Schilling starts spring training buzz

Leave it to Curt Schilling to make us forget all about a little debacle called Super Bowl XLII.
The Boston Red Sox righthander apparently has suffered an undisclosed right shoulder injury, sending the Hub's frantic media hoard into overdrive. Speculation is that Schilling will be out at least until the All-Star break and some outlets have gone as far as to say that the 41-year-old could miss the entire season.
That's the simple part of the story. Nothing involving Schilling is ever that simple. The man is a lightning rod for controversy, even when he gets hurt. He insists that his own personal physician, Dr. Craig Morgan, has told him that he needs to have surgery. Red Sox medical personnel apparently disagree, asking Schilling to begin a team-sanctioned strength and rehabilitation program that will have him back sooner rather than later.
All of this sound familiar? It should. It isn't the first time Schilling has been injured coming off a championship season. His bloody sock is the enduring image of Boston's 2004 World Series run and the subsequent ankle surgery that hobbled him for most of 2005 caused a dispute between Schilling and the team. Schilling tried to come back too soon and the Red Sox just couldn't say no to the man who had sacrificed his own future for the good of the club. It seems that history is repeating itself here.
The ugliest revelation Thursday was that Schilling had contacted the player's union. It was reported that the Red Sox might be trying to void Schilling's 2008 contract, a one-year deal worth $8 million, and Schilling is prepared to ask the union to defend his rights. A rift between Schilling and Red Sox management is a serious concern considering how the two sides disagreed about Schilling's contract for this season -- Boston wanted to wait to sign Schilling to an extension and Schilling wanted a one-year, $13-million deal one year in advance -- and that Schilling's departures from his previous teams have been anything but tidy. He was traded by the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles before he turned 25 and forced his way out of Philadelphia in 2000 after saying publicly that he didn't believe management was doing enough to build a winning team. Boston acquired Schilling from Arizona after the 2003 season, just two short years after the Diamondbacks won the World Series.
As for Schilling's replacement? Welcome to the big leagues, Clay Buchholz. Here's your chance to deliver on the lofty expectations that Theo Epstein and the crew have for you. That no-hitter you threw last year? Yeah, that was nice, but now Red Sox Nation is looking for about 180 innings, 14 wins, a sub-4.00 ERA and 150 or so strikeouts. All the scouts that have been left panting in your wake, drooling over the 90-plus fastball, sick curveball and change-up that dives toward the dirt have their necks out there now. We're going to see if you're the real deal or not. You have the chance to pitch for the defending world champions, the benefit of all that run support backing you up when you don't have your best stuff on a given night. Good luck.