I’m sorry…were you trying to say something? I couldn’t hear you. Curt Schilling was whispering in my ear.

In fact, I haven’t heard much of anything the past few weeks except for Schilling’s interminable, self-aggrandizing yapping. The Red Sox’ historic achievement, the upcoming presidential election, and even the latest dish on Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have all been drowned out in the media since the playoffs began. The giant Schilling vortex has become the black hole of popular culture, sucking in all images and sound and allowing only soundbites about The Great Pitcher’s courage and legacy to escape. Radio, talk shows, commercials, newspapers: no medium is immune to words of wisdom from Courageous Curt. Mr. Schilling, in the immortal words of Skank the Sock Puppet, “shut your stinking trap!”

Schilling consented to the trade that sent him to Boston last year because, by all accounts, he knew that winning a World Series with the Red Sox would cement his place in history and enhance his beloved legacy. He didn’t do it for the fans of Boston, or his love of baked beans, or his hatred of the Yankees (to whom he would have also gladly accepted a trade, by the way, as long as it got him out of Small-Marketville). He did it for his ego. He did it so his name would be bolded in the history books. These are the same reasons he pitched with the ankle injury. Not unique reasons, really. A lot of guys play the game to ensure that future generations remember them. But Schilling would never admit that. He insisted he was doing it for the fans, or for the city of Boston, or for the Lord, or for the other guys in the clubhouse who he loves like family. Curt Schilling is a liar.

Let’s take a look at some quotes from The Heroic One from the last two playoffs series:

• “I just wish everybody on this planet could experience the day that I just experienced. I will never use the words 'unbelievable' and 'the Lord' again in the same sentence."
• “But I didn't -- I honest to God did not think I was going to take the ball today because I didn't think I could. And then everything starts happening. You start looking around at your teammates and understanding what you've been through over the last eight months, what it means to me. And I did what I did last time: I went to the Lord for help, because I knew, again, I wasn't going to be able to do this myself. “
• “Regardless of what happens in my career, I'll never get a feeling like that ever again in my life like I had tonight and I wanted that. I wanted it for my teammates, I wanted to be able to glorify God's name when all was said and done. And these fans were as much a part of that. They believe in me to the umpth degree and a lot of times I tell the other guys, ‘don't be the only guy not believing in yourself; everybody here believes in you.’ That's what I tried to walk out there with tonight.”
• “But these are times in your life, and not just baseball, that no one believes it's possible but you. When you succeed and you come through in moments like this, no one can ever question what you're made of.”

Wow. Curt Schilling: Warrior, crusader, lover of man. You’ve got to hand it to the guy, though – he can spin his massive, overbearing ego so it looks like he is just a humble Christian trying to struggle through for his teammates. But the underlying message in every one of these quotes is that Schilling is great, brave and strong. Also, God appears to not only care very much about the Major League Baseball playoffs, He is also a HUGE Red Sox fan.

This is a man who has been in a Boston uniform for one season. Think about that the next time you see him wrapped in a Massachusetts state flag, riding Paul Revere’s horse down Commonwealth Avenue. These teammates that he loves so dearly, these fans that mean so much to him…I wonder how the fans and players in Phoenix and Philadelphia feel about that? The man is a mercenary, and his quotes now ring just as hollow as if ARod tried to lecture people on the true meaning of being a Yankee.

The moment of triumph played out so perfectly for Schilling, you would think he took an axe to his own tendon before the playoffs started. Give the guy credit…he walked the gimpy walk after talking the talk. And talking. And talking. And talking. The term “media whore” somehow isn’t extreme enough to describe how omnipresent Schilling The Savior has been recently.

So, before Curt Schilling’s bloody socks get their own wing in Cooperstown, let’s take the past two weeks for what they were. The man was injured. He played through pain, probably a considerable amount. He pitched well in 3 of his 4 post-season starts. He is neither the first nor the last athlete to perform well while injured. Is he brave? Is he courageous? Is he a hero? Not by my definitions. I would find him much braver if he would tell the truth about his motives. Taking a cold, hard, honest look in the mirror is one of the most courageous things a human being can do.