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Tommy John and Frank Jobe Signatures on a Team-Signed 1977 World Series Cap.
Lot 111. Tommy John and Frank Jobe Signatures on a Team-Signed 1977 World Series Cap. Jobe invented “Tommy John Surgery,” which is known among surgeons as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. It involves replacing a ligament in the elbow with a tendon from another part of the body. In 1974, John became the first professional athlete to undergo the surgery successfully. When Dr. Jobe operated on John, he estimated the chance of success at 1 in 100. Today, the complete recovery rate is at least 85 percent. After the surgery, John required 18 months of rehabilitation. He returned to the majors in 1976 and pitched for another 13 seasons. He was 46 when he retired in 1989 as one of the most successful left-handed pitchers in major league baseball history. Dr. Jobe joined John and more than 25 other Dodgers in signing an adult-sized “1977 World Series” plastic cap that has an outline of the Western Hemisphere on the front. The other signers include Jim Gilliam, M (Manny) Mota, Bill Russell, Burt Hooton, Mark Cresse, Dave Lopes, Steve Garvey, Rick Monday, Jerry Grote, Steve Yeager, Vic Davalillo, Rafael Landestoy, Tom Lasorda, Doug Rau, Ed Goodson, Lee Lacy, Al Campanis, Charlie Hough, Preston Gomez, Red Adams, Monty Basgall, Ron Cey, Dusty Baker, Don Sutton, Elias Sosa and several others. The strength of these autographs varies. Jobe’s signature is one of the strongest, nm-m 8 to mint 9, and John’s is large and nm-m 8. The others range from vg-ex 4 to nm-m 8 and average ex-m 6. The second “t” in Sutton’s autograph cannot be seen. John’s collection contained only one other item signed by him and Jobe.
Winning Bid $100.
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