Put a "Bloody Sock" In It
By John Bonini
Rest easy John Rocker. New Yorkers have a new chewtoy, and need not look further than their morning read to sink their teeth into it. The man with the bloody sock has struck again.
Two magicians in Las Vegas could only publicly make white tigers look silly on tricycles for so long before they finally snapped, so let’s just say Alex Rodriguez was sick of riding the tricycle.
The friction between Curt Schilling and Alex Rodriguez has been no secret over the past year, thanks to Schilling anyway. Alex’ rites of passage in his first season in pinstripes were spoiled along the way by jabs from Schilling's magnifying every obtacle A-Rod encountered. Any opportunity Schilling had to take a shot at A-Rod publicly, he took. From “bush-league” plays, to instigating a fight, Curt’s mind seems to be locked in on the Yankee third basemen more than Seventeen magazine's readers.
But perhaps Schilling’s most cynical comments came when he questioned the purity of some Yankee players, an organization in which he has never played a part. A-Rod’s quiet on the media front ended this past Friday when he finally defended himself along with his teammates.
“We beat him up a couple of times during the season, and he sat crying on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “Then he lost Game 1 in the series, and he wasn’t talking. Then he won Game 6, and he’s still talking today. We, as players, are accustomed to these things. I hope he continues to talk about me and the team. It’s great motivation to beat him in the future.”
Coffee tasted a little sweeter for New Yorkers the following morning, as a feeling of vindication was felt comparable to when Rocky finally knocks out “Clubber Lang” in Rocky 111, silencing all the “jaw talk”. That sort of “jaw talk” has been part of Schilling’s game for years. Tuesday night, Dennis Eckersly, a guest panelist for the Red Sox “Extra Innings” baseball talk show, added his two cents on the outspoken pitcher. “You’re a pitcher, you play once in every five days, keep your mouth shut.”
Pre-game trash-talk and intimidation tactics have been part of the game since Ruth, yet sometimes Schilling draws unnecessary attention to himself by provoking others. Pedro Martinez made no secret of his annoyance with Schilling after he signed with the New York Mets, citing that Curt had no idea of his workout regimen and what he did to prepare, and should therefore not make assumptions, referring to the comments Schilling made about Pedro having his own set of rules.
Schilling’s knack for annoying teammates along with the crowds is nothing new for baseball or New Yorkers for that matter. Yet not everyone is annoyed. Somewhere John Rocker is smiling, wearing a T-Shirt that reads “Been there, done that.” Enjoy it now Johnny boy, because for now, you’re off the hook.
