Senator Schilling? Red Sox Pitcher Weighing Run for Ted Kennedy’s Seat

Will Boston baseball star Curt Schilling be throwing his Red Sox cap into the ring for Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat?  It’s possible. But winning a  race as a  Republican in Massachusetts may be an even tougher challenge than leading the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years.

The recently retired Red Sox pitcher, who lives in Medfield, MA, wrote on his 38 Pitches blog Wednesday that he had “some interest in the possibility” of running for the late Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate  seat. He told New England Cable News Wednesday he has  “been contacted” about running for the seat in the January 19 special election.

Schilling, a three-time World Series champ, is a Boston legend who helped lead the Red Sox to two improbable rings in his five seasons with the team. He also helped beat the Yankees as an Arizona Diamondback in the 2001 World Series, endearing himself to Sox fans.

Schilling is best remembered for his bloody sock, when he had his ankle stitched together after he tore his tendon in the 2004 ALDS. Yet somehow, he managed to beat the Yankees in Game 6 of  that year’s ALCS, and the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, on that Frankenstein ankle.

Granted, Schilling was valiant, but he got a huge assist when Yankee manager Joe Torre never had his players bunt on Schilling. Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Schilling may still be a beloved figure in Boston, but if he runs for Senate, it would be as a Republican in Massachusetts, the bluest of blue states. While the state has elected several Republicans in recent years as governor, they haven’t had a Republican senator in 30 years, and there are no Republicans in the state’s  U.S. House delegation.

The pitcher is technically a registered independent, but he has been a longtime supporter of Republican candidates, and campaigned for both John McCain and George W. Bush. In fact, his 2004 Ohio appearances with Bush, just after he led the Red Sox to a World Series championship, arguably made the difference in Bush winning Ohio – and a second term.

Could a conservative Republican win in a state a Gallup poll recently named as  “the most liberal” in the country? If anybody could, it’s Schilling. Besides, he may have run his mouth a lot, but he usually backed it up as well.

And with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez being tainted by being on the infamous 2003 “list” of steroid users, No. 38 remains a Red Sox fan favorite. He does a regular spot on Boston’s WEEI sports radio and still lives in the Boston area, even though he retired earlier this year from the Sox.

But Schilling already has a lot on his plate these days – he runs gaming company 38 Studios, and has wife Shonda and their four children to think about. He told NECN that they would be a consideration on whether to run.

As for whether a Republican could win in Massachusetts,  Schilling had this to say:

“My hope is that we’re past that,” Schilling told NECN. “That we’re past the whole R and D thing. My fear is that we aren’t. My hope is that we understand now more than ever that we’re in a place where we need to put good people, above all else. People without ties to special interests, people with integrity and ethics and country first values in office regardless of the letter that precedes their name.”

So far, no Republican has as of yet officially announced a candidacy for the seat. And there is also a precedent for a baseball pitcher in the U.S. Senate – Hall of Famer Jim Bunning is a Kentucky senator.

But would the outspoken Schilling  be able to handle the campaign trail? He said:

“I don’t have a really good filter,” Schilling said in the interview with NECN. “Actually my first press conference could probably be my last as someone on the political scene, which probably wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Ain’t that the truth.  If Schilling does run, the entertainment factor alone would make it the most interesting Senate race in the country.  Heck, he could single-handedly revitalize the newspaper industry by giving so many writers so much to write about.

But he’ll have to find somebody other than Boston manager Terry Francona to run his campaign. “I don’t think he’d want me as his campaign manager,” Francona joked.

Photo by Aaron Frutman

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