Schilling May Need to Sell the “Bloody Sock”

Mired in financial trouble, it would appear that Curt Schilling may need to place a number of items on the auction block in order to cover the repayment of millions of dollars in loans tied to 38 Studios, his failed venture into forming a video game company. Among the items potentially available is the famed bloody sock from the 2004 World Series.

Curt Schilling threw out the first pitch before a Sox game in August, but now may have to sell some of the items that cemented his place in team history. (Image Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE)

Schilling helped the Boston Red Sox win a pair of World Series Championships during his tenure with the team, most notable of which was the 2004 victory that ended 86 years of disappointment and heartbreak by the team’s most faithful of fans. Schilling went 21-6 that year, with a 3.26 ERA and 203 strikeouts over 226.2 innings of work. He finished second in the AL Cy Young race (to Minnesota’s Johan Santana) and helped lead Boston to a Wild Card berth. The rest is history that every baseball fan knows – sweeping the Los Angeles Angels in the Division Series, an improbable and unbelievable comeback to defeat the New York Yankees in the League Championship Series in seven games, and a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

Schilling highlighted the postseason by pitching on an injured ankle, stemming from a torn tendon sheath suffered during his start against the Angels in the Division Series. After undergoing a procedure to stabilize the tendon, Schilling came back and pitched a masterful Game 6 of the ALCS against New York. He pitched seven innings, allowing just one run (a Bernie Williams solo home run) on four hits with four strikeouts – winning the game in New York and sending the series to a Game 7. Throughout the game the injured ankle bled into his sock, but Schilling never let the injury affect his performance and the “Bloody Sock Game”, and Schilling’s place in Boston history, were born.

Fast forward eight years and Schilling’s in a much different place. The man who earned just over $114 Million over the course of his career, according to Baseball Reference, stepped into his next love once his playing career was over and founded 38 Studios. The team there was able to complete one game after moving their offices to Providence, but financial troubles began to plague the company this past Spring and by June, 38 Studios had filed for bankruptcy protection. At the time, it was believed that Schilling would be responsible for roughly $75 Million in loans (plus interest, bringing the total owed to roughly $100 Million) that would still need to be repaid to the state of Rhode Island and in a September court filing with the Massachusetts Secretary of State he listed the bloody sock and other items as collateral, according to details passed along thanks to the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).

Now Schilling may be faced with the inevitable task of selling some of his prized possessions. In addition to the sock, it is believed some of the other items listed in these court filings include his collection of World War II memorabilia and a game-worn hat used by Yankees legend Lou Gehrig, one of Schilling’s personal heroes (his Twitter handle is @Gehrig38 after all). Schilling continues to work for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and has repeatedly denied reports that he’s interested in someday managing the Red Sox, but it would appear that his financial woes surrounding the failure of 38 Studios just simply won’t go away and now they may cost him some very unique collectibles that hold some special significance to baseball history.