The battle-tested veteran that is Curt Schilling will toe the hill tonight for the Olde Towne Team in an attempt to push the Red Sox closer to another World Series title.
Schilling will attempt to turn back the clocks of time to beat Fausto Carmona, the next dazzling pitcher to rise up and seize notoriety. “Red Light Curt” will attempt to send the ALCS to a commanding 2-0 lead in favor of the Sox before they jet off to Cleveland for a three game dance that could mark the Red Sox’s return to the World Series.
And Schilling will do it.
Schilling holds one clear edge over Carmona: that of success. He’s tasted it for most of his adult life. He’s given blood for a World Series. He’s pumped 99-mph fastballs past a fading Yankees dynasty. He’s headed to the Hall of Fame on the rock that is his postseason resume: 8-2, 1.93 ERA, 116.1 innings.
Beat that, Fausto.
Carmona, the strapping 23-year old hailing from the Dominican Republic, had a season for the ages this year. He went 19-8, with 215 innings pitched, checking it at a microscopic (for the American League anyways — we ain’t the Junior Circuit anymore, boys) 3.06 ERA.
He allowed over 50 bugs to perch on his face and neck when they swarmed en masse into Jacobs Field, a biblical pestilence that put the finishing touches on the team formerly known as the Yankees, which died with a bloop single in 2001 and died again with a stolen base in 2004.
Fausto is a great story this year… but he was the epitome of failure last year. Putting him into a game as a closer last year reminded many Red Sox fans about the success (hardly the word one would use there) of Heathcliff Slocumb in Boston.
How can one possibly pick Schilling over Carmona? One’s on the wrong side of 40, the other’s just beginning his career. One can’t pony his fastball up to 95 anymore, the other has a devastating sinker.
Schilling showed up out of shape in spring training, having been too busy playing video games to do a few flat benches. He had the audacity to ask for a $13-million commitment for 2008 from ownership when he hadn’t even committed himself to 2007. He struggled through an injury-marred year in which he tried to blow fastballs by everyone (ala Josh Beckett last year). Too bad Schilling didn’t listen to his own advice to pitch and not throw: he might have had a perfect game under his belt if not for that.
Instead, he lost his perfect game and landed on the DL.
So again, I ask. How can one pick Schilling over Carmona?
Easy.
Instead of denying he showed up to camp out of shape, he manned up and admitted he should have taken care of himself better. His shoulder was on the verge of extinction — it needed to be rehabilitated with a strong regimen if he wanted to keep pitching. He could have ignored the advice, struggled through the year, then gone to the pitcher-friendly NL West and put up decent numbers for two years.
Instead, he rehabilitated himself back to success and learned a completely new way of pitching. Painting the corners, pitching to contact, exposing the batter’s weak strengths. Starting on August 18th, he commenced a string of starts that steadily lowered his ERA from 4.25 to 3.87.
His next test was the postseason, as he was matched up against Jered Weaver, a pitcher also rising up the ranks of the young hurlers looking to take the next leap to stardom.
Watching him plow through the Angels lineup to secure the sweep was like watching a professional hitman. He had a job to do. He executed it. He disposed of the victims. Seven innings, six hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and absolutely zero touches by the opponent on home-plate… except when they stepped on it on the way back to the dugout.
No one in their right mind would doubt Curt Schilling when he’s on. Schilling salivates for the limelight, so is it any surprise he didnt commit himself during the offseason.
He’s committed now.
The limelight is here.
Sorry, Fausto.
My money’s on Big Schill.
