Sarah Palin defends Curt Schilling, rips ESPN on Facebook

Sarah Palin had some harsh words for ESPN on Thursday night, calling the network "whimpering" and "intolerant" for suspending baseball analyst Curt Schilling for a tweet comparing radical Muslims to Nazis.

In a blistering Facebook post titled "ESPN IS A JOURNALISTIC EMBARRASSMENT," the former governor of Alaska and Republican vice president candidate accused ESPN of buying into terrorist propaganda and advancing "liberal global politics."

Palin's post tore into the sports network. In it she wrote:

"ESPN what happened to you? Your intolerant PC police are running amok and making a joke out of you! By picking and choosing who they'll tolerate and who they'll try to destroy, ESPN has zero credibility as a sound and reasonable media outlet."

Schilling was removed from ESPN’s Little League World Series and Sunday Night Baseball coverage earlier this week after tweeting out a meme that read: "Only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists. In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How'd that go?"

Palin wasn't done there. She accused ESPN of using her name and reputation to spew "crude, rude bile" and said the network’s on-air talent condoned misogyny and violence against women.

"One ESPN affiliate's on-air rant featuring their misogynist, animalistic "analysts" grunting and giggling through an entire x-rated celebration of violence against women didn't even draw a chirp from ESPN's wussified leaders," Palin wrote. "Look it up; I don't want to have to recount it."

Palin was referring to a September 2011 interview on ESPN radio affiliate KWWM, based out of Las Vegas, in which famed boxer Mike Tyson made crude and offensive remarks about a reported relationship between Palin and former NBA star Glen Rice.

Palin went on to defend Schilling's tweet, saying there was nothing wrong with it except that the numbers were off.

"Reports show it's 88% of Egyptian Muslims favoring DEATH for anyone who leaves Islam," she wrote. “The majority of Muslims in many other places share the sentiment. In America, these views could be correctly described as ‘extreme.’

“The difference between Hitler’s army and the genocidal maniacs of ISIS is that the jihadists don’t have as much power… yet.”

She closed her argument by accusing ESPN of buying into the propaganda of ISIS and other terror organizations because they denied the accuracy of Schilling's tweet and would rather concentrate on liberal global politics instead of sports.

Palin wrote, "Two -- Schilling -- was he wrong? No! In fact his stats were too generous is estimating Muslim's attitudes."

Schilling did delete the tweet and apologized for it.

ESPN removes Curt Schilling from LLWS broadcast for 'unacceptable' tweet comparing Muslims to Adolf Hitler

In another controversial statement in a career filled with controversy, Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher and current ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst, paid the price for posting a tweet Tuesday comparing Muslims with Adolf Hitler.

And as of Tuesday afternoon, the former Red Sox starter and current ESPN analyst will no longer appear on the network’s Little League World Series broadcasts after Schilling earlier shared a meme on Twitter attempting to equate the percentage of Muslims who are extremists to the percentage of Germans in 1940 who were Nazis.

Schilling tweeted a photo of Adolf Hitler, with the text: "It is said that only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists ... In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How'd that go?"

Above the photo, Schilling wrote on his account @gehrig9: "The math is staggering when you get to true #s").

“Curt’s tweet was completely unacceptable, and in no way represents our company’s perspective,” ESPN said in a statement. “We made that point very strongly to Curt and have removed him from his current Little League assignment pending further consideration.”

Schilling has since deleted his original tweet and apologized for it on his Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.

Roger Clemens steroids question stumps three Jeopardy contestants (VIDEO)

The only thing funnier than these contestants' answers to this "Jeopardy" show question (answer?) is host Alex Trebek's reaction.

To their credit, two women apparently heard about gambling and steroids in baseball and all three knew  that Pete Rose, Curt Schilling and Mark McGwire aren't in the Hall.

Curt Schilling suggests logical way for MLB to honor Mariano Rivera

They were bitter rivals when Curt Schilling played for the Boston Red Sox but here's an idea of his to honor Mariano Rivera that might make even the most die-hard New York Yankees fan forget the Bloody Sock.

The former Boston Red Sox pitcher thinks the Rolaids relief award should be re-named for Rivera, presumably after the New York Yankees closer retires at the end of this season.

Why not? If a former rival like the Schilling could suggest calling it the Mariano Rivera Award why would anyone else have a problem with naming it after one of the most popular players ever? 

At the ending this season, the Rolaids award should be changed to the "Mariano Rivera Award" #greatestcloserever
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) July 17, 2013

 Rivera has won the award five times, which ties him with the late Kansas City closer Dan Quisenberry for the all-time lead. He's universally recognized as the greatest closer in the history of baseball and it's going to be a long time before any other reliever even approaches his career total of 638 saves (and still going).

The only hurdle would be the lucrative sponsorship fee MLB would have to give up — and we know how professional sports love those annoying corporate names on everything.

Maybe they could call The Sandman Award and Metallica could throw in a few bucks.

Schilling may sell famed bloody sock to pay off loans

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling might have to sell the famed blood-stained sock he wore in Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees to help cover the millions of dollars in loans he guaranteed to his failed company.

Schilling wore the white sock when he beat the Yankees with an injured ankle and used the now-famous bloodied version as collateral when he took out loans to finance his Providence, R.I. — based video game company, 38 Studios.

The company filed for bankruptcy in June, listing the sock as collateral to Bank Rhode Island in a September filing with the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office.

The sock become a symbol of the Red Sox improbable win over the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS and Schilling wore it in the second game of the World Series— which Boston won for the first time in 86 years.  It is a sentimental icon in Red Sox history.

It is is currently on display at the National baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y..

The financially "tapped out" Schilling also listed a baseball hat believed to have been worn by New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig and a collection of World War II memorabilia, including items being held at the National World War II Museum as assets.

Richie Russek, owner of Grey Flannel Auctions estimated the sock could fetch between $50,000 and $100,000, but admitted there was nothing comparable that has ever been auctioned off.  The cap could be worth at least $150,000, he said.

The Boston Globe reported the filing Thursday.  It said Schilling personally guaranteed as much as $9.6 million in loans from Bank Rhode Island and $2.4 million from Citizens Bank related to 38 studios.

The company owes $150 million and has assets of $21.7 million, according to the court filing.

Schilling has conceded that he was "absolutely" part of the reason the firm failed.

 The former fastball-hurler — who won three World Series and also pitched for Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona over a stellar career — claims he lost everything he earned a a ballplayer and also put up his 20-room Massachusetts house up for sale to get out of debt.

Curt Schilling lost entire fortune on collapse of video game company

Former major-league pitcher Curt Schilling said today that the collapse of his 38 Studios video company has probably cost him his entire baseball fortune.

In his first public comments since the company filed for bankruptcy protection on June 7, Schilling said during a 90-minute interview on WEEI-FM in Boston that he personally invested more than $50 million of his own money in the company and that he had to tell his family that "the money I saved during baseball was probably all gone."

The former Boston Red Sox World Series hero— famous for his bloodied sock— said he was "tapped out" and had nothing left to keep the company afloat.

Schilling placed part of the blame on Rhode Island officials, including Gov. Lincoln Chafee, for enticing 38 studios to move to Providence from Massachusetts in 2010 with the promise of a $75 million loan guarantee. The state is working to determine how much it's on the hook for after the company's collapse.

While he conceded he "absolutely" was part of the reason the company flagship project —an online multi-player, role-playing machine code-named Copernicus— wasn't completed, Schilling said public comments made by Chafee last month questioning the firm's solvency were harmful as the firm tried— but failed— to raise capital to keep its head above water.

"I think he had an agenda," Schilling said about Chafee.  

Schilling said he hopes to return to work as an analyst at ESPN.  He took a leave of absence from the network after 38 Studios filed for bankruptcy.

38 Studios laid off its entire workforce— nearly 300 employees in Providence and more in Maryland— last month.  The move was made after the company was more than two weeks late on a $1.1 million payment to the state.  It was not the first time 38 Studios was financial trouble.  The firm had sought state tax credits to keep going, but Schilling said today he wasn't looking for a bailout.

Schilling said he hadn't done anything wrong, never took money and didn't even take a salary. He said he never intended to hurt the firm's workers

"It's been kind of a surreal 60 days or 65 days," Schilling told the radio station.  "It's crushing and devastating to see it fail the way it did."

"It's a life-changing thing," he said but added, "I'm not asking for sympathy.  It was my choice."

Playing Yankees numbers could have won you $640 million jackpot

If you were a lucky New York Yankees fan— who picked the numbers of Bronx Bomber legends Jeter, Gehrig, Lazerri, Mattingly, Pettitte and Ed Whitson— you are a very happy, and much richer, person today.

Too bad the winning ticket was picked in Cal Ripkin and Boog Powell territory.

The numbers 2, 4, 23, 38, 46 and 23 were the winning digits for the world record Mega Millions jackpot of $640 million yesterday.

Congratulations. You can now buy less than one-third of the Los Angeles Dodgers or take care of the Yankees payroll for the next three years and still have enough to buy out the rest of A.J. Burnett's contract.

Heck, you could purchase the Tampa Ray Rays, build a new stadium and buy Derek Jeter's mansion and hire him to be your pool boy.

Everyone who dropped a buck on a ticket with hopes of joining zillionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Mark Cuban— the easy way— faced odds of 1-in-176 million of winning.

In other words, you have about as much of a chance of getting struck by lightning (twice!), seeing Brian Cashman rappelling down a building with Louise Neathway or Joba Chamberlain on a trampoline any time soon.

The odds are so staggering, you have a better chance of getting every pick in your NCAA brackets correct or seeing Louisville and Kentucky fans hug it out after tonight's game.

If you didn't have a thing for Whitson's No. 38, you could have selected another Yankee fan's bane— Curt Schilling.

It would have been the same.