LOS ANGELES -- Dr. Frank Jobe, a pioneering orthopedic surgeon who was the first to perform an elbow procedure that became known as Tommy John surgery and saved the careers of countless major league pitchers, died Thursday. He was 88. Jobe died in Santa Monica after being hospitalized recently with an undisclosed illness, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jobe performed groundbreaking elbow surgery on John, a Dodgers pitcher who had a ruptured medial collateral ligament in his left elbow. The injury previously had no solution until Jobe removed a tendon from Johns forearm and repaired his elbow. John went on to pitch 14 years after the operation on Sept. 25, 1974, compiling 164 more victories without ever missing a start because of an elbow problem. "Today I lost a GREAT friend," John tweeted. Last year, the initial surgery and the relationship between John and Jobe was the subject of an ESPN documentary. "When he did come back, I thought maybe we could do it on somebody else," Jobe told The Associated Press in 2010. "I waited two years to try it on somebody else, but we had no idea we could do it again." Jobe initially estimated Johns chances of returning to the majors at less than 5 per cent. He later said 92 to 95 per cent of patients return as good, if not better, than before the surgery. The surgery has since become common practice for pitchers and players at every level of baseball, including New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, Washington star Stephen Strasburg, San Franciscos Tim Hudson and Minnesotas Francisco Liriano. Some pitchers have signed multiyear contracts just months after they have the surgery in expectation of a high-level return. Typically, full rehabilitation takes about a year for pitchers and about six months for position players. The procedure initially required four hours; now it takes about an hour. "I had no idea it would do this," Jobe told the AP. "It startles me even today that it has done that. The doctors are recognizing the condition early enough to fix it and they are learning how to do the surgery so well. They rehab it so not just the arm, but the whole body gets better." Jobe believed the advancements would continue. "You never want to say in medicine this is the end. Youre always coming up with something a little bit different," he said. "Even with Tommy John, theres people doing things slightly different. In their minds theyre getting better." Jobe had served the Dodgers organization for 50 years, most recently as special adviser to the chairman. The courtly Southerner attended the teams games as recently as last season, with someone on either arm escorting him. Sixteen years after saving Johns career, Jobe reconstructed the right shoulder of former Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser, another procedure that had never been successfully performed on a major league pitcher. "He change my life!! Gave me back my career!!" tweeted Hershiser, a former Dodgers great. "I will miss him and I am eternally grateful!!!" Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig saluted Jobe for revolutionizing sports medicine. "His wisdom elevated not only the Dodgers, the franchise he served proudly for a half-century, but all of our clubs," Selig said in a statement. "Dr. Jobes expertise, as well as his enthusiasm to mentor his peers, made the national pastime stronger." Since 1974, Jobe had performed hundreds of Tommy John surgeries on pitchers. Jobe co-founded the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic along with the late Dr. Robert Kerlan in 1965. They supervised the medical treatment for the Dodgers and Angels, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks, as well as other pro and amateur athletes around the country. "His dedication and professionalism in not only helping the Dodgers, but athletes around the world is unparalleled," Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. "He was a medical giant and pioneer and many athletes in the past and the future can always thank Frank for finding a way to continue their careers." Jobe had also been the orthopedic consultant for the PGA Tour for more than 25 years. Last July, the Baseball Hall of Fame honoured Jobe during its induction weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., with John in attendance. Born in Greensboro, N.C., in 1925, Jobe joined Army at 18 and served as a medical staff sergeant in the Armys 101st Airborne Division during World War II. After the war, Jobe completed his undergraduate degree at La Sierra University and went on to attend medical school at Loma Linda University. After serving a residency at Los Angeles County Hospital, Jobe teamed with Kerlan to specialize in the new field of sports medicine. Jobe is survived by wife Beverly, sons Christopher, Meredith, Cameron and Blair, and eight grandchildren. The family said plans for a memorial were pending. Vern Fleming Jersey . 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Then it became the World Cup that Luis Suarez bit someone in. Hyperbole has been destroyed in Brazil. World Cups of recent memory have tried to convince us that they have been entertaining but, in general, they were dull. This time it seemed anyone could say anything about this World Cup and no one would say wait, what?. And then Suarez bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. Wait, what? It came just as some might have been taking a snooze. For the first time in Brazil two games, being played out at the same time, gave us very little to enjoy. England, whose multitude of writers on social media reminded us they were still relevant, finally put their fans out of their misery with a lifeless scoreless draw against sudden group powerhouses, Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte. In Natal, meanwhile, Uruguays plan was going to script. Blessed with two legitimate world class strikers, and very little else, Oscar Tabarez played it cautiously, waited for a moment or two to go his way and thats how they qualified. Anyone willing to criticize such a tactic should remember just how they won Copa America 2011. And how they have scored in Brazil. A penalty by Edinson Cavani, a header made by Cavani and scored by Suarez, a bullet of a shot finished by Suarez and started by the goalkeeper and now a header from a set play. Tuesdays hero, Diego Godin, is the only one anywhere close to the talent of the front pair. Italy, meanwhile, didnt get The Tabarez Memo. Needing a draw to advance they played far too close to the line of uncertainty. A line that could move with a red card, a set play goal of a poor display by their main striker. Lightning struck three times for the Italians. Claudio Marchisios red card was debatable but not enough to chastise the referee. The marking on the goal wasnt good enough and then there was Mario Balotelli. The term world class is thrown around far too often when describing players. It is the elite of the elite, a section reserved for the greatest players in the game today. There is nothing left after that. On Tuesday, Balotelli made a mockery of those quick to place him in that category. On the biggest stage of all, when his country needed him he was an absolute liability, forcing his coach to remove him at half-time. The problem for Balotelli is that he has run out of his immaturity excuse. The great footballerrs are gifted, of course, but also have a level of football intelligence about them, that allows games to come to them rather than trying to do it themselves.dddddddddddd Balotelli has misfired regularly at the top table of club football, the Champions League, and has now done the same at the top table of the international game as well. Italy came to Brazil to win the World Cup and needed their striker at the top of his game, physically and mentally. He played one good half out of five and thats not good enough. Sure, he is not the only one to blame for their early exit. Cesare Prandelli couldnt up the tempo and had to resign afterwards. Andrea Pirlo, one of the greatest footballers of this era, was a shadow of his former self, joining the likes of Iker Casillas, Xavi, Diego Forlan and Steven Gerrard who have all been exposed by age at this level. And then there is FIFA who are also to blame for this, of course. Italy became another European team humbled in the intense heat of Brazil. Asking these teams to play afternoon games, rather than evening games, has made a significant impact on the results. Not that they care about that. Their attention now turns to the Suarez investigation and they need to get it right. He should and will be suspended with a lengthy ban. What happens next is even more important. After his 10-game ban came down last April for biting Branislav Ivanovic, the Uruguyan showed a tremendous amount of remorse. How can he not have? After all, this is clearly not a man who believes that biting an opponent is the right thing to do. However, it is also clearly a man who is unstable on the field and needs help. Throwing the book at him, in terms of a suspension, will satisfy all of those who care about the sport. That then leaves a man, a man who will clearly be broken by this. It is easy to feel no sympathy for him but if you think he was crushed by the Liverpool suspension wait for this one to come down. Uruguay is a very proud footballing country and that is shown in the way they play the game. Suarez will be distraught that he has let his country down and, with it, given a poor reflection on them internationally. As he sits out the rest of this World Cup and, subsequently, likely the 2015 Copa America he will have a lot of time on his hands to get help and become a better man. Many hours were put in to get him to reach the level of world class as a footballer and now he must do the same to achieve that as a man. ' ' '