End the speculation. It was definitely blood on the sock. No question about it. And I will dissect every aspect of it:
First, the surgeon explains it all himself (but of course the skeptics would say he’s part of Schilling’s click).
Second, an interview on Cold Pizza with a spokesman for the Hall of Fame, where the sock is on display, says it was definitely blood. The spokesman cited the fact that the stain on the sock has changed color — from bloody red to now brown over time — as his evidence that it was not paint. If it were paint, not dried up blood, then there wouldn’t be any color change.
Third, Schilling was in an intense amount of pain. Sure he’s egocentric, pompous, and has an opinion on everything, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was truly hurting. Anyone who was watching can tell you that it was not an act.
Lastly, my inside sources tell me it was no joke when Schilling was on the training table getting ready for the start. I’m told the only thing he did to capitalize on the attention was to publicize some charity organization with initials (KALS appears on his shoe).
So what is the rumor all about you ask? Why then would Gary Thorne mention that the bloody sock was a hoax? Why would he cite a story from Doug Mirabelli as his source? Because Mirabelli probably did tell it to him. But Thorne fell for it. He got duped. He was the broadcaster who ran with it.
Sure Schilling probably trumped up the incident. Doesn’t he strike you as the guy who would give you the phone numbers for all his old coaches and friends if you were profiling him for an interview? Of course. But that doesn’t mean the sock wasn’t truly bloody.
My guess is that Doug Mirabelli, not unlike many other ballplayers, is sick of Curt Schilling and Schilling’s ego, Schilling’s opinions, as well as Schilling’s over-dramatizations. I bet he mentioned it in a casual setting as a facetious jab at Curt. Unfortunately, it appears as if someone took it seriously. That’s just my guess.
But one thing I’m not guessing about, is whether or not that was blood on the sock. It was.
UPDATE: The quote from Hall of Fame spokesman Jeff Idelson has now hit the wire, as has the story
