By Tzvi Machlin Given how often the sports world crosses paths with the medical field, it’s an understandably sad day when an innovator in sports medicine passes away. On Friday t was reported that Dr. J. Richard Steadman recently passed away in Colorado. He was 85 years old. Steadman rose to prominence in the 1970s as chief physician of the United States Ski Team. With Olympic medalist Cindy Nelson as one of his first high-profile clients, he built a practice that would revolutionize treatment of knee surgery and knee rehabilitation for athletes in just about every sport. Together with should…