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Federal judge tosses fan lawsuit vs. MLB, Astros, Red Sox

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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by fantasy sports contestants who claimed they were damaged by sign stealing in Major League Baseball.

Five men had sued MLB, MLB Advanced Media, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox in federal court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, violation of consumer-protection laws, negligence, unjust enrichment and deceptive trade practices by teams that violated MLB’s rules against the use of electronics to steal catchers’ signs.

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“A sport that celebrates `stealing,’ even if only of a base, may not provide the perfect encouragement to scrupulous play,” U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff wrote Friday in a 32-page opinion. “Nor can it be denied that an overweening desire to win may sometimes lead our heroes to employ forbidden substances on their (spit) balls, their (corked) bats, or even their (steroid-consuming) selves. But as Frank Sinatra famously said to Grace Kelly (in the 1956 movie musical High Society), “there are rules about such things.“

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred ruled in January the Astros violated rules against electronic sign-stealing during home games en route to their World Series title in 2017 and again in 2018. He suspended manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season each, and both were fired by the team. Manfred fined the Astros $5 million, the maximum under MLB rules and stripped the team of its next two first- and second-round draft picks.

Manfred fined the Red Sox in 2017 for using Apple Watches to pass along signals. Boston is being investigated for possible violations of electronic sign-stealing rules in 2018, when it won the World Series.

“In 2017 and thereafter, the Houston Astros, and somewhat less blatantly the Boston Red Sox, shamelessly broke that rule, and thereby broke the hearts of all true baseball fans,” Rakoff wrote. “But did the initial efforts of those teams, and supposedly of Major League Baseball itself, to conceal these foul deeds from the simple sports bettors who wagered on fantasy baseball create cognizable legal claim? On the allegations here made, the answer is no.”

The five men who sued participated in fantasy contests hosted by DraftKings from 2017-19.

“The connection between the alleged harm plaintiffs suffered and defendants’ conduct is simply too attenuated to support any of plaintiffs’ claims for relief,” Rakoff said.

Red Sox LHP Sale has Tommy John Surgery

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Red Sox starter Chris Sale had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on Monday, his 31st birthday, waiting 11 days after doctors said he needed the operation because of difficulty in scheduling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the team worked with doctors to make sure the procedure didn’t burden an already-stressed healthcare system.

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“Under normal circumstances we might have been able to have it happen a little bit sooner,” Bloom said on a conference call with reporters. “We know that this is not life and death. … It’s apples and oranges with this versus when you talk about something that’s life-threatening.”

Dr. Neal ElAttrache replaced Sale’s ulnar collateral ligament at the Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles; the Red Sox said the surgery was a success. Sale is expected to miss 14-15 months, which would bring him back in the middle of the 2021 season.

“We look forward to his return sometime next year,” Bloom said.

Also Monday, Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran said that the team will wait until next week to consider whether to reopen its facility in Fort Myers, Florida, where a minor leaguer tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24.

“The reports that we are getting is that he is fine,” O’Halloran said. “There have been no other positive tests.”

Sale missed the start of spring training with an illness the team described as a flu that morphed into pneumonia. The Red Sox then said he had a flexor strain near the elbow, but the team hoped he would avoid ligament replacement surgery.

A seven-time All-Star, Sale is 109-73 in 10 major league seasons and entering the second season of a $160 million, six-year contract. After helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts last year — his fewest wins and starts, highest ERA, and the first time he failed to finish among the top six in Cy Young Award voting in any full season as a starter.

“Tommy John’s been a factor in my life for 20 years now,” Sale said this month. “It’s on the table, but it’s always been on the table. So, that’s not something I’m going to worry myself with. I can’t go out there with that in the back of my mind. I have to have the confidence that what we’re doing is going to work.”

Red Sox minor leaguer tests positive for virus, complex shut

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A minor league player for the Boston Red Sox has tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the team to close down its training complex in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Red Sox made the announcement Tuesday, a day after the positive diagnosis. The team didn’t identify the player, but said he was doing well.

Earlier this month, the New York Yankees said two of its minor leaguers had the virus. Those were the first two players affiliated with a big league organization known to test positive.

Major League Baseball has postponed opening day until at least mid-May because of the virus outbreak.

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The Red Sox said their affected player was most recently at the spring training site on March 15. Boston said based on the timing of his test, it believed he most likely got the virus after leaving Fort Myers.

The Fenway South/JetBlue Park complex was closed Tuesday for at least two weeks and will undergo a “deep cleaning.”

The Red Sox said any players or staff members who came into close contact with the affected minor leaguer should self-quarantine for two weeks.

Red Sox ace Chris Sale to have Tommy John surgery

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Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, an operation that would keep him out the entire 2020 baseball season if and when it resumes after the coronavirus pandemic.

“There’s no real way to sugarcoat this. It’s not what anyone wants,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters on Thursday night. “Chris is the type of player that you just can’t replace. He’s an elite player. If he’s unavailable to us, that’s a blow.”

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The announcement comes two weeks after saying Sale had a flexor strain near the elbow. At the time, the Red Sox hoped Sale would avoid the operation that usually requires at least a full year of rehab. Bloom said it usually takes 14-15 months to recover.

“Generally, 12 months is aggressive,” he said. “Some guys go through rehab with absolutely no bumps in the road. Some guys — actually most guys — have bumps along the way. You know he will put everything he has into this.”

Opening day, originally scheduled for next week, has been pushed back until at least mid-May due to the coronavirus outbreak. Sale, who turns 31 this month, missed the start of spring training with an illness that the team described as a flu that morphed into pneumonia. (Bloom said no Red Sox players have tested positive for COVID-19.)

Bloom acknowledged that the pandemic has strained medical resources and said Sale’s surgery would not exacerbate the problem.

“We’re going to do this in a way that doesn’t put any additional burden on everybody who’s suffering during this outbreak,” he said.

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said the team hopes to find a starter to plug the hole on the current roster. The rotation was already stretched with the trade of David Price to Los Angeles in the cost-cutting deal that also sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.

Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodríguez, Martín Pérez could be joined by prospect Ryan Weber, but the need for at least one opener is now almost certain.

“We talked about how we’re going to be able to get by if Chris isn’t able to come back,” Roenicke said. “There’s been a lot of talk about openers.”

A seven-time All-Star, Sale is 109-73 in 10 major league seasons and entering the second season of a six-year, $160 million contract. After helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts last year — his fewest wins and starts, highest ERA, and the first time he failed to finish in the top six in Cy Young voting in any full season as a starter.

After his illness set back his pitching schedule, he threw his first batting practice of the spring on March 4; a day later, he reported discomfort in his pitching elbow. The team said then there had been no additional damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, which was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection in August.

Sale’s season last year ended on Aug. 13.

“Tommy John’s been a factor in my life for 20 years now,” Sale said earlier this month. “It’s on the table, but it’s always been on the table. So, that’s not something I’m going to worry myself with. I can’t go out there with that in the back of my mind. I have to have the confidence that what we’re doing is going to work.”

Tom Brady’s Patriots departure another gut punch to Boston sports fans

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Tom Brady‘s announcement Tuesday that he was going to leave New England after 20 seasons added to suffering Boston sports fans have endured since 2020 began.

Brady told the world he was taking his football journey elsewhere after helping the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins and several division titles. It was reported he was going to sign a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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His departure was another shot in the heart of Boston sports fans just over a month after another superstar was sent packing.

The Boston Red Sox traded one-time American League MVP Mookie Betts and a top pitcher, David Price, to the Los Angeles Dodgers about 30 days before Brady’s announcement. Betts is one of the best players in baseball and was a crucial part of Boston’s World Series run in 2018.

Last season, Betts batted .295 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI. He also had a .915 OPS in 150 games. He has made the All-Star game four straight seasons.

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Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Luckily, Boston fans won’t have to watch Betts in a Dodgers uniform for quite some time. Major League Baseball pushed back the start of opening day due to the coronavirus. But while MLB delays the start of its season, Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins seasons are on hold.

The Celtics had clinched a playoff spot before the NBA suspended its season over the coronavirus. Boston was the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference with a 43-21 record and was nine and 1/2 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the East.

The Bruins had the most points in the Eastern Conference with 100 – eight points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins were 44-14-12 before the NHL suspended its season.

The Celtics might be one of the best teams in the NBA, but their season is suspended. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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While fans should take solace in the Patriots’ long, great history with Brady, seeing him leave in the middle of a total sports shutdown is a tough feeling.

McHugh regrets not trying to stop Astros’ sign stealing

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Pitcher Collin McHugh says he regrets he didn’t do more to stop the Houston Astros from breaking sign-stealing rules in 2017 and 2018.

“To know, to put myself in the shoes of the guys who pitched against us in 2017 and to know that our hitters made that job that much harder that year, it’s hard to swallow,” McHugh said Friday, a day after agreeing to a $600,000, one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.

“I feel for them and I understand the anger,” McHugh said. “I understand when people are mad. … I get it. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to be out there and feel like a team has your signs. It’s a lonely place. So, I think from that perspective, knowing that happened to my fellow pitchers that year, I understand and I empathize with them and with the fans.”

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McHugh is worried about the impact of the Astros’ actions on young fans.

“You’ve got to be willing to stick up for what you believe in and what you believe is right and what you believe is wrong,” he said. “I think a lot of the guys on that team, including myself, are looking back now and wishing we had been as brave in the moment as we thought we were beforehand.”

A 32-year-old right-hander, McHugh was 58-35 with the Astros from 2014-19. He said Astros pitchers were led to believe other teams were stealing Houston’s signs.

“It was really awkward,” he said. “Sign stealing is universally across the board bad for pitchers. And we know that it made our jobs harder. And we truly believe, or were made to believe, that it was happening to us, too. We don’t know if that was true or not. But that’s not justification for doing anything.”

“Looking back, I don’t know what we could have done as pitchers,” he added. “”It wasn’t really our territory but maybe we could have gotten together and somehow tried to stop it.

McHugh started 3-4 with a 6.37 ERA in eight starts last year with Houston and was sent to the bullpen after a 12-2 loss to Kansas City on May 7, when he allowed eight runs in three-plus innings. He went 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 27 relief appearances with 40 strikeouts and 16 walks in 33 2/3 innings. That left him 4-5 with a 4.70 ERA for his season, which ended when he was placed on the injured list Aug. 31 due to right elbow soreness.

He is recovering from a flexor injury in his pitching am and is not expected to be ready for opening day. He had talked to Alex Cora, then Boston’s manager, earlier in the offseason about signing with the Red Sox. Cora was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 and was identified by Major League Baseball on Jan. 13 as a heavily involved in the sign stealing. Cora left the Red Sox that week and was replaced by Ron Roenicke.

MLB also is investigating an allegation Boston stole signs in 2018

McHugh still has friends on the Astros, who have been the target of criticism from players and fans. Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one season each, and the team then fired them. The Astros were fined $5 million and stripped of their next two first- and second-round draft picks.

“It’s tough,” McHugh said. “I’ve thought about it a lot because a lot of those guys are real close. We’re still really close friends and I feel for them because it’s going to be a tough season. It’s going to be a long road ahead and I know it’s not going to be an easy road for them.”

Chris Sale not scheduled for Tommy John surgery — for now

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Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale has a flexor strain near his left elbow and will not be scheduled for Tommy John surgery — for now.

The 30-year-old left-hander felt discomfort in his pitching elbow Monday, a day after throwing his first batting practice of spring training. He had an MRI that was reviewed by team physicians and Drs. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Sale’s ulnar collateral ligament, which was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection last Aug. 19, did not sustain additional damage.

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“That’s what we’re hoping for,” Sale said. “There’s optimism to be had, and I’m thankful for that. But I know the situation we’re in right now and it’s not fun. … This is about as tough situation as I’ve ever been in. ”

Sale is 109-73 in 10 major league seasons is entering the second season of a $160 million, six-year contract. After helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts last year, his fewest wins and starts and highest ERA in a full season since 2012.

“Over the last year and up to this point, I’ve done nothing but fall flat on my face,” Sale said. “So it’s a gut punch. It’s a tough realization, but I’ve said it time and time again, I have no time to hang my head or sit in a corner and pout. I’ve got work to do and I’ve got an uphill battle to climb, but I got my climbing shoes on.”

Sale’s 2019 season was cut short after he gave up five runs over 6 2/3 innings in a win at Cleveland on Aug. 13.

“The UCL looks the same as it did the last image,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. “But the doctors do know that there is some correlation with the flexor and the UCL, and so what we’re going to do with Chris is they’ve advised him to wait another week. So, we’ll wait another week before he starts throwing again. He’ll start out basically playing catch again. If everything’s good, we progress to the bullpens. If everything’s good there, we progress to the live BPs again, and then see where we’re at.”

Sale already had been slated to start the season on the injured list after reporting to camp with pneumonia, setting him behind schedule.

“Tommy John’s been a factor in my life for 20 years now,” Sale said. “So, obviously, with these things happening it’s on the table, but it’s always been on the table. So, that’s not something I’m going to worry myself with. I can’t go out there with that in the back of my mind. I have to have the confidence that what we’re doing is going to work. and the work that I’m going to put in, the effort level that I’m going to do this rehab with and this throwing program with is going to work. I’m not going to sit here and think negative thoughts. I’ve got the best people around me to get me through this process.”

Red Sox ace Chris Sale has MRI for elbow soreness

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Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale has soreness in his throwing elbow and has undergone an MRI.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Sale felt the soreness Monday, one day after throwing batting practice.

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“Obviously we’re concerned about it,.” Roenicke said Tuesday.

Dr. James Andrews will review the MRI.

Sale threw about 18 pitches in batting practice Sunday, the first time he faced hitters since he gave up five runs over 6 2/3 innings in a win at Cleveland on Aug. 13. He went on the injured list with elbow inflammation, finishing 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts.

He already was slated to start this season on the IL after reporting to camp with pneumonia, setting him back by about two weeks.

Daughter of retired MLB All-Star John Olerud dies at 19

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The daughter of two-time All-Star first baseman John Olerud died at 19, New York Mets official Jay Horwitz tweeted Sunday.

Horwitz, who was a longtime public relations official with the Mets before becoming the vice president of alumni public relations and team historian in 2018, tweeted out the news about Olerud’s daughter, Jordan, and asked that donations be made to the Jordan Fund in her name.

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“So sad to hear about the passing of Jordan Olerud. To honor John, Kelly and Jordan you can contribute at JordanFund.org. Services for Jordan will be this Saturday,” he tweeted.

Horwitz accompanied his tweet with another statement.

“Please keep John and Kelly Olerud in your thoughts. The Oleruds’ 19-year-old daughter, Jordan, passed away. She was born with a rare chromosome disease. John and Kelly have devoted their lives to working with children with special needs.”

Jordan Olerud was born with a rare genetic disorder called tri-some 2p, 5p-, which means she had an extra second chromosome and was missing part of her fifth chromosome, according to Yahoo Sports.

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Her father played 17 years in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox before retiring after the 2005 season. He was a two-time World Series champion and won the batting title in 1993.

The Mets and the Blue Jays tweeted their condolences.

John and Kelly Olerud started the Jordan Fund in 2003.

“The fund’s mission is to provide support to special needs children and their families,” a description on its website read.

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“John & Kelly have experienced first hand what an enormous task it is to care for a child with special needs, and what a huge burden it can place on families. John & Kelly are so grateful to the Lord for giving them a firm foundation of family, friends and the financial means to help care for Jordan.”

Coronavirus fears force Red Sox to quarantine prospect who arrived to spring training from Taiwan

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A Boston Red Sox pitching prospect is being quarantined in his Florida hotel room over fears he may have contracted the coronavirus following his trip from Taiwan.

Chih-Jung Liu, 20, arrived at Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers last week from the Asian nation and was being quarantined out of “an overabundance of caution,” a team spokesman told the Boston Globe on Tuesday. He flew from Taiwan to San Francisco and then to Fort Myers last week.

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According to the newspaper, Liu wrote on his Facebook page that he was receiving three meals a day, doing some weight training and going on runs while he awaits the all-clear.

The team also briefly quarantined infielder Tzu-Wei Lin earlier this month.

The city of San Francisco recently declared a state of emergency over coronavirus fears after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning the U.S. will likely see more cases.

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There are more than 50 known cases in the U.S. and no cases in San Francisco.

China, by far, still has the most cases and deaths from the illness, though its numbers have slowed recently. Chinese officials Wednesday reported another 406 cases and 52 additional deaths, all of them in hard-hit Hubei province and all but 10 in the epicenter of the city of Wuhan.

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“It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen — and how many people in this country will have severe illness,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the CDC said.

Fox News’ Eddie DeMarche and the Associated Press contributed to this report.