Rut-Row. "Curt Schilling needs surgery on his injured right ankle, but the Red Sox hope he will still be able to pitch Game 5 of the AL championship series Sunday. ... The Red Sox said the sheath that covers a tendon in Schilling's ankle is torn. 'The tendon is snapping over the bone,' Red Sox physician Dr. Bill Morgan said Wednesday. ...

"Schilling pitched with a brace Tuesday and had a shot of painkiller in the ankle. Still, he had trouble pushing off the rubber with his right leg. The Red Sox hope a better brace will help, but if not, Schilling's season will be over. 'If we can get Curt's ankle stabilized to the point where the tendon stays in one place and he's able to have balance and drive and effective delivery, then he'll go out there and Start Game 5,' Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. 'If we can't get him to the point where the ankle is stabilized, then he won't pitch. Because then we would risk further injury in his shoulder and he would be ineffective." Hoo-boy.

Schilling, last night: "If I can't go out there with something better than I had (last night), I'm not going back out there. ... I won't take the ball again." Also. And yet Francona said Curt didn't complain about any pain. Tito: "He just didn't look right. ... We talked when he came out. I don't think he was hurting. He just wasn't right."

Speaking of pain, Scott Williamson had Tommy John surgery on Monday. His doctor was shocked at what he found. "It looked like a grenade had gone off in there. The damage was far worse that the MRIs or any examination alluded to. ... I can't believe he was able to pitch with the elbow like that."

A Possible Sideshow: Pedro hit Sheffield with a pitch back on July 1. In an interview with SI, Sheffield said, "If he says one word to me, he's done. Pedro, your buddy pass is over. I've been playing for 17 years. ... If he tries anything again, I won't hurt my team, but I'm telling you, I will take care of him." ... Millar, who played with Sheffield on the Marlins: "He's just BS-ing. He's not going to do anything."