BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Curt Schilling saw his first professional hockey game Tuesday night, when he spent his off-night at the Spectrum, watching the Philadelphia Flyers play the Buffalo Sabres.

“I was trying to figure out the rules all night,” he said. “I finally figured out that if there was blood on the ice, somebody was getting kicked out.”

Schilling pitched superbly in his two playoff starts, but said he was surprised when the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

“I was sitting there chewing on some nachos at the time, watching the game, and they announced my name, and I just kind of waved,” he said. “Then I stood up and they (the crowd) went nuts. It was like a fairy tale. I’m not really prepared for all this publicity or excitement. I’m going to have to get a two-hour tape for my answering machine. I got 33 calls in one day.”

Schilling struck out 19 during 16 innings against the Atlanta Braves, compiling a 1.69 ERA. Williams, who blew leads in both games that Schilling started, got the victories.

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What kind of things does Phillie catcher Darren Daulton say to calm his pitchers? In Game 5, after Larry Andersen went 2-0 to Otis Nixon to lead off the 10th inning, Daulton approached the mound. “Darren told me the beer is on ice, and it’s not getting any warmer, so take your time,” Andersen said. He went on to retire the side in order and earn the save.