Curt Schilling retires

I caught this news about Curt Schilling this morning ...

It was time for him to go, but he's become one of my baseball heroes along the way. His postseason performances are the stuff of legend. And those performances in Philadelphia, Arizona and especially in Boston encompass some of my favorite baseball memories.

He's a proven winner. Let's get him into the Hall of Fame.

Playing catchup...

So the Red Sox won the World Series Sunday night ...

What can you say? Sure I was rooting for the Rockies -- they were the sentimental favorite. But, don't get me wrong, I've been a Red Sox fan for awhile now, too. They're darn good (as the analysts said afterward, get ready world, this is going to be the team to beat for years to come. No more curses in Boston...), and they pretty much knocked the purple mountain majesty out of the Rockies ...

* * *

Thank you Jacoby Ellsbury. For my free taco, that is ... In case you missed it, and I know many of you did, Ellsbury, the lovable Red Sox rookie stole second base in Game 2. Even if you were paying moderate attention to that game, it was easy to miss. It wasn't at all a significant point in the game, and Ellsbury swiped it without even drawing a throw ... But, hey, it was enough for Taco Bell to offer everyone in the country a free taco between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. on Tuesday ...

So, on Tuesday, at about 2:15, I took a jaunt to a local Taco Bell for my free taco ... Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would the parking lot be packed!? Would the drive-thru be a dozen cars deep? Would I have to fear being trampled?

Turns out, my car was one of two in the parking lot. I went inside the store and waited as another couple placed their order; clearly they had no knowledge of the free taco. Then, the cashier asked them, "Would you like your free taco?" The man looked at his companion, shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. The woman -- she declined the free taco.

My turn. I stepped to the register. Ordered a taco supreme for my cohort Laura, soft taco for myself and a Mountain Dew to go with it. And then I added "And yes, I want my free taco."

The cheery cashier replied, "Ok, I was waiting to see how you were going to order and then I was going to ask."

"Yep. I'm a big baseball fan, so I know all about it."

The cheery cashier then went on to tell me all about her and her boyfriend cheering and getting excited about Monday night's Packers game. Sure, it was a great game, but how she thought that had anything to do with the Worlds Series, a stolen base and free tacos, I'm not so sure ...

I took my free taco back to work and noted it was the best free taco I'd ever tasted ...

I should have gone for more. It didn't occur to me until afterward, when I got this e-mail from my friend Matt, that I could have hit up every Taco Bell in the city for a free taco and no one would have known ...

I outsmarted Taco Bell. I just pulled up to the drive-thru and said “I’d like my free taco.” And she said, “Would you like something to drink with that?” Me again: “Nope, just the free taco.” And then I peeled out of there! Woo Hoo!

Actually, I don’t think I really outsmarted Taco Bell. But I did enjoy my tasty free taco. And I really wanted to drive back through again.

Dang. I could have done my run at 2, and again on my way home just before 5. Next year.

* * *

So Joe Torre's going to manage the Dodgers!? Nice ... I'm happy, thrilled really. But it's a well-known fact Torre didn't exactly have a stellar managerial record before arriving at Yankee Stadium. Now we'll get to see what he's really made of ...

And the Tigers got Edgar Renteria!? Also nice. Now they just need Craig Counsell, Moises Alou and Jeff Conine and they'll really be the '97 Marlins reincarnated. They've already got Dombrowski, Leyland and Sheffield ... Too bad Livan Hernandez and Kevin Brown are washed up.

And Alex Rodriguez is opting out of his contract. I still can't blame him ... Even then, I'm still debating in my head whether I'd want him on my team ... It's always interesting with A-Rod.

More good reads ...
a Schilling: 'Realistic chance' I won't be back ... That sucks. I'll be really sorry to see Schilling leave Boston ... But what's this!? He's interested in coming to Milwaukee!? Oh, tell me more!!
a Papelbon a hit on Letterman ... I watched this last night. Good stuff. Is it just me, or does anyone else think Papelbon's just a little bit nuts?
a 2007: 'A great year for baseball' ... I second that. My highlights: Verlander's no-hitter. The Red Sox four straight home runs. Sammy Sosa's 600th. Barry Bonds 756th -- sigh. And of course the Brewers and the pennant races, not to mention my two games in one day. Oh, and the whole 'winter ball' experience ...

* * *

How about that Packers game on Monday night!?!

It was a snoozefest until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. For the better part of the contest, the game was only background noise as I worked on other things; I paid more attention to Deanna Favre's interview with Kornheiser and the gang in the broadcast booth then I did during other play in the first three quarters ...

Then Kates joined me and we took a seat to see the Broncos scramble and kick the tying field goal in the final five seconds. How amazing -- and comical -- was that replay of the players running on/off the field and hastily getting in position for that kick!?

Seeing the end of regulation, Kates announced she had to go to bed and went upstairs, while I remained in front of the TV, determined to stay it out ... No sooner had Kates gotten up the stairs, Brett Favre was airing it up to Greg Jennings, who pulled it in and ran it in for the winning score ... I bolted up the stairs and was running down our hallway, hands in the air -- like Favre running down field to meet his teammates -- shouting the details to Kates as I turned on our bedroom TV so we could catch the replays together ...

Ah, Brett Favre.

I don't know what Mike McCarthy told him before the season, but the guy is throwing better this season than he has in years. I take back everything I said a couple years ago about Favre and retirement ...


* * *

I spent Monday in Chicago. (Woo hoo!) Saw the new "Maps" exhibit at the Field Museum ...

Kinda fascinating.

When my cohort Liz pitched the idea of me tagging along with her and one of my editors to review the exhibit, I wasn't that excited. I mean, c'mon, how exciting can maps really be?

The exhibit is comprised of more than 100 significant and rare maps, spanning hundreds of years from those carved on stone tablets to today's computerized images ... (The Trib has a great online interactive...)

The highlights in my eyes included a map from the 1930s of London's underground rail system, a significant map because the rail system's simple, rectangular design became the template for other large city systems ...

Another gem was a colorful heart-shaped globe, that was more a beautiful piece of art than a usable map. Still, it was made more captivating in that the shapes, sizes and proximity of the continents remained exact even with the distortion of the globe ...

We saw a road map of the United States in the 1930s. What made this one so fascinating was that the map had been used during one family's series of vacations. With no interstate highways, the map was colored with red and blue lines tracing routes they took to various destinations, including the year of the vacation route ...

There was a map used to draw the boundaries of the new United States after the Revolutionary War, a map on which the negotiators had outlined the U.S. boundaries in red and gave it to England's King George III ...

There was Charles Lindbergh's flight map. Maps drawn by Abraham Lincoln and Leonardo da Vinci ...

But the one that had us all talking during our train ride back: An Inuit's pencil sketch, done in the 1800s, of a series of islands he'd drawn based on what he observed while kayaking. And next to that pencil drawing, a recent satellite image of the same islands; the pencil drawing was astonishingly accurate ...

* * *

Some of the radio stations started playing Christmas music yesterday. On Nov. 1.

Fa la la la blah!

Sunday reading ...

Some of the good reads that caught my eyes during the last week ...

Politics ...
a Clinton Uses Birthday to Raise Funds
a Pressed on administration role for Gore, Obama says possible but unlikely

Baseball ...
a Mitchell investigation raises questions
a On the Mark: Boston Glee Party
a Schilling's genius, Lowell's hustle, Rockies' struggles
a Mile-High Madness
a Pennant Race Collapses
a SI Flashback: This Year's Phenom
a Zell: 'I don't understand' Cubs' business
a 'Sodfather' begins renovation of field

Music, art & entertainment ...
a Arrested Development pumps up the positive energy
a The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson
a Fall TV shows that should go away now

Sunday reading

... some of the stories and headlines that caught my eyes this past week ...

TV ...
a With 'Back to You,' the multi-camera sitcom gets a fighting chance
a Kevin Reilly reflects on move to Fox
a A Dramatic Transition: Legal Thriller Broadens Ted Danson's Acting Chops
a Carey talks 'Price Is Right'

Music ...
a Bands and brands going hand in hand
a Tegan & Sara ready to face the future

Baseball & sports
a Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn still awestruck about Hall of Fame
a The Iron Horse and Ripken
a Chances Are Three Times as Unlikely
a Ripken Enters The Hall: The Man, the Myth
a Schilling: Lack of denials implies guilt
a Jenkins enjoying that winning feeling
a Costas not upset about Bonds's 'midget man' shot
a Donovan: Brewers getting antsy
a HR record about to fall, but there are plenty more out there
a Top 11 tainted sports achievements
a Bike track spurs cycle of nostalgia

Other stuff ...
a Google's View of D.C. Melds New and Sharp, Old and Fuzzy
a Getting discovered online
a Bill attempts to protect dead stars' images
a The Meat Shall Inherit the Fridge
a Seeing past the sugarcoating: If not cereal companies, from where will kids learn to pick apart cartoonish marketing?
a For the 'I Like Turtles' Boy, 17 Seconds Of Fame

And after a rough week in the sports world, some good Onion reads always cheer me up ...

Barry Bonds Home-Run Scandal Somehow Becomes Feel-Good Sports Story Of Summer

SAN FRANCISCO—Although Barry Bonds remains the target of criticism over his possible—some say almost certain—use of performance-enhancing substances, the fact that Bonds has not been implicated in dogfighting, nightclub...

While Clearing Out Desk, Dan Patrick Sobs Over Picture Of Him And Tim Kurkjian

BRISTOL, CT—Longtime ESPN anchor Dan Patrick, who recently announced that he will leave the sports network in August, broke into spasms of...

Roger Clemens' Family Offers Him One-Year, $10 Million Contract

HOUSTON—Representatives from the Clemens family met with the star pitcher over an informal dinner Tuesday evening to discuss the possibility of keeping Roger Clemens home for one more season, sources close to the family...

Joe DiMaggio's Diary Just A List Of Things, People He Hated

NEW YORK—Upon closer examination, a 2,400-page, 29-volume diary kept by New York Yankees centerfielder Joe DiMaggio from 1982 to 1993 is...

Shane Victorino Really Thought Phillies Could Avoid 10,000th Loss

PHILADELPHIA—Following the Phillies' 45th loss of the season—the historic and much-discussed 10,000th in franchise...

Sunday reading

Baseball reads ...
a Marlins shouldn't be allowed to shop stars ... bottom line: Jeffrey Loria is bad for baseball.
a Mussina, Maddux, Schilling lead pitching's old guard

Music reads ...
a Sha Na Na founder helps hunt criminals
a Gracenote names that tune in anonymity

Life in general ...
a A few ideas to make life easier
a Tattoo Blues: Her students are getting under her skin
a Instant messaging lets users juggle social ties near, afar
a Studios avoid critics’ pan of movies that click with fans
a Welcome to the white-trash nation

Sunday reading

Nothing like a lazy afternoon watching spring training baseball and 'Baseball Tonight' ...

... while it snows outside my window.

Once again, the interesting reads that caught my eyes this past week:

... in baseball news ...
a Clemens' son: Dad's 'stuff is pretty nasty'
a Request to force Angels' name change rejected ... darn. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (and the marketing scheme behind it) is one of the most pathetic things in all of sports these days.
a Schilling: Move WBC To July ... I'm kinda thinking the same thing.
a St. Louis stadium work still frenzied with just over a month to go ... can't wait to see it.
a Fans - and Congress - outraged over Buck O'Neil's exclusion from Hall of Fame ... Count me among those.

... in music news ...
a Queen is Recharged and Ready to Rock You ... ah, Queen. Great music.

... in TV news ...
a Edgy dramas, inventive sitcoms and even inventors are sprouting up on the networks this spring ... I cannot WAIT to get a look at ABC's 'Sons & Daughters' ... Ok, the reviews for it haven't been that good, but it looks to be HA-larious at least for a couple episodes.
a 'West Wing' alums to return as show winds down ... I couldn't imagine the Bartlett administration winding down any other way. Can't wait!!

... in pop culture/political/comic news ...
a ‘Boondocks’ comic strip taking 6-month hiatus ... And let's hope it returns in six months. It's one of the edgiest and coolest -- not to mention funniest -- comic strips in American newspapers right now.

... and from somewhere out there ...
a So Speedy, So Exclusive, So Expensive, So Totaled

Sunday reading

A collection of good, intriguing reads from this last week and beyond about some of my favorite personalities and subject matter ...

Baseball...
a Eleventh heaven for Joe Torre
a Cubs begin 97th season without title
a Larry Walker serves as instructor at spring training for Cards
a Court Battle With Apparel Firm Threatens Nats Merchandise
a Garciaparra was shadowed by controversy in Boston and injury in Chicago; now, with Hamm in his corner, he relishes a fresh start with Dodgers, his 'home' team
a Johnny Damon changes sides, but still a fan favorite
a Miguel Tejada's words tangled in spin
a Steinbrenner Was Right in Picking Sheffield
a For Curt Schilling, clothes really do make the man
a Frank Robinson at large: Pearls of wisdom from a Hall of Famer

Entertainment...
a Ombudsman Keeps Watch Over ESPN Empire
a New Video Technologies Free TV Viewers From Couch
a Redford remembers ‘All the President's Men’
a `The Office' Growing On Viewers - And iPod
a Is ‘a la carte’ cable a good idea?

And in other news...
a Wikipedia's Help From the Hill: Edits Lead Site to Block Some Lawmakers' Offices
a Bottom line: Nude actresses sell magazines