When not referring to NBA players as America’s most “expensive and dangerous gang”, Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne is attracting the ire of Boston Red Sox fans. During a telecast last night, Thorne asserted that the sock worn by Curt Schilling during the Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series was not in fact adorned with blood, but with paint.
Thorne stated that Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli “Mirabelli had told him so in a conversation ‘a couple of years ago’“, and that the ‘painted’ sock was “all for PR“. Mirabelli adamantly denied this, as did Red Sox manager Terry Francona and Schilling’s surgeon.
Thorne has been eviscerated by everyone associated with the Red Sox, and his accusation appears to be false — either that, or there is a concerted cover-up going on. A couple of throwaway comments have turned Thorne into public enemy number one in Boston, with Schilling even commenting to a sportswriter that “[t]here are some bad people in your line of work, man.”
Thorne could have thought he was telling a harmless white lie, though attempting to degrade baseball history is not always the best way to entertain. And, considering that Thorne mentioned this while commenting on how ‘hated’ Schilling is in the Boston media, he may not have meant this lie to be harmless. Then again, making insults based on lies and insinuations is nothing new to Thorne.
YouTube video found via the AOL Fanhouse.
