Schilling, the tears in my eyes, and the you-gotta-be-shitting-me-o-meter

[WilliamPitt]

Whatever else happens, this has been the most ridiculous sporting experience I have ever endured in my life.

Hey, a quick shout-out to the sports-haters in this forum: You're right. It's all a big, expensive distraction keeping us from becoming our best vegan righteous selves. But every once in a while, if you watch sports long enough, you get to see something that charges your heart and soul and mind forever.

I saw Curt Schilling pitch seven innings and 100 pitches of lights-out baseball against the best team in the American League, in their house, after being dead and buried, with his tendon stapled to his bone and blood seeping through his sock, and win.

If you know nothing about baseball, if you know nothing about professional sports in general, understand this: I spent the night trying to remember, and polled two dozen strangers tonight trying to remember any player, in any professional sport over the last 50 years, who put up a gutsier, better, superior performance while badly hurt in a win-or-die situation.

A few people said "Willis Reed." And then said, "Nah, this was harder." Look it up if you don't get the reference.

I assume the Sox will lose tomorrow. I have assumed they will lose from game 1 all the way through tonight. I was half wrong. I have no intention of changing my expectations. The Sox lose in Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, just like they were supposed to lose on Tuesday night.

Whatever happens, I get to carry Curt Schilling tonight, and David Ortiz the last three nights prior, with me for the rest of my life. The you-gotta-be-shitting-me-o-meter blew a sprocket tonight. I got nothing left.

1918.

[Dookus]

1. feh

Jesus helped him.

[WilliamPitt]

3. ...this I know, 'cause the ump's call tells me so

[Quetzal]

2. And what happens if the Red Sox win?

[WilliamPitt]

4. jkn;vkjnqbe'frjhqe'erjg'Qrehg'qkervg'jqher'giohj

[qnr]

5. That's nice. I understand the feeling, but you

keep watching sports for 20 years to experience it, I'll just look up at the stars every night. Has nothing to do with vegan righteousness.

[WilliamPitt]

7. The stars will never show you

what Curt Schilling showed me tonight. The stars are beyond, ephemeral, gaseous art, millions of miles away, beyond human understanding.

Schilling is human, flesh and blood, and showed me that a person can shatter expectations and limitations. I knew that before, but I got to see it, in all its truth, tonight. It inspired.

I love the stars, too. One isn't better than the other.

[qnr]

11. Yes, but the point is we aren't disparaging someone just because

we don't feel the same thrill, whereas, even if we like basesball, but admit to not getting excited, we're treated like social pariahs :)

Honestly, I am fine with everyone feeling so strongly about the game and the outcome itself, but venom doesn't really have to be released on those that don't feel that way.

Just a thought - not trying to be a party pooper.

[WilliamPitt]

13. Venom?

I did a quick tally last night. There were 40 live threads in the Lounge's first page. 37 of them weren't about baseball in any way, shape or form. I'd bet the situation is about the same now. Somewhere in those 37 threads, I have to believe, is a conversation or 36 you can get into without having to deal with 'venemous' baseball fans.

Just a thought.

[qnr]

18. I was involved in many actually. And the baseball threads

were not, of course, all "jump on the non-believers" but there were many with snide remarks about it :shrug: I don't care, I'm more worried about walking my dog, and I only mentioned it since you brought the subject up in your original post - rather than simply discussing your feelings about Schilling and the achievments, you also brought up the "sports-haters" paragraph. That's your right, but it seemed appropriate to comment on it.

[Phillycat]

35. Actually, I think I've read most of these baseball threads and I

haven't seen a SINGLE post where people who like baseball jump on people who don't. However, I have seen entire threads dedicated to people saying that they hate baseball, baseball sucks, people who watch sports are wasting their time, and anyone who posts baseball threads will be put on ignore. That seems nasty to me.

If you can show me a single example of a baseball fan saying to a non-baseball fan anything mean, rude, or disparaging, please enlighten me.

[qnr]

45. I had to leave after my last post, and have no

desire to carry this on, but I assure you there were many.

[Bill McBlueState]

38. hey!

The stars are *not* beyond human understanding! Don't hurt my fragile astronomy grad student ego.

But yes, I agree with you. It's epic, the way the Sox left Boston Monday night, to say "In three days we will return victorious from the depths of Hell!" And now, thanks to Schilling, they're one game away from forcing the biggest choke in baseball history.

[jus_the_facts]

6. NEVER assume in baseball.......

...." 'cuz it ain't ova till it's ova...but...it could be deja vu all over again?!" :shrug:

GEAUX YANKEES!:evilgrin:

[zach]

8. You know...

Schilling reminded me a lot of Nolan Ryan tonight. He proved he is a gutsy athlete and stepped it up when his team needed him the most. When I saw him continue pitching tonight with that blood on his ankle, I immediately recalled back in 1990 when Ryan took a ball off his lip and continued to pitch the game with blood dripping down his uniform. Schilling proved why he deserves the reputation he has tonight; truly incredible.

And for those that don't recall that game in 1990, here is a photo of Nolan Ryan pitching following that Bo Jackson line drive to the face.

[Old and In the Way]

21. Whoa...great pic!

And you just know his 100 MPH+ pitch came back at him at 150 or so...

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. I'm one of those people who's not too big on sports.

But I've watched the last 2 games. Amazing. Especially Schilling's performance last night. For the first time in my life, probably, I get baseball.

And the experience seems to've turned me into a Red Sox supporter. I don't expect them to win tomorrow, either, but goddamn do I want 'em to.

[FlemingsGhost]

10. Yah, I saw it too. I'll never forget it, either.

"Reed," by the way. And Schill's got 'em beat, in my opinion.

[Kenneth ken]

12. I'm glad you enjoyed the game

:D

I'm neither a fan nor a hater. I could probably find something to say to piss on your joy, but why would a person want to do that? I can't think of a reason.


My sympathies Yankees.

YAY Red Sox.
:yourock:

[loveable liberal]

14. tyler hamilton tdf broken collar bone, winning stage.

just as good.....

[WilliamPitt]

15. Don't get the reference

Help?

[zach]

16. I believe

Tyler Hamilton won a stage at the Tour de France, while nursing a broken collar bone from a prior crash. Hence the gutsy performance I would assume.

But I'll still side with Schilling tonight :)

[yewberry]

44. In last year's Tour de France

Local guy, Tyler Hamilton (from Marblehead, I think), rode most of the Tour with a broken collar bone and actually won a stage in HUGE pain. As I recall, he ground his teeth so much that he had to have caps put on. Brrrrr.

[Droopy]

17. I listened to the game on radio tonight

And I didn't hear them mention anything about Schilling's bloody ankle. That would have definitly made them game more provacative for me. I guess they just didn't have the advantage of the tv shots.

I think that the Schilling performance tonight would still be big even if it weren't for the injured ankle. The way he turned it around from his first performance facing the same guys. But doing it with a serious ankle injury makes him a legend.

I'm not confidant that the Sox will take tomorrow's game, either. But I do know that this series will be an instant classic because of the Sox.

[Old and In the Way]

22. Fox did a close up on the ankle in all it's bloody glory....

Considering that pushing off the mound is pretty important in a pitcher's delivery, I gotta believe Schilling was in some pain, probably numbed with local aenesthetics, though.

[blue neen]

19. Schilling really put in a gutsy performance tonight.

That has got to be inspiring to his teammates and carry through to tonight. I don't understand why you are assuming the Sox will lose.

[Old and In the Way]

23. History is on Will's side.

0-7 in 7th game post season series.....

But hope springs eternal!

[donheld]

20. You enjoy baseball, i don't but it's not a big deal

some eat meat, some don't
some beat meat, some don't
some eat yankees, some don't
some eat sox, some don't

ok ok, i got carried away, but the point is i'd defend sports lovers rights to their sports even if i think it's crazy. We all like different things it's called diversity. it's really quite nice.:toast:

[MaineDem]

24. Schilling's tendons were stitched together

Dr Morgan did terrific work. (Assuming he did it.) Schilling was awesome - and I don't use that word lightly.

I'm with you on this, Will. I have expected the Sox to lose since Game 4. After I buried my head in a pillow as Foulk faced Clark with a 3-2 count last night I may have changed my mind a little. The election is the most important thing on the radar for me right now but the Sox in another World Series would be pretty damn sweet.

But the first team to come back from 0-3 to force a Game 7! What other history can they rewrite???

[SideshowScott]

25. Shilling pitched the game of his life last night...It was Amazing!!

Will ONCE again you said it better than I could have.
It was Roy Hobbs bleeding at the game winning final at bat in the Natural come to life.
I thought for sure that Shilling had nothing in the tank, that the Yanks were gonna light him up in the 1st and that would be it.
I was in awe for 7 innings..( then not breathing the other two, nails bitten into nubs..Curt HAD to get the W thats all i cared about )
It was beautiful and WHY i love Baseball so very very much.
Oh and those people who downed on Curt for thanking god at the end can GET BENT as far as I'm concerned. So what if hes a die hard Christan? I could care less who one believes in as long as it has nothing to do with an Americans Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness. If he thinks that God helped him get thru that ordeal in Yankee stadium then more power to him.
What an amazing game.
Oh and A-Rod is a punk! The sweetest justice would be for Boston to win tonight just so A-Rod wont be in the fall classic..
GOOOOO SOX!

[curse10]

26. It was truly amazing

I know I've never seen anything like it. They counted us out. They left us for dead. And man, we came back and played great baseball. Best. Comeback. Ever. :D

Kinda reminds me of what Kerry did during the primaries...

[sniffa]

27. trifecta

pats - sox - kerry. woot!

[SarahB]

28. Good luck tonight.

I guess I have been guilty of "dissing" baseball around here, but last night, the in-house resident Yankee fan went to bed, and I ending up watching those last two innings. This morning, I told my 9 year old son about the game and how there's going to be a 7th game tonight and he said, "I don't have to worry though, the Red Sox are cursed." Since I don't believe in curses and I'm seriously OD'ed on the Yanks and the Yankee arrogance thing that pervades my household (although I love my son still so it's a little conflict), I'd love to see the Red Sox pull it off tonight. So, here's a toast :toast: for luck (if I believed in luck :D) for the Red Sox. I hope they do it. :thumbsup:

[Howardx]

29. im happy for you bostonians today

what a great game. will is right, shilling gave the performance of a lifetime last night. like i told my girl while we were watching it "this shit is historical" go sox!

[redqueen]

30. "You gotta be shitting me" is RIGHT

DAMN that was a helluva game...

:toast:

GO SOX!

[Red State Rebel]

31. Nothing inspires more than seeing someone

that in love with what they do.

I've taught colorguard/winterguard at the high school level for 8 years. Most people don't have a clue about it but basically try dancing while spinning/tossing a flag, 38" wooden rifle or 38" stainless steel sabre.

I've seen kids get hit with their equipment during a performance and finish smiling with blood running down their faces. I've seen kids on the field throwing up behind a backdrop only to get up and finish their show because they didn't want to let the rest of the group down. I've seen kids break toes, fingers, thumbs and go on to perform with their group. One girl was given a concussion during a competition when another team members flag pole hit her in the head. She finished the show then went to the hospital with her parents.

These kids are my heroes :)

[Zomby Woof]

32. Line.of.the.year.

"It's all a big, expensive distraction keeping us from becoming our best vegan righteous selves."


Hoho!! That gave me a boner. :D

Hats off the Sox for also being the FIRST TEAM to be down 3-0 and force a Game 7. For the baseball/sports haters, enjoy your righteous indignation, the rest of us will be enjoying a Match for the Ages.

GO SOX!

[MallRat]

33. I don't think I've ever seen a performance like Schilling's. Ever.

I, too, am having a really hard time fully comprehending what Curt Schilling just accomplished last night.

During the game, I heard something about a suture on his ankle, which explained the bleeding. But I didn't hear until this morning WHY his ankle was sutured up:

Team doctors anchored his frayed tendon to the inside OF HIS SKIN. :wow:

The fear was that if the tendon came free inside the foot and swung around underneath a bone, Schilling could literally sever the tendon under his own weight- a potentially career-ending injury for someone his age. By stitching the tendon to the skin, the doctors immobilized it to prevent further damage.

My mind is still reeling. The man pitched 7 innings of 1-run baseball in the wake of a surgical procedure to temporarily repair his foot.

I've seen everything now.

-MR

[Ellen Forradalom]

34. We put up with all the bullshit for those sublime moments

I'm a gymnastics fan. There's gymnastics--leaping and flipping and flying--and then there are those rare moments when time and space, heaven and earth, stand still, and a single person is master of them all. Shannon Miller's gold-winning 1996 Olympic balance beam performance comes to mind.

In skating, too, Michelle Kwan has turned in performances that moved even the judges to tears.

Moments like these are why athletes and fans alike wait patiently year after year. This is why we put up with all the extraneous crap--the money and corruption and heartbreaks and mediocrity. Because we know a performance like this is coming. We don't know when, we don't know where, or from whom, but it's coming.

[sniffa]

36. 1918

[indigobusiness]

41. Was a good year.

Few sanctimonious vegans.

[sniffa]

42. you can thank god for that

it was his work

[indigobusiness]

43. I do

but not on camera.

[Aiptasia]

37. Totally diff sport, but Carrie Shrug (sp?) in the 84 olympics...

Remember her pole vault on a broken and shattered leg to clinch the team gold?

Altogether different sport, but that still ranks as one of the top sports performances i've ever seen an individual give when injured.

[sniffa]

39. kerri shrug - 96 - gymnastics

[Ellen Forradalom]

40. Kerri Strug, on the vault

I can still hear Bela Karolyi's thickly-accented "You can do it!" Karolyi is a problematic figure, but he can get his athletes to come through in the toughest circumstances.