The Baseball Desert

Friday, June 08, 2007

The blame game

Wanna know who was responsible for Schilling not getting the no-hitter?

It was Red. No, wait, it was Ernie. Erm, no, it was Beth's fiancé, Steve.

Aaaah, Red Sox Nation, at its superstitious finest.

Actually, if we're looking for someone to blame, we need look no further than Schill:
"With two outs I was sure I had it," the 40-year-old Schilling said. "I shook off [Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek] and now I'll have to deal with a 'what-if' the rest of my life."

Varitek wanted a slider but Schilling wanted a fastball away. A's left fielder Shannon Stewart was looking for exactly the pitch Schilling threw.

Well, what's done is done. It was still a hell of a game and a great win for the Sox, who came off the field pumped and smiling, just one day after looking like they'd all been to somebody's funeral.

I'll leave the final word to The Man himself:
Tina Cervasio: "What were your emotions as that ball went through?"

Schilling: "It's a one-nothing game - let's get the out. We needed a win today more than anything, and I wanted to finish that game."
Mission accomplished. With bells on.