Curt Schilling: I Have Cancer

Curt Schilling has been diagnosed with cancer, the World Series hero and ESPN personality revealed yesterday. "I've always believed life is about embracing the gifts and rising up to meet the challenges," he said in a statement released by ESPN. "We've been presented with another challenge, as I've recently been diagnosed with cancer." Schilling didn't elaborate on the type or severity of the cancer, and ESPN didn't say whether he'd remain on the air next season. In December he was announced as part of the network's Sunday Night Baseball team.

"With my incredibly talented medical team, I'm ready to try and win another big game," Schilling said. "My father left me with a saying that I've carried my entire life and tried to pass on to our kids: Tough times don't last. Tough people do." Schilling's wife, Shonda, was famously diagnosed with stage 2 skin cancer back in 2001—the year Schilling won his first World Series—and went on to found an awareness group for the disease. (More Curt Schilling stories.)