The baseball arms race heated up over the weekend. The Red Sox pulled out all the stops and convinced Curt Schilling to waive his no-trade clause and come to Boston. When he was finished flipping tables and firing elevator operators, George Steinbrenner responded by signing Gary Sheffield.

Score one for Theo Skywalker in his battle against the Evil Empire.

This is nothing short of a coup. The Sox didn’t just pick up a great pitcher, they picked up a horse, a man cut from the same cloth as Roger Clemens. Schilling is the anti-Pedro. He’s no frail diva who needs pampering to be kept off the disabled list. He’s a guy who should be able to give the Sox seven or eight innings every time he gets the ball, a guy who should pitch 200 innings next season. Yes, he was injured last year, but that was a hand that got broken when he was hit by a line drive. That’s not a breakdown-type injury.

What’s more, Schilling gets it. He’s used to pitching behind an ace. Now, instead of following up Randy Johnson in the rotation, he’ll form a one-two punch with Pedro. Maybe Schilling will win his second World Series Co-MVP next fall.

And maybe he’ll rub off on Pedro a little. Maybe Mr. Martinez, entering the final year of his contract, will watch Schilling pitch every fifth day and not ask for special privileges. Maybe Derek Lowe will pitch even better as the team’s No. 3 starter.

Right now, it’s all good. Except, perhaps, for one hypothetical question: Think Terry Francona would pull Schilling in the eighth inning of Game 7 against the Yankees?

He might if he has Keith Foulke in the bullpen. And, by all accounts, the Sox are one of the two most likely destinations for the man who won American League Fireman of the Year with Oakland last season.

As good as the Schilling trade is, Sox fans want more. They want Foulke. They want A-Rod. They want Vladimir Guerrerro. They want a $160 million payroll.

That won’t happen, but in the wake of the trade with Arizona there was talk of an even bigger deal in the works. One Boston television station reported that the Sox were involved in talks on a three-team trade that would bring Alex Rodriguez to Boston. In the deal, Manny Ramirez would go to Texas, and Nomar Garciaparra would go to San Diego.

Suddenly, it looks like the Rebel Alliance is rallying its troops for another offensive against the Death Star. Darth Steinbrenner appears to be on the defensive.

And, just like that, Red Sox Nation is counting down the days to Spring Training. Only, this time, the winter months are as much fun to watch as the baseball season itself.

Lewiston native Tom Caron is studio host for Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins telecasts for NESN.

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