Schilling's embroiled shoulder

And so it comes to this. Curt Schilling might have walked away at the end of this season as he had already decided, but it appears now an injury and being "embrolied [sic] in a medical controversy" may be what cap off his career, in a much more undignified manner.

In a way it's more romantic, I guess, for them to have to pry the baseball out of his cold, dead hands, but this late-breaking news could leave a hole in the rotation that might have been filled if he'd bowed out when he said he would.

And now the Red Sox have to wrangle with the medical experts, and, if you believe the Herald's account (which Curt disputes), engage in a battle of wills with a 41-year-old pitcher about whether or not he should continue a rehab program or have major surgery on a shoulder that's been repaired before. At the very least, regardless of the course of treatment, it now appears that if Curt pitches in 2008, it will be in a spotty manner similar to, if not worse than, 2007.

I love Curt Schilling, and I have been his biggest defender on many occasions. But in this case, the prescription I'd advise for this problem--for the Red Sox and for Curt--is retirement.