Sports Frog

He's talking. Not exactly a shocker there. Remember the set-up: signs $8 million dollar contract in November, potential season-ending shoulder issue discovered six weeks later. Here goes (courtesy of the Boston Globe):

"Something happened,'' said Schilling, who said he began throwing in mid-December, felt some discomfort, shut down for a couple of weeks, then felt "intense" pain when he resumed throwing in January, far worse than anything he experienced last season, when he was on the disabled list for seven weeks with what was described as biceps tendinitis. If some people want to believe this was me taking advantage of the situation financially, I wouldn't be doing it here. I would have done it for $14 million in at least two other places, if I was going to sit on my ass on the DL and collect a paycheck. So I know that for a fact. People are going to believe what they want to believe. I was healthy at the time.''

And:

"Here I am, 14 years later, and he (Morgan)[Schilling's preferred shoulder doc] was right every time,'' Schilling said. "This guy has been cutting edge forever. He's always been way ahead of the bell curve. He's an orthopedic surgeon, but that's like saying he's a major league player. He's Papelbon, a specialist, a shoulder specialist, that's what he does. But they (the Red Sox) disagreed. And at the end of the day, I hear one doctor say one thing, another doctor say something different, and a third doctor say something completely different. I'm probably as lost as anybody.''

And:

"Schilling said he is following the Sox prescribed regimen "because I don't have any choice. If their course of action doesn't work I don't pitch this year, I might not ever pitch again.'' Schilling did not come right out and say the Sox doctors were wrong, but he called their judgment into question this way. "I think there's unspoken here that doctors have egos every bit as much as professional athletes. These are some of the top people in the world at what they do. I had three different doctors tell me three completely different things with three completely different courses of action. I'm obviously going to fall back on the guy who's already been down this path before.''

And, ball's back in the Red Sox' court. I am guessing they will ignore it. Schilling's doc thinks he needs surgery. The Red Sox doc's think an injection will help it. Schilling's doc laughs at that. And one way or another, the Sox will pay Schilling $8 million dollars this year.