Tommy John Has Perfect Perspective on Being Known for Elbow Surgery

When you're a former MLB pitcher who spent 26 years in the bigs, you may be disappointed if the one thing you're known for is an elbow surgery that requires a year of recovery.

For Tommy John, at least he's looking at it with a glass half full mentality.

Tommy John seems rather cranky in this interview, but I do like his answer to how he feels about having a surgery named after him: “It’s better to have a ligament replacement surgery than hemorrhoids surgery." https://t.co/boeuinQRXG
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) July 5, 2019

"It's better to have a ligament replacement surgery than a hemorrhoids surgery," said John to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Well, that's one way to look at it.

John is one of the icons of career durability and longevity, as his 26 years in the big leagues is something that today's players can only dream of. He was consistent, too -- in his career, he posted a 3.34 ERA with 2,245 strikeouts and 288 wins in over 4,700 innings of work.

A big blow to Houston's already thin starting pitching depth: Corbin Martin underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) July 5, 2019

Tommy John surgery is one of the most feared procedures in the sport, mostly due to its lengthy recovery time.

Props to Tommy John for rolling with the cards he's been dealt. As he alluded to in his interview, it could be a whole lot worse.