Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling hanging up the bloody sock once and for all. Schilling, he of the three world championships, made the announcement on his blog, 38pitches.com.

The game always gave me far more than I ever gave it. All of those things, every single one of those memories is enveloped with fan sights and sounds for me. Without the fans they would still be great memories, but none would be enduring and unforgettable because they infused the energy, rage, passion and ‘feel’ of all of those times…I did everything I could to win every time I was handed the ball.

I am and always will be more grateful than any of you could ever possibly know.

Schilling has fielded criticism for being a once-every-five-days guy that runs his mouth like an everyday player. And some of that’s deserved, but the right-hander deserves credit for his understanding of the fan’s perspective, and his attempts at culling that perception (in no small part with his blog) before any mainstream athlete was doing so.

And, oh yeah, he was a pretty awesome pitcher, too. Guys like that have earned the right to be pricks.

|via Y! Deportes (now in English!)|

Good news (maybe) for Boston fans: 40-year-old starting pitcher Curt Schilling has signed a one-year deal to remain a Red Sox.  A Red Sock?  A Red Stocking!

[Schilling and the Sox] have reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth about $8 million in base salary and millions more in potential incentives, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports. The agreement is pending Schilling, 40, passing a physical exam.

The deal contains $3 million in performance bonuses based on innings pitched and $2 million based on weight clauses.

Weight clauses?  Look out.  Bartolo Colon got rich off those.

Anyway, I, for one, look forward to one more season from the reclusive Schilling.  Asperger's can be paralyzing condition, and it's nice to see heroes like #38 tackle it head-on.

Note: Photo from this Halloween party gallery.

Even though the Rockies won, like, 200 straight games to get in the playoffs, then swept through their first two playoff series with seven straight wins, the World Series is basically over.  Only a bunch of times in history has a team rebounded from a 2-0 deficit, which the Rockies now face after losing last night in Fenway 2-1.  And certainly the Red Sox — a team with a long and storied history of playoff success — could never falter after opening up such an insurmountable lead.

Anyway, you can read all about Game 2 here.  Curt Schilling got the win with 5 and 1/3 innings pitched, so you can probably expect to see the word "gritty" located somewhere near his career playoff record and ERA. Other heroes were Mike Lowell (scored first run, drove in the other) and Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon, who closed down the Rox for the rest of the game with stellar performances out of the bullpen.

Finally, the most important news you can imagine: Jacoby Ellsbury stole a base in the fourth inning, so we all get a free taco from Taco Bell.  Details to follow!  OMG I can't wait!!!  It's almost as good as someone handing me 83 cents in loose change! 

Curt Schilling pitched a no-hitter for 8 2/3 innings yesterday, allowing only Shannon Stewart's single just before the final out to finish with a one-hitter and give the Red Sox a 1-0 victory over the A's.  Joe Blanton was nearly as good, giving up just four hits in 7 1/3 innings, but a first inning home run to David Ortiz (his 11th on the season) proved to be the difference.

Still, the win was bittersweet for Schilling, who at the age of 40 nearly missed notching his first career no-hitter.

Having called fastballs to the first two batters, Varitek called for a first-pitch slider to Stewart. Schilling wanted to throw a fastball… "We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook Tek off," Schilling said. "And I get a big 'What if?' for the rest of my life."… "I was sure he was taking, and Tek was sure he was swinging," Schilling said. "And I was wrong."

Wait, so Curt Schilling was unflappably certain that he was correct, only to be proven wrong?  I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it.

But don't worry, Curt.  Sox fans still love you. After all, Who needs Roger? When you have Curt!  And also: who needs exercise? When you have this delicious pint of Haagen-Dazs!