Power Pitcher

After a lengthy career alienating teammates, fans and much of the American public, it's no longer news that Curt Schilling's ego and passion to be heard outstrip his proclivity for considered or accurate expression. As Curt might say:

There's no gray area there.

Barry Bonds has also had a lengthy career alienating teammates, fans and much of the American public, but Bonds isn’t in perpetual campaign mode either. Sure, he authorized his "Barry On Barry" damage control documentary on ESPN, but for the most part, Bonds has embraced the public persona of lightning rod, like a modern day Ty Cobb or Ted Williams - emotionally vacant, driven to be his generation's finest player on the field.

But Schilling’s different. He needs to be a “player” outside the lines too. From sloppy declarations about Bonds to his jingoistic "letters" on world affairs, Schilling's simplistic, ill-considered statements really aren’t beyond the mainstream, like those of John Rocker or Dennis Kucinich. In fact, like any politician, Schilling's "heartfelt" proclamations often appear opportunistically timed, and tied, to mainstream opinion.

When appearing before the US Congress, ostensibly to blow the whistle on PED use, the "time" was right to bash Jose Canseco instead. Now that Bonds is paired up against the far more popular Hank Aaron, it's evidently "time" to pounce on Barry. What’s comical, though, is Curt's desperate compulsion to masquerade as some sort of respected, informed spokesman, rarely armed with more than his privileged status as a media connected professional athlete.

In 2004, when Schilling stumped for incumbent George W Bush, he didn't say, "Hi, I'm Curt Schilling from the World Champion Boston Red Sox and I'm voting for George Bush". Here's what he said:

"These past couple of weeks, Sox fans all throughout New England trusted me when it was my turn on the mound," Schilling says in the recording made Friday. ''Now you can trust me on this: President Bush is the right leader for our country."

Maybe he didn’t write the copy, but what kind of reasonably grounded person in this day and age would even agree to say something so presumptuous?

In the wake of 9/11, Schilling penned his self important masterwork, "Open Letter to America", a la deTocqueville. Eleven ponderous paragraphs speaking on behalf of baseball players and Americans everywhere - concluding, among other things, that Al Qaeda retribution would be "swift and total" because President Bush said so – an insight apparently gleaned from Schilling's immense experience with online war games.      

In the Diamondbacks' celebratory postgame clubhouse just two months later, Schilling again came across as a tactless, loud mouthed fool, taunting sufficiently crushed New Yorkers by repeatedly shouting into the camera, “Who’s this belong to? Who’s this belong to?” clutching the Series trophy that he almost let slip away on the field.  To this day, it’s the one bit in an otherwise cathartic World Series DVD I mute over because of it’s boorishness.

More recently,  there’s this blog of his, 38pitches; created to eliminate the dreaded “filter” of sports journalists, so Curt can speak directly and accurately to his public without misrepresentation, without the injustice of it all. Judging from the lack of credibility and bad vibes Schilling generates a cappella, the national sports media has probably been doing this clown a favor for years.

Whether inspired by a sense of decency or the advice of a libel lawyer, or both, Schilling’s grandiosely titled “Public Apology” was cited for it’s comprehensive and contrite tone. He mentions Bonds and the hurt incurred by his family, but most of the lengthy mea culpa isn’t really about Bonds - it’s about Schilling and his increasingly tenuous connection with his constituents fans.

It’s always about Schilling. To watch such an ambitious, self centered, marginally informed guy desperately aspire to be a pillar of influence remains a source of high comedy. As if Americans dont get enough of that already.

(photo courtesy of brandeisrepublicans.com)