Lots of news coming out of Beantown with the Boston Red Sox so let’s jump right into it.
Yesterday, I had found an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette saying that Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell had removed himself from the running for the Pirates managerial position. Today, Farrell released a statement confirming this:
“While I do have aspirations to manage in the major leagues in the future, my commitment to John, Tom, Larry, Theo, Tito, and the Red Sox, needs to be greater than one year for their faith in hiring me as their pitching coach. Therefore I have declined the opportunity to interview for the position of Pittsburgh Pirates manager. I look forward to contributing to and competing for another World Series title here in Boston.”
The Boston Globe emailed Curt Schilling for his thoughts on Farrell returning to the club and this is what Schilling had to say:
John Farrell is a HUGE part of the equation, not just for me either. He’s as good as anyone I’ve ever worked with and probably the most over qualified pitching coach in the world. This guy is a GM already. I think him doing what he’s doing is a testament to his love for the game more than anything.
This guy gets it on so many levels, personal and professional. While I would claim we are very close friends, he was always my coach first, which is something I desperately need at this point in my career. He’s as upfront and honest as you could ever hope someone in his position would be.
Add to that he’s as genuine and nice as anyone I’ve ever met. One of my real pleasures in life is the ability to rag him about the fact that he wears a 10 5/8 hat, or something close to it.
Good pitching coach, better person.
More from Schilling after the jump.
Yesterday in his latest blog post at the time over at 38 Pitches, Schilling talked about free agency, 38 Studios and his upcoming appearances. He had also made mention of the free agent letter that the Red Sox sent him before he joined the club in 2004. He said he wanted to post it but wanted permission from the Red Sox organization to show everyone. I guess the Red Sox signed off on it because he posted it today.
Here are a few excerpts from it and you really should head over to 38 Pitches to read the entire letter. It shows you how amazing of an organization the Red Sox really are.
Why, then, did we leave our own families behind and fly here today? Well, we think that the Schillings and the Red Sox might just be another great fit – a perfect marriage – and we hope that we can demonstrate why. We are here to tell you all about the Red Sox: who we are, where we are going, and how we’re going to get there. We want to share our thoughts on everything from advance scouting to the way we set up our family room at the ballpark. We’ll discuss the neighborhoods where you might live and every inch of the old neighborhood ballpark you would call home. We’ll be honest about the small weight room and crowded clubhouse, but we’ll also tell you about Ted Williams’ old locker and the feeling you get walking up the ancient tunnel to greet 35,000 of the best fans in baseball. We want to tell you about the type of person and player we want to represent the Red Sox, and how we’re filling our clubhouse with them. We want to tell you all about the unparalleled passion of Red Sox Nation, and about how hard we are working to bring a World Championship to Boston. We’re sure you have hundreds of questions for us, and we’re here to do our best at providing answers.
Imagine how different Red Sox history might have been had you not been included in that fateful deadline deal with the Orioles in 1998. Even three years after the trade, when you were with Houston, our scouts were convinced they were right: “Still a thrower. Has arm strength but hasn’t learned a thing.†Now, 15 tears later, after 163 wins, a 3.33 lifetime ERA, two 20-win seasons, five All-Star Games, a World Championship, and a World Series MVP award, we have a chance to rewrite history. At 37 tears old, with a great resume and an even greater reputation, it’s clear to us that the next step in your career is baseball immortality. Baseball immortality –an enshrinement speech in Cooperstown, a plaque on the wall, a place alongside legends – is one of the reasons why the Schillings and the Red Sox are such a perfect fit. There is no other place in baseball where you can have as great of an impact on a franchise, as great an impact on a region, as great an impact on baseball history, as you can in Boston. It is hard to describe what the Red Sox mean to New England. The players who help deliver a title to Red Sox Nation will never be forgotten, they’re place in baseball history forever secure.
We are so close to the goal that has eluded us for 86 years. We would not have traded four talented young players or intruded upon your holiday if we did not sincerely believe that our time is coming very soon. The 2003 Red Sox were a talented and exciting team that came within five outs of reaching the World Series. As an ownership group and management team, we are committed to putting an even better team on the field in 2004 and beyond.
Last winter, our goal was to create a lineup that would be relentless one through nine. This winter, our goal is to create a relentless pitching staff to match our offense. You are the key to this plan; in fact, you are the plan. The rotation, should you accept this trade, will be among the very best in baseball: Schilling, Martinez, Lowe, Wakefield, Kim (with Bronson Arroyo as the 6th Starter). The bullpen will also be strong. Williamson, Embree, and Timlin are all poised to have excellent seasons in 2004. In addition, we are close to signing Keith Foulke to become our closer and to lead this talented bullpen. With the pitching staff and a defensive upgrade at second base, Red Sox run prevention will match our run scoring.
to Curt Schilling for posting the letter and the Red Sox for allowing Curt to do so.
to the Boston Globe for giving us the Farrell statement.
