Everyone has an opinion on the looming Stephen Strasburg shutdown. And since the shutdown is driven in part by two-year-old Tommy John surgery, why not ask Tommy John? Colin Cowherd did:
That said: why are we asking Tommy John about this? I know the surgery has his name on it and stuff, but it’s not like he has some sort of unique insight on it. My dad had back surgery a couple of years ago and no one asks him about whether anyone else who gets it should go back to work.
“From the time I came back until I quit in 1989, I never missed a start in 13 years. Now, we were archaic back there, but here’s my take on the thing: There’s no guarantee (if) you shut him down. The Yankees screwed Joba Chamberlain over. I mean, this poor kid has had all kind of problems, and they had Joba Rules. ...It didn’t help him a bit. He still had to have Tommy John surgery. So there’s no guarantee that you’re shutting Strasburg down, that he’s going to be healthy down the road.
I don’t disagree with any of that sentiment and I think that anyone who agrees with the shutdown program needs to likewise admit that we have nothing approaching good science regarding the relationship between post-surgery workloads and future health.
That said: why are we asking Tommy John about this? I know the surgery has his name on it and stuff, but it’s not like he has some sort of unique insight on it. My dad had back surgery a couple of years ago and no one asks him about whether anyone else who gets it should go back to work.