The Arm

Starred review from April 11, 2016
Sportswriter Passan (Death to the BSC: The Definitive Case Against the Bowl Championship Series) delivers one of the more important books on baseball of the decade, a superbly researched and detailed look at the current "epidemic" of arm injuries in the sport. Passan expertly describes the main problem, the torn ligament in the elbows of baseball pitchers that requires what is commonly known as Tommy John surgeryâusing a tendon in the wrist to rebuild the elbow. Passan's focus on the people affected by the injury makes the book successful history as well as compelling reading. He presents fascinating accounts of those most responsible for the success of the Tommy John surgery, notably Dr. Frank Jobe, a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge whose experimental surgery remains the best of its kind over 40 years later. Passan also follows the careers of two major-league pitchers, Daniel Hudson and Todd Coffey, as they try to return to the game after surgery. Passan argues passionately that unless Major League Baseball confronts a situation in which "more than 50 percent of pitchers end up on the disabled list"âas do increasing numbers of young pitchers in the American and Japanese youth leaguesâand figures out how to keep them from blowing out their elbows, "the current generation of pitchers is lost, their arms ticking time bombs."

May 1, 2016

Yahoo Sports baseball columnist Passan spent three years investigating the epidemic of broken and torn ulnar collateral ligaments (UCL), and the pervasiveness of its fix: Tommy John surgery. Failure of the UCL, located in the elbow, is an accumulation injury, although the specifics of its cause remain a puzzle. In 1974, Frank Jobe performed the first surgery on Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, who continued to throw in the majors until he was 46. The procedure that now bears his name has been performed on approximately 25 percent of current major league pitchers. Passan brilliantly combines an array of facts and information with dozens of personal accounts, giving special attention to the grueling post-surgery experiences of Daniel Hudson and Todd Coffey, which contribute to the book a common thread and emotional richness. Passan also explores the "youth baseball-industrial complex" (57 percent of Tommy John surgeries are performed on teens), the arm-care business and its host of both legitimate scientists and charlatans seeking explanations and vying for solutions, and the need for a cultural shift that leads to increased research dollars and better sharing of information. VERDICT Highly recommended for baseball fans, parents of young players, and those interested in sports medicine.--Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
When surgeon Frank Jobe died in 2014, his obituary highlighted the revolutionary operation he had first performed 40 years earlier on Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. That innovative operation (now dubbed Tommy John surgery ) defines the narrative center of Passan's multifaceted investigation of the bodily limbthe armthat it surgically repairs. Delving into evolutionary biology, Passan illuminates the natural history that endowed the early hominid arm with strength sufficient to throw rocks at high speed. But as readers explore the competitive dynamics governing modern baseball, they realize why pitchers push themselves past their natural limits, consequently suffering injuries requiring surgical treatment. Wide-ranging inquiries clarify why a growing number of pitcherseven among teenage playersnow end up under the scalpel, both here and in baseball-loving Japan. As Passan interviews professionals dealing with the problemphysicians, managers, trainers, pitchers, and even epidemiologistshe reports no magical breakthroughs. But he does give readers an insider's perspective on the threat hanging over every player who takes the mound.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)