House of Pain for
House of Cards

Same Time Last Year
Schill's Pain Was Sox Gain in Game 2, 6-2

"I woke up at 7 o'clock in the morning. That was a tipoff right there. I've never woken up at 7 in the morning for anything in my life. I wasn't going to pitch. I couldn't walk. I couldn't move. I didn't know what happened, but I knew as soon as I woke up there was a problem.

"I told (my wife) it wasn't going to happen. There was no way. But that's when everything started. I left my house, and I'm driving to the park, and anyone who knows where Medfield is, they know it's a pretty long haul.

"There were signs every mile from my house to this ballpark on fire stations, on telephone poles, wishing me luck. I can't explain what it was like.

"So I get here [to Fenway], and got out of the car, got into the trainer's room, and Doc [Bill Morgan] was there.

"And then it starts happening. You start looking around at your teammates and understanding what you've been through over the past eight months, what it means to me.

"And then I did what I did the last time: I went to the Lord for help, because I knew, again, I wasn't going to be able to do this myself." -- 10.24.05, Curt "2005 Mulligan" Schilling

2004 World Series: Schill the One

Epstein, Red Sox No Closer to a Deal

"General manager Theo Epstein's contract expires Monday, but little progress has been made toward working out an extension. Negotiations have been "strained," according to industry sources familiar with the talks.

"Last week, the Red Sox crossed a significant threshold, offering Epstein a three-year deal worth just over $1 million annually, but the offer was rejected." -- 10.25, Sean McAdam, ProJo