Remember how Curt Schilling said he'd be back in baseball in 2008? I'm sure you all remember that he did - I mean do you remember literally how he did so? He called WEEI, breaking the news to his beloved public (and I use beloved in both directions) using the same forum he's used many times since he became a Red Sox. At the time Schilling, who acts as his own agent, said that he'd either go into the season with a contract extension from Boston or declare free agency for the first time in his career after the season ends.Fast forward to yesterday, when Schilling called the radio station again, this time to announce that Theo Epstein told him that there would be no contract before the season starts. According to Shaughnessy, both radio announcements were made without prior knowledge of the Red Sox brass, a move he correctly called "Schilling's bluff." When the media interviewed Epstein about the matter, he said that age (Schilling will be 41 this year) was the primary motivation for not granting the extension.
Robin called me earlier this afternoon distraught by the idea of Curt Schilling even thinking of pitching somewhere else, but he admitted to being overly emotional; I think it's clear this situation is a straightforward example of the art of winning a negotiation.
Curt Schilling is a man who knows how to use the media to strengthen his position in the eyes of the public (just like a politician, right?). His calls to WEEI were tactical in nature: they were surprise statements that attempted to move the negotiations into the public sphere, where he has more power (or thinks he does, at least) because of his success in Boston. Whether or not you think Schilling is a blowhard, the calls were a good idea on his part - if he was negotiating with a weaker management team, they might have gotten him the extension now.
However, the Sox had two advantages of their own in this negotiation. First, Theo knows full well that it's stupid to grant extensions to any player who's 40+ without seeing what sort of numbers they're going to put up during the year. If (God forbid) Curt's arm falls off mid-season, the Sox will look pretty stupid having promised him money in 2008. Second, all Theo needed to move the negotiations back into Sox control was to stick to his guns, both with Schilling (by telling him no extension until before the start of the season) and in public, by stating the obvious reasons why Boston can't afford to make an emotional decision in this matter. Even though the Sox aren't guaranteed Curt's services for 2008, they made the smart response to Schilling's move by calling him out and telling him he needs to prove his ability before they'll give him more money. Well played, guys, well played.
Posts
