CURT SCHILLING

THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
Curt Schilling spins a complete game gem

May 8, 2004 ... Curt Schilling became the first Sox pitcher to throw a complete game this season in a 9-1 win over the Royals at Fenway Park, but Schilling had to talk manager Terry Francona into keeping him in the game. The Fenway Faithful cheering every pitch helped the experience surpass his expectations.

Schilling started strong, retiring the first six batters, striking out four. He worked himself out of a mini-jam in the third, and his only bad pitch after that was a splitter that Kansas City catcher Benito Santiago, the only batter who had faced Schilling more than 13 times in his career, hit into the Monster seats in the fifth for the Royals' only run.

Schilling, who threw 120 pitches (85 strikes), picked up his first complete game since last May 14 when his Diamondbacks blanked the Phillies, 2-0, in Philadelphia. He struck out eight, didn't walk a batter, and scattered five hits (all on offspeed pitches) for his 80th career complete game, fourth among active pitchers.

Theo Epstein was thinking in bringing in another big-time pitcher in Curt Schilling. And one could see better than ever the reason for signing Pokey Reese, not only to be the starting second baseman, but to back up Nomar Garciaparra if he was injured. Reese is playing some of the best shortstop ever seen around here, and with his more-potent-than-thought bat, he has been a big factor in the Sox' 19-11 start.  Reese backed Schilling's five-hitter with an eye-popping inside-the-park home run, and he added a conventional homer in the victory over the Kansas City Royals.

It was one of those cheery days for Red Sox Nation, largely because of Reese's upbeat personality; he's becoming a fan favorite. Couple that with Schilling's dominant pitching, which included eight strikeouts and no walks, and the Red Sox have more than recovered from their five-game tailspin last week and are back in a strong position atop the American League East.

Reese's inside-the-park homer came in the fifth against Royals starter Jimmy Gobble. It was a shot down the right-field line that hugged the railing. The fans didn't touch it, and the ball darted past Juan Gonzalez. He finally retrieved it, but the relay was too late to beat the racing Reese, whose heart was beating rapidly as he slid into home. Reese's two-run shot in the sixth off reliever Jason Grimsley went into the Monster seats in left.  Reese's sudden burst of offense (he's now hitting .262, 11 points better than his lifetime average) is the result of working with hitting coach Ron Jackson.

Curt Schilling said he tweaked his ankle on a pitch just before a sixth-inning foul pop by Carlos Beltran. The trainer came out to tend to Schilling, but by that time he had shrugged it off.

The news on Trot Nixon continues to be good. Team physician Bill Morgan believes Nixon needs no further medical attention on his left quadriceps, and according to Francona, Nixon's leg "is starting to improve." Nixon might return to Florida to resume his rehab by tomorrow.

Terry Francona thanked the fans seated near the right-field railing for not attempting to touch the ball Jason Varitek hit for a double Friday night, which scored Ramirez with the winning run. A ground-rule double would not have plated Ramirez.

Nomar Garciaparra took live batting practice yesterday, took more ground balls at shortstop, and then defended himself against criticism that he didn't stay for games during his stint on the disabled list. The issue surfaced last week, when former major leaguers Jeff Brantley and John Kruk debated it on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight." Brantley and Kruk criticized Garciaparra for working out before the game but not staying around once it started. Friday night, Garciaparra stayed around and watched his teammates stage a late- inning rally to defeat the Royals, 7-6.