Michael Trzinski

Tommy John began his professional baseball career at the age of 18 in 1961 for the Dubuque Packers in the Midwest League, then a Class-D affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. He made his final appearance on May 25, 1989, pitching 5 1/3 innings in an 8-6 win over the California Angels. All told, John won 288 big-league games over a 26-year career. But in 1974, John’s baseball life was in serious doubt. He suffered a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his elbow, which at that time was a career-ending injury. At the time of the surgery, Dr. Frank Jobe estimated the chances of success at one in 100. In September 1974, Dr. Jobe performed the four-hour procedure, grafting a tendon from John’s right forearm into his left elbow. The recovery included a second surgery to re-route a nerve in his elbow. John attended spring training the following year in 1975 and progressed to the point where he made a few appearances in the Arizona Instructional League in September. In 1976, John pitched in spring training for the Dodgers and made 31 starts for Los Angeles during the regular season. He made at least 30 starts in eight of the next 12 seasons until he was released by the New York Yankees midway through the 1989 season at the age of 46. He did not pitch in the big leagues again. The soft-tossing left-hander won 20 games three times during his career and was an All-Star four times. His best stretch was from 1977-1980, during which he won 20, 17, 21, and 22 games, respectively. He completed 51 games and posted 12 shutouts in that timeframe. He pitched for three different teams in the postseason—Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and the California Angels. John made 700 starts (760 appearances), completed 162 games, and posted 46 shutouts. He had a career bWAR of 62.1, an ERA+ of 111, and a FIP of 3.38. All in all, it was a spectacular career, especially in light of his major elbow surgery in 1974. Although he fell short of the Hall of Fame, his legacy was the surgery that was named after him. In 2012, ESPN’s Lindsey Berra estimated that roughly 14% of all major league pitchers had undergone the Tommy John procedure at some point in their careers. The operation Dr. Jobe performed over 50 years ago has become a common occurrence among big-league pitchers. According to USA Today in 2024, 36% of major league pitchers had TJ surgery at one time. Many underwent multiple surgeries, including four times for Hung-Chih Kuo and three for Tejay Antone. In fact, by 2014, the American Medical Association determined that 67% of the UCL operations were performed on athletes 16-20 years old. John’s impact beyond the eponymous surgery included advocacy for suicide prevention after his son Taylor committed suicide in 2010 at the age of 28. John supported the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and participated in fundraising efforts at various benefits. Having pitched in the big leagues until age 46, John inspired other players to compete past the ‘normal’ age of retirement. Players like Jamie Moyer (49), Julio Franco (49), Nolan Ryan (46), and Randy Johnson (46) all had effective seasons well into their 40s. John also traveled the country in support of his Let’s Do It Foundation, promoting awareness and prevention of elbow injuries in baseball. One of his most prominent points was for young players to play different sports during the year. In 2014, he told players at Bayside (NY) high school that they shouldn’t make baseball a year-round sport. “You get burned out mentally. Secondly, you get burned out physically. Play other sports. It’s called cross-training. Do something else, play basketball, play football.” Tommy John not only had an impact on the sport with the surgery that was named after him, but also on young ball players in an effort to keep them healthy, and in helping children and adults who led troubled lives. Yes, Tommy John is known mostly for the UCL procedure, but his life was much, much more. Rest in Peace, TJ. View full article

Maybe MLB teams should become like Woodman's: employee-owned. Players buy out the owners and run their own show. That would be a great social experiment.

My comment about Max Clark is that he needs to worry less about the multiple pieces of bling around his neck and more about catching routine fly balls.

'Going somewhere, Meat?' 'Ninety feet.' 'Eff you, Jobu. I do it myself.' 'Forget about the curveball, Ricky. Give 'em the heater!' 'Yo, bartender...Jobu needs a refill!'

I must be old (I am) 'cuz I don't know any of them...lol. But it 'sounds' like a 100-win team.

I have been saying this for more years than you have been alive, Matt...long-term contracts and deferrals are bad for baseball. How many six or seven year contracts have you seen that worked out good for both parties? One-quarter maybe? Three clinkers come to mind for the Brewers: Teodoro Higuera, Jeff Suppan, and Christian Yelich. Deferrals just make it even worse. How many times have you gotten paid for work you didn't do? Why should athletes? A future 'Just for Fun' piece: If I was Commissioner for a Day.' I will discuss it in greater detail.

Now I 'll have to watch it again. Nice write-up!

Tyler, you might have a future as a film critic for the New York Post. Siskel & Ebert? Nah Omoth!!

How true. Check my comments above: put a bit of a cap at the top, and raise the floor at the bottom. But apparently 'Shirley' Clark thinks players don't make enough...

Based on comments made by MLBPA president Tony Clark to The Athletic, the union is focused less on cosmetic changes and more on whether the current system actually promotes competition and fairly compensates players. 'Fairly compensates players?' Shirley, you jest...lol. Shohei Ohtani, 10yrs, $700 million Kyle Tucker, 4 yrs, $240 million Juan Soto, 15yrs, $765 million Vlad Guerrero, Jr., 14yrs, $500 million To put it in perspective, based on his last five seasons, Ohtani has averaged 672 plate appearances per year. Every time Ohtani steps to the plate, whether he hits a walk-off grand slam or strikes out, he cashes a check for $104,166.67. Yes, he is underpaid...lol. Most people don't make that much money in a year; Ohtani makes it in five minutes. And, Tony, if you are talking about the bottom 95% of MLB players, maybe take some of those millions that stars make, money they won't spend in three lifetimes, and share it somehow with the bottom of the league. Instead of a $700 million contract, make it $600 million. That's $100 million over 10 years that can be given to the back-up catchers or utility infielders. Cap the salaries just a bit, and raise the floor. Seems like y'all could make it work. And just in case you weren't aware, the MLB minimum salary in 2026 will be $780,000. Damn, makes me wish I had concentrated on baseball in high school instead of girls, weed, and beer...

I'll have to check it out!

I agree. I think teams will continue to do 'business as usual.'

It was not an attack on the country; it was a raid to capture Maduro. The US did not attack Venezuela. Yes, there were some deaths and it was unfortunate, but the US achieved its stated goal of taking a narco-terrorist out of power. I'm not sure how any American would be against that. Based on what I have heard from various news outlets over the last few days, a large number of Venezuelans are happy with the capture of Maduro. Unless a player lost family or friends, I would suggest they would be happy with the removal of Maduro as well.

Susac must be the younger brother of Andrew Susac? He was with the Brewers in 2016/17.