Outspoken conservative Curt Schilling’s right-wing opinions may have cost the right-hander an invite to a World Series ceremony commemorating a championship team he was a huge part of.
Schilling, the hero of the “Bloody Sock” game in the ’04 World Series, was not invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday in Boston.
Many of his ’04 teammates, including David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Kevin Millar, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Keith Foulke, and Alan Embree, were.
The band's back together! #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/OxCaYFAa0o
— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2018
If Embree, a role player on that team, got an invite, Schilling definitely should have were the invites based on merit. But, if the Red Sox were looking to distance themselves from Schilling and his radical, sometimes offensive, views, that would explain the snub.
“We did not reach out to him,” a high-level Red Sox executive told The Boston Globe. “But it is not out of spite. It was originally just going to be Pedro and David and Wake and Millar, but we heard from a few others and they are included.”
Schilling confirmed the story on Twitter.
Nope. No worries though, great to see @45PedroMartinez @davidortiz and @KMillar15 "The pimper of walks" though. Oh and I get to keep my 3 rings and 3 trophies, so it's all good. https://t.co/tyUUWhvTPe
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) October 24, 2018
His wife was a little less reserved in her comments on the topic.
Who was going to Disney? Tonight Game 2 2004 12 years ago. Ownership sure didn’t have a problem with him when slicing and shooting is ankle up to pitch. Always better to fly 8 men in rather then ask one that stayed and raised his family here 16 miles from the ballpark pic.twitter.com/GoCdA9G3gy
— Shonda Schilling (@ShondaSchilling) October 24, 2018
The Red Sox have invited Schilling to past celebrations, but that was before he invited a white supremacist on the air while hosting a radio show for Breitbart in 2017 and tweeted in support of T-shirts that suggested lynching members of the media.
Nonetheless, he still supports the team. Publicly at least.
An amazing year from an amazing group of guys. Alex has done a phenomenal job too https://t.co/w4OkIUxkaF
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) October 24, 2018
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