Schill's on the Shelf

For a brief moment after the Red Sox won the World Series, we got our hopes up that Curt Schilling might return to Philly for his final season. He and his family put their house on the market, and it looked like he was going somewhere. But with much fanfare and backslapping, Schill dramatically returned to the team he never departed from, and we were left to read snippets about scouts watching Odalis Perez and Kris Benson.

But Schilling's future is uncertain, with some sources reporting that he might be out until the All-Star break, and conflicting reports that he would need either surgery or just rest and rehab for his shoulder issues. Schill has of course spoken on the topic at 38 Pitches, but no timetable is given. Red Sox Nation can't be happy about all this, and Phillies fans shouldn't be either. The Sox were once high on the list of teams in the running for Johan Santana, and their decision to back out of negotiations with the Twins may have been different if they thought they'd be without Schilling for an extended period of time. However, news of his shoulder problems isn't exactly new; only the possibility of surgery (which Schill says he'll forgo) and a lengthy absence might have changed their approach.

I don't think for a minute that Schill tried to hide anything from the team. He took and passed a physical, and he'd have been the first person to go to the front office and tell them if he thought he might miss time. I'm just pissed that the Mets signed the best pitcher in baseball, and I'm looking for any way to create scenarios in which it didn't actually happen.