In this ring a chubby white pitcher...

Curt Schilling is never short on opinions. He is willing to take on management, other players, and reporters. He is polarizing. For both fans and people in baseball.

Who could forget the 1993 World Series. Whenever Mitch Williams was on the mound television cameras caught Schilling in the dugout hiding his face with a towel. His fellow athletes felt like he was being overtly dramatic for the camera. He says he was nervous.

This year Schilling had a melt down because of press leaks from within the organization.

"I know that the comments that (sportswriters) make are a lot of times given to them by some unnamed source in the organization, which is disappointing," Schilling said yesterday. "Because I know it's people talking who haven't said a word to me. That's the way it always works. They'll try to get a message to us through you (media) guys sometimes without putting their name to it."

Now he is taking on the easiest fight of his life by badmouthing the biggest target in baseball.

In his weekly appearance on sports radio WEEI's "Dennis and Callahan" show, Schilling commented on Barry Bonds’ run at Hank Aaron’s record by saying, "Oh yeah. I would think so. I mean, he admitted that he used steroids," said Schilling. "I mean, there's no gray area. He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think. Hank Aaron not being there. The commissioner [Bud Selig] trying to figure out where to be. It's sad. And I don't care that he's black, or green, or purple, or yellow, or whatever. It's unfortunate... there's good people and bad people. It's unfortunate that it's happening the way it's happening."

For the record Bonds has never publicly admitted to using steroids, cheating on his wife, or cheating on his taxes.

To make matters worse in 2000 Schilling told the San Francisco Chronicle, "Barry Bonds is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I'd vote for him every day of the week and twice on Sundays, but when he retires, he's still going to be the biggest (butt) -- who ever lived. Ask his teammates. Ask anyone on their team or in their clubhouse. He is who he is."
So why the change in opinion about his validity as a player.
Apparently Bonds called Schilling “two faced” in a recent interview. He added "He has an attitude toward me, and I'm not a Curt Schilling fan," Bonds said. "He's one of the best power pitchers in baseball. That I will always have respect for. I have no disrespect for the guy, and I don't really dislike the guy. I'm just not a fan of his because, when you're supposed to be friends, you're supposed to be friends regardless of what happens on and off the field."
And so two of the best baseball players in the last two decades find themselves in the midst of a back and forth that you usually find in the halls of a middle school.

This is the reason baseball is not able to get the same kind of fan support as basketball and football, because the trash talk is just plain silly. He said/ he said nonsense that won’t even be solved on the field of play. San Francisco visits Boston for a three-game series June 15-17. We will get to see what happens when two guys that like to talk are put to the test.

Will Schilling hit him with a pitch. Will Bonds homer of him in the sixth.

I think Bonds should dress in all green and have 50 Cent rap him out to the plate. Maybe John Henry can sell pay-per-view tickets to a fight that might actually be more entertaining than the Mayweather, De La Hoya stinker.