09:28 AM EST on Tuesday, November 25, 2003

When trying to assess Curt Schilling's future, the number many people fixate on is 37. That's how old he'll be next season.

The numbers they should be fixating on are 168 and 194. Those are, respectively, his number of innings pitched and strikeouts in 2003. That leads to another number -- 10.4 -- which is the average number of batters Schilling struck out every nine innings in '03.

Or maybe the numbers are 6-to-1. That's how many batters Schilling strikes out for every batter he walks.

Fact is, study after study after study prove that power pitchers have greater longevity than softer throwers, and nothing indicates quality better than a pitcher's strikeout rate. Curt Schilling is a power pitcher with a great strikeout rate. Even at age 37, he is extremely likely to pitch at a high level for the next several seasons.

Schilling was bothered by injuries last season, which is a concern with any older player. However, none of them -- an appendectomy, a broken hand, and a sore neck -- were long-term ailments, and none had anything to do with his arm, elbow or shoulder.

This is a pitcher who went 22-6 in 2001 and 23-7 in 2002. He would be an enormous addition to the Red Sox' starting staff if the deal goes through.

-- ART MARTONE