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When Curt Schilling came down with a shoulder injury in February, there was a great deal of disagreement between player and team about the best way to treat the wound. Schilling wanted to have surgery while the Red Sox wanted him to take a cortisone shot and a program of rest, rehabilitation and blogging. The team won out, much to Schilling's consternation, and surgery was averted.

Right now, it's looking like the team made the right decision. Schilling will play catch today for the first time with hopes of making a return sometime after the All-Star Break. He also told the Boston Globe that he was wrong three months ago.

The Red Sox medical staff, he said, recommended the right course of treatment for his ailing right shoulder, which is why he will be playing catch for the first time this spring this afternoon.

That contrition may be the most interesting part of the whole situation. There's a long way from a game of catch to a major league mound so it's best not to do a final head count of unhatched chickens just yet. On that front, there's also good news for the Sox. Schilling restructured his contract so that weight clauses, which could have netted the pitcher $2 million in bonuses, are gone and replaced by performance incentives instead.

Add a healthy Schilling to the already humming Boston team and they go from presumptive favorites to absolute ones.