Sportsfrog.com

Absolutely fascinating in-game filler commentary from Gary Thorne during the Orioles/Red Sox game last night. Gordon Edes in the The Globe with the summation:

“But Schilling’s reputation was the target of an attempted hit from, of all places, the Orioles’ television broadcasting booth. Gary Thorne, who does play-by-play of Orioles games on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and has a solid national reputation, having done lots of work for ESPN, brought up the saga of Schilling’s bloody sock during last night’s telecast. Thorne said on the air, while the Orioles were batting in the fifth, that he’d been told by Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli that was not blood, but paint, on the sock Schilling wore during Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees. It was done for the public relations effect, Thorne said.

‘The great story we were talking about the other night was that famous red stocking that he wore when they finally won, the blood on his stocking,” Thorne said to broadcast partner Jim Palmer, the Hall of Fame pitcher, in a conversation that had begun with a discussion of Schilling’s blog. ‘Nah,’ Thorne said. ‘It was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR. Two-ball, two-strike count.’”

See. THAT’s the kind of stuff that just grabs your attention as you are snoozing through a gamecast. Or, a recap of a game.

Doug Mirabelli is, of course, denying Thorne’s take. Hotly. Quoth the Mirabelli:

“What? Are you kidding me? He’s [expletive] lying. A straight lie. I never said that. I know it was blood. Everybody knows it was blood.”

Terry Francona, Red Sox manager, goes one step further:

“What we’re going through today as a nation, you hate to use a word like heroic on the field, but what Schill did that night on the sports field was one of the most incredible feats I ever witnessed,” Francona said. “[Thorne's remarks] go so far past disappointing. Disrespectful to Schill, to his vocation. I’m stunned. I am just floored. Schill takes his share of shots, and this one is so far below the belt that I’m embarrassed and I wish somebody would have had the good conscience to ask me. I saw the leg. If that had been painted, I wouldn’t have had my knuckles so white, and having so much anxiety.”

Aw, go ahead and use the word “heroic” Terry. We know Schilling would. Hell, he’s already damn near compared the stress of traveling first class and being away from one’s family while making millions of dollars a year to that of being a soldier in Iraq, so, hey, “heroic” it is. Curt “heorically” participated in a PR fraud. Perfect.

This story 100% delights me this morning. Thanks to swamp stalwart rassele for the heads up and the thread in the Swamp.