Curt Schilling apologized Wednesday for criticizing Barry Bonds and was advised by his manager to keep some of his opinions to himself.

The Red Sox pitcher leveled the criticism Tuesday on a radio show then backed off his remarks Wednesday in an entry entitled “Public Apology,” on his blog.

“Everyone has days and events in life they’d love to push the rewind button on, yesterday was one of those days,” Schilling wrote on the blog, 38pitches.com. “Regardless of my opinions, thoughts and beliefs on anything Barry Bonds it was absolutely irresponsible and wrong to say what I did. I don’t think it’s within anyone’s right to say the things I said yesterday and affect other peoples lives in that way.

“As someone who’s made it very 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.”

On Tuesday morning on WEEI radio, Schilling criticized the San Francisco Giants slugger, who is 10 homers short of matching Hank Aaron’s home run record of 755.

“I mean, he admitted that he used steroids,” Schilling said on the show. “I mean, there’s no gray area. He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think. Hank Aaron not being there. The commissioner (Bud Selig) trying to figure out where to be. It’s sad.

“And I don’t care that he’s black, or green, or purple, or yellow, or whatever. It’s unfortunate,” he said. “There’s good people and bad people. It’s unfortunate that it’s happening the way it’s happening,”

Despite Schilling's remarks, Bonds has never admitted to knowingly using steroids.

Boston manager Terry Francona said before the Red Sox game in Toronto on Wednesday night that he urged Schilling to use more discretion.

“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.”’

He said he’d let Schilling continue writing his blog.

“I don’t care, as long as he stays away from certain things,” Francona said. “It doesn’t make sense. If you want to run for office some day and solve the world’s problems, go ahead. Just not while I’m the manager.”

He also said he didn’t know what a blog was until Schilling’s stirred controversy and doesn’t plan to read it.

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Red Sox slugger David Ortiz also talked about Bonds with the Boston Herald, saying he doubted Bonds has taken steroids.

"It's a shame, and it makes our job a little more uncomfortable, and it paints David as not the person he is," Francona said. "And again, it's a guy that will give you a quote because he's good to the media, but I think when these things happen, it makes a guy step back and go, 'Hey, wait a minute, maybe I'm better not talking.' "

'Horse's ass'
Giants television broadcaster Mike Krukow didn't mince words about Schilling, calling the Red Sox pitcher a "horse's ass" during a KNBR show Wednesday morning, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Krukow also called Schilling an "idiot" who pops off too much, saying "a little knowledge goes a long way. He thinks he knows a lot about everything," the Chronicle said.

On Dec. 4, 2003, Bonds was one of several athletes forced to testify as part of the BALCO case, which centered around the San Francisco-area lab, its founder Victor Conte, and Greg Anderson — Bonds’ personal trainer and longtime friend.

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Anderson was indicted for illegal distribution of steroids. Bonds told the grand jury that he believed Anderson had given him flaxseed oil and arthritic balm, a substance that turned out to contain steroids.

A book released in 2006 by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, “Game of Shadows” alleges Bonds engaged in persistent doping, taking four different kinds of steroids as well as insulin and human growth hormone during 2001 alone, when he hit 73 homers to break Mark McGwire’s single-season record.

Bonds, 43, reportedly failed an amphetamines test last season, and the New York Daily News reported that Bonds attributed the positive test results to a substance he took from the locker of teammate Mark Sweeney.

Bonds later absolved Sweeney of any involvement but never commented on whether or not he took amphetamines.

The accusations have clouded Bonds’ pursuit of Aaron’s record of 755 homers.  Aaron has said he will not be in attendance when Bonds attempts to break the record.

Schilling and the Red Sox will face Bonds and the Giants next month at Fenway Park in Boston.

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