Curt Schilling takes on internet trolls

[Vandal]

It started out as a congratulatory tweet to his 17 year-old daughter, Gabby, who got a scholarship to play softball At Salve Regina U in Newport, RI:



Schilling is a former MLB pitcher who is known for being outspoken on many topics, including politics (he's a staunch Republican). He is being sued by the state of Rhode Island after his failed gaming venture cost the state $75 million.

Then the internet trolls came a-calling. He wrote about it on his blog, 38 Pitches:

Now I’ve been using computers since 1981. I was a professional baseball player for 22 years. I played 10+ years in Philadelphia. I played 5 in Boston. I shared a locker room with well over a thousand teammates and I played and lived at school a year before doing so.

That’s all to say I am absolutely aware of social media and how it works. As someone who’s said about 2.34 billion things he shouldn’t have, I get it.

With that tweet I expected a response. Some congrats for sure, but absolutely the smart ass college kid and likely many of them from RS to reply. And I was not disappointed.

Then some went way too far (spoiled because most of this is pretty crude):

Spoiler

Schilling took to the internet and found the identities of the trolls.

I knew every name and school, sport and position, of every one of them in less than an hour. The ones that didn’t play sports were just as easy to locate.

I’ve kept every tweet like the ones above.

Some were students, some professionals. He reported their actions to school officials and supervisors resulting in several suspensions and firings. Some were shamed into deleting their Twitter accounts.

Now understand this.

I’m a Republican

I’m a former Red Sox

I have a nasty habit of talking, a lot, about anything anyone asks me and totally unconcerned about giving you my opinion. You will never question where I stand, right or wrong agree or disagree on anything.

I am completely unafraid to get into a ragging war with anyone. Win or lose I’ll give as good as I get:)

I have zero issues being made fun of. It’s part of living and playing sports your whole life and when you’re built like I am you need to develop a defensive strategy early in life.

So I look at it like this. Democrats, Yankee fans, people that don’t like the sound of my voice, that’s a pretty big group.

Those folks for the most part don’t like me even a little bit.

Democrats for their own reasons, Yankee fans for theirs and the rest of them hate me for who I am or what I say, and that’s not going to change.

The amount of vitriol I’ve heard is not an issue. I am sure I’ll hear more.

But I have to ask, is this even remotely ok? In ANY world? At ANY time?

He finishes up with this:

This is a generation of kids who have grown up behind the monitor and keyboard. The real world has consequences when you do and say things about others. We’re at a point now where you better be sure who you’re going after.

If I was a deranged protective dad I could have been face to face with any of these people in less than 4 hours. I know every one of their names, their parents, where they go to school, what they do, what team they are on, their positions, stats, all of it. I had to do almost nothing to get ANY of that information because it is all public.

What part of talking about a young woman, my daughter or not, makes you even consider the possibility that this is either funny or makes you tough?

I found it rather funny at how quickly tone changed when I heard via email from a few athletes who’d been suspended by their coaches. Gone was the tough guy tweeter, replaced by the “I’m so sorry apology used by those only sorry because they got caught.

It was EXACTLY like the Scared Straight episodes you watch where “tough” kids get brought to tears when they face the real world.

What these kids are failing to realize, what this generation fails to realize is this; Everything they’ve just said and done? That is out there now, forever. It can, and in some cases will, follow them for the rest of their lives.

Way to go, Curt! Twitter is too often a haven for trolls who think they are anonymous and can say they want anytime they want.

There are some folks who say Curt went too far and has ruined the lives of several people. If your agree with this, go read what's behind the spoiler one more time.

[Super Creepy Rob Lowe]

Gotta choose more cleverly concealed internet names like me, dudes.

But I like your style! Gotta stay busy when that cable goes out...

[Beebs52]

Good for him. Had these been said in person I wold think police reports would have been warranted.