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One Leg Up On Sports With Yankees and Dodgers Pitcher Tommy John 50 Years After He Underwent Tommy John Surgery 10-11-24 · OneLegUpAlex Media

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Garrett.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: All right, well it's Alex Garrett and it's a very
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: special episode. This is three hundred on my reinvented sports
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: hour known as One Leg Up on Sports. Tommy John
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: joins my podcast for episode three hundred. Tommy, I'm so
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: honored to have you on.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: You know it's very interesting. Mac McFarland sent this up.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: I met him at Pinsroy Pribaby a year ago.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Great guy.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Thanks to him for making this happen. But I'm catching
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: you right in October baseball, so I want to ask
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: you first postseason baseball? What does it mean to you? Tommy?
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Well, if I was playing in it, it would mean
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: that I get more money.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: But back then, playing in October, what was that like
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: for you?
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Really? Fun?
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: I bet, and I know that you know this is
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: the fiftieth year in a very special you know, it's
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: fifty eight years since your surgery, so fifty years later
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: I asked it was before, But do players still come
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: to you for advice for after having the Tommy Johnsarch.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: They've never come to me for advice.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: And is that something you wish they would do more of?
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Considering you're the first and obviously the name of the
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: surgeries after you.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I would like to tell them, you know,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: what to expect and all that, but you know, it's
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: whatever they want to do they can do.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Take us inside because of the year exactly what happened
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: and how that surgery change your your motion, you're pitching
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: form and whatnot, and how you felt because I heard
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: you went on to throw two hundred fifty innings the
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: next year.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Is that correct? At two hundred and some innings? I
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: forget how many? Two ten? I just wanted to play baseball.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: I wanted to pitch. And this little bump in the
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: road called a ruptured uc and through you back just
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: a little bit. But you know, it is what it is,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: and we go on about it and do what we
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: have to do.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: I want to ask you about the guy that performed
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: the surgery for you, doctor Frank Job. How'd you stay
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: in touch with them long after the surgery, Like, were
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: you guys still close after you? Absolutely that friendship with
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Frank Job tays a little bit about it. Who performed
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: the surgery on you?
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: He was an excellent surgeon, but he was a good guy.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: And when we talked about my surgery that he was
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: going to do on me. It was more like father
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: and son and not doctor patient. He talked to me
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: with compassion and with love and with caring.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: That's very special. And so that connection over the years
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: you had with him had to mean a lot.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: It did, absolutely did.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Was he funny?
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Like?
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: What was he what was he like? What was his
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: personality like? Obviously the job done, but what was his
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: personality like too?
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: He was just a good guy. He had a little humor.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: You've been in the headlines recently for you know, questions
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: about why you're not in the Hall, and we'll get
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: to that in a second. But for pitching today, does
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: the pitch count drive you nuts? And to seeing young
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: guys like you know, schemes being taken out after seven
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: innings of ninety one pitches that drive you crazy, especially
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: during a no hitter, to see.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: That, I don't know, I don't watch baseball anymore because
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: of stuff like that.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's completely turned you off from the sport.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: The whole mechanics of the pitching count and whatnot.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the pitch counts and the pitching coaches running out
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: wiping the guy's butt every time he covers first base,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: and it's just it's a Woosie game.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Now, let's get to the Matterhan, because obviously there was
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: a big push for you to be in the Hall.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: And I know last time we talked it was sort
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: of like, well, if they won't put me in, they
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: can put me in. But do you feel like there's
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: a reason why, And maybe you can discuss that with
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: me here if you don't mind, because I'm curious.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: No, I have no idea why. I have no idea.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Why do you wish you were in the Hall?
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Yes? I do.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Is it possible because of your Trump tie?
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: And look I no, I just I said that to
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: be funny, and somebody ran with it. And when they
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: started voting me into the Hall of Fame, Donald Trump
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: wasn't in politics. And I just said that because it
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: would tick some people off, and obviously it did.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: It's struck a nerve for sure. You know, I gotta say,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: I believe they had a night for you, honoring you.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: What was that event?
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Like just a bunch of my friends and people like
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: that that we got together and had a little cookout
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: and you know, had a good time.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: Do you ever came in up with your teammates I
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: have to ask that. No, I do not, And I
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: know you have your podcast, So tell me a little
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: bit about the Rubbing Elbows podcasts. What do you guys?
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: I know you have some big names on there, and
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: are you still doing that even through your medical stuff
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: that you're going through.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we're doing but I don't know when they're going
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: to schedule me up again. But it's fun. And we
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: just talked baseball and BS and all that, and it's fun.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: It's really fun.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: So you don't watch again, but you like talking about again.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: What's your favorite part to talk about the memories on
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: the on the mound or what what's your favorite parts
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: to reminisce about my home runs? Speaking of teammates, any
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: favorite memories with the guys that you want to share
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: with me on the podcast today.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Well, we just lost Louis Tian and Louie and I
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: were together in the minor leagues and we were good
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: friends and played together and and you know, and then
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: he passed away yesterday. I guess it was. But Louis
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: was a super super good guy, good picture too.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, and he's another one that is beloved. Well,
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: I've starting to tell you, you know, I think I told
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: this before when we were down spring training and you
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: were sitting there outside the dugout, my dad and I
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: reach over and you were kind of signed a book
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: of wit and I always remember that moment. You know,
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: you have two hundred eighty eight You have two hundred
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: eighty eight wins. Talk about the mechanics though, because obviously
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: you know the mechanics after Tommy John before. What were
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: the differences.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: The same? Absolutely the same.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: Do you like being associated with the surgery with the
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: name or does it drive you crazy?
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: It's something that they did to me and that bore
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: my name, and you know, and I'll just I'll do
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: what I have to do as long as I have
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: to do it.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: Do you find sometimes that pictures are undergoing it even
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: if they don't need to, meaning that doctors now relying
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: a little too much? Or do you find that every
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: searcher they do is sort of like, okay, that's the
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: right call. I mean, it's not in other words, it's
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: not been an over you surgery since yours was so unique,
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: is it.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: No? Obviously I'm not a doctor and I don't know
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: what's going on that, but no, it's if the guy
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: has a torn ligament in his elbow. He's got to
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: get it operated done.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: Tommy's since you're on the show. You actually played with
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: the Dodgers in the World Series and then you were
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: on the Yanks an eighty one in the World Series.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: Tell me about playing in playing in the World Series,
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: first when the Dodgers in the seventy seven seventy eight
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: and then as a Yank you what was it like
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: playing on both sides in the World Series.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: It was the World Series is good, a lot of
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: pressure on you, and you had to pitch. It could
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: make a lot of mistakes and you know, and that's
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: the way it was, and so you pitched the best
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: you could as long as you can and then you're done.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: Talk about pitching in Trove Vine, Tommy, because I know
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: that that's a big part of your career.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: It was a beautiful ballpark, had great fans, the weather
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: was outstanding, and the Dodgers played well.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: Lasorda was your manager. Talk about me being, you know,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: a student of Lasorda and under his wing.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: You just had to have money to buying food.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: He was a wise guy and I'm sure you have
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: stories with him because he was just he was a character.
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: Even though I got to meet him years ago when
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: he was just a nice guy, but a wise guy.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: I'm sure he felt he had that presence in the
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: dugout as well.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: Yes he did, and but he loved the game of
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: baseball and he loved the Dodgers, and he got everybody
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: that went out on the field to bleed Dodger blue.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: And obviously in the Bronx, different atmosphere, but I'm sure
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: it was still as exciting to pitch in the Bronx,
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: wasn't it.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: Well, there's a different style than what it was out
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: in LA, but the fans were loud and boisterous. At
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: Yankee Stadium, we had a loud and boisterous owner.
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: What was it like under mister Steinborn? I just out
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: of curiosity, what was that like?
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: He was a tough cookie, very very tough, and you
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: played then you played hard because if you played hard
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: and did well, he wouldn't say anything. If you didn't
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: play hard and you didn't do well, he'd be all
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: over you. George was like anybody that was building a winner.
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: You know, what do you in baseball? What do you
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: build it with? You build it with pitching mainly, and
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: that's what George, did.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: You know there are a lot of guys that are
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: actually having Hall of Fame pushes? Obviously, Thurman is one
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: camp that wants get him in the Hall.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: Thurman Munson is the best catcher I ever pitched, too.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: And you were on that seventy nine team and the
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: emotions were so real. What do you remember about seventy nine.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: I'm just curious since we're talking about Thurman here.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: I remember that we flew to Canton, Ohio, all of
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: us are our wives on a plane to go to
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: his funeral, and then we had to come back and
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: play that night. And that was the toughest game I've
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: ever had to attend.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: Were you close with Bobby Mercer, the guy who hit
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: the you know, did the eulogy and also hit the
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: game winner. I mean, what emotional day for him, and
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: what a good person he was.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: Bobby was a good guy. Yes he was. Yep, he
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: was very good guy.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: And when you're say he's the best catcher, tell us
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: about that you just had a rhythm with him on
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: the mount. Is that what you felt with Thermo?
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah? I just I felt secure with him. I felt
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: safe with him, and he called a good game and
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: you know, usually when a catcher calls a good game
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: and the pitcher doesn't have to shake him off, he's
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: pretty dag gone good. What's your favorite.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: Part of being on that side to be interviewed versus
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: being the eitherviewer.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Yes, well, you want to be able to ask questions
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: that the people out there listening will like, and you
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: don't want the questions to be too namby Pamby, but
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: you don't want him to be too hard either, you know.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: And it's fun. I enjoyed it.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: What point did you stop watching baseball? Because obviously you've
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: been in the game forever, At what point did you
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: stop actually watching it?
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: When I got out?
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: Could you tell when you got out that there was
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: like a direction it was going that you didn't want
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: to be seen anymore. What was it like as you
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: were leaving?
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was, you know, it was just it got
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: too meticulous too, you know. I just you play the game,
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: you pitch, you pitch as long as you can pitch,
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: and then you go take a shower and go home.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: I had to say baseball has become more corporate, But
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: sometimes I feel that, Tommy, I really do. I feel
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: like it's not about the kids game anymore.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: Well, no, it's a corporate It's a kid's game played
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: on the corporate level. That's what it is.
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: Do you support your family and their the leagues that
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: I hear that you are a big support of Little
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: League Baseball and and you know Max grandkids, you coach
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: them a little bit too. Talk about that giving back
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: to the community in that way.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: If I'm involved with the team, I give it my
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: hundred percent and then I go home.
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: Well, Tommy, thanks for joining me. This has been very
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: special and I will definitely have to have you back
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: as things progress, and you know, the Hall of Fame
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: is always around the corner, it feels like, so we'll
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: get you back on as as the voting comes back
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: on you got it. Thank you telling me John for joining.
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: We look up with Alex Carrett