Heard like many others that Curt Schilling was calling it a career and it made me think of a couple of quick questions: What year is this? And didn't he do that like three or four years ago? Then the big one: Is he a Hall of Famer? I guess it depends on who you ask. Some will say you betcha, first-ballot all the way and others will crunch the numbers and compare him to others hurlers from past eras with similar stats and the debate will undoubtedly linger on til about 2012 when the decision will be made officially. Many despised the guy because he spoke his mind and many others loved the fact he wasn't able to shut his trap while virtually everybody else toed the company line and treated a post-game news conference like a cliche-fest. Love him or hate him, he was different and different is usually pretty good in my book.

Schilling is 14th on the all-time strikeout list with more than 3,000 Ks, he won three World Series titles, pitched 83 complete games, made six All-Star appearances and won more than 200 games but I'm not convinced he's a sure-fire HOFer. I guess only time will tell, but I did appreciate his ability to step his game up when it mattered most and despite the fact that I often disagreed with the substance of what he was saying, I also appreciated the way he spoke his mind when few others would. Schilling often came across as a phony to me and I'm one who still believes the whole bloody sock incident was nothing more than a bloody scam that inflated his ego to mythical proportions, I can't dispute the ability he displayed on the mound.

In other news, it appears the Big East Conference is as good as advertised and then some. When the conference garnered seven teams and three top seeds in the tournament many scoffed that the league was overrated, but you'd have a hard time making that debate today after five of the seven teams advanced to the Sweet 16 and appear ready for a Final Four showdown that might end up being referred to as the Big East Tournament on steroids before the Madness comes to an end. Syracuse, UConn and Villanova have yet to really be tested and the early battles Louisville and Pitt have endured will only make them tougher down the stretch.

A decade or so the Big East was known more for its physical style of play and the 3-to-1 chance that a fight would break out at any moment. It didn't always get the top-notch athletes of the SEC or the ACC but was more about the sluggers who would fight you tooth and nail before squeeking out a 48-45 win. Now, things are different, very different. Teams from the Big East can beat you with a wide-open, showtime style of play, they can outhustle you and win in a half-court game, and they can still put on the gloves if needed and win a slugfest. It basically comes down to picking your poison with the end result being death to their opponents no matter how you break it down.

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