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Schilling's last blog?
Schilling retires, breaks news in personal blog
In a not-too-shocking announcement Monday morning, Boston Red Sox pitcher, Curt Schilling officially announced his retirement on his blog.
Typically when a player is going to announce a retirement, that player's team will call a press conference and the media scrambles to make sure it has eyes and ears at the announcement. Who can forget the video footage of Junior Seau's retirement speech, when he belted, "I'm not retiring, I'm graduating!"
Perhaps the most emotional farewell speech ever heard was at Yankee Stadium on July 4th, 1939. In front of more than 62,000 fans, Lou Gehrig stood humbled at home plate, hat in his hands, surrounded by teammates and friends. That day was Lou Gehrig Day.
After being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Gehrig stepped to the microphone and began his address: "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
In my opinion, Brett Favre deserves to have that same type of recognition on Lambeau Field sometime in the near future. However, when Favre announced his retirement for the first time, it was via cell phone call to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
It appears we are beyond the days of walking into your boss's office, shaking that person's hand and wishing you both wishing the other the "very best." Schilling decided to blog, Favre decided to call a reporter, and I imagine when Shaquille O'Neal retires, he might text or e-mail one of his teammates to break the news.
There's no doubt that Schilling was a phenomenal professional, and there was no mention in his blog about a potential return or if he was done for good; but isn't this type of act by Schilling a direct consequence of media overload, technology and the lack of personal relationships that exist in sports?
This borders on breaking up with your girlfriend over the phone, or telling your parents in an e-mail why the front bumper is missing.
Who knows whether Schilling informed the Red Sox before he blogged this news, but I hope he respected his teammates, coaches, the Red Sox and the game of baseball enough to shake someone's hand before he "logged-on" to "log-off."
Typically when a player is going to announce a retirement, that player's team will call a press conference and the media scrambles to make sure it has eyes and ears at the announcement. Who can forget the video footage of Junior Seau's retirement speech, when he belted, "I'm not retiring, I'm graduating!"
Perhaps the most emotional farewell speech ever heard was at Yankee Stadium on July 4th, 1939. In front of more than 62,000 fans, Lou Gehrig stood humbled at home plate, hat in his hands, surrounded by teammates and friends. That day was Lou Gehrig Day.
After being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Gehrig stepped to the microphone and began his address: "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
In my opinion, Brett Favre deserves to have that same type of recognition on Lambeau Field sometime in the near future. However, when Favre announced his retirement for the first time, it was via cell phone call to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
It appears we are beyond the days of walking into your boss's office, shaking that person's hand and wishing you both wishing the other the "very best." Schilling decided to blog, Favre decided to call a reporter, and I imagine when Shaquille O'Neal retires, he might text or e-mail one of his teammates to break the news.
There's no doubt that Schilling was a phenomenal professional, and there was no mention in his blog about a potential return or if he was done for good; but isn't this type of act by Schilling a direct consequence of media overload, technology and the lack of personal relationships that exist in sports?
This borders on breaking up with your girlfriend over the phone, or telling your parents in an e-mail why the front bumper is missing.
Who knows whether Schilling informed the Red Sox before he blogged this news, but I hope he respected his teammates, coaches, the Red Sox and the game of baseball enough to shake someone's hand before he "logged-on" to "log-off."
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