In an almost farcical bit of irony, Curt Schilling could return to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 42-year-old righthander was in the Philadelphia area last Wednesday for his annual Curt Schilling ALS Golf Outing, an event held to fund research into Lou Gehrig’s Disease. That’s not news, as he does it every year (you likely caught the “annual” part). What’s news is that he was rooting for the Philthies and would “absolutely consider” a return to the team that he demanded a trade from so many years ago.

“I was excited,” he said. “We [he and wife Shonda] were both rooting for Philadelphia. I have some close connections with some people in the Tampa Bay organization, but we lived here almost 10 years. So the close connections we had spurred us on to be rooting for the franchise.”

He’ll be 42 when Opening Day rolls around next season and he’s coming off shoulder problems that sidelined him all season. He says he doesn’t know if he wants to continue but that, if he does, “Philadelphia would absolutely be one of the places I would consider. Arm feels great. Arm feels fantastic. Arm felt fantastic 2 or 3 months ago. I don’t think that was ever the issue, whether it was going to feel good or not.”

I’m not sure how to respond to this. On the one hand, Schilling didn’t pitch at all in 2008 and may be too old to make a comeback. On the other hand, he’s Curt Schilling — when healthy, and even at 42, the guy can win. I don’t want anyone joining the Phillies who may help them win.