* It’s funny how sometimes things work out.
In inviting Curt Schilling to the Opening Day ceremony that will pay tribute to both the 2004 World Series champions and honor the memory of both Tim and Stacy Wakefield, the Red Sox acted properly. Schilling was, of course, an integral part of that team and the franchise doesn’t snap its 86-year title drought without him.
The problem here, though, isn’t Schilling’s political stands or public comments on the issues of the day. The issue is that he violated the privacy of the Wakefield family by disclosing Tim’s condition just days before his death.
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As abhorrent as Schilling’s disregard was, to exclude him from the ceremony would have only made him into a martyr. Undoubtedly, he would have claimed he was somehow being blackballed by the team’s owners because of his political beliefs, blah blah blah.
So the Red Sox extended the olive branch and invited him, probably crossing their fingers and hoping he would have the good sense to respectfully decline.
Lo and behold, that’s precisely what happened. In a rare demonstration of humility and common sense, Schilling took the hint and decided his appearance on April 9 would only tarnish the ceremony and distract from the reason for the gathering. Schilling further took the opportunity to apologize on Facebook for his decision to defy Wakefield’s wishes, saying he’ll “forever regret” his actions.
Now, the players will gather and celebrate their collective achievement as well as their departed teammate and his wife. They’ll fondly recall their ALCS comeback and all they overcame, and they’ll pay tribute to their late friend, who exemplified selflessness.
Schilling, meanwhile, will not be in attendance to revel in what he and they accomplished, having made himself persona non grata. That’s the price he pays for his callous disregard of his friend’s wishes. And for that, he has only himself to blame. The work karma comes to mind.
Wakefield will be properly remembered, along with the 2004 team, and there will be no side shows or distractions. I call that a win-win.
* The Shohei Ohtani mess represents an absolute PR nightmare for Major League Baseball. The league finally got its most famous player into a huge market, part of a Super Team, and almost certainly will have him taking part in the postseason for the first time in his career this October.
But before Ohtani and the Dodgers can play a single regular season game at home, Ohtani finds himself smack in the middle of a full-blown gambling scandal. Even if Ohtani is cleared, his reputation has already taken a hit. And as happened with Michael Jordan, there will be conspiracy theories dogging him for the rest of his career.
MLB has announced that it has launched its own investigation. Let’s hope it will be transparent in its findings. Anything less will resemble a cover-up.
* Paging Mr. Charlie Baker. Please pick up the white courtesy phone.
College basketball is in crisis. The NCAA tournament selection process is a joke, and schools are in revolt. More than a dozen schools turned down NIT bids because they can’t field enough players. The day after the tournament, when all the focus should have been on the field, the sport was instead consumed by the transfer portal.
In weeks to come, it will be all about NIL money. And what should be a fun few weeks will instead be dominated by upheaval as coaches slip out the back door, players plot transfers and the games get overshadowed.
* No, as a matter of fact, I’m not the least bit interested in your bracket, any more than I’m interested in improvements to your golf game or your fantasy draft strategy.
* Get ready for an epidemic of obstruction calls on the bases in the opening weeks of the baseball season. You can already see in spring training how umpires are cracking down on infielders blocking access to the bag. That’s likely to carry over into April, with reversed calls galore on force plays. Just what the game needs — more delays and arguments over minutiae.
* After all that’s happened, there would a certain undeniable irony if Linus Ullmark again became the Bruins’ most trustworthy option in net in the playoffs. But with three weeks to go — his play in the third period Saturday notwithstanding — it’s starting to look that way.
* Interest in baseball is down across New England. That much is blindingly obvious after the Red Sox finished in last place in three of the last four seasons, then compounded matters by not spending to improve this winter. The team has brought this upon itself and its owners and upper management can blame themselves for the alarming drop-off in popularity.
But “interviewing” five people at random near Fenway two weeks before the home opener to make the point that “nobody cares about the Red Sox anymore!!” is both poor journalism and a lousy polling method.
* As a profession, no one – no one — whines more than college basketball coaches. That applies to men and women. And occasionally, preemptively, too, right Kim Mulkey? And I sure open no one at TD Garden says anything objectionable to Dan Hurley next weekend.
* The pitching staff remains an open question, but there’s little doubt that the Red Sox will be much better defensively this year, what with Trevor Story available from the start and healthy, and Ceddanne Rafaela in center. That should help.
* Goaltending is important, of course, but the Bruins are in for another early exit in the playoffs is Brad Marchand doesn’t soon find his game. Marchand has one goal in his last 15 games, and the team doesn’t have nearly enough scoring depth to survive without contributions from him.
* Understanding that Ohtani’s interpreter reportedly placed his bets with an illegal bookie, this is what happens when pro sports leagues partner with gambling outfits. The lure of sponsorships proved too lucrative to pass up, and now MLB — along with the NFL, NBA and the NHL — find themselves in business with companies they sprinted away from as recently as five years ago. And it’s only going to get worse.
* The fact that the NFL has turned its schedule release announcement into An Actual Event is further testament to the league’s unmatched ability to dominate every news cycle. After all, this is a league that figured out a way to convince you to intently watch prospective players running around plastic cones.
