I am not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, but perhaps Twins phenom Francisco Liriano shouldn't be too shy about going under the knife during the offseason. He was shut down a week ago after a start was cut short by elbow pain, though this first start after a long rehab reportedly didn't worsen the mild tear in the ulnar collateral ligament -- the all-important ligament in the elbow. A third MRI exam administered by the Twins didn't reveal any significant structural damage or further harm to the ulnar collateral ligament. That may be good news, but Liriano continues to have elbow pain and my understanding is that ligaments don't repair themselves. Coming back from an offseason of rehab instead of surgery means the ligament could tear further in 2007 and still lead to Tommy John surgery. An examination and MRI test by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews this week was no more conclusive than what the Twins already knew, so it remains uncertain if the 22-year-old southpaw will undergo reconstructive surgery, will opt for an arthroscopic procedure to study damage and possibly make small repairs, or bypass surgery altogether. Cleveland right-hander Paul Byrd battled elbow discomfort for most of his career before undergoing Tommy John surgery at age 32 in 2003. He regrets avoiding surgery at all costs for all those years. "You want my opinion?" Byrd told Gordon Wittenmyer of the St. Paul Pioneer Press recently. "The sooner the better. I wish I'd had it at 21. I'd have had a different career." Byrd also had inconclusive MRI exams, as a result of the tear running lengthwise rather than across the ligament as it typically does. A decision on Liriano probably will be made in the next 10 days after Andrews and the Twins consult again with Liriano. The Twins may be favoring an exploratory arthroscopic procedure, but no option has been ruled out. Getting the matter fully resolved seems critical. If that means Tommy John surgery to avoid a later injury that seems inevitable to this medical moron, so be it. Liriano, who turns 23 in October, would be back before he's 25 years old, an age when many pitching prospects are just surfacing in the majors. The results of reconstructive surgery are well documented. Reportedly pitchers come back with an elbow joint that is stronger than it was before the procedure. Whether that is true may be up for debate, but pitchers come back to have long and effective careers. There's no reason to fear the knife. More often than not, it extends careers rather than shortens them.