One more thing... I'm actually very thankful for TJ surgery. It was the only reason my son got to continue his career. I realize some don't fully recover, but I also know that many do. None of them would have in days days before TJ surgery.
Once again I only have a problem with the word epidemic. John Smoltz was the very first TJ surgery to become a hall of famer. Would he be a hall of famer today without TJ surgery? For sure, he won't be the last.
If there were no TJ surgery, there wouldn't be a TJ epidemic, would there? It would just be like the old days when you blew out the arm you were done.
So I look at TJ surgery as a blessing in some ways. Sure it's still terrible and you wouldn't wish it on anyone, but because of modern medicine it doesn't have to be the end. Surely no one really thinks Tommy John was the first pitcher to ever have a UCL problem? The injury didn't start with him, the solution started with him. And now we are having pitchers get the surgery, that would have just kept throwing until it gave away completely, in the old days. Then their career was over! They weren't part of any epidemic, they were just done!
His speech was not about a professional pitcher having TJS, its about kids having TJS.
There is a very big difference.