Just what is Curt Schilling thinking?Curt Schilling, who recently retired from the Boston Red Sox in March, says that he is now expressing 'some interest' in running for the vacant senate seat held by Democratic Sen Ted Kennedy for the last 47 years. Just who does he now think he's become in Massachusetts? According to reports coming out of Boston, Schilling, known for his on-field heroics, bloody sock and all, during the 2004 American League Playoffs and World Series, said he has been contacted 'by people whose opinion I give credence to, and I listened,' but he declined to elaborate. When he was asked directly if he would run, he said, "As of today, probably not". But he is considering the possibility. Please don't consider it any longer. The playing field is full of pros already. Please Curt, say it ain't so! What makes Schilling even think that he's worthy of running for a seat in the US Senate, let alone serving the people of this or any other state? After all what are the qualifications that he believes he brings to the table that would convince voters to elect him to the office? We are all aware of his public efforts to fight ALS through his charity, and we applaude him for that. But Massachusetts really needs someone who possesses a great deal of experience in the political arena to replace Sen Kennedy at a very important time because there are so many socio-economic issues that are coming up for discussion and historic votes in the near future. After all, has Schilling ever even run for elective office before? I suspect not. That would then mean that would be his very first attempt! Who on God's green earth runs for the US Senate in his very first try? This is essentially the equivalent of a major league baseball team bringing in a high school or college pitcher to start a World Series game. It's ridiculous!There have been other famous athletes over the years who have turned to politics after their athletic careers had ended. Jim Bunning, who formerly pitched for both Detroit and Philadelphia, as did Schilling, turned to politics after he left the game, but he first started out running for a city council seat in Ft. Thomas, KY. in 1977, 6 years after retiring from baseball. He then was elected to the state senate in Kentucky in 1979 and then ran and won a seat in congress in 1986 where he served for 12 years before becoming a US Senator from Kentucky in 1998. He's currently in the final year of his second term and will likely run for re-election in 2010. In other words, Jim Bunning essentially 'paid his dues' as the saying goes. He started his politial career on the local level in Kentucky and then worked his way up the ladder reaching the senate 21 years after first entering the field of politics. This way, the constituents who live in the state can watch his voting track record over the years and can decide for themselves if they want to have him represent them at the next level of government. I doubt that this is actually the case here in the clearly heavily democratic (read liberal) state of Massachusetts despite Schilling's popularity as a sports hero in Boston when he helped to break an 86 year old curse. If this continues to play out in the media, everyone will be able to watch daily updates on the local channels in Boston and on ESPN on Dish Network. By: Frank Bilotta
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