Curt Schilling: Baseball's Biggest Hypocrite

Curt Schilling: Baseball's Biggest Hypocrite

Many people remember Curt Schilling for his gutsy performance in the 2004 American League Championship and World Series - where he underwent a first-ever medical procedure done by team doctor William Morgan, in which a tendon in the ankle is sutured to the bone to prevent it from slipping back and forth and causing extreme pain.

There is no doubt that over those few weeks that October, Schilling blessed us with some of the finest and gutsiest sports moments in Boston history. He made it very clear that he came to Boston with a purpose - to help bring them their first World Series championship in 86 years, and he did just that.

Schilling even played a role on the 2007 World Series team, earning the win in the second game after allowing a lone run on four hits over 5.2 innings.

It didn't take long after his second World Series victory with Boston before he found himself in the midst of some controversy, however.

Schilling signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox for the 2008 season valued at $8 million, but after being diagnosed with a shoulder injury in February he would never threw another major league pitch.

That contract and subsequent injury caused a serious conflict between the front office and Schilling, so much so that Schilling claims he has zero relationship with the Red Sox to this day.

Although his playing career was over, Schilling was far from ready to fade into obscurity. It's no secret Curt loves any amount of attention he can get and will do whatever to keep his name in the news.

In an interview with Boston radio station WEEI in Sepember of 2008, Schilling called out former teammate, Manny Ramirez,  stating that his "level of disrespect to teammates and people was unfathomable."

Schilling is no stranger to disrespecting teammates himself, having been called out by several members of his squad for his behavior during the 1993 World Series when he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Whenever Phillies' closer Mitch Williams was pitching, the CBS cameras would pan to Curt Schilling sitting in the dugout with his face buried in a towel. Schilling claimed he was nervous in the high pressure games, but many believe he was just trying to get more face time on the television.

(Photo Source: PhillySportsHistory.com)

Looking at the way he has acted throughout his career and beyond, it is hard to disagree.

In July 2010, Schilling was approved for a $75 million guaranteed loan from the state of Rhode Island to create his video game company, 38 studios. Thinking that the Schilling name that was so famous in New England would catapult his business to Microsoft-like success, he set up shop and built his headquarters near the Capitol on Empire Street in Providence.

Less than two years later in May 2012, he had defaulted on the loan and couldn't even afford to pay his employees. It is even rumored that former employees are now stuck with second mortgages because 38 studios had failed to sell their homes as part of the relocation process.

The NY Times reported that the Rhode Island Governor, Lincoln Chafee, called the state's investment in 38 Stuios, "the worst investment that's ever been made, I think, in the history of Rhode Island."

Schilling cites ongoing litigation as to why he has never been able to make light of the details surrounding the case. What is known, however, is that Schilling (who is openly against government-funded programs) had no problem taking government money if it meant benefiting himself. He immediately turned around and blamed the State of Rhode Island for the failure of the company and then basically forced Rhode Island taxpayers to bail him out.

Funny story, just a couple months before defaulting on his loan and leaving the State of Rhode Island with the mess to clean up, he was quoted as saying:

"There can be no question our country is in the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. I also think there can be no question that it falls on us, the individuals, to find a way out of our own personal crisis."

Hypocrisy at it's best.

In November of 2014, Schilling and baseball writer Keith Law got into a famous debate over evolution. While Schilling argued for creationism and Keith Law argued in defense of evolution, things never turned heated and it appeared as nothing more than a friendly debate.

However, it is widely speculated that Schilling complained to ESPN which caused Law's Twitter account to be suspended.

This is a great example of Curt having no problem with the first amendment, as long as it works in his favor - but as soon as you disagree, he will run to your employer or school in an attempt to get your terminated or expelled.

Now keep in mind, freedom of speech does not protect anyone from repercussions. The people that sent out the disgusting tweets about Schilling's daughter deserved what they got.

But in Keith Law's situation, he was taking part in a fundamental debate and not once did he take it to a personal or offensive level. He simply said something that ruffled Schilling's feathers, and Curt made Law paid the price.

Less than a year later Schilling would get his own lesson in how freedom of speech does not protect you from repercussions, especially from your employer.

It is no doubt that extremist groups such as ISIS have caused a great deal of fear and discomfort in this country. But to compare a religious group (the label 'extremist' means absolutely nothing, every religion has them - even Christianity) to Nazis is absolutely absurd.

What Schilling neglects to mention is that Nazi Germany put a cap on the amount of members it accepted, presumably because there were only so many blue-eyed, blonde-haired males. He also fails to note that Hitler received almost 44% of the vote in the 1933 German federal election, which would seemingly point towards German support of the Nazi party being much higher than 7%.

ESPN did not take too kindly to the tweet and Schilling was immediately suspended from his duty covering the Little League World Series. On September 3rd they announced he would not appear on game broadcasts for the rest of the season.

It didn't take long for Schilling to tuck his head between his legs, typical behavior for him when there could be financial repercussions involved. It is highly unlikely that Schilling truly realized the impact of the tweet and was simply trying to minimize the damage and not lose his job. 

The amount of irony in that tweet is also amazing. Schilling stated in January of 2016 that he would never change his outspoken conservative ways to get into the Hall of Fame, yet when it comes to money he will say whatever needs to be said.

Schilling joined Kirk Minihane from Boston's WEEI for the "Enough About Me" podcast this past week, which is where he made the announcement that he has zero relationship with the Red Sox at this time and even mentioned that "they said things in [a] meeting that made me realize that they never gave a shit about me."

Having dealt with Schilling on social media a few times in the past, I decided to share the article from WEEI.com and tagged Curt in it wondering if I could get one of his signature ridiculous responses.

Curt did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, I was never able to answer his question as to why I tagged him - simply to get a response out of him. Immediately after calling me a 'spineless coward', Schilling blocked my Facebook account to prevent me from responding.

I find a tremendous amount of humor in his response, however.

Firstly, by mentioning that it wasn't a failed company until he invested his $50 million either suggests he has the worst financial adviser in history or that he is the specific reason the company failed.

Secondly, he attacks me for not using facts (I specifically mention that I wasn't accusing Schilling of lying about his injury and that I simply believed some suspicion was fair) and calls me a 'spineless coward' before immediately blocking my account thus preventing a response.

Don't get me wrong, Curt is under no obligation to listen to my opinion or offer me a chance to reply - but you would think as an adult that he would at least allow a person a chance to respond before resulting to name calling and character assassination. Who's the spineless coward, really?

Like I said, I have 'debated' on social media with Curt before. I use the word debate loosely, because it's always a lot of the same - he resorts to name calling or making assumptions, I take time to write a well-thought-out response, which is immediately deleted by him before anyone has a chance to see that maybe he isn't the smartest man on earth.

Despite the fact I rarely, if ever, agree with Curt on his political/religious beliefs - I used to have a great deal of respect for him simply because he wasn't afraid to speak his mind regardless of what anyone else think.

It's obvious that isn't the case - he doesn't care what other people have to say until they actually say it. He uses his position as a 'celebrity' to taunt and berate those who dare disagree with him, until they attempt to defend themselves - then it's all name calling and temper tantrums. I simply can not respect that.

Not that he cares, I am some clown he has never met.

Another thing is evident in all this, there is no bigger hypocrite than Curt Schilling.

He would never disrespect a teammate unless it meant getting more air-time on the television. He is anti-government spending unless him and his interests are benefiting from it. He will attack a religious group for being 'extremists' without ever acknowledging the extreme behavior of members of his own religion and he will beat free speech to death until you try to politely debate him.

I am still waiting for my employer to come to me and tell me that Mr. Schilling has called and demanded my termination because I refuse to believe in virgin births, talking snakes and an all-loving creator who will send you straight to the brimstone of Hell if you wear a t-shirt made of blended fabrics. 

I would love for Curt to be able to read this and respond in a calm, mature manner. Just because you have differences of opinion with someone, doesn't mean you cant learn something from them or even teach something to them. 

But who am I kidding, chances are if Curt reads this he is just going to attack my character and tattle to my boss. Before he calls me a spineless coward, I will be in Boston on April 11th and 12th if he would like to have a discussion from outside the comfort of his computer screen.