's a very basic reason why this story still has legs: because it's Schilling, who has become the all-time leader in public phony selflessness. It's not an easy act to pull off, but some athletes are masters of it. They manage to position themselves as being all about the team and about the game, while cleverly (they think) hiding the reality that they're all about themselves. By not directly speaking about themselves, in either first or third person, they avoid the most obvious characteristics of raging egoism - so he's not comparable to, say, a Chad Johnson. They generally believe that nobody can see through them. That illusion largely comes from their notion that they're smarter not only than the media they manipulate, but the fans they desperately play to.
Schilling is, and always has been, the standard by which all other phony team guys are measured. As they say, there's no "I'' in team, but there are two in "Schilling.''
There seems to be a disproportionate number in baseball, too. A.J. Pierzynski is as good as they come. David Wells is a legend; a few years back, the man who has never been in shape his entire professional career memorably questioned teammate Frank Thomas's desire - days before the reason for Thomas's missing games was revealed to be a torn bicep that knocked him out for the season.
Jeff Kent is a genius; for years, he won over Bay Area media (of which I was one, but not one who bought his act) by positioning himself as the anti-Barry Bonds, largely by always being accessible, usually to talk about what a swell guy he was, not like that selfish, distant jerk in the corner there. No one, however, was more selfish and more of a jerk than Kent - but, as some writers actually said out loud, "he always talks to us.'' He also managed to fashion himself as a good ol' country boy, leaning toward honest, hardworking cowboy, even though he's from southern California. He finally got exposed with that spring-training motorcycle accident in which he broke his wrist - and for a disturbingly long time got a lot of people to buy his I'm-just-a-regular-guy fable about breaking it while washing his truck, because he's not one for fancy high-falutin' car-washing services.
Next in line to inherit Schilling's faux-regular-guy mantle? Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas. The draft prospect made it well-known that he would not attend the festivities in New York tomorrow, because he had a regular fishing trip with his father on that date. Fine, good enough. But he couldn't let it go there.
"I'm not preparing to have a big celebration on NFL draft day. That's not what I'm all about,'' he told the Detroit News. "I want the transition to be smooth from college to the pros, and not make a big deal about the draft." He said that the big draft blowout "is not what I'm all about'' twice.
What a sweet, pure, unsullied slice of Americana.
Except that the NFL Network is actually going to be there fishing with Thomas and Dad. It will have a camera on hand there to record his reaction when his name is called, quite possibly (depending on cell phone reception out on the lake) to inform him of the news. All, presumably, with Thomas's permission. So being on camera alone, having his solid, homespun ways transmitted all across America and setting him apart from his draft peers appears to also be "what he's all about.''
Not enough people have called "B.S.'' on him, just as they didn't call it on Kent or A.J. or, of course, Schilling.
With guys like him, it's too easy to raise a question of whether that's real blood on his sock. The blood likely is real. But so is the hot air.
Comments
Great piece...Schill just can't get enough of himself. Even Sox fans called him out on his page...maybe he'll start to listen to them. Perhaps send him a link to YOUR piece.
Posted by: Patrick | April 27, 2007 10:18 AM
Steele - I applaud Schilling. Media people don't hold themselves accountable. You mention that he loves to talkd about himself. HE didn't bring this up you (media did)! BTW, it's obvious you are threatened by him. You are critizing him because of the length of his blog?? So what? Curt may be outspoken, but he has absolute integrity. That is something the media is drifting from. That's a fact.
Posted by: dan | April 27, 2007 11:36 AM
Outstanding blog Steele. I agree with everything you have said 110%!
Posted by: tony | April 27, 2007 3:00 PM
He isn't named Shilling for nothing. It appears there is a genetic linkage between his name and his personality, since he constant "shills" for himself...
Posted by: wgmeisheid | April 27, 2007 3:32 PM
David, I couldn't agree with you more. I don't know who died and made Schilling the spokesperson for all that is right in baseball (and the world).
So Schilling wants to put anyone who questions his faith on an island somewhere? I'm sure that's what Jesus would do.
And thanks for pointing out other phonies in the world. That Joe Thomas is a joke.
Dan - did you actually read Steele's blog? Absolute integrity? Read the third paragraph.
Posted by: DK | April 27, 2007 4:20 PM
Curt Schilling is a moron who just likes to hear himself talk and never misses a chance to do so. He always has been this way, even back to his days in Philly.
Posted by: Russ | April 27, 2007 5:02 PM
how does Gary Thorne get a free pass on this ? If in fact he got the paint story from Mirabelli shouldn't he have: 1. looked for a second source as all journalists do and, 2. make his findings public in 2004 ? If Schilling was lying and this was PR, this is a big story, THEN. To off-handedly make a comment almost two years later, not only throws cold water over Schilling's achievement, but taints all responsible spotrts writers with his amateur journalism.
Posted by: jim b | April 27, 2007 6:29 PM
As a Sox fan from Boston, I can say for sure that you are right on. Schilling is the biggest self promoter I've ever seen. He is also the world's authority on everything - just ask him. Hopefully more writers will puncture the big blowhard's aura on a regular basis. Nice work.
Posted by: mark | April 27, 2007 8:01 PM
For a guy who's only concern is the team, Curt Schiiling seems to spend an inordinate amount of time slapping other people down. In the old days, Red Sox stars like Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams simply refused to talk with the media when they were ripped in print. Nowadays the way some players, like Schilling, seem to even the score with the media is by blogging.
In addition to getting all hot and bothered about Gary Thorne's apparent honest mistake in his re-hash of the "red sock" story, Schilling has had several notable public feuds with major league managers such as Lou Piniella and Tony Larussa. The later appeared to be a rediculous overreaction and a complete misreading by Schilling of a friendly greeting by a manager directed toward a former player - Edgar Rentaria.
One former manager said that Curt Schiiling is a horse one day a week and a horse's you-know-what the other 6 days. I'm not sure that assessment is entirely fair, but Schilling does need to remember that when you point a finger at other people, there are 4 pointing back at you.
Posted by: Dave W. | April 27, 2007 8:03 PM
Wow. So many words, so little said. As bloated as Schilling's post was, this one was worse.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 27, 2007 8:05 PM
Schilling gets his facts wrong but Thorne can mention on the air that the Boston Press hates Schilling although NO player provides more info than Schilling to them!!
That is getting a fact dead wrong by a member of the media who should know better!!
The only Boston Press member who dislikes Schilling is Dan Shaugnessy who hates everyone and visa versa.
Thanks
Posted by: Duff | April 27, 2007 9:55 PM
Nice article. Schilling is a pompous self-righteous pain in the butt.
Posted by: Ben | April 27, 2007 11:20 PM
I love that in this day and age where past columns are at our fingertips we can keep track of how many times sports writers flip-flop on topics in their columns. Schilling is putting a wad of cash where his mouth is and I know that no one will take him up on his offer.
David, are you saying that most sports writers aren't full of themselves because I'd beg to differ. Have you ever heard of Dan Shaughnessy here in Boston? A bigger ego you will never find (which is why he and Schilling are natural enemies). We've got more than our fair share of big headed sports writers here in Boston. It makes it almost unbearable to listen to or read about the sports that you enjoy. Maybe things are different there in Baltimore where sports aren't treated as religion, but it's much different here in Boston.
I'm not a huge Schilling fan, but he's absolutely 100% correct in this situation. There's no way that Thorne should repeat what he did and then lie about it afterwards. I know that there's no way that you're going to go against a peer. I'd like to think that if you weren't a sports writer then you'd see this situation accurately like everyone else does.
Posted by: Mike | April 28, 2007 12:04 AM
hey Mike from Boston. Sports ARE treated like religion in Baltimore, we just have lives and don't feel the need to scrutinize every idiotic detail about our teams or players. We have more important things to worry about than bloody socks. Boston fans are some of the most fair-weather in all of sports; if the Sox are losing, all of a sudden, presto, you're huge Pats fans, and vice-versa. When Manny asks to be traded, you boo him, he gets a game-winning hit, you love him again. You got your World Series win, now just go away. To be honest, if there were only two choices, i would rather see the yanks win every year, than the sox win another one.
Posted by: winston | April 30, 2007 3:51 PM