Former MLB star Curt Schilling and his family encountered a little more scrutiny than usual at a Logan Airport TSA security checkpoint this morning.
That’s because his son accidentally packed a fake grenade in a carry-on bag, resulting in the bomb squad being called out.
The ex-Boston Red Sox pitcher and current ESPN baseball analyst described the situation on his Facebook page as well as on Twitter:
“Want a good one to start your day? We are at Logan getting ready to fly. Heading through security when one of my sons looks at me in panic….”DAD!”…..OMG I THINK I LEFT MY FAKE GRENADE IN MY BAG!!! Me…..ummm, what??? 3 seconds later the belt stops, every TSA person is on their walkie talkies. Then, they shoo everyone in line behind us away…15 minutes later the bomb squad arrives…”
Officials took Schilling and his family to a private room where Curt and company explained that the item in question was just a toy plastic grenade. Evidently there were no flight delays as a result of this incident at the Boston airport.
On Twitter, Schilling commented that the police and TSA agents “could not have been cooler once they realized what was happening.”
Schilling has three sons; news outlets have not as yet identified which of the siblings might have been involved in this incident.
According to the Boston Herald , a Massachusetts Port Authority representative confirmed that a bomb scare had occurred at Logan Airport.
“This morning there was an incident with Curt Schilling and a toy grenade. We take all incidents like this seriously because the safety and security of the people who use the airport as well as our employees is our top priority.”
This incident is minor compared to what the former MLB star has been dealing with. Schilling, 48, was off ESPN for most of 2014 after being diagnosed with cancer and taking a leave of absence. In June, he announced that his cancer was in remission after undergoing a course of radiation and chemotherapy. He has since started making appearances again on the sports network.
In August, the righty revealed that he had been suffering from a form of mouth cancer which he believes resulted from a 30-year chewing tobacco habit.
Schilling’s video game company, 38 Studios, famously went bankrupt in 2012.
A three-time World Series champion (once with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and twice with the Boston Red Sox), he retired from Major League Baseball in 2009 after spending the entire 2008 season on the disabled list following surgery on his right shoulder. The six-time All-Star finished with a career record of 216-146 and a 3.46 ERA. His 3,116 strikeouts rank 15th all time.
Notably, Schilling compiled a career post-season record of 11-2, which is a major league record in the winning percentage category among pitchers with at least 10 decisions.
[image via Bing]