DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Schilling to Rocket: Give back the Cy Young Awards

Schilling to Rocket: Give back Cy Youngs By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
Thu Dec 20, 7:41 AM ET

BOSTON - Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling called on Roger Clemens to give up the four Cy Young Awards he's won since 1997 if he can't clear his name from allegations that he used steroids to prolong and enhance his career.

"If he doesn't do that then there aren't many options as a fan for me other than to believe his career 192 wins and three Cy Youngs he won prior to 1997 were the end," Schilling wrote Wednesday in his blog, 38pitches.com. "From that point on the numbers were attained through using (performance-enhancing drugs). Just like I stated about Jose (Canseco), if that is the case with Roger, the four Cy Youngs should go to the rightful winners, and the numbers should go away if he cannot refute the accusations."

Schilling noted in the 3,200-word posting that he was a fan of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner who owed much of his success to a stern talking-to he received from Clemens when Schilling was a young pitching prospect.

"His `undressing' of me and lecture were a major turning point," Schilling said. "I've always respected his career accomplishments and regarded him as the greatest pitcher to ever play the game."

But, having called on Canseco to give up his 1988 AL MVP award, and noting also the unrefuted evidence against Barry Bonds, Schilling acknowledged he could not avoid questioning Clemens' accomplishments as well.

"Can you separate what Barry is accused of from what Roger is accused of?" Schilling said. "If ... both of these men end up being caught, what does that say about this game, us as athletes and the future of the sport and our place in it? The greatest pitcher and greatest hitter of all time are currently both being implicated, one is being prosecuted, for events surrounding and involving the use of performance enhancing drugs. That (stinks). ... The sport needs fixing."

Clemens was the biggest name in the report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell that detailed the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing substances.

The Rocket's last four Cy Young Awards came in 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2004. Many of the allegations against Clemens in the Mitchell Report came from former trainer Brian McNamee, though none pertain to 1997 or 2004. Mitchell wrote McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while with the Toronto Blue Jays, and steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001, while with the New York Yankees.

Schilling commended those who've apologized for using performance-enhancing drugs, and called on everyone accused to prove their innocence or apologize for their mistakes.

"The world is full of good to great people that have made mistakes of this magnitude or worse," Schilling wrote. "These guys made mistakes, and I do mean mistakes. They didn't accidentally do this, this was a conscious decision with far reaching implications and they should be held accountable."

While calling Canseco's "entire career, all of it, is a sham" and saying "he was never in his life a major league player," Schilling also acknowledged that many of Canseco's claims about other steroid users have been corroborated.

"He has broken the flood gates on a topic that went unspoken on for far too long," Schilling said.

The runners-up in Clemens' last four Cy Young-winning years were Randy Johnson (1997 and 2004), Pedro Martinez (1998) and Mark Mulder (2001).

Schilling was among those who testified in March 2005 to a U.S. House committee investigating steroids, along with Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro. The same committee has scheduled hearings for Jan. 15.

Clemens has not been asked to attend, though it's possible that the committee could decide to ask Clemens or other players to appear that day — or at a future hearing, if there is one.
___

AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington contributed to this report

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_clemens_schilling_9

I'm a Red Sox fan, but Schilling needs to just shut up. He always puts his nose in where it doesn't belong. Schilling just better hope he doesn't get busted for 'roids, because you know he is using them.

Sox fan too and I agree to an extent. I doubt he'd be this high and mighty if he didn't know he's clean though.

Jeeze, I already hate Schilling, but this makes me dislike him even more. Who is he to step in to someone elses problem and make judgements on their situations?

I thought he was arrogant, but man......

I don't see the problem with this. Does he run his mouth a bit too much? Probably. But the media and even the public are saying this to an extent too, so simply because he is a player doesn't mean he shouldn't voice his opinion. If they are proven to have used performance drugs, they should have to give back all awards.

I hate Schilling he needs to shut up.

That is all.

Schilling should shut up, this is the same guy who used the fake bloody sock.

Its ironic that people come on here and give their opinions, but Schilling blog about his? If you dont want to hear what he has to say dont read it.

Are you saying no one should be able to give their opinion about Schilling's blog?

I wonder if Schilling would run his mouth if he had to bat against Clemens.

I see what your saying, give more of an explanation then just "shut up".

To me, Schilling should keep his opinion to himself since he's involved in a scandal of his own that isn't linked to steroids, and it seems like he's just trying to promote himself to be a HOFer. Either way when players talk bad about each other it makes them look bad.

Shut up.

I think he was talking specifically about you.

He's talking to the one he clicked on, at least that's what he told me in a PM. Oops.

It's funny that people who love to give their opinion about everything on a message board say that Curt should stop giving his. Much as you don't like it, he's just as entitled as you are. He just has more of an audience.

Did Doug M (can't spell his last name) retract his comments?

Schilling offered a million dollars to the person who could prove it wasn't his blood. No one came forward.

So that makes it a non story? Doug M. had nothing to gain by making the comments he did, so the story is questionable to me.

Well you can believe what you want to believe. Doug M (whose name you can't even spell) might have been looking to have his name attached to another story since his 'fame' was dwindling. He'd already played games with the Red Sox and HOF about the WS baseball and that story died down. The guy could be a media whore minus the talent.

Quote:

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Doug didn't really comment on it, it was a Orioles broadcaster, retelling what he heard from Doug M. Doug has since said he was joking around with the broadcaster, and he misunderstood that he was kidding.

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I knew that it came from a broadcaster but forgot which team, but didn't know that Doug M. came out since and said he was kidding. Thanks for the update.

Here's a good question for Curt:
If you want Clemens to give up his Cy Young awards, would you be willing to give back any and all of your World Series rings if ANY of your teammates were cheaters also?

Seriously. What's the difference? If his teammates were cheating, his rings are just as invalid as Clemen's awards.

I wonder if he'd change his tune.

I'm not a Schilling fan by any stretch, but I'd rather see someone calling people out on this vs. the shenanigans of those congressional hearings a few years ago where nobody admitted anything and covered up for each other. Remember 'ol Bud and the union's answer to the problem?

World Series wins are a team reward.

Cy Young is individual...

There's quite a difference there.

Two players does not a team make. If you're going to penalize teams for the trangressions of a few, all of baseball will have to give back everything. Some guys were playing the game cleanly and we should definitely NOT penalize those who didn't use steroids. You'd probably want to honor them more...

While I see what DIEHARD is saying, why are we even discussing if no Red Sox players have been discussed or accused?

1. Schill didn't say for Roger or his teammaes to give back their WS rings .. so much for that BS ....

2. theirs a HUGE DIFFERENCE between individual and team accomplishments ... HUGE ...

and in #2 lies he reason when as more and more guys get caught and confess to using Roids it gets real hard what to with the records ...

lets use Barroid as the example ... if we take away all the Home Runs he hit and take away all his RBI's ... Oooops .. do we take away all his RBI's or just the ones that came from HR's .. then what do we do with the records of the guys who scored on those RBI's???

now lets turn to Pettite .... he admitted it ... if we erase what he did ... when do we erase what he did ... all of what he did or just when he admitted to being on roids ... and then what do we do with the guys he faced .. do we adjust all their batting averages to reflect what they did without facing Andy ...

interesting stuff .. I like Costa's solution and think its the only one that makes sense ... even though I hate the results of it ..

and on Team awards vs Individual ones .. Shill would like to see Rog give back HIS cy young award not his WS rings .. last I knew the ENTIRE team has a WS ring .. now if they all have CY Young trophies from the years Rog one them .. they should have to give them back ..

Makes no sense to me .... cause U wanna punish everyone for the mistakes of lets say 4 or 5 guys per team ... plus U need to look at the teams they played against .. i can GAURANTEE U they had guys using ..

the report stinks in that they only got two guys to talk ... U and I and everyone knows theres players on EVERY TEAM that used ..

bottom Line .. ALL THE PLAYERS are to blame .. cause theirs guys on every team that KNEW/KNOW who were using .. but they wanna keep their mouths shut .. so be it ...

I can't believe I'm about to say this .. so let me put it in question form .. will make me feel better .. *L* ..

do we punish only the ones that got "caught" when we know for a fact there were way more that havent been caught than were??? .. plus how do we merit out punishment .. lets face it what Bonds and Mac did was way worse than what Pettite did if everything we know is true ..

this is a MESS ... plain and simple ..