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June 23, 2008
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON _ Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling underwent successful surgery to repair his damaged biceps tendon and right shoulder this afternoon in Wilmington, Del. The procedure was performed by his personal physician Dr. Craig Morgan.
“Everything went well,” said Morgan.
The doctor also said Schilling was experiencing some pain after the surgery, and because of the late afternoon hour in which the surgery was completed, Schilling will remain in the hospital overnight and will fly back to Boston on Tuesday.
Morgan explained Schilling had a disease in his biceps tendon, which was the primary diagnosis back in January when Morgan first examined the pitcher. Schilling also had a tear in his labrum – similar to the one he had in 1995. He also had “tiny, tiny” partial tear in his rotator cuff, which Morgan fixed with a small stitch and didn’t think it was anything significant.
“The rest of the stuff in his shoulder was healthy,” Morgan said. “His prognosis to have all those things heal is good. Now, whether he wants to go through the rehab to be able to pitch at the major-league level at age 41 remains to be seen, and it’s his decision.”
Morgan explained the rehab process would be daily four-hour exercises for the next six months if Schilling has a chance to pitch in the big leagues again. If he can mentally put himself through that, then Morgan said Schilling has a good chance to pitch again.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona called Schilling yesterday morning to wish him “good luck” before the procedure took place.
Schilling suffered the injury sometime during the offseason after he signed a one-year $8-million contract with the Red Sox, which included incentives. The club can not pinpoint exactly when it occurred, but Schilling began to feel the pain when he started to throw in January to prepare for spring training.
Schilling was examined by Morgan and the doctor recommended and was quite adamant that Schilling should have surgery. The Red Sox wanted to take the conservative approach of strengthening the biceps and shoulder. The reason Morgan suggested immediate surgery was so Schilling could begin his rehab and possibly be ready to pitch at some point during the 2008 season.
“The best treatment was for him to have surgery,” said Morgan. “The rehab would be about six months, which if he would have had in January he would have been able to pitch the last part of the season and probably into the postseason. Now that option is not available for this year.”
Ultimately, Schilling and the Red Sox decided to go the conservative route until last week after Schilling experienced discomfort while throwing a bullpen session.
Schilling met with GM Theo Epstein, Francona and the club’s medical staff and decided on the season-ending surgery. Epstein admitted last week that when he spoke with Schilling, the three-time World Series champion said he felt like he has already thrown his last pitch.
Ironically, at the exact moment Schilling was having the surgery, Francona was in the midst of a discussing with the local media whether or not Schilling should be a Hall of Famer.
“I should be better informed because he’s pitched for a long time,” said the manager. “I think it’s more of that I’ve never stopped and thought about it. I kind of get the sense because of the timing of everything – with the surgery – that argument is starting to go up. It’s a fun argument for baseball people and people who care about baseball. I need to look at it better.”
Schilling pitched for Francona while the two were in Philadelphia back in the late 90s, and again here in Boston. So, it’s safe to say Francona is hoping some day the big-game pitcher has a plaque hanging in Cooperstown.
“I would be a cheerleader for him because he’s pitched for me for so long,” he said. “I haven’t looked at enough stuff to give an unbiased opinion because I’ve never stopped to think about it.
Discussing the history of the game comes natural for Francona. He has spent his entire life involved in the game. He is a son of a former major-leaguer, he played, coached, was a scout and has managed, so the game has become his life. To talk about the game is honoring the game.
“Our game is the greatest game to talk about in the world,” he said. “There’s so much history, and that’s part about being a baseball fan. . . “There’s so much to argue about, maybe argue is the wrong word, it’s part of what makes our game so special.”
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 9:13 PM | Permalink
