The Red Sox Season 2007 – A Rough Opening Day, Dice-K and Curt Shilling’s Blog

The more things change, the more they stay the same! The citizens of Red Sox Nation are already howling on the airwaves of WEEI that the hometown favorites are “ruinin’ my summah”! This after a 7-1 Opening Day shellacking at the hands of the bargain basement Kansas City Royals. Despite the Chicken Little prognostications, I am looking forward to an exciting six months at Fenway Park. Here are a few nuggets of why I can’t wait for the turnstiles on Yawkey Way to start turning:

“Dice-K” Matsuzaka will change the face of the Red Sox. Not only will he bring excitement on the field as he and Jason Varitek figure out how best to apportion the seven different pitches he has available in his arsenal of weapons, but the tsunami of Japanese media and fans that will wash up on Boston’s shore will add several new dimensions to the club and to the city. Hotels and restaurants around town are teaching their employees to speak rudimentary Japanese in anticipation of the thousands who are expected to come from the Land of the Rising Sun to see their rising native son on the mound at Fenway deliver his sinking fastball, curveball and inscrutable gyroball! The Red Sox have expanded the press box to accommodate the scribes who will cover the Fenway action on behalf of Japanese readers and viewers.

Curt Schilling, Red Sox Ace pitcher, is evolving the technology tools he uses to get his message directly to the fans of “The Nation.” In the past, in his persona as “Curt in the Car,” he has often called into WEEI during broadcasts to comment on issues that were being discussed – often on the Dennis and Callahan Show during drive-time in the mornings. This season, he has chosen to follow a tactic of disintermediation, bypassing D&C and going directly to the fans using his Blog, 38 Pitches.

http://38pitches.com/2007/04/02/game-1-4207-kc/#more-67

My reading of the first few weeks of postings on 38 Pitches tells me that he intends to use the site to comment on his performance, discuss teammates, and talk about his plans for the future, as well as devoting a significant amount of time and space to answering questions that have been posed by readers of the Blog. Schilling’s foray into the Blogosphere has prompted a great deal of discussion among the Boston media, wondering if this is the harbinger of the end of the need for traditional sports columnists and beat writers. We shall see.

If Curt can continue to pitch as well as he writes, he should have a successful season for our Boys of Summer.

Enjoy!

Go Sox!

Al