A surprise out of Boston

I call it a surprise 'cause quite frankly, I thought Curt Schilling would not pitch his final season in Boston. Of course I'm not the only one and even he had been sending his goodbye letters. Granted, Schilling had previously requested one year for $13 million, which was a pipe dream - not only coming from the Red Sox, but perhaps anyone given his age and lack of once powerful fastball, but I think the Red Sox decided that regardless of his regular season mediocrity the past couple of years, Schilling is still a big game pitcher that can rise to the occasion. With a 6 & 2 post-season record, the Sox might want him for that reason alone. They figure that come next October, they'll again be in the playoffs. Now comes the odd part of the deal: The Red Sox are signing Schilling for $8 million in base pay for a possible $2 million if he meets a series of weigh-ins. So if he meets his incentives, it's $3 million less than he asked for before the season, but probably that much more than anyone else would have given him, except perhaps the Yankees and he already made it clear he wouldn't pitch in New York. So it sounds like they want him around for October and hell, if they make it to the playoffs again, he should be nice and trim!
Looking a little further into this deal, it has far less to do with what happens on the mound with him than it does with his knowledge and ability to teach Boston's young prospects. I'm glad Curt will retire a Red Sox; he is one of the big reasons we no longer have a curse!