Tommy John Surgery 

     While baseball season is coming to an end, we take a break from world events to remember Tommy John, who died in August at 83. A pitcher for the Dodgers and Yankees, he tore an ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Until then, that injury ended careers.  

     John underwent an experimental elbow reconstruction surgery by a team doctor who harvested a replacement tendon from elsewhere in John's body. He returned better than before, finishing second in the Cy Young Award in 1977 with the Dodgers, and again in 1979 with the Yankees. He finished his career in 1989 with 288 wins. 

The Border Barrier  

     Have you, like me, wondered how the border wall is coming. Well, it's only 38 percent complete, despite congressional funding. President Trump's 2016 campaign promise to build a wall at the southern border has had building delays and legal issues, despite Congress funding.  

     The border wall completed in Trump's second term is 64 miles. The money authorized by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is $46.5 billion. The share of the southern border on private, tribal or state land is 70 percent. There have been legal proceedings to gain title to erect border barriers. The government filed more than 100 eminent domain cases between 2017 and 2020. 

         Jimmy