Pitching legend Tommy John, known for the groundbreaking elbow surgery that extended his time on the field by 14 years, has passed away at 83, as confirmed by the New York Yankees.
John’s life came to an end at his residence in Bradenton, Florida. While the cause of death remains undisclosed, he had faced a prolonged battle with bladder cancer and other health issues in recent years.
In a heartfelt statement, the New York Yankees expressed their grief over John’s passing. The team highlighted his pivotal role in their roster and his cherished status among fans. His impressive persistence and post-surgery feats not only transformed countless athletes’ careers worldwide but also somewhat eclipsed his prowess on the mound, notably including two consecutive 20-win seasons with the Yankees.
Reflecting on his overall contributions, the Yankees paid tribute to John’s competitive spirit, his affinity for engaging conversations, his gracious character, and his status as both an athletic figure and a medical trailblazer. They extended their heartfelt sympathies to his family and close friends.
In August, John hinted at his health struggles when he missed the Yankees’ Old-Timers Day, sharing a message of farewell to his friends and fans who had supported him during his remarkable 26-year career.
“I will never forget you,” John said in his message posted to social media.
After suffering what had been up to then considered a career-ending injury, John, then 31, underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his left (pitching) elbow in 1974, with the revolutionary procedure being performed by Dr. Frank Jobe. The procedure was named after John and has since become commonplace, performed on thousands of players — not just pitchers — with a typical recovery time of a year to 18 months.
John, a four-time All-Star nicknamed “The Bionic Man,” went on to pitch for 14 more seasons after the surgery.
John had 124 wins in 355 games at the time of the procedure. He pitched in 405 more games, winning 164, and finishing with a career record of 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA in 760 career appearances. Besides eight seasons with the Yankees, for whom he won 91 games over two separate stints, John pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics.
“Thanks to Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm
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Australia Initiates Comprehensive Gun Buyback Program Following Bondi Beach Incident: A Step Towards Sensible Reform
Anticipation builds as New South Wales, Australia, gears up to launch a pioneering gun buyback initiative this November. Strap in for a historic movement aimed at reshaping national gun policy after a tragic shooting at a Hanukkah event in Sydney claimed 15 lives, as announced by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday.
Set to commence on November 2, according to both Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, the buyback program will roll out its first phase. Those handing in eligible firearms can expect a standard recompense ranging between $450 and $1,000 per weapon, depending on the firearm type. A subsequent phase promises a valuation route for specific high-value firearms, pegged at a maximum of $10,000 per item.
Triggered by the December 14 tragedy at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah gathering, Albanese’s center-left administration introduced sweeping gun control reforms in January. This included the much-talked-about gun buyback scheme alongside stringent firearms regulations. Meanwhile, New South Wales independently enacted tougher state firearms laws, while the federal government also moved to curb hate speech and extremism.
In an unsettling revelation, the accused shooters had legally procured their firearms. Last year saw Australia reach a record high of 4.1 million firearms, with the most populous state, New South Wales, accounting for over 1.1 million of these.
The aftermath of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah festivity attack spurred Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to forge forward with these determined changes to gun-control legislation in January.
“We must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesn’t happen again. That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform,” Albanese said in a statement.
The initiative is set to be Australia’s largest buyback since a similar effort following the 1996 massacre in Tasmania’s Port Arthur, when a gunman killed 35 people.
“Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws, but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback ,” Albanese said.
New South Wales generally limits individual firearm ownership to four guns under restrictions sparked by the Bondi Beach attack, with exemptions allowingcertain licence holders, including some primary producers, sport shooters and others with specified genuine reasons, to possess more firearms. It estimates that up to 274,000 registered firearms — about 24% of the total number of registered firearms in New South Wales — and about 50,000 license holders are affected by the new limits on gun ownership and reclassification of some types of firearms.
Australia’s government said there was a record 4.1 million firearms in the country last year, including more than 1.1 million in New South Wales. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)
“After Bondi, we promised the people of New South Wales we would introduce the toughest gun laws in the country, and that’s exactly what we did,” Minns said. “The next step is getting the guns that are no longer permitted under those laws out of circulation and permanently off our streets.”
“There are potentially hundreds of thousands of firearms affected by these changes,” Minns added. “We want those guns handed in, compensated for and safely destroyed. This is a big undertaking, but the principle behind it is simple: fewer dangerous guns in our community means a safer New South Wales.”
The attack was allegedly carried out by a father and son who police believe were inspired by the Islamic State.
The 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was shot and killed by police at the scene, while the surviving suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, has not yet entered pleas on a slew of charges, including 15 counts of murder. Authorities have charged him with 59 offenses in total, including committing a terrorist act and 15 counts of murder.
The attack was carried out by a father and son who police believe were inspired by the Islamic State. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)
A man identified as Ahmed al Ahmed has been praised as a hero for tackling and disarming one of the gunmen. He suffered gunshot wounds in the incident and is still recovering.
“After the tragedy at Bondi, we committed to dealing with the motive and the method,” Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said. “Since then, we have strengthened our hate crimes and hate speech laws, which are now the strongest in our country’s history.”
“Today we continue the proud Australian tradition of sensible gun reform designed to protect our community from weapons which have no utility other than to cause harm.” he added.
Concerned Over Child-Free Wedding? Dear Abby Offers Insightful Advice
DEAR ABBY: My youngest son is tying the knot this spring, and they’ve opted for a child-free wedding reception. We have three grandchildren, aged between 3 and 7, and the wedding is taking place in the city where my son and his fiancée reside, which means we will be traveling. They want the kids to be part of the ceremony as flower girls and the ring bearer, but then they are excluded from the sit-down meal, reception, and dance. This means the parents need to arrange for babysitters.
Our grandchildren hold a special place in our hearts, and my husband and I are heartbroken that they won’t be included in the entire event. We consider them immediate family and have requested their inclusion, but despite our pleas, the bride and groom have stuck to their decision. What’s even more challenging for us is that while no children or even nursing babies are allowed, their dog will be part of the wedding party.
Recently, at the bride’s wedding shower, which I attended with my two other daughters-in-law, it was tough to muster enthusiasm about the upcoming nuptials. I have shed a few tears over this and can’t help but feel a bit resentful towards the couple. Do you have any advice on how to handle these feelings? — WEDDING WOES IN CANADA
DEAR WEDDING WOES: I’m sorry the wedding reception won’t be the joyful family gathering you envisioned. If it were your vow renewal, things would surely look different. However, this day belongs to the bride and groom, and they have crafted a celebration that reflects their wishes, including a reception without children. Demonstrate your love and respect for them by honoring their choices and leaving your grandchildren in the care of a babysitter.
DEAR ABBY: An acquaintance of mine has been posting pictures showcasing every phase of his lavish mansion’s construction, from the groundbreaking to digging the massive pool, right up to the finished house. I’ll admit, I feel envious. But isn’t it inconsiderate of him? Our friendship circle mostly comprises middle to upper-class families, and I find his posts uncomfortably insensitive. Am I out of line for feeling this way? — FLIPPING MAD IN TEXAS
DEAR FLIPPING MAD: I’m sorry your ego is bruised from looking at the photos your friend posted of creating his new home, but what he did isn’t rude. Perhaps if you start counting the blessings you have in your own life, you can combat the green-eyed monster you have been feeding. I wish you luck because there is nothing constructive about envy.
DEAR ABBY: Should I tell my two older grandchildren that my husband and I are divorcing? Although the divorce is in its early stages, our home is expected to be sold a year and a half from now. My daughter and grandchildren reside in that home. I’d like to know if this would be too early to let them know. Please give me your opinion. — MAKING A CHANGE IN FLORIDA
DEAR MAKING A CHANGE: Your daughter should be told (if she doesn’t already know) because she will need time to find another home for herself and her children. When to share the news of the divorce with her children should be her decision. A year and a half is plenty of time for everyone to prepare for the changes that are coming. I hope that the divorce will be amicable.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Trump Praises Kim; Cuts US-South Korea Military Drills
President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to lessen the scope of its planned joint military operations with South Korea.
On Sunday, mere hours ahead of the scheduled onset of these exercises, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce the policy adjustment.
He attributed the change in strategy partly to his “very good relationship with Kim Jong Un,” North Korea’s leader.
Trump also highlighted the interaction with South Korea when he sought their assistance in his strategy against Iran.
The president claimed that South Korea declined his request to aid in the denuclearization efforts in the Middle East, responding with a polite “no thanks!”
Trump wrote on Sunday night: ‘Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea.’
‘These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile to a Country that, as long as Donald J Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful.
‘Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!’
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States will be scaling back its military exercises with South Korea, citing his ‘very good relationship with Kim Jong Un.’ The two world leaders are pictured in a photo Trump shared to his Truth Social page on Saturday
He noted in his Truth Social post that the South Korean president declined to help the United States in its war in Iran
The president added that he recently asked South Korea’s president to join the US in its efforts to denuclearize Iran, ‘and they said, “No thanks!”‘
Prior to the announcement, the US military had been set to begin 11 days of exercises with 18,000 South Korean soldiers in an effort to beef up the country’s readiness against North Korean threats.
Those exercises then began as planned on Monday despite the president’s last-minute announcement, the South Korean Defense Ministry has confirmed.
The president’s decision to scale back the efforts was sharply criticized by Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot.
‘North and South Korea are still technically at war,’ he noted. ‘Our ability to help defend our ally against the North Koreans is because our forces are well-trained and able to coordinate with the South Koreans.
‘Hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake’ he wrote in a social media post just hours after the president’s own post.
Senator Andy Kim, who became the first ever Korean-American senator when he won his election in 2024, also criticized the move.
‘Our alliance with the Republic of Korea is critical for US security and prosperity – and I am concerned that President Trump’s post today suggests a disregard for this relationship.’
He then went on to argue that ‘Decisions about joint exercises need to be made jointly – and not announced unilaterally by social media.
‘I will continue to press this administration to strengthen our security, economic, trade and technology ties – which all benefit the American people and the broader Indo-Pacific region,’ wrote Kim, a Democrat.
‘South Korea is an essential partner in peace and security in a part of the world filled with risk,’ he then noted. ‘We should treat them that way instead of venting frustration on social media.’
Prior to the announcement, the US military had been set to begin 11 days of exercises with 18,000 South Korean soldiers
Colonel Ryan Donald, director of public affairs for Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea, told reporters that the exercises this year would simulate combat against North Korean troops. He is pictured with Colonel Jang Do-young public affairs director of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Pentagon officials were also said to be taken aback by Trump’s announcement, according to The New York Times.
The US and South Korean militaries have held joint exercises for more than 70 years, since 1955. The US now even maintains its largest military installation overseas, Camp Humphreys, in South Korea, which is home to thousands of American service members, their families and Korean nationals.
Just last week, an official with the US and South Korean Combined Forces Command told reporters that the exercises this year would simulate combat against North Korean troops, who have gained crucial experience as they fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Colonel Ryan Donald, director of public affairs for Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea, said in a news conference with members of the South Korean military last Monday that the exercises reflect the changing character of war, including the increased use of drones, electronic warfare and cyber operations.
‘DPRK soldiers have deployed and fought in Ukraine and they’ve taken those lessons they’ve learned there and brought them back to North Korea,’ he said, using an acronym for North Korea’s official name – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
‘That changes the DPRK capability and our training accounts for that threat.’
The US and South Korean forces were expected to practice joint operations in complex scenarios, including a live-fire exercise to test joint precision targeting and maneuver, a wet gap crossing, and distribution of prepositioned military equipment.
Joint US-South Korean military exercises were scheduled to begin on Monday. Tourists sitting on a Seoul city tour bus were seen looking at anti-war protesters attending a rally to call for a halt to the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, in front of the US Embassy in Seoul on Monday
Anti-war protesters prepare for a rally, calling for a halt to the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States
In an apparent response to the scheduled drills, North Korea has launched short-range ballistic missiles, which landed in the waters off North Korea´s east coast.
Kim on Friday also threatened unspecified stern steps against the US and South Korea, describing the drills as a ‘a rehearsal for an aggressive war’ that are triggering greater instability in the region.
The warning was typical of the harsh rhetoric that North Korea often deploys ahead of major US-South Korean military exercises. Experts say North Korea has often used its rivals’ drills as a pretext to ramp up testing activities to expand its weapons arsenals and promote public support for the reclusive North Korean leader.
He has been pushing hard to enlarge its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim´s high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim likely believes a bigger weapons arsenal would increase his chances for wresting more concessions from the US in future negotiations.
The US president had previously scaled back military operations in South Korea during his first term.
He told reporters in 2018 that the US ‘will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should.’
Then, in March 2019, after a Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi failed to reach a nuclear agreement – the US and South Korea announced that the annual large-scale exercises would be re-configured into smaller exercises.
Since returning to office, Trump has expressed interest in continuing the nuclear discussions.
In an apparent response to the scheduled drills, North Korea has launched short-range ballistic missiles. – A man walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on October
The move on Sunday to once again decrease the size of the military exercises is now the latest example of the president appearing to side against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary.
Trump and others in his administration have also railed against NATO allies over perceived lack of support for his war against Iran, even as they seek to confront an increasingly aggressive Russia in the Baltic region.
It is also a sharp turnaround from how his administration has viewed South Korea, an ally of the United States for more than 70 years.
In May, Hegseth praised the long-time ally for its ‘commitment to increase defense spending’ and its ‘leadership in assuming primary responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula’ during a meeting at the Pentagon.
‘It demonstrates alliance burden-sharing that all of America´s partners would do well to follow,’ the defense secretary added.
But on Saturday, just one day before Trump announced the plan to scale back the exercises, he posted a photo of himself standing next to Kim, writing that the two leaders get along great ‘despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Pentagon and the South Korean Consulate for comment.
Tragic Passing: Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36
The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Hayden Panettiere, the beloved actress known for her roles in hit television shows like Heroes and Nashville. She passed away at the age of 36.
In a heartfelt statement shared with ABC News on Monday, Panettiere’s father, Skip, confirmed the tragic news of her death.
“We announce with deep sorrow the untimely passing of our cherished Hayden,” the statement began. “She was a remarkable light, a dynamic force who spread boundless love and happiness to those who knew her, as well as to her countless fans around the globe.”
The cause of her death remains undisclosed, and her publicist did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press (AP).
Approaching what would have been her 37th birthday this week, Panettiere launched her acting career at a young age, featuring in commercials and soap operas as a child actress.
Her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in Heroes propelled her to fame in 2006, with the series revolving around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
“I think Heroes is really hot because it’s just a really great combination of everything that people love — they love reality, they love sci-fi and things like X-Men where they get to dream of something bigger,” Panettiere told AP in 2008.
“And at the core of it are these human stories that people can relate to, very rugged. And it’s just grabbed everyone in every age group.”
She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was a Grammy Award nominee for a children’s spoken word album recorded a few years after the release of the animated movie A Bug’s Life.
Panettiere later played a brash country upstart opposite Connie Britton on Nashville, which aired on US network ABC for four seasons before being cancelled and revived on CMT.
She did her own singing in the show, which scored some hits on country charts, spawned US tours and earned Panettiere two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations.
Panettiere had 11 songs recorded for Nashville appear on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts during the show’s run, including two featuring Britton.
Panettiere’s younger brother, Jansen, who was also an actor, died of a heart condition in 2023, at age 28.
She had been open about her struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, including after the birth of her daughter with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.
In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty after her memoir came out in May, Panettiere talked about the custody arrangement for her 11-year-old daughter, who lives full-time with Klitschko in Ukraine.
News of the 2018 decision prompted headlines about Panettiere giving up custody of her daughter.
“I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child,” she said. “That could not be farther from the truth.”
Panettiere said Klitschko suggested their daughter live with him full-time when the child was two, as Panettiere struggled with mental health challenges and addiction.
She said she was in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse” while “just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness”.
She entered rehab in 2015, while filming Nashville.
“I was the one who put myself in the first treatment centre. I was drowning,” she said in a 2023 interview with Women’s Health magazine.
On Shetty’s podcast, Panettiere recalled the explosion of her fame when she was cast on Heroes, including the first time she was tracked by the paparazzi. When she’d imagined the moment as a younger actress, she’d planned to look chic.
Instead, she said, “it was just sheer terror”.
Panettiere also appeared in two of the Scream movies, starred as the title character in the 2009 film I Love You Beth Cooper and played the young daughter of a football coach in Remember the Titans.
She had spoken positively about her experience filming Remember the Titans, saying she felt so similar to the character she played — Sheryl Yoast, the opinionated, American football-loving daughter of Will Patton’s coach Bill Yoast.
Readers struggling with their use of alcohol and other substances can contact the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information is available via Lifeline.