Tommy John was more than that surgery -- as a Portland Beaver he could pitch -- and hit, too

Tommy John, another one of those players who should have been enshrined is baseball’s Hall of Fame years ago (but never was) died Sunday.

People who may not have even known of his baseball success (288 major-league wins) recognize his name because of the tendon transplant surgery named after him. But I’m not writing about him today because of his pitching success or the surgery that saved his baseball career — and that of thousands of other pitchers.

He was the first to undergo the surgery and successfully return to pitching in the major leagues. I think, in some ways, the surgery overshadowed a great career.

Tommy John was briefly a member of the Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers, in fact, one of the most talented teams in Beaver history — the 1964 club that during that season featured a pitching staff including Sam McDowell, Luis Tiant, Tommy John, George Culver, Steve Hargan, Dave Tyriver, Wynn Hawkins, Jack Curtis and Bob Allen, among others.