Let's hope they decide to give Julian Tavarez another 23 starts this year.

From the same folks who brought you Tom Brady's Ankle! comes the summer blockbuster, Curt Schilling's Shoulder!

Turmoil in Bean Town.  Perfect!  Maybe now we can dangle El Gugundo in front of them for Buchholz and Ellsbery.  Kinda like Coco Crisp.  But then again we might end up with another Marte.

Somewhere, E5 is crying.

Rather selfish of Schilling to want to sit out a year with surgery, while getting paid by the Red Sox.  This is a no-win situation for the Sox.  I can't imagine Schilling pushing himself extremely hard to do the rehab when he preferred to get the surgery.  

No big deal for the fans.  Most in Boston are happy that Buchholz will now be in the rotation, and don't care if Schilling doesn't pitch until August.  

By the way, I disagree with the idea that this doesn't hurt their depth.  Their rookie pitchers aren't automatic machines, they're unpredictable rookies.  They are going to find themselves a starter short at some point in the season.

I still think he may have negotiated his contract in bad faith. It was odd how he signed pretty quickly at a slightly below market price.

If the Red Sox manangement knew of this condition, the contract probably would have been for less with more incentives built in.

Maybe we can offer them the Sleepy Kitten?

I heard this news while on my way to a board meeting for the little league that I'm involved with.  I walked into the meeting late and - in the midst of a heated discussion about whether 7 and 8 year olds should play together - made the off handed comment to the Sox fan in the crowd, "sorry to hear about Schilling ..."

The look of confusion and concern on his face was priceless - my little dig into Red Sox Nation. :)

From the reports I've read, there was difference of opinion between the Red Sox' doctors and Schilling's.  They settled it with a consult with a third doctor.  From what he posted on 38 pitches, Schil seems satisfied.  While he wouldn't disclose what surgery his doc wanted to do, he stressed that it was not a rotator cuff repair.

If that's true, and the intended surgery was minor, it seems that the media is trying to make more of this than there is.  He would probably be back by the All Star Break either way.  Certainly, the Red Sox have enough arms to get them to that point without him.

Don't worry, guys!  The Sox are going to be ok.  According to the Globe (courtesy of MLBTraderumors.com), CC Sabathia is an option for them to fill out their rotation midseason if Schilling doesn't work out.

Speaking of pitchers I dislike, Keith Foulke signed with the A's today, apparently.  I hope Hafner hits a 500 foot homerun off the guy on his first pitch to the Tribe.