Apparently Manny Ramirez has alot more pull than the RemDawg....

When Curt Schilling broke from Thanksgiving dinner in 2003 with Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein, I doubt even he knew what the next five years would hold for him. And if the last four seasons in a Red Sox uniform are his last in a baseball uniform, no one can deny that the big fella left a pretty indelible legacy on a city rich with legacy.

"I want to be a part of bringing the first World Series in modern history to Boston," Schilling said. "And hopefully more than one over the next four years." - Curt Schilling 11/2003

Little did Schilling know that his destiny was to achieve just that...or maybe Curt, as he often came across thinking he was, actually is smarter than the rest of us.

Curt Schilling's legacy in Boston began the day he logged onto Sons of Sam Horn and started talking directly to Red Sox fans as gehrig38 and only grew through Octobers and injuries and interviews and most importantly Championships.

Whether or not Curt Schilling is "Hall of Fame" worthy is a question that has already and will continue to receive plenty of debate. One thing that I think the last five years in Boston have done was cement the hat that Curt would wear in to Cooperstown should he ever be elected. Despite 8 1/2 seasons in Philadelphia and a championship in 3 1/2 seasons in Arizona, the last few years have cemented Schilling's connection with what is likely to be the last major league uniform that he wears.

Of course, the obituary on Schilling's career may be a little premature given today's news of the "positive" findings after surgery on his pitching arm revealed less Rotator Cuff damage than may have been anticipated. With a four to six month recovery period, a late season run next year would be possible should Schilling want to pursue a return to baseball.

Given his recent reflective post his blog however, you have to wonder whether he has finally come to peace with his retirement from playing the game he loves.

In his years in Boston, he has done everything that you could possibly ask of an athlete in this day and age both on the field and off. Instead of getting into whether you agree or disagree with his points of view, or you think he's a self-grandizing media hog, both of which are personal reactions to Curt's public persona, let's focus on the on field dedication to succeed and rings that are proof of that success. Let's also look at his off-field charitable work with ALS and the SHADE Foundation. Finally let's consider that like him or not, he's given unparalleled access of himself and his perspective on the game through the media, radio, forums, blogs, etc. He was nothing if not ever present.

On the field in a Red Sox uniform we'll remember October 2004 before anything else. He was "the warrior". But I will also remember his efforts to close games in 2005 after coming back from injury, filling a spot that wasn't meant for him, but for which he was the only (even if flawed) answer. I'll remember his near no-hitter against Oakland. I'll remember his tremendous ability to compete in any situation that presented him.

The case for Schill's Hall of Fame worthiness is already well documented. Instead of "re-analyze", I thought I would point to two cases that I think make the best argument's for Schilling's eventual spot in Cooperstown. Obviously the post season success is a check mark far in his favor, 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA over 19 post-season starts with the 2004 drama (and bloody sock) already etched in the Hall of Fame awaiting his arrival. But it is the overall body of work that will most likely trip up Schilling's chances at the Hall. Was he one of the best ever? Or the best of his era? Or was he just very good bordering on great?

ESPN's Jayson Stark makes a pretty compelling case as he debates the "very intelligent" ESPN Fan Nation on this very topic. Looking at all right handed starters between 1992 and 2007, Stark unearthed the following;

"Schilling not only led all of them in complete games (with 83), but only one other righthander in the whole sport ( Greg Maddux) was closer than 25 CGs away. Just Pedro Martinez had a better strikeout ratio than Schilling (8.59 K/9). Only Pedro and Roger Clemens had more strikeouts than Schilling (3,116), period. Just Pedro and Maddux had a better WHIP than Schilling (1.137). And nobody had a better strikeout-walk ratio. In fact, Schilling's K/BB ratio (4.38 whiffs for every walk) ranks No. 1 among ALL PITCHERS IN THE MODERN ERA." - Jayson Stark, ESPN

Pretty compelling regular season stuff right?

Another way to measure "Hall of Fame" worthiness is through the work of Bill James on the very topic as he created a variety of standards to aid in the prediction of a player's selection.

Curt Schilling's Hall of Fame moniters

Having read a variety of explanations of the numbers that you see at the bottom of each player's Baseball Reference page, I thought the folks at Odds and Sods did as succinct a job as I could at translating;

"According the Baseball Reference tests, which are slightly modified from the Bill James versions, Schilling scores a 42 on the black ink test (how often you lead the league in a category). The average HOF score is 40. He scores a 205 in the gray ink test (how often you were in the top 10), The average HOF score is 185. In the HOF standards test, Schilling scores a 46, slightly below the HOF average of 50. In the HOF monitor, which tests how likely a player is to make the HOF, Schilling scores a 171 when the average HOF score is 100." - Odds & Sods

Let's quickly compare those numbers to another post season dominant pitcher looking at the end of a remarkable career in Atlanta; John Smoltz. Smoltz, whom I believe more people would respond favorably when asked about his "worthiness" of the Hall than Curt, scores a 34 to Curt's 42 on the black ink test, 193 to Curt's 205 in grey ink, matches Schilling's 46 in the HOF standards test and falls 167 to Schill's 171 in HOF Monitor.

You may often hear that Schilling will be a modern day "Bert Blyleven" whose candidacy's defense is an annual rite of budding sabrematricians. But look at Blyleven's Hall of Fame standards and you will see someone rightfully rewarded for longevity and consistency, but penalized for not being one of the best of his era. Looking at similar stats for Schilling, I don't think the comparison stands. I'll take Curt's profile to the Hall everyday.

In fact, if you want to find a pitcher that looks alot more like Blyleven than Schilling, look no further than Mike Mussina. Sure Moose has 44 more career wins (260 and counting to 216) than Schilling, but I'll let you answer whose career would be better served etched for generations to come to reflect on.

At the end of the day (if this is the end of the day or not), Curt Schilling's legacy both in Boston and in baseball at large is worthy of all the accolades that are bestowed upon the game's and the franchise's best.

But don't just stand there, give us your take on Curt Schilling! Vote in the poll to the right and answer whether or not you think Schilling merits Hall status. Leave your comments on Curt Schilling's legacy in this thread and we'll publish the best on Friday. Lastly, for the very brave...call into (360) 450-MVN3 or (360) 450-6863 and leave your comments to be played on this Thursday's podcast with Paul and myself. As a special treat we'll have Art Martone, Providence Journal's Sports Editor and author of some delicious Baseball links over at the ProJo's Sox Blog to give us his take on Schilling's legacy.

Doug Christie goes off....

"A champion is treated in a whole different light. They are valued in the locker room and commercially on a whole different level. For years, my wife and I have been ridiculed and talked about like we are weird, all because we did not fit the "mold" of what the culture breeds in the NBA. It got to the point that these stories would precede us to the point that teams thought that I (i.e. we) would be a problem."

Throughout the NBA playoffs, I've thought about interesting ways to integrate the Celtics into a post. For the life of me, I couldn't think of a good parallel between baseball and basketball. But then I realized something, as a fan it's not always about the sport itself, the X's and O's or numbers that draw us to it, it's the personalities and what they represent.

So with that in mind, I set off on a task; Name a current Celtic player and match him up with a Red Sox player that comes to mind as "similar' in some facet or another. Let's call it a Celtics/Red Sox mashup; the CeltSox or the Redtics.

Kevin Garnett = David Ortiz

Just as KG is the "Big Ticket" and say what you will about the rest of the Big Three he's the face of the franchise. In the same way, in a team full of stars, it's David Ortiz that is the face of the Red Sox franchise. Their careers will be as judged by their personal statistics as the overall performance of the team while they wore the uniform.

KG and David Ortiz are both known to have tremendously positive attitudes, they understand the "burden" of being a superstar and embrace it. They both love their sports with a passion and every day it shows how much fun they have playing it.

Paul Pierce = Tim Wakefield

I was tempted to go with Manny Ramirez here, and to some degree Pierce has shown some "Manny moments" over the course of his career, wrapping a towel over his head during a press conference comes to mind. Jason Varitek would have been comparable as they both wear the captain's jersey, but I had one Red Sox player come to mind when finding my Pierce comparable; Tim Wakefield.

Both Pierce and Wakefield are the "elder statesmen" of their teams. They have seen both the best and worst of playing sports in front of the passionate Boston market. Each one paid their dues on their way to their teams' current heights. As much as any other players on their teams, they are as associated with the uniforms they currently wear.

Ray Allen = J.D. Drew

Both Ray and J.D. were brought in with high expectations, but with some skepticism. Both players have sweet strokes, some might say the "sweetest" in their respective sports. They are both underrated defensive players. Not great, but their propensity to "glide" makes it all look so easy out there for them.

Both are more likely on the "back nine" of their careers with their prime just starting to fade away (more so for Ray than J.D.). At the same time, both Ray and J.D. may hold the keys to their team's championship hopes in their performance.

Rajon Rondo = Jacoby Ellsbury

Young, fast, exciting, future superstars. Both Rajon and Jacoby have come into Boston with it being associated with "Titletown". They haven't really felt the heartache that Boston fans and athletes of years past. They are both built in a mold new to Boston athletes, they are Boston 2.0.

Kendrick Perkins = Kevin Youkilis

Under-appreciated, over-emotional. Even their nicknames are of similar structure; "Perk" and "Youk". Both Perk and Youk have gained reputations as being a little "overly critical" or whiny with the umpires and referees. Neither has the superstar cache needed to pull it off without some eyebrows being raised.

On the flip side, both are incredibly productive in the role that they are asked to fill in their respective teams.

James Posey = Dustin Pedroia

Gritty, gets things done, plays the game the right way, shows emotion/passion for the game in a good way. They are the "dirt dogs".

Eddie House = Coco Crisp

Aside from both being valuable bench players, they kind of look alike (minus the dreads).

Sam Cassell = Mike Timlin

Ouch…both have had great careers. Both are veterans…and I cringe when both players see active duty. Sometimes right now, their play is downright ugly.

Glen Davis = Bartolo Colon

Do you really need an explanation? Ok…in case it isn't apparent….it has to do with their body structure.

Leon Powe = Justin Masterson

Youngsters that came out of nowhere to have big impacts on their respective teams. Powe isn't likely to be more than a role player and Masterson is destined for more. But right now, they are producing from a spot that each team might not have expected to see that much production from.

P.J. Brown = Mike Lowell

Steady veteran. These guys are the epitome of a veteran presence on a championship caliber team.

Beat LA = Yankees Suck

'Nuff Said…

Noticeably absent from the Red Sox list were Daisuke Matsuzaka and Manny Ramirez. Without a foreign born phenom on the C's, a Dice K match just didn't feel apropos. And well….Manny…you can't do Manny justice by even thinking about drawing a comparison to anyone.

Clearly we are all about baseball here at Fire Brand…but with a huge game in the NBA Finals tonight, head on over to Celtics 17 and give our Boston brethren a shout of support!

BEAT LA!!!!!

While the idea of community projections has existed in blog circles for a while, I haven't seen any real good breakdown as to if those projections were more accurate in aggregate vs. any single individual or experts predictions.

So here is what I propose to you today; let's find out.

All you have to do is click on the links below to fill out a form for each player asking for predictions for the following statistics; AVG, OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, SB and for pitchers - Wins, Losses, ERA, Strike Outs/9 IP, IP, and Saves.

If you would like to provide your name or MVN "handle", it will only be used to call out how correct, or incorrect you are at the end of the season. If you would rather not provide any information linking yourself to your predictions and providing a layer of plausible deniability, feel free to leave it blank.

Lastly, please provide the team you root for on a regular basis. Could it be that the collective intelligence of Yankee fans about Red Sox players is more accurate than the fans that live and die all things Sox? We will hopefully find out.

Follow the story link to participate...

Does UConn's recent hot streak merit consideration for the final four? Get the scoop on the Huskies chances at MVN.com's Husky Beat.

Coco Crisp demands a trade?

Even a conservative look at performance makes the Red Sox the team to beat in the American League East.

I was asked by Colin and Durden to come on their show on Blog Talk Radio last night. I would love to get feedback from the yard as to how I did. I've never really talked "live on the air" before. We touch on everything from the rotation to the Yankees and 2008 predictions.

Even without Schilling, this staff looks to be as formidable as they looked last season. Check the full analysis after the jump.

Upon a debate between Schilling and the Red Sox whether he would have season and likely career ending surgery to repair a partially torn labrum or hold off on surgery until after the season, the two sides went to a mediator per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The mediator and both sides agreed to not have the surgery and shut Schilling down until the All Star Break.

According to the Boston Herald, Curt Schilling may need shoulder surgery, effectively ending his 2008 season.

"Roughly a week before pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training, the Herald has learned today that right-hander Curt Schilling has a significant shoulder injury that could end the veteran right-hander's season and is causing tension and friction between the player and club.

While neither Schilling nor Sox officials could be reached for comment, baseball sources have indicated that the club has at least inquired about the possibility of voiding the one-year, $8 million contract Schilling signed last November. It is not known to what lengths the Sox have gone on the matter, but their threat has been serious enough to create a conflict between Schilling and the Red Sox."

Brian McNamee reportedly has physical evidence that he injected Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs. If this is true, Clemens will be caught in his web of lies.

"McNamee is scheduled to give a deposition to the House Oversight committee on Thursday and his lawyers said the evidence will be released publicly after his session with congressional staff members," only two days after Roger denied during a sworn deposition that he has ever used steroids or human-growth hormone.

Clemens (Tuesday): "It was great to be able to tell them what I've been saying all along — that I've never used steroids or growth hormone."

Every other team in baseball looked at this skillset and said "not interested". The Red Sox looked at this skillset and said "useful bench player if he'll play for nothing". The Mariners looked at this skillset and said "Starting DH, $6 million salary, #2 hitter".

Thanks to smart promotion on YouTube and good grassroots momentum, this dunk contest looks like it could be the best in years.