Tommy John’s name has lived in baseball for decades, but on Saturday the former pitcher used it one more time to say goodbye.
The New York Yankees posted a farewell letter from John, who is 83 and has been dealing with “health issues,” according to the team. In the message, John thanked the organization, the Steinbrenner family and the people who followed him through a 26-year major league career.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone,” John wrote, “along with all the friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.”
The letter came on the 78th Old-Timers’ Day, when the Yankees said John was sharing a message from his home in Bradenton, Florida.
John’s legacy in the game is inseparable from the elbow surgery that now carries his name. In 1974, he became the first pitcher to undergo the procedure on his elbow, a surgery performed by Dr.
Frank Jobe that ended up changing baseball forever. John mentioned Jobe in the letter; Jobe died in 2014.
That surgery extended John’s career for several more years, and he ultimately pitched for six teams: the Yankees, White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Cleveland and Oakland. His longest stays came in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, with eight seasons in pinstripes, seven with the White Sox, six with the Dodgers, four with the Angels and three combined with Cleveland and Oakland. Over that span, he started 700 games and played across generations.
After retiring at 46, John moved into broadcasting and coaching at the collegiate and minor-league levels.
His health has been a concern for some time. John had previously been diagnosed with bladder cancer, and he has also dealt with coronavirus and blood clots in his lungs. The specifics of his current condition were not immediately clear.
Bucky Dent, who played with John on the Yankees, said he learned of his longtime friend’s poor health last week and went to visit him.
“I got to spend a couple hours with him,” Dent said. “Just talked baseball.
He was doing alright. It’s difficult.
I just wanted to spend time with him.”
Dent was at Yankee Stadium for Old-Timers’ Day, and said John’s condition came up among those in attendance.
“He pitched a long time, and had a surgery named after him,” Dent said. “He’s a guy that went out there and did the job. … My heart goes out to him.”
In his letter, John closed with a memory from the start of his career and the advice his father gave him before he left for his first pitching job.
“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher,” John wrote, “my father looked at me and said, ‘Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.
“I’ve never forgotten those words. Thank you and God bless.”
In Other News...
Rams Gave Fans Real Reasons To Feel Better About This Roster
A joint practice with the Cowboys gave the Rams a useful mid-August checkpoint, and it came at a time when every rep matters for a roster still taking shape. Matthew Stafford handled most of the snaps, with Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson getting work as well, while the coaching staff got a longer look at how the offense and defense are settling in before the preseason gets into its final stretch.
The biggest takeaway, though, was on the other side of the ball, where the Rams defense showed real bite in both the pass rush and coverage. Byron Young, Trent McDuffie, Quentin Lake and Nate Landman were among the defenders who stood out, giving the team something concrete to weigh as it moves toward roster cuts and tries to sort out which pieces fit best for the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Simpsons Early Rams Struggles Could Test Fans Patience Fast
Ty Simpson arrives in Rams camp carrying the kind of label that can make every practice rep feel larger than life. As a rookie quarterback with limited collegiate experience, he is already being viewed through a developmental lens, and the early stages of training camp and preseason figures to bring plenty of scrutiny as the Rams work to see how he handles the speed and pressure of the pro game.
The plan is not to shelter him, either. Los Angeles wants to put Simpson in game-like situations and challenge him to improve quickly, knowing his growth is a long-term project rather than an instant fix. For a team that has to think about life after Matthew Stafford, the patience level around Simpson could be tested early, even if the bigger payoff is supposed to come much later. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Opener In Australia Just Added Another Massive Spotlight
The Rams season opener in Melbourne was already going to stand out as one of the most unusual settings on the NFL calendar, and now it has an even bigger entertainment angle attached to it. Los Angeles and San Francisco will meet Sept. 10 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the leagues first regular-season game in Australia, with the matchup set to stream exclusively on Netflix.
Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly will be on the call, but the broadcast is only part of the spectacle. The halftime show will feature a live performance by the Jonas Brothers, adding another layer of attention to a game that is already carrying a rare international spotlight for the Rams and the 49ers alike. [Read more 🡒]