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Schilling’s Bloody Sock a Fake?
In last night’s game, Oriole commentator Gary Thorne suggested that he’d been told that Curt Schilling’s now infamous bloody sock from Game six of the 2004 ALCS wasn’t bloody at all, but was in fact painted red.
Thorne cites Doug Mirabelli as his source in an on air quote where he said, “Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR.”
The Baltimore Sun has detailed account of the controversy that’s been stirred up.
In that article Jim Palmer refutes Mirabelli’s current claim that Thorne is lying, by remarking that a broadcaster doesn’t get to the status of Gary Thorne by making things up.
Palmer has a good point. Gary Thorne has been a national sports broadcaster for many years across several sports. It’s unlikely that he would have risen to such a position on a history of telling lies on the air, especially without anyone previously debunking him.
It’s also unlikely that Thorne feels he needs to toss in a lie of this nature at this point in his career.
The logical options of what’s actually occured are most likely one of these three.
1) Schilling faked the sock to get the cameras focussed on his shoe to draw attention to his ALS charity. Mirabelli spilled the beans, and Thorne simply reported it.
2) The sock was legit from the start, and Mirabelli made a joke about it being a hoax. Thorne believed it, and reported as the true story he incorrectly thought it was.
3) Gary Thorne decided that after covering World Series games, the Stanley Cup Finals, and every other major sports event since forever, to suddenly put his reputation on the line by spreading a bogus story that’s guarenteed to grow legs and be the next media frenzy.
Personally I’d venture to guess that the answer lies in the first two possibilities, with a leaning toward the 2nd.
I’ll also suspect that today isn’t the last we’ll hear about this. It might take a few days, but either a national media source or a Boston area source will pick up this story and start investigating. And it’ll grow from there.
Before long the sock will be taken out of the Hall of Fame so DNA testing can be conducted. The nation will wait for the results on the edges of our seats, and we’ll all look like a bunch of lameos for being so interested in a sock.
It’ll be fun!
I’m of the Jim Palmer school of thought on this matter, where he basically says “Who cares?”
Bloody ankle or not, Schilling pitched great and forced a game 7 in that series and that’s the most important thing. We all rooted for him to do it. We were all on Schilling’s side that day. (Don’t even try to tell me you’re an Oriole fan and didn’t want to see the Yankees blow a 3 game series lead. If you do, find another O’s site to read. This one’s not for you.) We all had fun and enjoyed the story and it’s one of the best legendary tales in baseball lure.
That’s what’s important. And honestly, even if he did fake the blood, it worked to draw attention to Schilling’s charity work for ALS. So that’s good no matter what.
I am curious to get to the bottom of this story though for no reason other than good old fashioned curiosity. (And a love of seeing the media gets majorly worked up over the simplest little thing. And you know that’s going to happen here.)
By the way, dynamite job of MASN to run and hide from having anything to do with this story as they cut the 5th inning of last night’s game out on their late night replay of the game according to the Baltimore Sun.
MASN claims it was for time contraints. But since I don’t believe for a minute that they were just dying to get the game overwith so they could get back to their regularly scheduled simulcast of ESPNews, I’m going to call shenanigans on this lame excuse.
MASN is just scared that they’ll look bad. Then they insult my inteligence by telling me it’s for another reason. Wusses.
Here’s actual photographic evidence of the sock being painted! (It’s also evidence that Smurfs exist. Apparently Gargamel wasn’t just high all those years afterall)
I found it on the Inside the Warehouse message boards. It’s originally from Deadspin.com.
Seriously though I’m not convinced of it being paint, or blood, or anything else. Basically I just don’t care. Schilling pitched his butt off in that game and that’s ALL that means anything. But good visual comedy is worth sharing!
Sock at the Hall of Fame photo from About.comSmurf painting Schilling photo from Deadspin.com
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25 Responses to “Schilling’s Bloody Sock a Fake?”
April 26th, 2007 at 7:02 am
I’m as pissed off as all of you. Especially since the girlfiend was watching it with me. All she did was gloat, dance, etc…
What pisses me off even more is the article on ESPN about that stupid bloody sock. Regardless of whether it was paint or blood, this is the most outrageous comment I’ve ever read by Franconia, “What Schill did that night on the sports field was one of the most incredible feats I ever witnessed.”
OK. First, it wasn’t incredible. So he got stiches and maybe a cortisone shot so it wouldn’t hurt. The stiches moved a bit and his wound bled…big f-ing deal. I’ve played sports many many times and I’ve hurt myself and played through the bleeding. It’s called Man-ing up.
Second, If it hurt him that bad, then he wouldn’t have been effective or been able to physically pitch. That should tell you that it did hurt THAT bad. If it did, he would have been falling off the mound, giving up bombs, etc… Everyone knows that to be an effective pitcher, your ankles must be 100% to push off the rubber.
Lastly, IF (thats a big IF) he was hurting that bad then Franconia is quite possibly the least intelligent manager ever considering they were in the playoffs. You have to think a guy from the bullpen whose arm is tired from pitching in the game before is a better bet then a pitcher who can’t push off the mound. If I’m the manager I go with the tired arm.
God I hate Curt Schilling… Can the press stop making him into some kind of f-ing hero…
End rant.
April 26th, 2007 at 7:59 am
For once I agree with Skip Clueless. Schilling’s injury was real in Game 6 but he wanted the Yankees to wonder how a guy with a bloody ankle was whooping their ass. So he painted his sock. That’s the sock that no one knows what happened to. Now in Game 2 of the World Series he started bleeding more severly and gave that sock to the Hall Of Fame. What was interesting is that in the broadcast Gary never said that Mirabelli told him. He said that Mirabelli “admitted afterwards”. But to who?? Numerous press? Just Gary? A confidant of Gary’s??
April 26th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Not even bothering with this joke.
It’s gotta be #2. Has to be.
If it’s not, this world is a joke.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:45 am
I will say, I’ve wounded myself and ended up with dried blood on my clothes more times than I can count.
I’m very familiar with what dried blood looks like. And if this sock is a fake…it’s a damn good fake.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:53 am
im in agreement with everyone. #1 or #2, probably #2, I wish it were #1 though. The one mystery about it is why did Mirabelli get so offended? Unless the joke completely slipped his mind which realistically is unlikely. Also- i was NOT one of the people rooting for schilling that night. Also- Tim you’re 100% right- everyone acts like he brought someone up from the dead or something.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:18 am
also- mike you realize on ‘fire brand of the american league’ you said ‘played his guts out’? maybe youve been watching a little too much redskins ball
April 26th, 2007 at 10:21 am
WHOA THERE, CHIEF!!!!
You can disagree with me, but no reason to get nasty and start inferring that I’m a Skins fan. hahaha
April 26th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I have been to the hall of fame, I have seen the sock. It is, indeed, blood stained. No way that paint would dry like that. I’m guessing Thorne mistook a joke for something else entirely.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:03 am
I’m just playing devil’s advocate and disagreeing with everyone on this issue, no matter what their opinion is today. All for the sake of good discussion of course.
So Gamingboy, like Tim pointed out in the fist comment, there were two socks. The World Series sock is in the hall of fame. The game 6 sock is nowhere to be found.
DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!!!!!!!
The plot thickens.
(Yes, I love this story. There’s nothing like a good, meaningless debate about something trival to make sports great!)
April 26th, 2007 at 11:05 am
//In that article Jim Palmer refutes Mirabelli’s current claim that Thorne is lying, by remarking that a broadcaster doesn’t get to the status of Gary Thorne by making things up.//
if that’s his only evidence for refutation, it’s pretty weak. of COURSE broadcasters of high status screw up or outright fabricate: dan rather, for example. also, one must only look as far as tim mccarver and steve lyons to know that those vaunted to national broadcasting status are held to some pretty low standards.
if they actually dna test that sock, it will be a low point for baseball. what a ridiculous dust-up over nothing, hardly worth dignifying with that kind of response.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Gamingboy: The sock you saw is from Game 2 of the World Series. NO ONE knows what happened to the Sock from Game 6 of the ALCS. That’s the sock people believe was painted.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:07 am
also, tim…all i can do is shake my head, dude.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:20 am
[…] Oriole Magic (via Blogtimore) has the best rundown of what happened during the 5th inning of last night’s Orioles’ loss to the Bosox. During the game, MASN announcer Gary Thorne said that Red Sox player Doug Mirabelli had admitted that the now- famous bloody red sock of Curt Schilling’s from the 2004 ALCS was painted red and not actually Schilling’s blood. […]
April 26th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
I actually agree with Tim about the hero thing. I mean he’s a great pitcher who tossed a phenominal game despite adveristy. But hero status? I don’t know about all that.
However, I think we’re all missing the most important point to all this. Something that’s at the very heart of this story and needs to be remembered at all times…
THE YANKEES HAD THE ALL TIME BIGGEST CHOKE IN SPORTS HISTORY!!!!!!!!
Please, keep this in mind. It’s the most important issue in this matter. Laugh out loud accordingly.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
grat convo today…haha….such a stupid thing and the press blew it up. Im waiting for the DNA test….
April 26th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Anybody still wondering why we left Cabrera out to start the 7th?!?! This is what happens when you over work your pen.
April 26th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
What are you talking about? None of the relievers who pitched tonight pitched last night. Ray, who lost the game, hasn’t pitched in 4 days.
Where’s this over working that you’re talking about?
Your arguments are getting weaker and weaker.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
perlozzo is the worst manager of all time. ray is the worst closer of all time. give me jorge julio. give me armando benitez. give me randy myers. give me terry mathews. give me mike timlin. but take chris ray out of baseball. take him out of baseball and bury him in a hole- that no one should ever find him and mistake him for a major league baseball player ever again. you doubt me. i can see it. you’re reading this and youre thinking “now here’s a fan that doesnt know how to hang in there. there’s a disillusioned gentleman who has been deeply affected by one seemingly meaningless loss” just hear me now and believe me later. two heart breaking grand slams… to division rivals…. IN ONE MONTH? ARE YOU JOKING? IS THIS SOME KIND OF WEIRD TWISTED INVERSE FAIRY TAIL WHERE THE GOODGUYS ALWAYS LOSE?
I hate feeling like i put more into the team than the team does
April 26th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
It is number 2, for the record. Mirabelli made a joke about it, I believe in the Red Sox clubhouse one day, all the assembled reporters laughed, went on to the next question. This was I guess a year or two ago, probably after some bitter soul in NY had dredged it up again. Dougie’s got a dry sense of humor, possibly it came out a bit deadpan, but it was very much a joke.
I would assume that your announcer dude does not understand dry humor.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Oh, and Gregg, Curt himself has stated that he threw that (first) sock out. It was bloody and gross and he didn’t think twice about it at the time.
April 27th, 2007 at 7:04 am
i don’t read mirabelli’s statement as he repeated it (”Yeah, we got a lot of publicity out of that”) as necessarily even a joke…just a noncommittal response. it’s quite a leap to go from that statement to “he faked it, it was paint, and it was all for PR”. that’s an assumption rather than taking two more seconds for clarification, and if there’s any space between that and outright fabrication, it’s a precious small one.
April 27th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Mirabelli said in pretty clear terms yesterday that he said it was paint, and that it was a joke when he said it.
There’s been no ‘adding words’ into the statements.
And Sox fans who get worked up over this have COMPLETELY missed the point of that whole game.
It doesn’t matter if the sock had a little drop of blood on it or not. (That’s all it was. A tiny little speck.)
All that means is that the suture from the surgury opened a small little bit and drained a tad.
What’s important is that he did have surgury, wasn’t 100% that night, and still pitched lights out to the Yankees to force a game 7.
That’s ALl that’s important. No one’s saying that Schilling didn’t have the surgury or that he didn’t hav any pain that night. All that’s ever been questioned here is if the suture leaked a little.
But the Boston media is treating Throne like he’s a Holocaust denier or something. It’s insanity!
April 27th, 2007 at 8:20 am
i agree that the whole situation is insanity. i have gotten too sucked up in it, it’s true. more than i intended to get sucked in, definitely. but i guess from my perspective there’s only so many times you can listen to people insult your team and one of your favorite players on the most retarded, unfounded basis imaginable before you feel compelled to respond.
you’re right that whether it was really blood or not doesn’t matter as much as winning the game. but to use an analogy, there’s only so many times you can hear somebody say “your mother’s a whore” before you feel compelled to respond, regardless of the fact that you know she’s not. that game means a lot to sox fans, every detail of it. it gets very hard to listen to people elsewhere who had little to do with it and who have no conception of how sox fans really feel about it be so desperate and relentless to find something they can take away from it. not saying that’s what *you’ve* been doing. but that’s why i’ve gotten drawn into some of the arguments, anyway. *shrug*
April 27th, 2007 at 8:44 am
The entire episode over the sock in just sheer lunacy…
This the scene from the game yesterday…
http://oriolepost.blogspot.com/2007/04/hey-all-i-am-here-at-yard-and-ill-try.html
I was there, and I’ll say it was like the circus coming to town.
Anyhow, I feel bad for Gary Throne and I’m sure it was an embarrassment to have attention brought onto him for a comment you made during a slow point of the game; however, he was a little silly in saying what he did.
Throne, as a long time commentator should have known better, especially the importance of the ’sock’ to Red Sox Nation.
Now Curt has upped the ante on his blog. I like how he’s standing up for himself, but sometimes it is better to forgive and forget…
Just when this stuff was perhaps going to go away, it will continue.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
ok. blood blood and blood. maybe he should not have pitched but it was one of the greatest postseason pitching efforts ever. in a must win situation “the man” came out and shut down the fucking sorry ass bitch made yankees. they could not do a damn thing against him except hope that the bush league play A rod made would hold up. it did not and now the red sox can say that they made the greatest comeback in sports history. so fuck the yankees and anyone who says it was not blood
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