LOL!!!

--- In mannyacs@yahoogroups.com, Angelica Fisichella
<angelica1222@...> wrote:
>
> I think Curt Schilling talks too much.
>
> :-)
>
> Lynne <lynne@...> wrote:
> This just in from The Providence Journal:
>
> =0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
>
> In a pair of public appearances over the last two days, Curt Schilling
> may have shed more light onto the Red Sox' offseason plans than the
> organization has all autumn.
>
> Speaking at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick on Wednesday night,
> where he was given the "Spirit of Lou Gehrig Award" by the Rhode
> Island chapter of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association,
> Schilling said the possible trade of superstar slugger Manny Ramirez
> may be best for all concerned. He said Ramirez' desire to leave Boston
> is so strong that Manny "might not be here [mentally] if he does"
> return, and he hinted that a reprise of the end of the 2006 season --
> when Ramirez sat out 26 of the team's last 33 games, allegedly because
> of a knee injury but amidst loud whispers that he was refusing to play
> -- might be in store throughout 2007.
>
> And yesterday morning on WEEI Radio's Dennis and Callahan Show,
> Schilling strongly defended J.D. Drew, whom the Sox are expected to
> sign as a free agent within the next week, against a growing legion of
> fan and media critics who feel Drew is too injury-prone and/or
> passionless to succeed in a hot market like Boston.
>
> Schilling's comments on Ramirez came in response to a question from
> the crowd during a Q&A session that was taped by WPRI-TV. The entire
> session can be seen on the station's Web site.
>
> "I think the belief is that trading Manny, and bringing somebody in,
> would be more valuable than having a Manny here that didn't play,"
> Schilling said.
>
> The veteran starting pitcher quickly added that "I don't know that to
> be a fact; that's pure speculation on my part." But he continued: "I
> live with the guys, I have some insight. I don't know for sure [but] I
> do know that I've spoken with Manny [and] Manny does want to be
> traded. Manny wants to play somewhere else.
>
> "I believe that if they don't trade him . . . " he added, and then
> paused. Apparently not wanting to follow through on that thought, he
> said, "My hope and belief is that he'll stay and play like he always
> has. But I'm not so sure that that's the case anymore. And that
> concerns me, because in the last year of my career I want to win a
> World Series."
>
> Ramirez -- who dislikes the intense scrutiny that comes with playing
> in Boston -- has asked to be traded many times, beginning
>
> as early as the end of his first season (2001) with the Red Sox. The
> team has tried to accommodate him in each of the last several years,
> and the feeling is that, with as many as six teams in serious pursuit
> of Ramirez, the Sox may be able to make a deal this offseason, perhaps
> as early as next week's winter meetings.
>
> "Here's the thing you have to understand . . . [general manager Theo
> Epstein] doesn't show up at the ballpark one day and decide that Manny
> wants to get traded," Schilling told the crowd. "Theo doesn't talk to
> other people, other than Manny, to find out Manny wants to get traded
> . . .
>
> "Manny has the heart of a child. He is an incredibly kind person. And
> he is a good person. [But] I think Manny is less than comfortable
> playing in Boston, for whatever reason. That's his right. I think it's
> gotten to the point now where there's some thought that, even though
> Manny might stay, he might not be here [mentally] if he does."
>
> His departure is expected to dovetail with the arrival of Drew, and
> it's hard to know which move is more unpopular with some fans and
> media people.
>
> During his nine-year career, the oft-injured Drew -- a career .286
> hitter who averages 27 home runs and 86 RBI per 162 games -- has
> played more than 135 games in a season only twice. He's had four
> seasons of 104, 109, 100 and 72 games. He's also been criticized by
> some of his past managers, most notably the Cardinals' Tony La Russa
> and the Braves' Bobby Cox, as being too laid-back. The conclusion in
> some circles is that Drew would wither under the blazing sun that is
> Boston baseball, and it has been a hot topic on Internet boards and
> sports-talk radio over the last week.
>
> Schilling, in an impassioned call to WEEI yesterday, denied that would
> happen.
>
> "It's a shame," he said, "that people are poisoning the well against
> him before he even gets here."
>
> Schilling said Drew's quiet demeanor should not be interpreted as lack
> of desire. He compared him in that regard to Hall of Fame first
> baseman Eddie Murray, another quiet individual whose effort was
> sometimes questioned during his playing career.
>
> Schilling raved about Drew's skills, calling him a five-tool player
> "the likes of which have rarely been seen" in Boston.
>
> "He's as gifted as any player in the big leagues," Schilling said.
> "There's nothing he can't do. He can fly, he has a cannon [for an
> arm], he can hit for average, hit for power. The key is staying
> healthy. If he stays healthy and plays 135, 140 games, he is a very
> special player."
>
> Ironically, Drew and Schilling once were involved in a controversy
> over Drew's refusal to sign with the Phillies -- the team Schilling
> was playing for at the time -- after they chose him in the first round
> (second pick overall) of the 1997 draft. "I said some foolish things,"
> Schilling admitted, though he said they were directed at Drew's agent,
> Scott Boras, and not Drew.
>
> They've mended fences since then. Drew, he told the crowd at the
> Crowne Plaza, is an "incredibly gifted human being . . . a very strong
> Christian, which I love."
>
> Source: ART MARTONE / Journal Sports Editor/ projo.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
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