If you ask most people to name an athlete or a movie star or a president, they will be able to dig into their memories and came up with more than a name or two. Now, if you ask people to name an orthopedic surgeon, unless that person is a doctor or was recently injured, you'll get silence, a blank stare or perhaps a face full of pepper spray.
The exception: a serious baseball fan. Surgeons such as pioneering orthopedist Frank Jobe, James Andrews and Neal ElAttrache are well-known figures in baseball circles.
Why? Because Tommy John surgery has become more commonplace among pitchers today.