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Friday, November 06, 2009

Schilling: ‘Pedro was going to have issues’

Nothing like a Schilling wrap-up-the-season total blurbzkrieg.

Schilling, who didn’t always get along with Martinez during their one season as teammates (2004), expounded on the source of whatever animosity they may have had for each other.

“I’ve played with a couple of guys in my life that were first-ballot Hall of Famers, Pedro being one of them,” Schilling said. “And he wasn’t a player that etched that Hall of Fame monument when I played with him. But as a player, you see that funny-ha-ha stuff and the from-the-heart stuff in a different light [because] you’re living with these guys every day. And there are things that happen behind the scenes that aren’t fun and cool. And you watch people that you care about and people that you know respect the game get disrespected.

“You guys remember, when Pedro was here, Pedro played by different rules,” Schilling added. “And Pedro, to a degree, earned the right to play by different rules. But players that play by different rules and take advantage of those, that’s probably the only reason I ever had issues with Pedro. And it was not a big deal, I know people are going to make it a bigger deal than I’m making it. But the amount of respect and admiration and the loyalty and friendship I have with [Terry Francona] . . . I saw some things, from Opening Day leaving the ballpark in Tito’s first game here. There’s just little, crappy dumb stuff. But you know what, you never questioned the guy’s heart and commitment and the fact that he was going to leave it on the field every fifth day. As a teammate, that’s all I ever asked from anybody.”

...Knowing his audience, Schilling couldn’t resist taking a few jabs at the Yankees.

“Oh, let’s all cheer up because A-Rod’s come full circle now. He’s got his ring, he’s complete, blah, blah, blah, whatever. Listen, they’re used to it, and they have to accept the fact that no one outside New York is even remotely happy today. OK, the Yankees won. Move on. When does spring training start? When do we sign free agents?

“. . . I love to see Mariano Rivera, I’m a fan. And Eric Hinske as well. So, it’s a personal thing for me. I think for players maybe. I don’t know that I’m really friends with anybody in my life that wants any team in New York to ever win anything.”

Repoz Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:41 AM | 33 comment(s)
Related News: General, History, Boston, NY Yankees

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1. Russlan wants Pedro to be a Met again Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:06 AM (#3380477)

And it was not a big deal, I know people are going to make it a bigger deal than I’m making it.

And that's EXACTLY why you are saying it, Curt. Only an attention-whore like yourself would continue to bring things like this up continuously 5 years after Pedro and you were teammates.

I'm very confident that Pedro was much more liked by his teammates than Curt ever was.

Curt also needs to remember that his ERA against the Yankees as a Red Sox was around 5.00.

2. Zuvella! Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:08 AM (#3380478)

...I don’t know that I’m really friends with anybody in my life that wants any team in New York to ever win anything.”

As a New Yorker, I think it's a good thing that my fellow citizens aren't friends with Schilling. It's not his choice, of course, but I'm sure he thinks it is.

By the way, I think it's a lot easier to not be friends with someone who wants a team in Montana to win anything. Just a numbers thing.

3. Tripon Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:21 AM (#3380479)

Uh, Shilling himself was a guy who played by different rules. The fact that he could have such an opinionated blog without the team not asking him to stop writing is one of them. The fact the was able to take potshots at teammates without suffering repercussions from it is another. Does Shilling realize how hypocritical he sounds?

4. The Artist Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:28 AM (#3380481)

Go away Curt. Thx.

5. AJM Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:56 AM (#3380488)

they have to accept the fact that no one outside New York is even remotely happy today.

I'm happy. And I hate the Yankees.

6. Russlan wants Pedro to be a Met again Posted: November 06, 2009 at 02:58 AM (#3380489)

It's not like Schilling didn't get away with things because he was a great pitcher. The guy didn't exactly keep himself in excellent condition.

7. Blackadder Posted: November 06, 2009 at 03:04 AM (#3380493)

Isn't it kind of easy to say Pedro was going to have problems once you know that he, like, had problems?

8. Rich Rifkin Posted: November 06, 2009 at 03:16 AM (#3380494)

“Oh, let’s all cheer up because A-Rod’s come full circle now.

It was always a misconception that A-Rod sucked in the post-season, but just this year he changed his ways. A-Rod had a couple of bad series (with of course very few PAs) as a Yankee. But A-Rod has been over the course of his career one of the better post-season hitters of recent history. Here are a few I looked up for comparison:

1.211 OPS Ruth
1.009 OPS Pujols
.977 OPS A-Rod
.937 OPS Manny
.936 OPS Bonds
.933 OPS Matsui
.885 OPS Reggie
.863 OPS Jeter
.831 OPS Rickey
.811 OPS Yogi
.737 OPS Gwynn
.720 OPS Boggs
.660 OPS Mays
.641 OPS Winfield ("Mr. May")
.533 OPS Frozen Head

9. Swedish Chef Posted: November 06, 2009 at 03:28 AM (#3380497)

Isn't it kind of easy to say Pedro was going to have problems once you know that he, like, had problems?

Cut Schilling some slack, he's in training to be a senator.

10. Norcan Posted: November 06, 2009 at 04:01 AM (#3380500)

It was always a misconception that A-Rod sucked in the post-season,

I don't know if it is a misconception. He didn't suck his first two playoff series against the Yankees and Twins and first three games against the Red Sox but afterwards, he was legitimately awful. For him to have gone 0-29 with runners on base before driving in a run against the Twins, he had to be awful. I would say it was a misconception that A-Rod had never been good in the postseason but I wouldn't say it was a misconception that he needed to improve drastically upon his recent playoff performance.

As for Schilling, screw him. I never liked even when he became a Red Sox. I stopped actively wanting him to get pounded like I did when he was with Arizona but I never became fan. The last thing he has the right to talk about is behaving with class, not after the stunt he pulled taking 8 million his last year when he could have easily just walked away from the contract because his shoulder was shredded and he was going to retire anyway. If he had plans to pitch beyond that year, it would have been different but he didn't. It would have been the classy thing to do, the thing Keith Foulke, who is another person Schilling didn't get along with, did. Instead he went through the charade of coming back, fighting with the Red Sox about wanting surgery over rehabilition and stealing a ton of money.

11. HOPE: Madison Obamagarner (Flynn) Posted: November 06, 2009 at 04:10 AM (#3380502)

It is just revisionist to say that he was A-OK versus the Angels and especially the Tigers in 2006.

12. Norcan Posted: November 06, 2009 at 04:39 AM (#3380505)

In the feud between Pedro and Schilling, I don't think Pedro's ever gone into detail about his cold relationship with Schilling but I remember that he looked pretty sour during his introductory press conference with the Mets when asked about some comments Schilling had made. I loved how he pronounced his name, with the accent on the first i and really extending the first consonant. It just sounded like a insult, like something you spit out. In order to even say it requires contorting one's face into a sour expression. Just saying his name like that was enough of a retort.

13. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: November 06, 2009 at 05:04 AM (#3380507)

Obviously all "xx-for-his-last-yy" stats have to have a cutoff point. And whenever you hear that somebody's 11-for-25, you know they've also gone 11-for-26, and quite probably 12-for-31.

But the "beginning after Game 3" premise the announcers kept using for Alex Rodriguez is quite the rigorous boundary. His 3 RBI and 5 runs scored would certainly screw up the ol' arc. But they should've tacked on A-Rod's last at-bat of Game 3 while they were at it. It was a groundout... a shameful groundout.

14. sunnyday2 Posted: November 06, 2009 at 07:36 AM (#3380522)

It's a little easier to put up a .977 today than it was before 1969. Though i agree with the larger point. ARod never sucked.

15. Rowland Office Supplies Posted: November 06, 2009 at 07:44 AM (#3380527)

What a racket this guy runs. He clucks his little pass/agg clothesline gossip and now the countdown is on until he self-righteously blasts everybody for paying attention to it.

16. Mr. J. Penny Smoltzuzaka

Posted: November 06, 2009 at 08:10 AM (#3380535)

I loved how he pronounced his name, with the accent on the first i and really extending the first consonant. It just sounded like a insult, like something you spit out.

I too remember this clearly and thinking the same thing. But Schilling has always had issues with other team mates who he feels have "disrespected" Tito Francona or Schilling's definition of the Game. Manny is another prime example of Schilling's ire. I like Francona and all, but he IS a grown man who's paid to deal with diva baseball players. Schilling continually bringing this stuff up makes Francona look like a #####. Martinez may certainly have displayed some diva behavior over the years, but he has always seemed to be respectful of team mates in his public comments.

It seems that one of the more amazing aspects of the 2004 Red Sox season was that two such enormous,immense egos were even able to fit into one clubhouse.

17. Darren

Posted: November 06, 2009 at 08:17 AM (#3380542)

Schilling reminds me of the guy who graduates and then spends the next year living near campus and still hanging around the dorm. Nobody wants to hear what he has to say, especially when he's constantly talking about how much more he knows than everybody and how things were in the good old days.

18. robinred

Posted: November 06, 2009 at 08:24 AM (#3380546)

Schilling reminds me of the guy who graduates and then spends the next year living near campus and still hanging around the dorm. Nobody wants to hear what he has to say, especially when he's constantly talking about how much more he knows than everybody and how things were in the good old days.

I have defended Schilling some, and do I like some things about him. But stuff like this, knocking Pedro right now, the constant yammering about who is a class act and who is not, shows the bad side of the guy's constant need to opinionate/bloviate.

19. Mayor Blomberg Posted: November 06, 2009 at 08:27 AM (#3380548)

Douchey old queen. You're history, Shilling. Shaddup.

20. TVerik and his cavalcade of whimsy Posted: November 06, 2009 at 08:32 AM (#3380551)

And he wasn’t a player that etched that Hall of Fame monument when I played with him.

Really? He wasn't going into the Hall in 2004, but now he is? Because of his accomplishments since then?

21. Nasty Nate Posted: November 06, 2009 at 09:08 AM (#3380572)

Really? He wasn't going into the Hall in 2004, but now he is? Because of his accomplishments since then?

I assume that Schilling meant that during the '04 season, Pedro didnt pitch like an HOFer. which is accurate. They weren't teammates when Pedro was putting up 1.90-2.25 ERAs.

22. HOPE: Madison Obamagarner (Flynn) Posted: November 06, 2009 at 09:12 AM (#3380575)

Define Hall of Famer. 217 innings with a 125 ERA+ doesn't exactly suck. There are a lot of people who think Mike Mussina should be a Hall of Famer for turning in about a half-dozen of those seasons.

23. Confined to the Halls of Congers (formerly Y...) Posted: November 06, 2009 at 09:22 AM (#3380579)

It is just revisionist to say that he was A-OK versus the Angels and especially the Tigers in 2006.

I don't think anyone is claiming that. The point is simply that even before this season, ARod had some good postseasons and some bad ones, and overall was pretty decent. The claim that, pre-2009, he was a choker, just isn't consistent with the facts.

Schilling reminds me of the guy who graduates and then spends the next year living near campus and still hanging around the dorm. Nobody wants to hear what he has to say, especially when he's constantly talking about how much more he knows than everybody and how things were in the good old days.

Perfect analogy.

24. Zach Posted: November 06, 2009 at 09:43 AM (#3380593)

But Schilling has always had issues with other team mates who he feels have "disrespected" Tito Francona or Schilling's definition of the Game. Manny is another prime example of Schilling's ire. I like Francona and all, but he IS a grown man who's paid to deal with diva baseball players.

The other angle is that Pedro is a fantastic diva. He's funny and passionate and a natural center of attention. Provided the job gets done, I don't see the point of making him sit on the bench quietly and play the game the "right way" to satisfy grumps like Schilling.

25. Dale Sams

Posted: November 06, 2009 at 09:46 AM (#3380595)

they have to accept the fact that no one outside New York is even remotely happy today

Ive lost 10 pounds, have a kid on the way in February, and got a PS3...Im ecstatic. Maybe he meant Wednesday. Yeah, Wednesday wasn't so hot.

As for Schilling, I have to laugh at the pseudo-definition of irony of people who write "Who cares what Schilling thinks".

26. Ryan Jones Posted: November 06, 2009 at 09:49 AM (#3380601)

Ive lost 10 pounds, have a kid on the way in February, and got a PS3...Im ecstatic.

A PS3? I'd be ecstatic too.

But seriously, congrats on the impending bout with parenthood.

27. Darren

Posted: November 06, 2009 at 10:20 AM (#3380634)

You're getting a PS3 just in time to not have any time to use it! Or, alternatively, it will help you put that 10 pounds back on. :)

28. gay guy in cut-offs riding a stegosaurus (MH#1F) Posted: November 06, 2009 at 10:35 AM (#3380651)

Really? He wasn't going into the Hall in 2004, but now he is? Because of his accomplishments since then?

I assumed that Schilling meant Pedro was already a Hall of Famer before 2004.

29. SandyRiver Posted: November 06, 2009 at 11:10 AM (#3380694)

It is just revisionist to say that he was A-OK versus the Angels and especially the Tigers in 2006.

I don't think anyone is claiming that. The point is simply that even before this season, ARod had some good postseasons and some bad ones, and overall was pretty decent. The claim that, pre-2009, he was a choker, just isn't consistent with the facts.

However, his bad PS hitting came pretty much all in a bunch, beginning right after his 3rd-inning hr in G4 of 2004 ALCS (talk about selective endpoints!)
A-Rod's 1st 88 AB: .375/.421/.670 OPS 1.091
A-Rod's next 44 AB: .091/.298/.114 OPS .412
A-Rod's next 67 AB: .343/.471/.731 OPS 1.202
Which proves only that great hitters have slumps (and rain is wet.)

30. Tripon Posted: November 06, 2009 at 11:35 AM (#3380722)

27. Darren Posted: November 06, 2009 at 11:20 AM (#3380634)
You're getting a PS3 just in time to not have any time to use it! Or, alternatively, it will help you put that 10 pounds back on. :)

Should have gotten a Wii so he could have played Epic Mickey!

31. Rich Rifkin Posted: November 06, 2009 at 03:03 PM (#3381211)

Which proves only that great hitters have slumps (and rain is wet.)

I think if it "proves" anything, I think it shows that a small sample size (44 ABs) is not enough to make a judgment that "this guy is a choke artist." I don't disagree with anyone that A-Rod had a few series in which he didn't hit well. But not hitting well over 44 ABs (or whatever small sample of plate appearances) and being a post-season choker, as A-Rod was (I think) portrayed in New York, are two quite different things. The fact that he has generally been a better post-season hitter than Jeter -- which makes sense in that he's a better hitter than Jeter -- would come as a surprise to those who are convinced that prior to 2009, A-Rod was a choker. I simply think these portaits, "Jeter the faultleess hero; and A-Rod the pussified goat," were never well supported by the facts. Both of them are great players; and both have had (as you would expect) good and bad times trying to hit in the post-season.

32. rconn23 Posted: November 06, 2009 at 03:06 PM (#3381217)

"Listen, they’re used to it, and they have to accept the fact that no one outside New York is even remotely happy today."

I live in Boston, and I'm thrilled, 38 pitches.

33. Dale Sams

Posted: November 06, 2009 at 06:03 PM (#3381520)

What Schilling and Wells don't seem to understand is IT'S OVER. I was over it yesterday. You move on.

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Schilling: ‘Pedro was going to have issues’

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