Back Surgery

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.

Despite having one of the discs in her neck removed last week, Meryl Eddy hopes to soon return to her hobbies: snow skiing, water skiing and ice skating. "I'm an active person and I want to get back to those things," said Eddy, 48, of Ellicott City, who underwent spine surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She may be in luck. Doctors replaced her unhealthy cervical disc with an artificial disc designed to relieve pain and loss of function and preserve mobility.

Ravens running back Jamal Lewis confirmed yesterday that he had surgery a week ago to remove bone spurs from his right ankle and that those bone spurs slowed him during the 2006 season, especially in the first six games until he took injections to ease the pain. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome first spoke about the surgery yesterday at the Ravens' annual season-ending news conference. Later in the day, Lewis said from his home in Atlanta that he has a splint on the ankle and that it could be removed as early as today.

Predicting a winner for the Constellation Energy Classic is hard. Forecasting a tight finish come Sunday's final round at Hayfields Country Club is easy. It's been a crowded season on the Champions Tour, where the past 14 events have produced as many winners, from Jim Thorpe in May to Tom Watson at the Senior British Open in July and Hale Irwin two weeks ago. They've had to go to a playoff eight times this season. Only once since it opened for business in 1980 has the 50-and-over set produced more drama.

At age 70, Charles Slechta loves dancing with his wife, Viola. And thanks to a new kind of back surgery, the Pikesville resident is again able to do the jitterbug and the polka. Slechta and more than 40 other area residents have taken part in a Food and Drug Administration clinical trial testing a surgical procedure designed to relieve chronic back and leg pain without the need for a spinal fusion. With as many as 400,000 Americans a year undergoing spinal fusion surgery, the potential benefit of this relatively new technique, called Dynesys, is significant.

Chris Redman is eager to take a hit. Kyle Boller is eager to be a hit. The main drama surrounding the Ravens' training camp - the ultra-secretive quarterback competition - takes center stage at M&T Bank Stadium tonight in the preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills. None of the players knows when the quarterbacks will play. None of the coaches knows how they will play. It's the first game since back surgery for Redman, the favorite to win the starting spot. It's the first NFL snap for Boller, the promising first-rounder.

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 Ravens have begun preliminary discussions with the agents for quarterback Jeff Blake, cornerback Chris McAlister and guard Edwin Mulitalo, but they do not anticipate having any of the players signed within the next couple of weeks. All three become free agents March 1, though the Ravens would likely make McAlister a franchise player before that date, if a deal is not reached, to keep him off the market. The team will likely offer a multi-year contract to Mulitalo and an incentive-laded, multi-year deal to Blake.

After 10 days of testimony and less than two hours of deliberations, a Baltimore County jury awarded $4 million this week to a 35-year-old woman who said she has suffered chronic pain and partial paralysis since 1998 because a doctor in Fallston General Hospital's emergency room delayed sending her for back surgery. Linda McAlexander, a Harford County resident who worked as a real estate loan processor, had an established diagnosis of lumbar disc disease when she went to the emergency room in June 1998.

Quarterbacks Jeff Blake: Unrestricted free agent who is expected to receive an incentive-laden offer from the Ravens. Chris Redman: Will have back surgery and should be able to return fully recovered next season. Anthony Wright: Probably will have to compete with a free agent or draft choice for roster spot. Running backs Jamal Lewis: Broke the stereotype by gaining 1,327 yards - 37 yards off his franchise record - only a year after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery. Alan Ricard: Projected to be a future Pro Bowl performer by coaching staff.