Back Surgery

Ravens center Matt Birk doesn't expect a long stay on the physically-unable-to-perform list. The six-time Pro Bowl center declined to talk about his injury, but a league source said he had minor elbow surgery. "I expect to be back real soon," Birk said. "It's nothing major." Birk can be activated at any time, but he is unsure whether he will be ready for Friday, the official first day of training camp. The Ravens won't rush him back because they know how valuable he is to the team.

Are the Ravens on the verge of adding another name into their starting left guard competition? They're at least looking into it as they will work out former Cincinnati Bengal and Cleveland Brown guard Eric Steinbach on Tuesday as first reported by CBS Sports.   Steinbach, 32, was once considered one of the better guards in football, but he missed all of last season after having back surgery. He is now working out for teams to prove that he is healthy. From 2003 to 2006, Steinbach, a second-round pick in 2003 by Cincinnati out of Iowa, started all but two regular season games for the Bengals over four seasons.  He then signed a seven-year, $49.5 million deal with the Browns before the 2007 season.

In a year when extensive state budget cuts are forecast, legislators are looking at one more possible way to boost revenue besides possibly raising the tax on alcohol and/or gasoline — reinstating the income tax surcharge on people who annually make $1 million or more. None of Howard's 11 state legislators is enthusiastic about the idea, though several said it might win support in the end, depending on other options for resolving the projected $1.6 billion revenue shortfall next fiscal year.

Baltimore heavyweight Hasim Rahman had surgery Friday to remove an abscess on his spine, which could keep him out of action "for at least six to eight weeks," according to a spokeswoman for the University of Maryland Medical Center. The two-hour operation, conducted at the medical center, forced the postponement of Rahman's 10-round fight with Danell Nicholson, an elimination bout scheduled for Oct. 7 in Connecticut for the International Boxing Federation's No. 2 ranking. "He had compression of the nerve roots of the spinal canal, causing leg weakness," said Dr. Barbara Lazio, chief resident in neurosurgery, who described the growth as "a collection of infectious material or pus, which is a staph infection."

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Darryl Strawberry, never afraid to admit how much he feared a back operation, has persuaded doctors to postpone surgery while he attempts a September comeback.That's September 1992.It's been a little more than two weeks since the team announced an operation would be necessary for Strawberry, who is suffering from a herniated disk.But 16 days after that diagnosis, Dr. Robert Watkins said yesterday that there is little evidence of the back problem that has plagued Strawberry's season.

Quarterback Chris Redman began rehabilitating his back this week at the Ravens' training facility and is on pace to start throwing lightly in three to five weeks. Redman had surgery Jan. 17 after living with a herniated disc throughout the second half of the season and is working on strengthening his upper body, putting little stress on his back. "There really is no schedule per se," Ravens trainer Bill Tessendorf said. "His first football commitment here is the first week in May. Three to five weeks from now, maybe the snow will be gone and we can do something outside."

The spinal disc may be going the way of the knee and the hip - prone to breakdown, but as replaceable as an auto part. Dr. Paul McAfee, chief of spine surgery at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, has implanted 20 artificial discs since March. He is part of a nationwide clinical trial that could determine whether a German device made of metal and plastic is the answer to the painful spine that won't get better. "I think this will be as common a procedure as a total knee or total hip replacement, and I think it will work better," says McAfee.

SALISBURY -- A man armed with a deer rifle barricaded himself inside St. Peter's Episcopal Church yesterday, asking for back surgery, before police captured him five hours later.Paul Bailey Taylor, 61, of Parsonsburg spent part of his time at St. Peter's talking on the telephone to a police doctor about surgery on his lower back, police said. He also spoke with several parishioners, who called either on church business or to see what was going on in the historic building in the heart of downtown Salisbury.

Tapping away at sports media notes while wondering whether I can get any stock tips from the toddler in the Super Bowl E-Trade commercials: As he congratulated Gary Williams on his 600th victory Wednesday night, Maryland basketball radio analyst Chris Knoche briefly mentioned having been part of Williams' first victory. Knoche played for Williams in his first college head coaching job, at American, where Knoche also ended up coaching. This is repeat praise in this space, but Knoche does a terrific job on Terps broadcasts - dispassionate about how the team is playing, yet passionate about wanting them to win. We didn't get to hear Dick Vitale's first game back from vocal cord surgery for ESPN on Wednesday because of Atlantic Coast Conference network blackout rules, but Baltimore-area viewers can catch him tomorrow at 9 p.m. on ESPN's Georgetown-Louisville game.

Last season, Dulaney's Albert Smith was a 6-foot-2 scoring machine who baffled defenders with his quick moves to the basket.But during the summer, Smith underwent surgery to remove a rib, forcing the two-sport star to miss the Lions' football season. Some doubted his ability to regain his basketball form after the long period of inactivity.Now Smith is back. He still can blow by defenders to the basket, he's worked to improve his jump shot, and he's grown two inches.After recovering from the June operation, the junior small forward leads the area with a 34.0 scoring average for the Lions (1-2)