In this case it would seem a certain chatty Mr. Gary Thorne (an on air play-by-play man for the Baltimore Orioles) aired the dirty laundry of a certain chatty catcher, Mr. Doug Mirabelli, who allegedly stated the that the tale of the extremely chatty Mr. Schilling's bloody sock was in fact, bullshit.

We all know the story. The bleeding and heroic Curt Schilling pitches the Dead Sox past the Yankees and into history in the 2004 post season. And he bleeds all over his socks while on the mound. On national television. 

So, here's where things stand:

Gary Thorne says Doug Mirabelli told him the bloody sock incidents where a hoax, a lie, a publicity stunt designed to spin a legend around Schilling's performance or provide an excuse in the event of failure.

Now, once Thorne revealed Mirabelli's anecdote, Schilling and the Red Sox Nation propaganda machine mobilized immediately to
discredit Thorne and deny, deny, deny.

Of course, Mirabelli denies ever saying the bloody sox were a hoax and whatever he did say Thorne clearly misunderstood. Schilling offered a $1,000,000 reward to anyone who can prove the stains are not his blood.

Well, let us go on record as saying that we believe the blood on the sock is real.

We believe Doug Mirabelli did not tell Gary Thorne the entire affair was a hoax.

We are convinced whatever Thorne heard he misunderstood and is not a liar.

As stated above, we believe the blood on the sock is real – we don't believe the blood on the 2004 Game 4 ALCS sock belongs to Schilling - it belongs to Doug Mirabelli!

Sustained serious investigation has revealed that an extensive pre-game lecture from Schilling caused Mirabelli's ears to bleed from auditory stress and sonic overload. Inadvertently, several drops of Mirabelli's blood dripped onto Schilling's socks. Seizing the moment, Schilling next spins a yarn about emergency surgery, tendons, oozing blood…and thus gives birth to a legend. Curiously, the bloody sock from the Yankees and Red Sox game is lost to history. Schilling professes it disappeared in the swirl of post game events and goes so far as to accuse Yankee clubhouse attendants of stealing the sock and secreting in one of their homes. Bottom line: the sock with Mirabelli's blood is likely gone forever.

Based on the success of his pitching performance in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, Schilling decided to try his luck again in the World Series. Mirabelli, still suffering the effects from his previous conversation with Schilling, employs clandestine ear plugs to block Schilling's voice.

Schilling, oblivious to Mirabelli's imperviousness to the sound of his voice, continues to talk. Schilling talks so much he causes his own ears to bleed from the sound of his own voice. And the blood drips onto his sock.

Millions of words later, Schilling realizes he has bloodied his own sock. He Understands full well that the TV cameras – much less the viewers at home – cannot discern the source of the blood. And thus the legend grew.

So there you have it, the truth behind the legend – not a myth – but not exactly the story you have been told the past few years.

I leave you with this bit of advice: don't take Schilling up on his offer to test the blood on that sock in Cooperstown. You will lose; however, if you are a Yankee clubhouse attendant or employee in possession of a certain old soiled sock, Yankee fans the world over and indeed fans of truth and honesty everywhere implore you to come forward with the true red sock that will shut Schilling up for good.