Curt Schilling is one of the most popular players in Red Sox Nation. His last two performances showed gritty determination and incredible ability.

The Magic Sock

Or did it? According to Laura Vecsey at the Baltimore Sun, it was a ruse. It’s good to know that Laura knows where the real news is. She’s getting down to the real issues. We can only hope that Bud Selig notices and forms an investigation team, a la the 9/11 Commission. This is important stuff. Forget that it’s wild speculation and the fact that the only evidence she seems to have comes out of New York:

Even factoring in the sour grapes, word out of New York is that some Yankees players wouldn’t put it past Schilling to dab his sock with red magic marker, or apply generous amounts of Mercurochrome – anything to amplify the Red Sox’s amazing postseason run and, of course, to hoist his stature.

Good lead. I also heard that A-Rod was also a robot.

Word out of Boston is that some Red Sox players wouldn’t put it past A-Rod to be mechanical, or engineered in a factory – anything to amplify Steinbrenner’s ego and, of course, to hoist his paycheck.

Is that good journalism? I know I’m still new to this whole writing thing, but I was under the impression that having some good backup to my articles was necessary. I thought that wild speculation was a bad thing. I guess I was wrong.

Proof? Who needs proof?

Speaking of wild speculation, we now have the Associated Press (AP) publishing a story that despite Schilling’s endorsement of President Bush, Schilling will not be able to make the appearance.

It seems like fairly vanilla news at first. It’s pretty logical that Schilling wouldn’t be able to travel due to his ankle. The problem is that the source is an email to a fan site. It’s written as if it’s from Schilling. He even goes on to apologize for expressing his political views.

While I am a Bush supporter, and I did vote for him with an absentee ballot, speaking as I did the other day was wrong. While I hope to see him re-elected, it’s not my place, nor the time for me to offer up my political opinions unsolicited.

I certainly think it’s certainly kosher to do (especially when complete idiots Hollywood actors feel the need to do the same). Isn’t it a little suspicious that this was released as an email (by itself), breaks his commitment to the President, and then retracts his statement? Well, it is, but apparently not enough for the AP.

Schilling, who contributes frequently to online fan forums, did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

So confirmation isn’t necessary either? We can just publish things we read online? Cool! I want to be the first to publish that Kerry eats babies for breakfast and that Bush smokes weed. You heard it here first folks.

I’m not saying it isn’t true. It might very well be. News organizations are supposed to have the integrity to check up on the stories. The AP admittedly had no proof of this story and went ahead with it anyway. It makes you wonder about its other articles. I think they should change their acronym to SAP (speculative association of the press).