Given his body of work both on and off the field, the selection of Tommy John as the inaugural inductee of The Hall of Very Good™ was an easy one.
Getting people to talk about was him much easier. Here’s a smattering of what they had to say.
“I didn't hit that well against Tommy. He was a real good pitcher and he always kept the ball sinking and down.” – Major League Baseball hit king Pete Rose
“To me, ‘Tommy John surgery’ means every time TJ took the mound and dissected each hitter one by one…on his way to 288 wins!” – Seth Swirsky, author of Baseball Letters, A Fan's Correspondence With His Heroes
“Tommy and I have become good friends over the last 14 years. He and I are both avid golfers and enjoy the game about as much as we do our professions.” – Chicago Bears longsnapper (and Tommy John’s son-in-law) Patrick Mannelly
“The name ‘Tommy John’ obviously brings to mind stories of injuries, lost seasons, recovery times and surgeries. The operation itself has become so common place that I almost expect it to become part of a minor league career prior to call up these days.” – Baseball Bloggers Alliance president Bill Ivie
“Tommy John surgery is one of the four or five most significant advances in baseball history…which is pretty good considering the actual Tommy John had a helluva career.” – Jonah Keri, lead baseball writer at Grantland.com
“I've always thought John should be in the real Hall of Fame without question, both for the wins and for the operation.” – Mark Whicker, Orange County Register sports columnist
“Congratulations to Tommy for being the inaugural member of The Hall of Very Good. I’ve been very fortunate to both work and know Tommy. He is a great friend and has been incredibly supportive of 'A Glove Of Their Own'.” – Bob Salomon, A Glove of Their Own
Do you have any thoughts on Tommy John? Feel free to share them below!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
