I'm sure you've heard the news today, but it looks at though Schilling has come to the end of his career. He will have surgery on his shoulder that will most likely force him to hang up his cleats. Well I am hardly the first guy to pose this question today. I wasn't actually aware of the breaking story until I sat down for lunch with my sister at Red Robin. As to be expected, SportsCenter was asking everyone that works for them that knows a thing about baseball what their expert opinion of Schilling and his career was. Since they have posed the question, I would like to pose the question as well. I, myself, am a bit biased because, frankly, I love Curt Schilling. I am Sox fan and will eternally be grateful for the performance of Schill during the 2004 World Series title run. That bloody sock was not fake people. I think he's a bit of a gasbag in some of the statements that he makes, but as far as on the field, I think he's been great.
Now the Hall-of-Famer/Not-a-Hall-of-Famer question is always a tricky one and can get confusing, so you really just have to take it for what it's worth. There is no real way to tell how a guy is going to fare in Hall of Fame voting in most cases. So pretty much, anything I say here (and most of what the "experts" say too) doesn't really matter.
Here are some things I think he's got going in his favor: 1. He has won 3 World Series titles. 2. He has 3,116 career strikeouts, which is 14th most ever. 3. His postseason record is 11-2, which is the best of anyone that has at least 10 decisions. No matter if you like the Red Sox or not, it's a fact that the role he played in Boston's 2004 title run plays a huge role in how Curt Schilling will be remembered. His antics in the D-Backs title run in '01 weren't so bad either.
Things he doesn't really have going for him: 1. There isn't really anything overwhelming about his career that will make people say he's a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer. 2. He has never won a Cy Young award. 3. He has never pitched a no-hitter.
I think the trickiest part of debating whether or not a guy is "Hall of Fame worthy" is that there are no real standards that automatically get someone into the Hall. There are no pre-set bars where if a player achieves said standard, that player is free and clear for the Hall. Maybe there should be, maybe that is the only real solution.
In my opinion, Schilling is a Hall of Famer. I understand why some might say he isn't though. I would say that Schilling has achieved just enough over his long career to get in. I would say that his clutch in the postseason goes a long way in his favor. Whether or not you like it, we seem to measure achievements for any athlete in any sport, by how much they have won and little else. I don't know if I fully agree with that way, but that is just what it has become. It's all about the rings, and Schilling has three. In two of those World Series title runs, he played a vital part of his team's success.
What say you about Schilling? Rock the vote, people.
