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And the pitch...it's a screwball

By Christopher Curran
Posted 10/27/16

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling emerged from his self-imposed witness protection program this past week and appeared on WPRO radio's John DePetro program. He spent three hours fielding questions from the host and listeners. Thematically, the

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And the pitch...it's a screwball

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Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling emerged from his self-imposed witness protection program this past week and appeared on WPRO radio’s John DePetro program. He spent three hours fielding questions from the host and listeners.

Thematically, the most glaring aspect of his presentation was immediately and abundantly clear. He is not culpable for any burden to the Rhode Island taxpayer in his mind. He was not in any way contrite or apologetic. He is indifferent to the fact that he knew that the loan guarantees provided for him by the erstwhile Economic Development Commission, former Gov. Donald Carcieri, and the inattentive or ill-informed Rhode Island General Assembly should have never come to fruition. Simply put, he believes he had done nothing wrong and the government of Rhode Island failed him, especially former Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

These ridiculous assertions and his far-fetched, logic-defying attempts to exculpate himself were offensive to every taxpayer who has to endure the legacy of his business incompetence.

What we know now, and those involved certainly should have known then, is that Schilling may have been the master of the split-finger fastball. However, that talent in no way qualifies him to be remotely trusted to run a multimillion-dollar entrepreneurial enterprise backed by the state, much less even a lemonade stand in a suburban neighborhood.

The comedy of errors that occurred to create this quagmire, known as 38 Studios, definitely could have been avoided by any of the players involved along the way if they had practiced due diligence, or if Schilling – who knew Rhode Island was foolhardy to back his risky scheme – had withdrawn his participation. Instead, callously and diffidently, the World Series hero decided to throw us a screwball right down the middle.

Known as a “get” in the radio business, DePetro was able to land the relatively mum Schilling to an in-studio interview after the hurler’s many years of avoiding the subject of the failure of his company in Providence in 2012. Schilling’s reasoning for his coming-out party was that approximately a month ago he settled his portion of Rhode Island’s civil lawsuit against him for $2.5 million. Also, he has decided to run for United States Senate seat in Massachusetts against incumbent Elizabeth Warren. Therefore, he needs to try and clean up his public image.

His description of the settlement was quite telling, with his sarcastic attitude, arrogance regarding his lacking of a sense of guilt, and determination to loudly specify that Rhode Island had neglected him. “I settled because I didn’t give the state any money. I only settled because I wasn’t giving the state money. I wasn’t going to give the state a dime of my money, for the settlement. It was the insurance from the insurance policy, for the directors that settled it. Not me!”

Claiming purity, Schilling stated: “What do you want me to apologize for?”

In furtherance of the notion that the state of Rhode Island failed him and not visa versa, Schilling continued to lambaste Chafee. Schilling believes Chafee abandoned him by not aiding him when 38 Studios was severely floundering.

Schilling’s critical description of Chafee’s behavior and countenance when he toured the 38 Studios headquarters was to say the least unflattering. “It was socially awkward. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask any questions. It was uncomfortable. I thought after the meeting Chafee and hearing him talk, that he had a learning disability.” Gee, I wonder why the former governor was disinclined to go the extra mile for Schilling.

While it is undoubtedly accurate to say that Chafee has always been idiosyncratic in manner and lacking in communicative skill, he has also been a consistently moral politician.

When Chafee was asked to comment on why he did not try to rescue Schilling’s company when it was in descent, he created a sound argument. Chafee believed that millions more in additional taxpayer funds through the film tax credit program was not prudent. He stated correctly, “When there was no detailed plan justifying this request, the Economic Development Corporation Board, at my request, wisely declined to go deeper into hock.” In this instance, Chafee was exactly correct. Or in plainer terms, don’t throw good money after bad.

With unbelievable audacity, Schilling derided Carcieri for authorizing his project. “If I was the governor, I never would have offered this deal. The government doesn’t belong in private business.” Huh? So Schilling knew the risk to the taxpayer, he knew that the Rhode Islanders would most probably end up on the hook for his roll of the dice, and he simply did not care an iota.

To further make the case for his lack of personal culpability, Schilling attacked facilitator Michael Corso. The pitcher painted a Mafioso-like portrait of the tax credit specialist. “It was made very clear to me, if you want to get stuff done in Providence, Mike Corso is the guy to get it done. I didn’t take that as like a mob, criminal thing. I took that as he’s a very well connected guy.” Really Curt, that surely sounded like an insinuation.

Schilling then suggested some of the 38 Studios money got diverted to Corso’s restaurant. Corso is listed on business directories as a tax credit equity consultant and syndicator, not as a captain in an organized crime organization.

As the leader of his project and chairman of his company, it was Schilling’s duty to make these crucial arrangements and decisions regarding renovation and the business in general. If he was not competent, then he should have admitted that reality to himself and hired someone who knew how to manage the company. Then he should have relegated himself to being a figurehead and signing baseballs in the lobby.

Furthermore, Schilling said he was strong-armed into using union construction sources to accomplish the build-out at the new facilities in Providence. “I was basically told if you don’t use union labor this is never going to happen. The build-out ended up north of $10 million.” He followed with the statement, “As I understand it, that’s how you do business here.”

Schilling could have hired non-union contractors and sub-contractors to save expenses if he had the presence of mind to do so. His supposed reliance on others and his wholesale acceptance of the “this is the way it’s done here” paradigm is indicative of a tenderfoot with no business knowledge or practical education whatsoever.

Anyone with a reasonable amount of business acumen would have not backed 38 Studios. As we all know the story by now, Carcieri was awed by memorabilia at Schilling’s house in Medford, Mass., and became enchanted with the idea of having the baseball hero operate a business in the Ocean State. He perhaps quizzically saw a hopeful potential of Rhode Island flagshipping a growing industry in New England while the days of his administration were waning. The Economic Development Commission was corralled into supporting the scheme, with Director Keith Stokes leading the way to oblivion. The rank and file of the General Assembly as per usual was asleep at the wheel and followed the hierarchy into supporting putting what was a business development program for many small businesses into support for one big risky venture.

Yet despite our accustomed ineptitude in regard to Rhode Island’s government, which brought this financial guarantee to reality, the responsibility truly rests on number 38.

By his own admission in this radio interview, he was by any standard aware of the absolute gambling nature of this venture. He says that if he were the governor, he never would have done it. Thus begging the question, if you were a moral and decent individual, why would you go through with it?

He couches his explanation this way: “There’s nobody listening that lives in the state, nobody that lives in the country, that wouldn’t have done the exact same thing that I did.” See, that is where you are wrong, Curt. Some of us have morals and principles and would not put our fellow citizens’ money at risk indifferently. You may have been an exemplary pitcher for a couple of decades, however that does not qualify you to run a business. We businesspeople actually went to school for business and gained many practical years of experience. Certainly, before one risks $75 million of other peoples’ money, they might want to know something about what they are doing.

It is not the state’s fault and it is not only the other principle players’ fault in this glass menagerie of a fiasco. It is yours, Curt!

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