Think: How many magical World Series moments can resurface within a baseball fanatic's mind? Immediately? That is a difficult question, considering how many years the Fall Classic has been played!! Okay. How many World Series games are so special that they will remain in sports fanatics' psyche forever? Ah, another difficult question!! My own personal answer to both of those queries? Three words: "Bloody Sock Performance". During the 2004 Postseason, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Curt Schilling had badly injured his right ankle. He dislocated a tendon, requiring an experimental surgical procedure. For the second time. Same operation, repeated. This time, one of his sutures pinched a nerve in Schilling's foot, causing extreme physical pain. He could hardly walk. And it was during Game Two of the World Series, his scheduled start. Boston had worked so hard for this.... The doctor fixed that problem, and on to Fenway Park he headed. For work. A risky decision.... But this was how I discovered Schilling. While witnessing him pitch on our television screen. During the 2004 American League Championship Series, actually. And it was all because of his "Bloody Sock Performance". Seriously!! I am eternally grateful for that. I composed this poem sometime in 2006. On a rainy February day. It is not well-written, nor does this poem flow. But I composed it with such feeling!! Today marks the seventh anniversary of Curt Schilling's 2004 World Series start....
"The Mark of a Champion"
~A Tribute to Curt Schilling~
There was a man who gave his all;
The very second he took the ball;
For on that October day;
He helped pave a way;
To strike out tears;
With their first Championship in 86 years;
His mind was fully prepared;
While performing on an ankle surgically repaired;
Blood seeping through his sock;
There was a hobble in his walk;
Yet courage in his heart;
As he did his job on a benumbed body part;
Battling his way through;
With God’s strength he drew;
And enduring severe pain;
Was nothing compared to all that was gained;
To do everything it takes to win;
That is the mark of a champion.
~A Tribute to Curt Schilling~
There was a man who gave his all;
The very second he took the ball;
For on that October day;
He helped pave a way;
To strike out tears;
With their first Championship in 86 years;
His mind was fully prepared;
While performing on an ankle surgically repaired;
Blood seeping through his sock;
There was a hobble in his walk;
Yet courage in his heart;
As he did his job on a benumbed body part;
Battling his way through;
With God’s strength he drew;
And enduring severe pain;
Was nothing compared to all that was gained;
To do everything it takes to win;
That is the mark of a champion.
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