The Associated Press

The Associated Press

Besides managing the Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona is now in the advice business.

The former University of Arizona baseball star urged Curt Schilling on Wednesday to use more discretion after the Boston pitcher criticized Barry Bonds.

“Schill came to me,” Francona said. “We talked a little bit and I said, ‘You probably just need to stay away from some of those things.’ ”

Schilling apologized Wednesday in his blog for telling a Boston radio station Tuesday that Bonds “admitted he used steroids . . . admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes and cheating on the game.”

“Regardless of my opinions . . . on anything Barry Bonds, it was absolutely irresponsible and wrong to say what I did,” Schilling wrote in his blog, 38pitches.com. “As someone who’s made it clear I have major issues with members of the media that take little or no pride in their work, it’s the height of hypocrisy for me to say what I did, in any forum.”

Bonds is 10 homers short of matching Hank Aaron’s home run record of 755.

A recent ABC News/ESPN poll said 3 out of 4 baseball fans believe Bonds knowingly used steroids, despite his reported claims to a federal grand jury that he thought the “clear” and the “cream” were flaxseed oil. And 52 percent of fans said they are rooting against him breaking Aaron’s record.

“There’s good people and bad people,” Schilling told the radio station about Bonds, the day before issuing his apology. “It’s unfortunate that it’s happening the way it’s happening.”

Francona said he would let Schilling keep writing his blog.

“I don’t care, as long as he stays away from certain things,” Francona said.

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