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Why, exactly, is Tommy John’s opinion on Stephen Strasburg relevant?

83rd MLB All-Star Game

KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 10: National League All-Star Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pithces in the fourth inning during the 83rd MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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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:

“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.