The Boston Red Sox Tuesday, March 31, 2020 * The Boston Globe Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale undergoes Tommy John surgery Peter Abraham and Alex Speier The Red Sox decided back on March 19 that ace lefthander Chris Sale would undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. Typically, his torn ligament would have been reconstructed a few days later to start the clock on a rehabilitation process that typically lasts 14-15 months. But with medical resources stretched thin in parts of the country because of the coronavirus pandemic, the surgery did not happen until Monday morning in Los Angeles as the needs of a baseball team became entangled in medical ethics. "Needless to say these are not normal times,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. "As a society we are facing some difficult challenges. We knew that to schedule this or any surgery would not be routine, that there might be scheduling or logistical difficulties.” Noted orthopedic surgeon James Andrews treated Sale when the pitcher first injured his elbow last season. But Andrews, who is based in Gulf Breeze, Fla., was not available for the surgery. A spokesman said his clinic suspended elective procedures to comply with an executive order from Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis related to the pandemic. That order, issued on March 20, prohibited "any medically unnecessary, non-urgent or non-emergency procedure or surgery which, if delayed, does not place a patient’s immediate health, safety or well-being at risk, or will, if delayed, not contribute to the worsening of a serious or life-threatening medical condition.” There were no such restrictions in California and Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery at the Kerlan- Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. ElAttrache consulted on the case in March when Sale re-injured his elbow while facing hitters for the first time in 6½ months. "It was important to all of us to do this in a way that would not place any undue burden on anyone suffering because of the coronavirus,” said Bloom, who spoke to ElAttrache to get that assurance. Asked what factors played into that determination, Bloom said the surgery was necessary for Sale to continue in his profession. "We know that this is not life and death and that there are people who are suffering in situations that are life and death,” he said. "We’re aware it’s apples and oranges when you talk about this as opposed to something that’s life-threatening.” Sale, who turned 31 on Monday, could return in June of 2021. In the meantime, he will stay his home in Naples, Fla., and rehab with the help of members of the Sox medical staff who live in the area. The Fenway South complex remains closed in the wake of a minor league player having tested positive for COVID-19. But it could reopen only for injured players as soon as next week. That minor league player, who has not been identified, is doing well and no other players had symptoms that required a test. General manger Brian O’Halloran said fewer than 10 players in the organization remain in the Fort Myers area outside of those who reside there. Sale went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA last year before getting shut down in August with what the team said was inflammation in his elbow. He received a PRP injection from Andrews and was told to rest. Sale had a normal offseason buildup but suffered a setback when he threw live batting practice in spring training. That changed after he tried throwing again 18 days later and immediately felt discomfort in his elbow that made the need for surgery obvious. The Red Sox signed Sale to a five-year, $145 million contact extension that was set to start this season. But under an agreement reached by Major League Baseball and the Players Association, all salaries will be prorated dependent on how many games are played this season. If the season were canceled, players with guaranteed contracts would receive $150,000. Two other injured players, righthander Collin McHugh (flexor tendon strain) and outfielder Alex Verdugo (stress fracture in is back), are doing well according to Bloom. McHugh has not started throwing, however. This would be a good time to release the findings on the Red Sox and Patriots investigations Dan Shaughnessy Picked-up pieces while playing James Harden defense — 6 feet away from everybody … So many scandals, so little news: ▪ Now is a perfect time for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to drop the hammer on the 2018 Red Sox. The commish says that the investigation has been completed, and nobody is really paying attention, so let’s get it over with and get on with our lives. The Sox’ transgressions are unlikely to be anywhere near Houston’s trash-can cheating of 2017, but they likely weren’t “nothing” as the Sox have claimed. Best to learn of their punishment now. It will allow them to strike “interim” from manager Ron Roenicke’s nameplate, and we’ll finally learn how long MLB plans to bench Alex Cora. In the week before camps closed, Roenicke said the Sox were looking for some closure on the issue. We have “reserved judgment” long enough. Release the findings. ▪ Similarly, now would be a good time for Roger Goodell to tell the world that even though the Patriots broke videotaping rules in the press box in Cincinnati, Spygate 2 was not a Bill Belichick-driven scheme to gain any competitive advantage. Announce the findings/penalties so the Patriots know whether they’re losing any picks before the April 23-25 draft. ▪ On May 21, a Florida appellate court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the appeal of an evidence ruling in Bob Kraft’s misdemeanor prostitution case stemming from the incident at the Orchids of Asia Spa in Jupiter. The Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach will hear arguments regarding video surveillance footage that was tossed last May. ▪ Terry Bradshaw on Tom Brady in The Athletic: "Why in the world does he want to keep on playing at 43 other than to prove to New England he’s more important than Bill Belichick? . Why the hell do you want to go to Tampa? The only thing I can think of is ego gets involved and you decide, ‘I’ll show ‘em who’s more important.’ ’’ ▪ What about the goofy quote Kraft delivered to the NFL Network? Explaining Brady’s departure from New England, the owner said, "Think about loving your wife and for whatever reason, there’s something — her father or mother — that makes life impossible for you and you have to move on, but you don’t want to.'' Say what? Was Kraft blaming Belichick as the nasty father-in-law? ▪ I could do without Brady and the folks at TB12 promoting a better path to immunity during the coronavirus crisis. Last week, Brady posted an Instagram story in which he featured his branded supplements under a headline of "immune enhancers.'' MassLive’s Nick O’Malley wrote, "It’s one thing for Brady to promote healthy living. It’s another to use the phrase ’immune enhancers’ for his TB12 Wellness Bundle that currently retails for $147 on his website.'' ▪ Quiz: Name four major league pitchers who struck out 20 batters in the first nine innings of a game (answer below). ▪ Loved seeing the Patriots come back from 28-3 again Sunday on Fox. Hated seeing the Bucky Dent game a couple more times on MLB Network. It was amazing to see how many players choked up on the bat in 1978. The Red Sox had an All-MVP starting outfield of Yaz (1967), Fred Lynn (1975), and Jim Rice (1978). Underrated Jerry Remy had two clutch hits off Hall of Famer Rich Gossage in the final two innings of the biggest game of his life. Watching the 1986 World Series was equally painful. MLB Network re-ran some updated interviews, including one in which Sox manager John McNamara was as despicable as ever. Explaining why he left Bill Buckner on the field in the bottom of the 10th of Game 6, Mac claimed Dave Stapleton’s nickname was "Shaky.'’ Hearing tape of Mac’s lame excuse, Bruce Hurst immediately said, "I never heard anybody call him that.'' ▪ Don’t buy into the myth that the Red Sox got shortchanged in the strike-shortened season of 1972. The popular narrative holds that the Sox got jobbed because they played one fewer game than the Tigers. Indeed, the Sox finished second at 85-70 while the Tigers went 86-70 and represented the AL East in the ALCS. All true. But not the whole story. The Red Sox went to Detroit for the final three games of that strike-shortened season and both teams knew that whoever won at least two of three would go to the playoffs. The Tigers eliminated the Red Sox by winning the first two games. This led to a season finale in which the Tigers, having already clinched, rested their regulars. The Sox won the meaningless game, 4-1. It pulled them within a half-game, but there’s no way of knowing who would have won that game if it meant anything. ▪ The Cooperstown-record crowd for a Hall of Fame induction, estimated at 82,000, was set in 2007 when Cal Ripken Jr. was inducted along with Tony Gwynn. Derek Jeter and his fellow honorees might have smashed that this summer, but it now appears unlikely. “We’re still hoping and planning to have our weekend as usual,” said Hall director Tim Mead.