Curt Schilling, never shy about sharing his opinion, joins Sunday Night Baseball

ORLANDO – The first day of the 2013 Baseball Winter Meetings is underway here at Disney’s Swan & Dolphin Resort and the first major announcement of this year’s event was that ESPN analyst Curt Schilling is joining Sunday Night Baseball.

ESPN announced today that Schilling will join veteran play-by-play commentator Dan Shulman as well as analyst and former Phillies teammate John Kruk in the booth, along with ESPN Major League Baseball Insider Buster Olney, for the 25th season of Sunday Night Baseball – MLB’s exclusive national game of the week.

In between several Baseball Tonight segments and media availability about his new ESPN role, Front Row got a few words with Schilling, who talked about his new booth mates and who his favorite sports TV personalities were as a player.

Do you remember people telling you during your playing days that you should transition to television after you retire?
I remember that. I did hear that, yes. I think it was tied to the fact that I wasn’t shy about giving my opinion.

Who are some of the commentators you admired as a player?
Harry Kalas, Vin Scully, I liked the play-by-play guys. From an analyst perspective, I enjoyed Tim McCarver.

As a Boston Red Sox player, you’d call into WEEI Radio and give your perspective on a topic. Were you always aware of the media during your early days too?
No, but I watched a lot of ESPN. On the road, I checked into my hotel room and there was always a game on. So we were always watching games. I came into the big leagues when coverage of sports began to grow and by the end of my career it was 24/7. There was a change in the way people reported sports and in the people reporting sports. There are a lot more players involved now than there were when I was younger.

How do you see yourself fitting in with Dan Shulman and John Kruk on Sundays?
I think the goal is to let Dan do what Dan does best and try to compliment that as best as possible. I think Krukie and I have gotten to know each other in the booth well enough. There’s a feel for it and I’m sure we’ll get better as the season goes on. It’s a comfortable environment already, which I like.