Curt Schilling's Surgeon Refutes Allegations of Paint

Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne claims Doug Mirabelli told him Curt Schilling had paint on his sock during the 2004 World Series, not blood. Mirabelli responded by calling Gary Thorne a big fat lying lier, saying he doesn't even know the guy, let alone confided in him. Schilling was saddened by the accusation, Terry Francona was incensed and GM Theo Epstein was surprised.

But what about the actual surgeon who put the sutures into Schilling's ankle? Extra Bases, the Boston Globe's Red Sox blog, talked to Dr. Bill Morgan about the controversy this morning:

"C'mon," Morgan said today from the Fallon Clinic in Worcester, "we all know what the reality is. I don't know where that comes from.

"I drilled a whole bunch of holes in the guy's ankle when we put the sutures in, we put a dressing on them, and the blood soaked through the dressing. The sock is like a sponge. It doesn't take a whole lot of blood, but there's like a capillary effect.'' ...

"Anyone who's ever had stitches knows there's going to be oozing from the wound. I put a bunch of stitches in the guy, and then he had to go out there and pitch at a professional level. The sutures were tugging at the skin, it opened up a little bit. The thing expanded right before our eyes.''

Did how much did it tug open? At the risk of losing your lunch, see for yourself.

Personally, I can't see why anyone associated with the Red Sox would have stooped so low as to try fooling an entire nation with a dab of red paint. This was Game 6 of the ALCS, a do or die situation with the entire season on the brink. There was no shortage of drama attached to this game, and reaching for manufactured theatrics would have been a distraction as much as anything else. Unless more people corroborate the accusation, I'm not buying it.

Previously on FanHouse:
Gary Thorne Claims Schilling's 'Bloody Sock' Was a Hoax

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-26-2007 @ 3:35PM

clank moonigan said...

HARD TO SAY..MIRABELLI IS A JOKESTER AND SCHILLING
HAS AN ADONIS COMPLEX, BUT IT DON'T MATTER 'CAUSE
THE YANKEES ARE 4 1/2 BACK ALL IS WELL IN RED SOX
NATION.

4-26-2007 @ 5:34PM

rick said...

geesh red sox get a life pats are the only real game in ne. keep trying to take away headlines every chance they. get strange how these things always happen when something is happening in foxboro ie draft

4-27-2007 @ 9:57AM

JT said...

If is paint they should take it out of the Hall of Fame. What a shame to create such a PR ploy!!

4-27-2007 @ 12:26PM

Roy said...

Barry Bonds should be forever thankful to Schilling for keeping Bonds from being the biggest jerk in baseball.

4-27-2007 @ 2:06PM

mispar14 said...

None of us believe its paint... however, many believe that it was a scab that he probably scratched and it started bleeding. I have one of those on my knee and it is amazing how easily those things bleed. So... it should never have been a big story back then--Kurt being the publicity hound that he is--and should not be one now.