Curt Schilling wants Theo Epstein to know that he’s no dummy, but he is a comedian.
Epstein joined Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast Thursday and told a story about Schilling’s negotiating skills from when they were working on a contract with the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2004 season. Namely, the now-Chicago Cubs general manager said Schilling didn’t have any skills, as he spotted a “well-worn” copy of “Negotiating for Dummies” on the former starting pitcher’s desk.
Well, Schilling joined “Pardon My Take” on Friday and confirmed the existence of the book but said it wasn’t what Epstein thought it was.
“It was a gag,” Schilling said, via the New York Daily News. “It was a joke. But again, I’ll play along with the story because it’s funny.”
What’s more, Schilling claims it wasn’t even his joke.
“When the Red Sox opened up the trade window for 72 hours, we were talking on the phone and laughing about the fact that I was going to be doing this face-to-face, and he overnighted the book to me,” Schilling said. “But it’s a good story anyway.”
So we know the book was there, but now it’s Epstein’s word against Schilling’s. It appears we might never find out what really happened that day.
Thumbnail photo via Howard Smith/USA TODAY Sports Images
