CurtBeingCurt is the new MannyBeingManny

Another week, another full-blown Curt Schilling. v. "The Media" mini-controversy.

Actually, this week there's a 2-for-1 in that department.

Schill warmed up for a week full of word warfare when he weighed in on the Stankees' signing of Rocket-for-hire Roger Clemens last Sunday. "We don't need him," was the quote attributed to Curt the next day, and it was replayed ad naseum on all the ESPN networks and sports websites, as if him saying the Sox don't need to add an aging, ego-maniacal, pampered, professional baseball mercenary to this already playoff-caliber club was actual news.

But Schill the Blogger took to his site, 38 Pitches, and excoriated the media wags, one Boston Globe writer in particular (not naming any names, ahem, danshaughnessy) for once again taking a quote, you guessed it, out of context, distorting what Schilling actually meant.

What he meant to say was the Sox don't need to add an aging, ego-maniacal, pampered professional baseball mercenary to their already playoff-caliber club, only in a nicer way.

That piddling brush fire had barely been squelched when the next wave of attacks on my fellow blogger began. It started after Schill was on the "Dale & Holley" show on EEI Tuesday and ripped a certain huge-headed slugger from San Francisco and the chance that Bonds could break Aaron's all-time home run record when the Giants visit Fenway in mid-June. Among the verbal grenades launched by Schill, this classic blast is the one that will be remembered and replayed for years to come:

"I mean, he admitted that he used steroids. I mean, there's no gray area. He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think. Hank Aaron not being there. The Commissioner [Bud Selig] trying to figure out where to be. It's sad."

Needless to say that extremely un-PC (but deadly accurate) statement went over like a strip club-ban on Pacman Jones, as reactions poured in throughout the league and in Curt's own clubhouse, and the resulting firestorm forced the normally defensive Tito Francona to admit to everyone that his superstar with the super-sized mouth had gone too far. "I just think he should zip it a little" was the not-so-subtle advice from Schill's manager, and from the look of today's "Public Apology" backtrack job on 38 Pitches, the tactic worked.

All I have to say is all this shit is just icing on the cake. Schilling is a Hall of Fame pitcher who has set records, won awards, struck out a lot of batters, and most importantly, brought a championship to New England, just like he said he would when he signed. That stuff is great.

But a guy like that, with Hall of Fame talent & credentials, who isn't afraid to be different, to stir things up, to speak his mind, to have opinions and express them to the public in the form of a blog, they don't come around very often.

So every once in a while he calls out a slug like Bonds or an overrated, intimidating manager like "the great" Lou Pinella, so what?

It's all part of Curt Being Curt, so let's sit back and enjoy the ride.

Because when he's gone (next year?), we're certainly going to miss this shit!