THE SOUND SYSTEM piped out "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" and "Sweet Caroline" as World Series champion Curt Schilling delivered his first campaign pitch for Sen. John McCain for president.

"We are at a time and a place when we need someone with honor, integrity and loyalty," he said at a rally for the Republican last night at The Derryfield School in Manchester.

The likely Hall of Famer, jokingly called Senator Schilling by an audience member, showed he continues to have no problem expressing his opinion or lending his celebrity to a cause.

Schilling said elections too often seem to come down to whom one dislikes the least. "Our country deserves better than that," he said.

Schilling touted McCain's "straight talk," his leadership and his military experience as the senator from Arizona seeks to hit a home run in New Hampshire.

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Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, right, speaks to a crowd with Sen. John McCain in Manchester last night. (JIM COLE/AP)

Will the hurler complement McCain's game?

It can't hurt, said Preston Lawrance of Manchester, who asked Schilling to sign a 2004 World Series poster. "I think it'll draw some more attention to his campaign. Whether it helps remains to be seen. It certainly stirs up some excitement."

David Sacchetti, who had Schilling autograph a photo of the pitcher tipping his hat, asked for advice on picking the right candidate.

"At the end of the day he's going to do what's right for us," Schilling responded. "It's a question of character and integrity. Let's put the best human being in the White House, not the best politician."

Sacchetti, an independent from Newton, said Schilling made some good points.

"But I don't know," he said. "I'm still undecided."

The McCain campaign said this was probably Schilling's only appearance on the campaign trail, but he will appear in a television commercial for the senator.

Schilling was mostly tossed sports questions. And softballs. But he flashed the diplomacy of a seasoned politician.

"What planet is Manny (Ramirez) really from?" His answer: the planet of World Series champions.

"When is Josh Beckett going to dance for us?" His answer: "You don't want to know."

The only real policy question came from Jason Kowalski, who dressed up as "Frosty the Snowman" to call attention to climate change.

Schilling said efforts to fight global warming start with personal choices.

"The next time I hear a politician talk about global warming and then hop in a Hummer and drive away," he said, "I'm going to throw up."