Jeff Solari wanted an event to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Boston Red Sox’s first World Series championship in 86 years.
So the president and owner of Rock Lobster Media and the weekly Sports Chowdah email newsletter is bringing former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling to be the featured speaker at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course the night of Saturday, July 27.
The Cookout with Curt Schilling will feature a meet-and-greet, photos and autograph session between 4:30 and 6 p.m., followed by a Schilling story-telling session and a question-and-answer period also involving Solari and Sterling Pingree from the Sports Chowdah and WABI-TV Channel 5 sports director Eric Gullickson.
That will last from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
The cookout will be held under a large tent near the driving range at the Bangor Muni. This is Solari’s second venture following his March program involving former seven-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Roger Clemens, who appeared at the Anah Temple Shrine building in Bangor.
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“The Clemens thing went so well, I thought this might be an opportunity to talk 2004 Red Sox,” Solari said. “Schilling is obviously a character and was fantastic that year. Everybody remembers the bloody sock. And he lives in the Boston area so it is easy to get him up here.
“I’m sure he has some good stories,” Solari added.
Schilling pitched a must-win 4-2 Game Six triumph with a torn tendon sheath (ankle), allowing just one run in seven innings.
Schilling went 21-6 with a 3.26 earned-run average during the regular season in 2004 and finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
Schilling also pitched in 24 games during the Red Sox’ championship season in 2007 before retiring. He was 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA.
He went 216-146 during his 20-year Major League career with a 3.46 ERA and 3,116 strikeouts in 3,261 innings. He had three 20-win seasons, two with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2004 campaign with Boston.
He was outstanding in the playoffs, compiling an 11-2 record and a 2.26 ERA. Schilling was a six-time all-star and won a World Series with Arizona.
Solari paid Clemens $50,000 for his appearance and said even though it didn’t turn a profit, it provided him and his company “real good exposure” and enabled him to build relationships with sponsors.
“Clemens was fantastic. People left there happy,” Solari said. “It took a lot of money to put that on, but we recouped most of it. And it put [his company] out there big-time in the first quarter of the year.”
He also said the money went to the charitable Clemens Foundation which was nice.
Solari preferred not to mention Schilling’s fee, saying it will be a “small portion of what Clemens got.”
He said they will be able to accommodate approximately 280 people — there were 550 at the Clemens session — and tickets will be $79 apiece for everybody. There won’t be a separate VIP fee like there was for Clemens.
There will be an all-you-can-eat cookout and a cash bar featuring a ‘bloody sock’ drink.
For tickets, visit the Sports Chowdah website.
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