Opera House: Chris to sing on Wednesday

Tim Wakefield Gets Contract Extended
Deal will probably last rest of Tim's career
Your Thoughts: Good move for the Red Sox?

"Wakefield, 38, who joined the Sox as a minor league free agent in 1995 and is the longest-tenured member of this year's team, will earn $4 million next season with a performance bonus that, should he make 30 starts, could earn him $5.25 million. The righthander will earn $50,000 next season for each start from 11-20 and $75,000 for each start from 21-30. Each club option thereafter is for $4 million plus bonuses." -- Chris Snow, Boston Globe

Soap Opera House

House-of-Cards Will Sing Tomorrow

Curt Chimes in on The Yankee Clipper
and The Beer Flipper

"I think he was just trying to be a jerk...
It wasn't an accident."

Curt Words for House: "I really believe, and I tried to make this point yesterday, if you're watching the replay of this thing with any sense at all, he wasn't going for the ball. And he wasn't doing anything other than, I don't think he was trying to hit him, I think he was just trying to be a jerk, and he accidentally clipped him, and Sheff is looking down at the ball the entire time. I don't know how I would have reacted if I'm on the field and I go near the stands, and I'm looking away from the stands and I get hit on the side of the head, there's no question he got, I am AMAZED at the comments I see from people saying 'oh he never touched him' if you watch the video there's no doubt he hit him. How hard he hit him that's not for me to determine, I don't know I wasn't there. But if I'm looking on the field of play, and I get hit in the head by a fan, in New York, I'm not sure how I react. I think at the minimum I start out with what Gary did. I'm not sure if that's where I'd be able to stop. That's not a good thing but here's the thing that just baffles me. This is a city with some of the smartest baseball people on the planet. We're hitting. What the hell are you doing reaching for a ball on the field when we're hitting? I mean, God forbid you cost us a game. But I can understand, part of homefield advantage is the fans, when there's a ball in play and the opposing team hits a ball in play, please reach over and touch it, I'm serious, you stop the play, it's a ground rule double at worst and you've seen inside the park home runs roll down that wall. But if we're hitting, what are you doing? Leave a ball alone. You're costing your team by doing something like that and that's... ultimately the outcome of the game I think is the most important part unless you're there just to get drunk and act like an idiot. But the fact of the matter is this guy had nothing to do... he might be a nice guy, I have no idea, but he interfered with the wrong, first of all the wrong team, but secondly I don't understand the whole idea behind what he did."

John Dennis: "Curt I'm not sure you would agree with this, but my sense is that if that had been a ground rule double, and if Sheffield weren't worried about the Red Sox running the bases at breakneck speed, and he didn't have to divert his attention from the guy, grab the ball, throw it into the infield, and do what he had to do as a right fielder, this thing could have gotten ugly fast had that been a ground rule double play dead."

Curt Schilling: "Absolutely, and if you look at the score and go back to that game and look at what happened in the 9th, the tying runs on second or third at some point, they loaded the bases and scored a run or two, it changes everything. But from a players standpoint, these fans are incredible, they make it a living hell on visiting players that are talented and that's part of the allure of playing here that you love. You would think they would understand don't touch a ball in play that we hit, always touch a ball in play the other team hits."

Gerry Callahan: "Well I think their goal is to get people to keep their hands out of the playing field (CS: absolutely) no matter who's hitting..."

Curt Schilling: "Absolutely, but if you're going to lose your season tickets make sure you're doing it helping the Sox win a game... (When asked about those who say House's motion was an accident) It wasn't an accident. (GC: How about the GAP guy Donovan spilling the beer?) First of all, his girlfriend should have kicked his ass for looking like a wuss on TV. I mean flip the beer on a play on the field. What the hell is that? That's something you do when you're 12. You take your dad's beer and you throw it on somebody. I don't understand that. What part of that is fun and being at a baseball game?... You've managed to stow a couple, why would you waste one like that. I was hoping his girlfriend would slug him or the girl standing next to him after he flipped it, because then he tried to act like 'what the hell happened? who did that?'... I don't think anyone's surprised he wasn't a season ticket holder." -- 4.19 Curt Schilling on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan