gehrig38: “Turn out the lights the party’s over”

[yanksphan]

http://38pitches.weei.com/sports/bos...ling-it-quits/

By Curt Schilling

“Turn out the lights the party’s over” …

I used to wait with bated breath for Don Meredith to start singing that on Monday night football. Normally it was sweet music if the Steelers were playing.

If I could get him to sing it again I would. This party has officially ended. After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world’s best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official.

[eaganmafia]

However you feel about the man, tip your cap to a hell of a career.

[TheGameEpisode2]

You were part of the two most hurtful sport moments of my life, but you were a hell of a pitcher, Curt.


on a great career.

[dabomb2045]

Dont like the man's personality....but you cant deny his greatness as a pitcher. Enjoy retirement.

[Yankeeah]

The best moment of his career

you can bite my ass,

You're an idiot.

[effdamets]

However you feel about the man, tip your cap to a hell of a career.

I agree!

Not my favorite player by any stretch of the imagination, but......
You got to do what every Little Leaguer dreams of doing!

Being a former professional athlete myself, I understand the tough decision to call it quits and move on.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do!

[Reggie Smith]

Depending on which side of the rivalry you fall on, your love/hate of the player is understandable. From a philanthropic perspective, and from an ability to give insight to how a baseball team works, he is amongst the best ever. Like or dislike, we knew how he felt and I know more about how a baseball team acts behind the scenes now than I did before he came along.

From a baseball perspective, he was a tremendous big-game pitcher. He wanted the rock, and took it. No questions asked.

Rare is the athlete that interjects himself into a broo-haa and never backs down from it. From his first presser ("I guess I hate the Yankees now"), to the opening of the 2004 ALCS (I won't write it, but "shut up" line), he wanted the pressure. He could handle it...and never backed from it. Sometimes he got shelled. Sometimes he pitched unbelievably. But, he never backed from it.

Thank you Curt. Borderline HoF-er. See you around town.

(Plus, a Steelers' Fan!!!!)

[destro]

http://www.nyyfans.com/forums/showpo...0&postcount=87

[ny]

F*** him good riddance

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Will his mouth retire as well?

[dabomb2045]

F*** him good riddance

Very classy

[destro]

must have been awesome to get 7 million dollars to blog last season

[teknetic]

The best moment of his career

It's one of the top 5 funniest things I've read on the internet.

[ny]

Very classy

Why don't you go back and take a look at all his quotes directed at the Yankees and our fans over the years and than talk about class.

[pjfan]

Other than the "wanting to make 55,000 New Yorkers shut up", what has he said about NY and their fans that's so bad?

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

Personally, I always thought it was cool he popped up here on occasion. And I like his blog. Not a bad pitcher either.

[Yankees13]

How long until he gets the job as Baseball Tonight's lead analyst?

[philleotardo]

Will he still call a press conference at the All-Star break to explain why he's not on the team?

[philleotardo]

How long until he gets the job as Baseball Tonight's lead analyst?

Or FOX News

[Mark19]

At least Schilling goes onto internet forums to talk to the people who think he says dumb stuff.

Papelbon, on the other hand, probably doesn't have the intellectual capacity to handle anything more complex than Ecco the Dolphin on Sega Genesis.

[YankeePride1967]

I have nothing but respect for the way he played the game and the work he has done for ALS. I know of two people in the past 4 months that have passed on because of it. I wish Vurt the best of luck in the future.

[President Kennedy]

He was a giant phony. His "insight" into the sport didn't usually amount to much more than the usual jock cliche-speak about intangibles. Unfortunately his retirement probably means he'll have more time to devote to providing his opinion on different topics.

[TheGameEpisode2]

At least Schilling goes onto internet forums to talk to the people who think he says dumb stuff.

Papelbon, on the other hand, probably doesn't have the intellectual capacity to handle anything more complex than Ecco the Dolphin on Sega Genesis.

Screwattack?



Yeah he was a douche, but still a great pitcher. I don't really care what somebody does outside the field (unless like, they murder somebody), dude could still pitch.

[35Knucklecurve]

I can't deny his ability as Schilling, the pitcher. Schilling, The Mouth, is a different story.

As one who's been active in sports for more years than I care to count, I know it's tough to face the time when you realize it's time to move on. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of Curt, however. He will be in the booth somewhere.

[Mantle'sMutt]

Does this mean that we will finally be spared his worthless opinions on any and every topic?

[yanksphan]

Does this mean that we will finally be spared his worthless opinions on any and every topic?

I dunno about that, but I expect to see him in the LTE and other Post Count Party threads.

[yankeebot]

Does this mean that we will finally be spared his worthless opinions on any and every topic?

Actually, I think it means he has even more time to spend on sharing them.

[DiMaggio5CF]

How do we know he's really retired and he's not just "grossly overstating" this?

[Yankeeah]

Why don't you go back and take a look at all his quotes directed at the Yankees and our fans over the years and than talk about class.

He named his son after a Yankee legend.

[35Knucklecurve]

How do we know he's really retired and he's not just "grossly overstating" this?

It's on the MLB site too.

LINK

03/23/09 10:24 AM ET

Schilling announces his retirement
Right-hander won Series games for Phillies, D-backs, Red Sox
By Ian Browne / MLB.com

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Curt Schilling, one of the finest and most clutch pitchers of his generation, announced his retirement Monday morning with his laptop.
Schilling revealed the end of his 20-year Major League career via his blog, 38pitches.weei.com.

"This party has officially ended," wrote Schilling. "After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world's best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official.

"To say I've been blessed would be like calling Refrigerator Perry 'a bit overweight.' The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime."

The 42-year-old Schilling last pitched in 2007. As it turns out, his last performance was a win for the Red Sox in Game 2 of the World Series, helping pave the way for Boston's four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

Shoulder problems prevented Schilling from pitching a single inning in 2008, during which he was under a one-year contract with the Red Sox.
[snip]
Schilling compiled a record of 216-146, notching 3,116 strikeouts. In the postseason, Schilling went 10-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 19 starts.

He was part of three World Series championship teams -- the 2001 Diamondbacks and the Red Sox of 2004 and '07.

Schilling also pitched for the pennant-winning Phillies of 1993, and is the only pitcher to win a World Series start for three different teams.

[DiMaggio5CF]

It's on the MLB site too.

LINK

Yeah, but he's a liar, so.....

[TommyK8]

He was a giant phony. His "insight" into the sport didn't usually amount to much more than the usual jock cliche-speak about intangibles. Unfortunately his retirement probably means he'll have more time to devote to providing his opinion on different topics.

I understand your frustration with Curt. I hope you understand why Red Sox fans feel exactly the opposite. He helped change everything for a long-suffering fan base which is now no longer suffering at all. Thank you, Curt. You will be forever remembered as one of the greatest heroes in Red Sox history.

[hardrain]

how long until Schilling shows up in this thread to insult NYYFAN members?

[yankeebot]

I understand your frustration with Curt. I hope you understand why Red Sox fans feel exactly the opposite. He helped change everything for a long-suffering fan base which is now no longer suffering at all. Thank you, Curt. You will be forever remembered as one of the greatest heroes in Red Sox history.

I hope you understand why most of us don't care how Red Sox fans feel.

[hobokenfish]

how long until Schilling shows up in this thread to insult NYYFAN members?

Apparently not before some members here showed up to insult him. And at least he comes here. I don't know of any other player who has interacted with the fans in this manner, so I give him credit there.

I never rooted for the guy, always thought he was a self-promoter, and don't agree with his politics. Nevertheless, I have to respect that he was a hell of a pitcher for a long time and pitched some huge playoff games. Plus, nobody can say he is dull.

[dabomb2045]

Apparently not before some members here showed up to insult him. And at least he comes here. I don't know of any other player who has interacted with the fans in this manner, so I give him credit there.

I never rooted for the guy, always thought he was a self-promoter, and don't agree with his politics. Nevertheless, I have to respect that he was a hell of a pitcher for a long time and pitched some huge playoff games. Plus, nobody can say he is dull.

Pretty much sums up my feelings as well. His outspokeness is annoying....but the dude does alot of good things with charities--esp for ALS.

[NYYDragoon]

Enjoy the retired life, Curt. Now you have more time for your MMOs .

[TommyK8]

I hope you understand why most of us don't care how Red Sox fans feel.

I certainly do, and if was a Yankee fan, I wouldn't either. This is why most of us restrict the vast majority of our posts to the Red Sox thread, so as to not interlope on Yankee fans.

[President Kennedy]

Thank you, Curt. You will be forever remembered as one of the greatest heroes in Red Sox history.

Considering that history, I'd definitley agree with you that he's one of your greatest heroes.

Carry on, brave Tommy. Carry on.

[Bro Jackhammer]

how long until Schilling shows up in this thread to insult NYYFAN members?

My god! Probably really soon!

[False1]

how long until Schilling shows up in this thread to insult NYYFAN members?

Meh, this didn't bother me. At least the insults I saw him slinging weren't unprovoked. I think his general comments about NYC, the Yanks and just his attention whoring are what turn me off about him.

He was a great pitcher, he showed up when it mattered on the mound and he was an asshat. For that, congrats on the great career and hopefully there is a thread in sports bar to address your big mouth.

I'm sure nomaas is lamenting this news. I also think Kobayashi is also concerned about the potentail new competition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgqbCq_sxmo

[Soriambi]

Personally, I always thought it was cool he popped up here on occasion. Not a bad pitcher either.

I agree. I wish more players took a little bit of time to communicate with fans more.

I'm not always a fan of everything he says, and I dutifully hated him as a fan while he was a Red Sox, but he had a very nice career and his work with charities, especially ALS, is very impressive. I think it's hard to hate someone who spends that much of their time on worthy causes. When the worst thing that you can say about a person is that maybe they talk to the media a little bit too much and too openly, I think it's an indication that the person is doing a pretty good job. Maybe he can take a break for a year or two before he takes the inevitable analyst job at ESPN, though.

[Soriambi]

Enjoy the retired life, Curt. Now you have more time for your MMOs .

Curt's enjoyment of MMOs led to two of the funniest comments in FireJoeMorgan history:

Scythehands Voxslayer was Schilling's Everquest name circa 2001. He did an interview about this and it was amazing. For instance:

Q: Tell us some of the most interesting adventures you have had while playing Everquest? Did you ever do something really stupid? Something that you are really proud of?

A: My first foray into Lower Guk was a lot of fun. My favorite memories are pretty basic. Completing the Robe of the Lost Circle quest was a blast. Camping Raster was a nightmare, but I got stupidly lucky. I had pretty much resigned myself to camping Scythehands in the Mino room, logging in, seeing another monk already there camping, and waiting. One night I log in, and there's a 55 level monk there. Great guy. He's been there for like 12 hours. No Raster -- pop, despawn, pop, despawn -- still no Raster. Now I'm in about my 3rd day there -- total time camping him maybe 5-10 hours tops -- but getting some good groups when I did have the camp (lotsa guild mates showed up and we pulled and got great exp). Anyway, this guy says ok, one more spawn and it's yours. So I wait and this guy says 'screw it' and leaves. I get a full group and we get the camp. We are there for about 2 minutes when we are in a major, major brawl and we barely survive. I'm laying there, feign death style, and no one in the group is hurt but me. I have no mend and about a bub of health. My group runs some frogloks down the hall to finish them off and POP! RASTER! If there was a way to scream louder than caps in EQ I was doing it. Man I am straight panicking because I know I have NO CHANCE soloing and the party has run off. I'm in my hotel room; it's like 5am, and I am straight hollering, in EQ and in real life. Bottom line is the group comes back, heals me, and kills Raster! WOOT!

Once again, ladies and gentlemen, that was Curt Schilling.

Followed up by another comment stating:

The only time I've ever wanted to be a Yankees fan was when I read about this the first time, and wanted to show up at a game at Yankee Stadium that Schilling was pitching, just to hold up a sign taunting him, that read: "HEY SCHILLING: STILL NO RASTER!"

I have no idea what it means but I imagine it would really upset him.

I can read those two comments over and over and I laugh every time.

Those were comments by FJM writers in response to this entry:

http://www.firejoemorgan.com/2007/03...rds-nerdy.html

[b-ball-lunachick]

Will his mouth retire as well?

if only...

Very classy

yes, because Schilling himself is the epitome of class? blech...

[Snatch Catch]

Dear God,

If you exist, please have the other 100 or so names on the steroid list released, or another bombshell involving A-Rod dropped ASAP, so by the time the media stops seizuring over those stories this bit of news is forgotten and never gets addressed.

Thanks,

Snatch Catch

[yanksphan]

Dear God,

If you exist, please have the other 100 or so names on the steroid list released, or another bombshell involving A-Rod dropped ASAP, so by the time the media stops seizuring over those stories this bit of news is forgotten and never gets addressed.

Thanks,

Snatch Catch

PS - Please let Rob Neyer get hit by a bus.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog...ce%3dneyer_rob

Two years I was lukewarm about Schilling's Hall of Fame candidacy. I wasn't against it, exactly. But neither was I for it. But during those two years, Schilling helped pitch the Red Sox to another championship and I got just a little bit smarter. Today I can't imagine a Hall of Fame without him.

Twice....I want him to get hit twice.

Thanks,

yanksphan

[jlw1980]

Dear God,

If you exist, please have the other 100 or so names on the steroid list released, or another bombshell involving A-Rod dropped ASAP, so by the time the media stops seizuring over those stories this bit of news is forgotten and never gets addressed.

Thanks,

Snatch Catch

Amen.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Twice....I want him to get hit twice.

Thanks,

yanksphan

[philleotardo]

PS - Please let Rob Neyer get hit by a bus.

....a bus filled with various ESPN "personalities" (Jim Capel, Jemele Hill, Gene Wojoworthless, Steve Phillips, etc) and let that bus go careening off a cliff.

[JL25and3]

PS - Please let Rob Neyer get hit by a bus.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog...ce%3dneyer_rob



Twice....I want him to get hit twice.

Thanks,

yanksphan

I usually like Neyer - or used to, when I could read him without paying.

But how can the last two years possibly make Schilling's HOF case? He was unexceptional in one and didn't pitch at all in the other.