'08 Outlook for Curt Schilling

'07 Season: Schilling had an up and down year for the Sox with a 9-8 record and a 3.87 ERA. His best pitching of the season was on June 7 against the A's (I was lucky enough to have a ticket behind home plate) where he pitched a near perfect game; only an error by Lugo and a single with 2 outs in the 9th broke it up. The Red Sox were in the middle of a losing streak and Schilling was able to right the ship. His effort in this game may led to his time on the DL after just 2 more starts. He was able to get back into playing shape by the end of the season and pitch well down the stretch. He pitched great against the Angels in the division series followed by a terrible start in the ALCS. He apologized for his performance and made up for it in game 7 and had a good outing in the World Series.

'08 Outlook: Schilling accepted less money to finish his career in Boston. He knows that the Red Sox could win again next year and wants to go out on top. He is 41 years old and past his prime, his fastball has lost some zip. However, Schilling is a well prepared pitcher; he takes detailed notes on every batter he faces to prepare for the future. He has a "weight clause" in his new contract to make sure he does not show up at spring training looking like El Guapo again. Schilling could really benefit from a 6 man rotation giving him more recovery time between starts. He can still be a good major league pitcher in '08 by mixing up his pitches an limiting his walks. Schilling will be focused for his last year and that will help him where his abilities are waining. I would expect a 16 win season from him and an ERA under 4.00. If the Sox make it to the post-season again they can count on Curt to do his part.