The baseball community is deeply saddened by the passing of Tommy John, a remarkable pitcher whose extraordinary 26-year career has left an indelible mark on the sport. John, known for his left-handed prowess on the mound, passed away at the age of 83.

On Saturday, John departed peacefully from this life. He was surrounded by loved ones at his home in Bradenton, Florida, where he had been under hospice care.

Throughout his extensive career, Tommy John became a legend in Major League Baseball, crafting a legacy over three dynamic decades that few in the sport have matched. His name is synonymous with perseverance and excellence in pitching.

Although his legacy was cemented with the Los Angeles Dodgers, John’s rise to prominence began with the Chicago White Sox, where his talent earned him an All-Star accolade. It was this distinction that paved the way for his signing with the Dodgers before the 1972 season, a move that would amplify his celebrated status.

During his time in Los Angeles, John delivered unforgettable performances. Over three impressive seasons, he became the league leader in win-percentage for two consecutive years. Unfortunately, his momentum was halted late in 1974 when he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, an injury that would ultimately highlight both his resilience and ability to overcome adversity.

The prompted team physician Dr. Frank Jobe to replace the ligament, a surgery that was the first of its kind and considered radical at the time.

That surgery, today known as Tommy John surgery, is the most recognizable surgical procedure in all of baseball.

Despite missing the 1975 season, he managed to go 47-27 the next three seasons with the Dodgers. He helped Los Angeles win three National League pennants in his time out west, losing in the World Series each time.

His career would push forward for more than another decade, including two more All-Star appearances with the New York Yankees.

All told, John pitched 26 seasons, made the All-Star team four times, finished runner-up in the Cy Young voting twice, and to this day, has the second most wins in the modern era of baseball with 288 (among players not in the Hall of Fame).

Following the news of his passing, reactions poured in from all corners of the baseball world.

Mets legend Keith Hernandez, while broadcasting the game on Sunday, provided some insight into just how talented John was.

“Tommy was with the Dodgers… He led with a slider that broke like this,” Hernandez showing more than a foot of break with his hands.

“I remember [thinking] I had never seen a slider like that from a left-hander before… He was just a wonderful man… he should be in the Hall of Fame, I’m going to continue to promote him for that.”

The Dodgers organization released a statement amid the unfortunate news.

“We are saddened to hear the news of Tommy John’s passing today,” said Stan Kasten, President & CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers. “Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can’t be overstated. His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.”

Even fans were touched by the passing star.

“Tommy John pitched for Dodgers from 1972-78. I saw him pitch in person at Dodgers Stadium. Got his autograph as a 10 year old boy in 1972. He was such a nice man. He will be missed Michele!,” one X user posted.

“RIP Tommy John. Even before he lent his name to the surgery that revolutionized sports medicine, he was a terrific SP. I had the good fortune to see him win a bunch of games for some terrible White Sox teams…and anchor the staff of the 1977 Dodgers,” wrote another.

He is survived by his wife Cheryl, and his children Tommy, Travis and Tamara. A private celebration of his life will be held in Florida.

In a shocking revelation, Iran has unveiled a troubling offer of a cash reward to anyone who captures or kills American soldiers, with the amount doubling under certain circumstances.

Amir Hatami, the chief of the Iranian Army, announced this disturbing incentive on Sunday. According to state media, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Hatami stated that a bounty of 5 billion tomans, equivalent to $30,000 USD, would be awarded to anyone who manages to kill or apprehend a U.S. service member.

Even more startling is the provision that this reward will be doubled for ‘courageous Iranian women’ who accomplish the task, as noted by Hatami.

Hatami refrained from disclosing any specifics about the timing or locations where such attacks might take place.

This announcement surfaces amid escalating fears concerning Iran’s alleged assassination plots targeting former President Trump, as exclusively reported by the Daily Mail.

Last week, reports came out that the president was covertly transferred out of the old Air Force One plane to another jet because of a threat on his life from Iran, the Department of Justice said. 

The ruse took place while Trump departed from the NATO Summit in Turkey. 

Although Trump appeared to downplay the latest attempt on his life, a source told the Daily Mail that his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, is increasingly concerned about the president’s safety. 

Since the conflict unfolded at the end of February, 18 US service members have died.  

US troops have not been deployed on the ground in Iran, other than when a rescue mission was carried out in April after a F-15E Strike Eagle fighter was shot down near the Middle Eastern country. 

Both the pilot and weapons system officer inside the jet were successfully rescued alive during a multi-day US special operations mission. 

Tensions have remained high since the US-Iran war broke out six months ago after America’s military and Israel launched an attack on Iran.

A ceasefire was announced in April, followed by a framework of peace talks in June that are still in the process of being finalized. 

In the midst of the ceasefire, both American and Iranian troops have traded attacks around and near the Strait of Hormuz – a vital waterway that has been a constant point of contention amid the war. 

Earlier Sunday, it was confirmed that the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has had sailors on deployment since November, will be replaced by the USS George Washington. 

The new ship left its post in the Pacific to relieve sailors who, according to several reports, have been experiencing horrid conditions onboard that have led some of them to suicidal ideation. 

The USS Abraham was set to return home in May, but its journey has been extended to support operations in Iran.

President Donald Trump sparked fury after disputing that claim, and on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Abraham.

He called the crew onboard a ‘strong team of high-achieving Americans standing tall with immense, justified pride in everything they accomplished.’

‘History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,’ Cooper said in a statement.

All of this comes after Iran shot down Trump’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz would soon become a US territory. 

The President made the assertion during a speech at a Long Island police academy on Friday, stating: ‘After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.

He added: ‘We have control over it. Nobody else. Only us.’

In response, Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the US has ‘no authority’ over the waterway that has become a flashpoint in the six-month war.

‘The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,’ he wrote on X. 

‘This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command. The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech.’

He added that as long as Trump ‘will not accept the reality of defeat’ and stop indulging his ‘delusions’, Iran will continue to ‘enforce its blockade’ of the waterway which, before hostilities began in February, carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Iran launched a strike against an oil tanker in the strait on Friday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre, which said that a vessel belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company was hit by an ‘unknown projectile.’

No injuries were reported in the strike, which allegedly hit the vessel’s hull.

The strait – which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea – is currently under the shared jurisdiction of Oman and Iran.

But Trump has repeatedly insisted that he will seize ownership as part of any peace deal.

The US has twice deployed a total blockade of the waterway and Trump insists vessels continue to pass through only with America’s permission.

Caitlyn Jenner has entered the fray of the heated debate over transgender athletes, particularly as discussions intensify within the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

A trailblazer in her own right, the 76-year-old former Olympic gold medalist, who transitioned in 2015, has pledged her support to two ex-NBA stars: Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White. These athletes have expressed intentions to declare for the 2027 WNBA draft, aiming to challenge and assess the league’s existing policies.

“They’re highlighting the hypocrisy present in the WNBA,” Jenner remarked to Fox News regarding Kanter and White’s efforts. She noted, “During meetings about this topic, Cathy Engelbert, the league’s commissioner, acknowledged discussions about the trans issue but mentioned no decision had been reached. Cathy, it’s straightforward—XX chromosomes qualify you in, XY chromosomes do not.”

Jenner continued, praising the duo for their efforts to expose inconsistencies. “Both of these men are effectively pointing out the contradictions within the WNBA. We must safeguard women’s sports… I’m committed to protecting women’s sports. Title IX was monumental for women’s equality, especially in athletics.”

The ongoing conversation was stirred further by an ESPN interview featuring Sophie Cunningham. In this, the Fever player passionately voiced her determination to protect young girls from competing against “biological men.”

Cunningham went on to double down on her take, which sparked anti-trans athlete rallies in support of the 29-year-old at arenas she was playing at.

Last week, Freedom posted a video of him signing his name to a document that asks the WNBA to accept his “decision to enter the player pool for the 2027 WNBA Draft.”

He later posted a workout video with a caption: “Let ‘The Transition’ to the @WNBA begin. Rules Are Rules! #LetFreedomPlay.”

White, a Republican candidate for US Senate who played three games and never scored in his NBA career, announced his plans to declare soon after.

“I’m transgender. I’m a woman… I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of… professional basketball,” he told Fox News.

Days later, the WNBA had an anti-hate task force meeting that consisted of general managers and presidents. It found “no immediate eligibility matters affecting” the league.

“We strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others,” a spokesperson for the league added.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said in a memo that regarding trans-athlete participation, the league will “always approach this topic thoughtfully, respectfully, and in alignment with the longstanding values of our league. Second, our player eligibility rules, unlike the eligibility rules of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained.”

Tommy John, renowned for his impressive 288 victories over a 26-year Major League Baseball career and as the namesake for the revolutionary elbow surgery, has passed away at 83.

His passing occurred on Saturday night at his residence in Bradenton, Florida, as confirmed by his agent, Mike Maguire, on Sunday. John had been under hospice care.

On August 8, the New York Yankees shared a heartfelt social media message from John. In it, he expressed his farewells to his fans and friends, reflecting on their unwavering support during his career, saying, ‘I will never forget you.’

The Yankees reminisced about John as a ‘pillar of strength in our rotation’ during his tenure with them, highlighting his enduring popularity among fans.

John’s illustrious career, spanning from 1963 to 1989, earned him four All-Star titles. He compiled a record of 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA, playing for teams including Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees, the California Angels, and the Oakland Athletics.

‘Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can´t be overstated,’ Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and CEO, said in a statement. ‘His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.’

The left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers’ careers to that point.

John allowed Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers´ team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful.

The procedure had been done on others before, although it was usually performed on wrists and hands. John was the first pitcher to have it done on his elbow.

More than 2,600 big leaguers and thousands more amateurs have since had UCL reconstructions, better known as Tommy John surgery. It´s been a godsend for many of baseball´s greatest stars, including two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and even Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.

‘If you put it in dollars and cents, I think there´s no question that Tommy John is the most valuable reconstructive procedure there is,’ Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache told The Associated Press in 2024.

John recorded 2,245 strikeouts but never led either league in wins or strikeouts. He had the second-most wins of any pitcher since 1900 not to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

From 1995 through 2009, John was on the Hall of Fame ballot, but he never received more than 31.7 per cent of the votes, falling well short of the 75 per cent required for election.

Known for his longevity, John was the opening day starter for both the 1966 Chicago White Sox and the 1989 New York Yankees. He won 124 games before his UCL repair and 164 after. His final appearance came days after his 46th birthday. 

After his pitching career ended, John worked as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees in the 1990s. He managed the Bridgeport Bluefish from 2007-09.

John was hospitalized in December 2020 because of COVID-19 and later had Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which a person´s immune system attacks their nerves. 

John told the New York Post in May 2022 that he was paralyzed in his lower extremities for several months.

John and his wife Sally Simmons had four children: Tamara, Tommy III, Travis and Taylor, who died of a prescription drug overdose at 28 in 2010. The couple divorced in 2013.

Besides his children, he is survived by his second wife, Cheryl, and son-in-law Patrick Mannelly, a retired NFL long snapper who played 16 years for the Chicago Bears.

In the heart of a high-stakes political battlefield, tensions are escalating among Silicon Valley’s elite as Sergey Brin’s ambitious $100 million strategy to quash California’s proposed billionaire tax faces internal discord. Among the disenchanted voices is former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who reportedly believes the effort has strayed off course, according to insights unveiled by the California Post.

Schmidt, who contributed $3 million to Brin’s initiative, familiarly known as Building a Better California, is said to be particularly incensed following the endorsement of the wealth tax by the state Democratic Party, which also dealt a blow to two countermeasures heavily funded by the coalition.

“Eric has every reason to be upset,” one insider with close ties to the situation confided in The Post.

The frustrations don’t stop there. A growing chorus of donors and advisors, having invested substantial amounts including a staggering $10 million from venture capitalist John Doerr and $7.5 million from Michael Moritz, are increasingly concerned. They argue that the organization’s ambitious pivot to support six diverse state ballot initiatives signifies a detour from its primary agenda to block the potentially damaging billionaire tax.

Initially, Building a Better California was laser-focused on defeating a tax measure perceived to pose a severe economic threat by chasing wealth out of the Golden State. However, apprehension arises that its latest ventures into areas like environmental legislation might compromise the overarching objective.

“Once you do that, you’re in a place where you may not be as effective,” one adviser to a Building a Better California donor told The Post, warning about “splintering” the mission.

Schmidt’s frustration only intensified after the bruising defeat two weeks ago at the California Democratic Party’s executive board meeting in San Diego.

The party not only voted to endorse Proposition 40 — the union-backed measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of Californians worth more than $1 billion — but also opposed Propositions 41 and 42, two measures backed by the Brin-funded operation as counterweights to the tax. 

Courtni Pugh, a partner at Hilltop Public Solutions and former director for the Service Employees International Union, had been tasked with lobbying Democrats to remain neutral on the billionaire tax while also whipping support for Props. 41 and 42, according to sources.

Instead, the billionaire coalition walked away 0-for-3, as the billionaire tax narrowly cleared the 60% threshold required for the party endorsement.

Hilltop, which is also working on the gubernatorial campaign of Democratic frontrunner Xavier Becerra, has received $75,000 from the pro-Prop. 42 committee. Becerra and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also has worked closely with Hilltop on ballot measures, both oppose the billionaire tax.

Pugh did not respond to requests for comment.

Building a Better California raised $118 million through June, with Brin accounting for $82 million of it at the time. He has since thrown down another $20 million to bring his pot commitment to $102 million.

On July 24, the $20 million was split evenly between committees for Props. 41 and 42, giving them a lifeline after both ballot measure committees exhausted nearly $50 million apiece to collect petition signatures and qualify for the November ballot.

The group’s widening ambitions, however, are creating some strange bedfellows — and even putting its donors in uncomfortable positions.

Building a Better California has contributed $10 million to Proposition 45, which would significantly streamline environmental reviews under California’s landmark CEQA law for housing, transportation, water, energy and other projects.

The measure has been pitched by supporters as a way to lower housing and infrastructure costs by cutting red tape.

But Schmidt’s wife, environmental philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, is helping lead the campaign against Prop. 45 with actress Jane Fonda, believing it would gut environmental safeguards.

Along with past and future spending expected on Props. 40, 41, 42 and 45, Building a Better California has sent $6 million to Prop. 37, $1 million to Prop. 1 and millions more to another proposed constitutional tax-and-spending measure.

Other billionaire tax opponents are growing concerned by the group’s tactics.

“This is about not only what are you against,” the source said, “but what are you for?”

Despite some internal disagreement on priorities, more money is expected to flow toward the state propositions in the coming days and weeks.

The New York Times reported that Brin’s group has reserved nearly $87 million of advertising time across the state to air TV commercials.

A source with knowledge of the situation told The Post that the money is being allocated now to save on ad buys before they become more expensive closer to November’s election.

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