I was going to let my comments slide on Dan Shaughnessy's column about Curt Schilling's 38 Pitches blog, and bloggers in general, but I decided to add my opinion since there is still a buzz about what the Boston Globe sports columnist wrote.

For those of you who aren't aware, Schilling debuted 38 Pitches earlier this month as a forum where he details life as a big leaguer, analyzes each of his outings and answers many of the questions posed by his readers. And, if you don't already know, Shaughnessy and Schilling are not the best of friends. Anyone who reads Shaughnessy's columns knows that much of what he writes is best ignored. He is a naysayer just to be a naysayer. His sole purpose is to write columns that draw reactions from readers, whether the content is accurate or not.

Shaughnessy's column about 38 Pitches mocked Schilling's entries, and reader responses. Simply put, Shaughnessy believes that Schilling is a blowhard (which is sometimes the case) and that bloggers are starstruck, jobless geeks who live in their parents' basements and attend Star Trek conventions when they are not entrenched for hours at a time in front of their computer and keyboard.

I bring a different perspective to blogging than the typical fan. I started my career as a sports writer for a daily newspaper in Ohio, and I have been in the journalism and PR field for my entire 16-year professional career. Today, I am senior editor of OverTime (a national business and lifestyle magazine for and about professional athletes), and I also write profiles, sports features and travel and lifestyle features for magazines as well as implement PR campaigns for clients. Though I am not a beat writer, I do periodically write about baseball for magazines, and I thoroughly pour over multiple online sites, print publications and broadcast outlets that focus on baseball on a daily basis.

Why do I say this? One main reason. Vince and I launched Sox and Pinstripes to provide a forum for fans to read about the Sox and Yankees and voice their comments about what we write, what Sox and Yankees beat writers author, and what is happening on the field and off the field related to the Sox and Yankees. Blogs are rapidly emerging as reputable journalistic sources, and valuable communication tools. Most beat writers themselves have blogs as a way to personally interact with readers. Schilling's blog is no different. In fact, his blog offers a glimpse into the life of a big leaguer with depth that no other blog provides. There are lots of insightful baseball blogs on the Internet. We are all here because we are passionate about our respective teams, the Sox-Yankees rivalry and the game of baseball.

While I do agree with Shaughnessy's point that some readers of 38 Pitches are a bit too starstruck - after all, Schilling is a man who puts his pants on one leg at a time; he's not God - Schilling's blog is an interesting resource, especially when he talks about his pitching performances. Though Shaughnessy would likely never admit this, it pains him that his readers have no respect for his writing, and they would rather read Schilling's blog entries than his columns. Perhaps Shaughnessy should start his own blog, and you can express your opinion about his writing.

In case you haven't read the column about 38 Pitches, here it is: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/03/26/famous