I still don't want him on this team. He is a 41 year old pitcher who is having injury problems. I have hated him forever and I will hate him if he comes to the Rays.

He is the best player by far on a diluted market, and he would buy (figuratively) time for Price/Niemann/Talbot/McGee/Davis or whoever to develop.   Like it or not, someone will pay the price, because market forces will drive his price up.  The man lives for the spotlight, and is a horse.  I wouldn't go farther than 2 years but its something to indeed consider.

Did you miss the first 6,342 outlandish things that Schilling has said in his career and later retracted?

Schilling loves to make headlines and that is all this is.  Making headlines.

The owners would be able to say, "See, we signed a big star."  

It would also be likely to put some more people in the stands when he pitches, even if they're Red Sox fans.

I'm not put off by what he says, frankly.  He's not exactly a shy, retiring guy.  Let him say what he wants.  If he can pitch well, it would give time for the kids to get more development, and anyway, there might be something that could be learned from him.  I haven't heard that he's bad in the clubhouse (but I haven't heard that he's the great clubhouse guy, either.)

I would rather have him starting than Sonnenstine.

And to really put the punctuation mark on things, would you rather they went after veteran Curt Schilling or veteran Brett Tomko (who will undoubtedly get canned in LA with his 2-11 record)?  

I gotta say, you called it RJ.

To iterate what I said on the BBS, I think this would be one of the smartest moves the NDRO could make. It would bring a great deal of media attention to the area, and would boost attendance from bandwagon Red Sox fans who love Schilling.

Agreed, a one or two year deal for Schill to hit some strikeout milestones and kick the asses of the young starters would be a terrific move for the NDRO, if they can pull it off...I'm still holding out hope he decides to come back here to Philly and finish things off here though..

Glavine and Pettitte both have player options. You don't think there is any chance either would consider TB? If so, I would prefer either, although it is hard to dismiss Schilling as much as I do not like him and am leery about his continued effectiveness and about how well his act would go over in this clubhouse. I also wonder if he isn't using TB as a stalking horse to begin his negotiations.

I'm with the stalking horse theory. Look, the guy's gonna need a job next year, so almost no one - except the Yankees - are getting written off, and he'd probably backtrack on that position if he felt he needed to. Frankly, kissing up to New York might be his best strategy for landing back in Beantown.

The catch for me is Schill's desire to win, and without a number of other changes I don't see '08 as the Rays breakthrough year just yet. You're still gonna need a better pen (among other things), and I'm not convinced Salas, Dohmann, Reyes, and Wheeler constitute the core of a decent one. And there's not a lot of great additions on the market.

That said, I think it would be a great move for the Rays to pursue him loudly. Landing him would improve the market perception of the franchise, encourage key current players, and send the right message. The money is very much there - Tampa could easily and profitably double their payroll. Much as the guy bugs the crap out of me as well, I hope it happens for you. I'm just thinking he's playing you.

Of course, it could mean he sees a team on the verge and thinks if he appears to be the missing piece of the puzzle it solidifies his reputation as a winner.