Tommy John selling MRI photos
In the world of oddball memorabilia, this ranks right up there.
Tommy John is selling a collage of four MRI's of his elbow signed by himself and the late Dr. Frank Jobe, who performed the famous surgery in 1974.
The print, of which there will only be 99, costs $1,295, with proceeds going to John's "Let's Do It" Foundation.
The images were taken two years ago, when John went to an Indianapolis facility to check on a problem with his shoulder. At that time, the doctor -- out of curiosity -- took pictures of the famous elbow reconstruction.
"Nobody had ever thought of taking pictures of what the nerve looked like on 'Patient Zero,'" said his agent, Kim Berger. "When the images came up, it was like looking at the Titanic. It happened so long ago and it was so beautiful."
Last year, Berger brought 100 prints of the collage to Jobe, who signed them. John gave one of them to the Los Angeles Dodgers last month as the team dedicated its training center to Jobe, who passed away in March.
Berger said money earned from the signed prints will be earmarked for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Federation for Suicide Prevention. John's son Taylor took his own life four years ago.
Forty years ago, John had the surgery and went on to win more games after it (164) than he had before he went under the knife (124).
The procedure, which replaces the ulnar collateral ligament with a tendon from another part of the body, is seemingly more popular than ever. Since February, 16 major league pitchers have opted to have the surgery.
