Rozner: Schilling's Twitter fight truly frightening

Just say Curt Schilling's name and it generally brings a quick response.

He's a polarizing sports personality that often leaves fans without a middle ground.

There are some who don't like him on ESPN, others who criticize him for his failings in business, and the many who don't like his views on religion or politics.

There are probably even some Hall of Fame voters who won't check the box next to Schilling's name because of their dealings with him as a player, or because of things he has said since his retirement.

And there are those who dislike Schilling simply because of the bloody sock, believing to this day that it was just Schilling being Schilling.

But his Game 6 start in the 2004 ALCS was no fairy tale. He pitched with a tendon temporarily stapled to his ankle, leading to a medical technique known as the "Schilling Tendon Procedure."

He also won Game 2 of the 2004 World Series bleeding through his sock and Boston won its first World Series in 86 years.

Whatever.

Like him or don't. Hate his politics or celebrate his passion. Watch him on TV or don't.

It's a free country.

But nobody deserves to go through what Schilling and his family endured last week when Schilling tweeted congratulations to his daughter, a father proud that she had been accepted to college and would play softball collegiately next year.

What ensued truly causes a human being to stop and wonder where it has all gone wrong, when fathers stopped teaching their sons what is simply right and what is sickeningly wrong.

Look, you can turn on the TV every night, watch the news and wonder what will become of the world in the next decade. You can easily be frightened by what might be next.

But this wasn't geopolitics, nuclear proliferation or terrorism. This was just a dad beaming with pride, and the response he got on Twitter was some of the most frightening, misogynistic filth anyone has ever seen on social media - or anywhere.

Hiding behind a keyboard, as cowards do millions of times a day on Twitter - living in mom's basement and yet somehow a blogging expert on everything - Schilling's daughter was threatened with rape, beatings and all manner of violence, using words and terms you wouldn't toss at your worst enemy in a prison yard.

How can you not wonder where these people came from? It's a serious question. What kind of a person tweets demented threats at a child? Are they future rapists or already practicing? Do they plan to beat women later in life or have they already started?

This is some of the sickest stuff you can imagine - or likely have never imagined - and those threats won't be printed here, but you can find them if you really need to, and know that Schilling screen-grabbed every one of them before the morons could delete their accounts.

He has since outed two of the fools, detailed their names and occupations, leading to firings and suspensions at the very least.

"There is going to be - potentially - legal implications with a couple of these. They were that bad," Schilling told "CBS This Morning" a couple days ago. "I plan to pursue all legal options. Let's just say that.

"This will follow them the rest of their lives, and for some of these guys I'll make sure it does."

On his blog 38pitches.wordspress.com, which goes into great detail about this entire horrific episode, Schilling writes, "My daughter comes to me beyond upset. She didn't do anything. She never said anything, yet she's now receiving personal messages with guys saying things to her.

"These boys have yet to understand one of life's most important lessons. In the real world you get held accountable for the things you say and if you are not careful that can mean some different things.

"This is a generation of kids who have grown up behind the monitor and keyboard. The real world has consequences when you do and say things about others. We're at a point now where you better be sure who you're going after."

Schilling also wrote to his daughter, stating, "Gabby I know you're likely embarrassed and for that I apologize. But as we have talked about, there is no situation ever in your life, where it's OK for any 'man' to talk about you, or any other woman this way (and truth be told no real man would ever talk this way anyway).

"It truly is time this stopped. I don't know where it started because it sure as (heck) didn't happen much when we were growing up. Like any dad reading this, the only thing I need you to leave this home with when you head to college is the knowledge that I love you more than life itself and there is NOTHING I would not do to protect you."

Schilling and his daughter did not ask for this. They did nothing wrong. And they have been harmed irreparably. But Curt Schilling did not stand for it and he will not stand for it, and no one is sorry that he went after the scum who did it.

At least on that, I would hope we can all agree.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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