There’s a whole lot to find wrong with a lot of what ESPN Baseball Analyst Curt Schilling has to say. His social and political views are viewed as quite extreme by many. Many of his statements are quite disagreeable. The statements below, however, are not.
Much like the way Schilling handled those disgusting and horrible Twitter trolls who deplorably harassed both him and his daughter in March, Schilling really got this one right. Schilling totally nailed it here.
Schilling, along with fellow analyst Aaron Boone, were on a press call to preview the 2015 MLB Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game. The very first question from a reporter was:
“I’d like to get your thoughts on Pete Rose’s involvement in the on-field All-Star Game ceremonies for this year’s game? How do you both individually feel about that? (transcript ESPN Media Zone)”
Read below as Schilling RIPPED PETE ROSE INTO A MILLION LITTLE PIECES. He just absolutely SHREDDED HIM COMPLETELY
I think I’m at this point now I’m indifferent. Apathy, I guess, is the right word, I think. I guess I’m a little tired of his story overselling, overplaying or other things like the Hall of Fame weekend. Every weekend at the Hall of Fame when guys are getting inducted there are always Pete Rose stories. I think that we’re going to see the same thing at the All-Star Game. We have a lot of guys, and he’s going to be the story.
And I know Pete. I know him actually pretty well. I don’t know the last time that he has actually told the truth from the standpoint of every time he says something, this is a guy that had a Lance Armstrong feel to it. It turns out that he’s lied in every possible way and he’s adamantly denied lying at every possible turn.
The question I think everybody wants to know, everybody wants to know, did he bet on baseball? No, no, no, never did, never did, never did. Turns out he did as a player. Now the question is did he bet on his own team when he played? You know, I don’t know where the line ends. But I do know that that poster about gambling was on every locker room I ever went in from the time I was in rookie ball to my last day in the Big Leagues, and it’s one of the few rules where I think you mess with a lot more than just the integrity of the game.
I’m apathetic. Certainly as far as the Hall of Fame goes, I don’t know. I’m just kind of ready for it to end, the story.
WOW! Ripping someone for being a liar is one thing; mentioning how well you know him and then stating what a boldfaced liar he is…well, that’s another. Comparing anyone to Lance Armstrong these days is just highly insulting. On this part, I’ll just have to trust Schilling’s judgment. Schilling would know better than most of us about what kind of person Pete Rose is.
On the second point, I can verify that Schilling is totally right. NOBODY CARES ANYMORE ABOUT PETE ROSE FEATURES STORIES!!!
NO ONE!
And it’s important to bring this up because we’re about to be inundated with a flood of Rose/reinstatement/Hall of Fame stories this week as the All-Star game is in Cincinnati. Then we’ll be plagued with more Rose stories during Cooperstown enshrinement weekend.
From personal experience I can tell you that stories on Pete Rose are a complete waste of time because they are page views death. No one clicks on them. No one reads them. No one cares.
Although, to be fair, there’s more here at work than just apathy for Pete Rose. I don’t know many people over the age of 12 who care about the Home Run Derby. Nor should they. Even if you do love it, you have to somehow endure Chris Berman in order to consume it, and that’s much easier said than done.
The All-Star Game itself is obsolete and overrated. Still referring it to as “a jewel event” is laughable. Not just the baseball ASG, but all All-Star games for that matter. Then, taking it a step further, baseball itself doesn’t equal page views on the internet. The other major sports consistently do much better when it comes to driving clicks, unique visits, time on site, etc.
At least when juxtaposed against the sport’s presence and visibility in other mediums. This is a problem I’ve been very vocal about for several years. Each baseball season, every home run derby, every All-Star break, it gets even worse. It’s why these press calls for baseball events with baseball analysts draw much fewer media than similar press calls for other sports.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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