"I never was a team guy. Well, I'm a Bears fan and a Cubs fan. But I never was a team fan."

John is still active in baseball, still scouts players, and recently managed for the independent Bridgeport Bluefish, a job he calls "the most fun I ever had." He also works for a company that sells scoreboards to sporting venues.

He recognizes that some young fans know him for the surgery and not his baseball career, but he's not bothered.

"I thank God that Dr. Jobe did what he had to do and I did what I had to do. And it will be forever known as Tommy John surgery. I'll be dust in the ground and Tommy John surgery will probably be living on."