Shoulder-gate continues.  The Red Sox front office and medical staff are on one side, Curt Schilling and his new best buddy, Dr. Craig Morgan, are on the other.  It's not exactly reaching the pugnacious proportions of Pavlik vs. Taylor 2, but it seems to be building up to that (not that Curt will ever see the match’s fighting weight of 166 pounds - no offense Schill), eventually coalescing when the Sox's treatment plan of pain shots, rehab, and strengthening either succeeds or fails.  Schilling recently explained his side of the story to select media members down at Fort Myers; humorously, no one from The Boston Globe was invited to partake (sorry Curly Haired Boyfriend... err, I mean, Dan Shaugnessy).  All in all, I believe Curt came off sounding like a whiny kid who didn't get his way.  Granted, this is far more than a child not receiving a desired toy; we're talking about a major leaguer's career and his ability to live a normal, pain-free life following his departure from the game, so it’s almost understandable that he’d feel that way… almost.  I'll let you make up your own mind by describing what was said below.

First of all, Schill made it perfectly clear that he never intentionally disillusioned Theo or the front office into thinking that he would definitely be ready to go for opening day.  This point is especially important given the timing of both the announcement of Scill's injury and the goings on of the Johan Santana trade talks.  According to Schill, the Sox would have approached a trade with the Twins the same way regardless of whether or not they thought Schill was good to go at the start of the season.  I don't know that I totally buy this; I'm not calling Schill a liar, because I think he's truthful to a fault at times with the media, but I'm almost 100% positive that the Sox would have been more aggressive in their trade talks with the Twins and other teams if they knew Schill would likely not pitch this year.  Having to rely on 40+ wins from an aged knuckleballer with injury concerns (Wakefield) and two rooks that have a combined 29 games started at the Major League level (Lester and Buchholz) is definitely not a position the Sox want to be in, so it's hard to believe they would not have attempted to address this issue earlier in the offseason if they knew there was at least a chance that Curt wouldn't be available.

Next, big Schill claims that he had no unscrupulous motives in accepting a deal just to collect paper while on the shelf, and I believe him.  If there's any athlete who knows how blessed he is to have the ability to go out there and make millions of dollars playing a game for a living, it's Curt Schilling.  Whether it's attributable to his faith, his family and friends, or simply the depth of his experience in the league, he just gets it.  Besides, there has to be some commandment out there that says you shouldn't accept a multi-million dollar contract knowing you can't honor it by pitching for at least half a season, right?  In addition, Schill enlightened us to the fact that if it really was his intention to make as much money doing as little work as possible, he would have taken one of several $14 million offers from other clubs. 

Let’s be clear: If some people want to believe this was me taking advantage of the situation financially, I wouldn’t have done it here. I would have done it in at least two other places for $14 million if I was going to sit my ass on the DL and collect a paycheck. I know that for a fact.

Not sure who was offering him $14 million (Yankees or Mets maybe?) with the string of injuries he's had to deal with over the past few years, but there's no doubt he took a bit of a hometown discount by resigning at $8 million.  In addition, it has been brought to my attention (thanks to BSB contributor YouABadMang) that Schill re-signed his deal with the Sox BEFORE he was contractually and legally allowed to begin negotiating with other teams, meaning he was either just speculating (i.e. LYING) that he could have gotten better money elsewhere, or he had actually been covertly and unlawfully negotiating contracts behind the Sox's back.  Not a good sign from someone who allegedly holds the rules, regulations, ideals, etc. of the game above all else (Updated on 2.21.2008 at 5:56 PM).

Now comes the bickering.  Schill explains how he got three different examinations on the injured shoulder: one by his personal doctor, Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed surgery on the shoulder over a decade ago; one by the Red Sox medical staff, headed by Dr. Thomas Gill; and one by a third party, Dr. David Altchek, who both sides agreed upon after much deliberation.  Schill says he received three different diagnoses with three differing opinions on the ideal course of treatment.  I've never been in a similar situation, but I can't imagine how overwhelming it is to try to weed through everything and decide who's correct.  It must be daunting and frustrating, to say the least.  Schill explains his reasoning in deciding to go with Morgan's diagnosis and prescribed treatment:

I had three different doctors tell me three completely different things, with three completely different courses of action. I’m obviously going to fall back on the guy who has been down this path before and has always been right.  I got the diagnosis here, went and saw Dr. Morgan, who diagnosed me differently and recommended a different course of action. As soon as he tells me you can be back ready to go by the All-Star break, pre-All-Star break, that’s the best news I ever heard.

After reading and re-reading, I just can't bring myself to agree with Curt here.  I can see his desire to rely on the guy who fixed his shoulder 13 years ago, but if the team that's paying your bills prescribes a course of treatment, you follow it.  Forget all this second, third, and fourth opinion stuff.  Don't you think the team would do everything possible to get him healthy if they've invested $8 million in him for the 2008 season?  These are the same guys that showed up at his house for Thanksgiving dinner to convince him to drop his no-trade clause and come to the Sox prior to the 2004 season; why would they now shrewdly and heartlessly force Schill to undergo a painful rehabilitation process if they didn't think it was for the best?  Obviously, baseball is a business first and foremost, but the members of the Boston Red Sox front office clearly have personal connections with their players - especially Schill - and I just don't see them intentionally overlooking this fact and taking up a “winning’s the only thing that matters” attitude in dealing with Schilling’s injury.

Now to the discussions of the possibility of surgery:  Schill is clearly all for it.  If anything, I'll take away from this that Curt seems remarkably opposed to the Sox's plans for him to rehab and strengthen the shoulder.  Not only is he clearly opposed to it, but he seems rather distrusting of the Sox and their intentions, which is quite troubling from a fan's standpoint.  I can't totally blame him because the problems started during a similar strengthening program during this offseason, but regardless of what I think of his personal beliefs on the matter, I wholeheartedly disagree with his decision to voice his disapproval in such a public way. 

I have to [follow the Red Sox's treatment program]. I don’t have any choice. If their course of action doesn’t work, I don’t pitch this year, and I may never pitch again. I don’t have a choice...  I think if it’s what I believe it to be, it won’t take a long time to get to that place where we realize (whether) this is probably not going to work. It’s going to come with pushing harder physically, which we’re not doing right now...  [Morgan's] the Papelbon, he’s a specialist. The shoulder is what he does. So I’ve always trusted him and his work. [The Red Sox] disagreed...  When you talk about surgery and recovery and all that other stuff, I thought through those things, but it ended up it wasn’t my decision to make.

Wow, not exactly an overwhelming endorsement of your club's medical staff or their desire to see you happy and healthy, huh Curt?  Schill is clearly in a precarious situation here; he's having to constantly weigh three different parties telling him three totally different things, not to mention having to deal with the constant barrage from the media, along with Red Sox Nation's indictments and endless second-guessing.  I feel for him in that regard, but I lost a good deal of respect for the Sox's elder statesman in his decision to publicly question the Sox's diagnosis and treatment.  I get that he disagrees, but he should have kept it in house.  Schill's entitled to his opinion and it's reasonable to expect him to have doubts over the Sox's desires, but his mindset is all wrong here.  Isn't there an age-old belief that in order to be fully healthy physically, you must think positively and project positive thoughts?  Healthy mind equals healthy body, and healthy body equals healthy mind, that sort of thing?

It’s not always fair, and it doesn’t always work out the way I want it to. I’m going to make the best of every situation I’m put in.

You're right, Curt, it's very rarely fair, and it's even more rare for things to work out the way we want them to.  But you're far from making the best of this situation; if that were the case, you would have said you respect the team's wishes and will give it a shot; you would have said that in spite of your personal feelings and beliefs, which are totally irrelevant in this present predicament from a team perspective, you will wholeheartedly endorse the team's program and push everything else - Dr. Morgan's brilliant treatment recommendations included - out of your mind; you would have said you will be back on that field as soon as possible and will work toward that end with every waking moment of every day; most importantly, you would truly believe that everything you're currently doing will lead to that ultimate goal. 

You wouldn't have thrown your team's medical staff and front office under the bus while questioning their motives and decisions at every turn; you wouldn't have endorsed your personal physician because he gave you the most neat and easy diagnosis; you wouldn't approach this situation with constant skepticism over the inevitable failure of the treatment because you would believe without a shadow of a doubt that it would succeed and you would pitch again this year; ultimately, you wouldn’t have orchestrated an “invitation-only” media extravaganza in which you proceed to undermine the entire Red Sox organization. 

So much for making the best of every situation you're put in.