Schilling watch

I'm still a huge Curt Schilling fan, long after he stopped wearing Phillies pinstripes. He's one of the game's premier big-game pitchers.

I'm a nutty optimist, but I still hold out hope that #38 can get into the Hall of Fame. I figure he needs about 225 career wins to have any shot of enshrinement. Even then, he'll have to rely on the intangibles associated with his candidacy. To wit, his World Series co-MVP award will help bolster his case.

What would also help tremendously would be if he won at least one Cy Young award (that would help address one of the criticisms that he hasn't even been the ace of his own last two teams). He took a big step toward that accomplishment with his 17th win of the season last night.

He's now tied in the AL for wins, third in ERA and third in strikeouts. If he were to get to 20 wins and helped the Red Sox get into the playoffs, and doubly if they could catch the fast falling Yankees, he would have a very strong case for that first Cy Young.