You may not have heard, but Curt Schilling issued an ultimatum to the Red Sox this winter. Schill demanded a contract extension for 2008 before spring training, otherwise he will become a free agent. The extension didn’t happen, and here we are in early March, getting ready for ’07 while Schill plans for 2008.
Schilling looked good in his initial 2-inning outing. His arm was still in City of Palms mode, but his mouth was in mid-season form. In the press conference following his performance, Schill came across as cocky and condescending as ever. He ridiculed the fact that he was only able to pitch two innings, stating that 25 pitches means nothing and does not do anything to help him prepare for the season. He went on to say that he is the ace of the staff and should indeed pitch opening day.
More interesting than his comments was his attire. Schill had donned a t-shirt and cap with “38 Studios” logos. It didn’t take much effort to find that Schill’s side venture of Green Monster Games, had the name legally changed on February 5th to 38 Studios. The Oliver Stone mentality would assume this means Schilling will not be in town next year, and doesn’t want his company tied to a city he no longer pitches for. It is also possible, and more likely, that the Red Sox hold some claim on “Green Monster” and that is the reason for the change.
Time will tell.
