Projo Sox Blog

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- In a perfect world, under more prescribed circumstances, Curt Schilling would be making a World Series start with extra rest.

But this time of year, Schilling -- and everyone else -- must make do with what the schedule presents. So when Schilling takes the mound tonight for Game 2, he'll be doing so without the extra rest the Sox have been careful to give him the last month.

''I'll be fine,'' assured Schilling. ''I think that a lot of their approach with me was that if you can get the extra rest, good; if not, fine. I mean, mentally, I didn't have to have it. I think it helped. But I don't think it's going to have any effect whatsoever on my stuff and my ability to pitch and win.

''I was getting ready to pitch Game Two, Game Three, Game Four -- whatever it was going to be. It hasn't really changed anything.''

Had Tim Wakefield been healthy and available, Schilling probably wouldn't have pitched until Game Three on Saturday, in Denver. But when Wakefield was scratched from the Sox' roster, the Sox had to adjust and Schilling was moved up in the rotation.

That means that Schilling, who has the most experience pitching in Coors Field, is the one Red Sox starter guaranteed not to pitch there.

''Honestly, I don't care,'' he said. ''If I pitched there, I pitched there. It's a tough place to pitch. That being said, I always looked at is as I'm not going through this by myself.''

At this stage of his career, Schilling is focused more on what he has do to -- not where he has to do it. In his prime, he was a classic power pitcher who could set hitters up with a 95 mph fastball and put them away with a devestating splitter.

Now, at age 40, he has to make concessions to age and injuries and goes after hitters with lesser stuff.

''I think what it really has done is placed a lot more emphasis on the preparation aspect of it,'' he said, ''and the amount of time and effort I have to put into watching video and going through the scouting reports. (And) now it's having to find multiple ways to do things to different hitters.

''I'm a different pitcher now, so whereas I used to be able to explout with one pitch exclusively, now I've got to be able to use multiple pitches in different spots.''

Of course, every time Schilling has taken the ball this month, it's with the knowledge that it could be the last time he does so in a Red Sox uniform. A free agent this winter, he could be pitching elsewhere in 2008.

''I've thought about it,'' acknowledged Schilling. ''I've had a couple of starts now where it could have been my last one (here). It's not something something (to worry about) beyond the initial disappointment of the possibility. I haven't really thought about it in depth.

''I'm playing in my fourth World Series and second as (a member of the) Boston Red Sox, so I certainly have nothing to be upset about or regretful for.''

---