Season-ending surgery for Schilling

The Curt Schilling saga may have come to an end. In his weekly interview on WEEI this morning, the Red Sox righthander announced he will have surgery on right shoulder, ending his 2008 season and likely his career.

"There's a pretty decent chance that I've thrown my last pitch forever," the 41-year-old righthander said. "I don't want it to end this way, but if this is the way it has to end, I'm OK with that. If it's over and my last pitch was in the 2007 World Series, I'm OK with that. I just can't stress enough where I am mentally with this. I have not a regret in the world.

"None of this makes me bitter or angry. It is what it is. In that sense, honestly, it's very, very easy for me, because of what I've been able to experience compared to what I wanted when I first started my career. But if I have some say in how this is gonna end, I want it to be different than what it is right now."

While Schilling had been progressing in his comeback, reaching the point where he was throwing bullpen sessions, there was an ominous sign Tuesday. Manager Terry Francona said Schilling had reached a "plateau," amid a frustrating week. After a "painful" session last Friday, according to Schilling, his throwing was shut down and he returned to Boston to be examined by team medical director Thomas Gill. Dr. Craig Morgan, who has operated on Schilling's shoulder in the past, also examined him Monday.

Morgan will perform the surgery, tentatively scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. in Wilmington, Del. He will perform biceps tenodesis surgery -- in which the diseased biceps tendon is detached from the bone and reattached in another location -- and will determine, via arthroscopic examination, whether there are other issues with the shoulder. Those other problems include potential damage to Schilling's labrum and rotator cuff. If that is the case, it is even less likely the pitcher could resume his career.

"The key issue there is frankly the rotator cuff," Morgan said. "If he does not have significant rotator cuff involvement there's a good chance, even at age 41, that he can come back and pitch. But he must accept the fact that this may be career ending."

If the biceps tendon is the sole problem, Schilling could be throwing again in four months, and could be ready to take the mound again in six, Morgan said, emphasizing the figures were only estimates. But if there's rotator cuff damage, that rehab could extend to 10 months.

In the offseason, Schilling and the Red Sox had feuded over treatment methods. When Schilling felt discomfort in the shoulder in January, Gill examined him, prescribing rehab rather than surgery. But Morgan wanted to perform surgery then in hopes of saving Schilling's career. Morgan said he thought rehabilitation, without surgery, would be unsuccessful.

"A lot has changed," Morgan said today. "The conservative approach to his problem that was chosen was very successful in him gaining muscular strength around his shoulder. Both the Red Sox training staff and Curt need to be given credit for accomplishing that goal. The disease in his shoulder precludes him from being able to pitch without pain at this time."

The issue became contentious enough that the Red Sox looked into voiding Schilling's one-year, $8 million contract if he had the surgery. But Schilling chose to follow the path recommended by Gill after a third opinion concurred with the Red Sox' desired approach.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein spoke about Schilling this afternoon at Fenway Park.

"He worked hard for a couple months trying to strengthen his shoulder," Epstein said. "He actually did get stronger, went pretty well through long toss and initially getting up off a mound. When he had to really start to let it go in bullpens, he hurt and he really wasn't able to let it go. So he was examined by Dr. [Thomas] Gill. At this point it seems like the best alternative is just to go ahead and let him have surgery. The path is not going to let him get back on the mound for us this year."

Schilling described his effort level as a "3" on a scale of 1 to 10 this morning, then said that any attempts to move up in effort were bringing his levels of pain from a "1 to 2 to 7 or 8," which was why he was sent back to Boston to see Gill this week.

As for any potential return, as unlikely as that seems right now, Schilling is not ruling it out, though he did say that he would probably only return near the end of the 2009 season as a boost to a team's playoff run. Saying that he's got "a decent track record after September," alluding to his excellent playoff record, Schilling said he would have to both pain free and better than the player he was at the end of last season to attempt a comeback. Even then, it would be post-All Star break, coming in for a contending team, wherever that might be.

"Off of surgery there's two other possibilities, two potentials, which was I could wake up after the surgery and be told, 'You know what, it's been a good run, you've got no shot of getting back out there,' which is something I've ... had to be OK with because it's a potentially likely scenario," Schilling said. "And the other one is, we fixed it but whatever happens between now and when you decide to pitch again, it's going to be five times as much than you ever had to do from a rehabilitation standpoint. Those are the two surgery results.

"The second option to me was my career's over today. If I don't have surgery, my career's over today. So I've had to sit back and weigh those options and figure out what we wanted to do."

On Schilling's career as a member of the Red Sox, Epstein said, "He made a tremendous impact here, I think. When we were sitting in his living room back in November of 2003, we talked about a lot of things, but among those were him coming here and helping us win a World Series and handling the Boston market and pitching effectively, leading a rotation. I think those things came true and then some. He certainly lived up to his end of the bargain and it was a very effective marriage while it lasted, that's for sure. He left his mark on the organization."

Schilling was not planning to be at Fenway Park this afternoon, according to the Red Sox.