Back Surgery

ARLINGTON, Texas -- No longer able to withstand the pain and numbness that have followed him much of this year, Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken will undergo back surgery this morning, ending his season.To alleviate the nerve condition that twice sent Ripken onto the disabled list this year, Dr. Henry Bohlman will perform what is expected to be a 2 1/2-hour procedure, beginning at 10 a.m. at Case Western Reserve University Hospital in Cleveland, the team announced. Orioles officials were told Ripken will be hospitalized for at least three days and unable to resume normal activities for about a month.

Third baseman Cal Ripken spoke optimistically yesterday about returning from a nerve inflammation that on Tuesday left him on the disabled list for the second time this season. But at the same time he could not discount the possibility of back surgery should the problem prevent his resumption of baseball-related activities within the next two weeks."Obviously, if surgery was the magical answer it will present itself," said Ripken, who downplayed the possibility when disabled by a similar condition in April.

Kenneth K. Hall,81, whose 47-year career as a state and federal judge included a decision to allow female cadets at The Citadel, died Thursday in Charleston, W.Va., after a long illness.Sola Sierra,63, a prominent human rights activist during the military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, died in Santiago, Chile, on July 1 of a heart attack while recovering from back surgery.Shafik Wazzan,74, who, as prime minister, oversaw the 1982 withdrawal of Palestinian guerrillas from Israeli-besieged Beirut, Lebanon, died Thursday in Beirut of a heart attack.

Jim Taylor and Tom McKnight, paired together for the first time, shot a second-round, 5-under-par 66 for a 36-hole total of 130, and opened a five-stroke lead on the field in the eighth annual Chesapeake Cup at Caves Valley Golf Club yesterday.Taylor, from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and McKnight, from Galax, Va., had six birdies and their only bogey of the two days, at the 201-yard fourth hole, where both missed the green and failed to convert.Tim Jackson, from Germantown, Tenn., and Danny Green, from Memphis, used the day's low round, a 65, to vault into a tie for second at 135 with Doug Ballenger, Evans, Ga., and Steve Smyers, Mulberry, Fla. (68)

CHICAGO -- On this night when his Chicago Bulls' teammates were joking and celebrating, Keith Booth felt uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because, as a rookie, he was odd man out as the Bulls received their rings for winning the 1997 NBA title.So as the eager Bulls lined up in the tunnel just before the #F ceremony, Booth stood off to the side and out of the way. Michael Jordan, in the midst of cracking jokes, spotted Booth and sensed the awkwardness."Hey, KB," Jordan said, getting Booth's attention.

Only four days after his second operation in one week to treat an infection in his right shin, Ravens offensive lineman Alex Bernstein returned to practice yesterday.A rookie free agent out of Division III Amherst College, Bernstein returned to the field with his leg heavily wrapped. He had missed close to two weeks of practice and two preseason games, recovering from two separate operations.Bernstein underwent the first operation Aug. 10, two days after the second preseason game against the New York Jets, to initially clean out the infection.

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.

Offers of financial and other help poured in yesterday for a Baltimore family about to lose their home because an injury to the family's provider left him unable to work.Walter and Mary Wyatt, parents of three children, were told their bank will repossess their Northeast Baltimore rowhouse because they fell behind on the mortgage after serious back injuries forced Mr. Wyatt out of work. In April, Congress killed a federal program that would have helped the Wyatts keep their home.Yesterday, as Mr. Wyatt recuperated from back surgery at Sinai Hospital, more than a dozen area residents and business people offered to help pay the mortgage, launch efforts to raise money, collect clothing for the children -- and even give the family a place to live.

Has Lenny Dykstra played his last big-league game?Dykstra, whose trade to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989 came to symbolize the mismanagement of the post-'86 New York Mets, announced Thursday that he will have season-ending back surgery to correct a condition called spinal stenosis.And then what? At 33, Lenny's no kid anymore. The back surgery, which will entail a shaving of the spinal column, is said to require 12-16 months recovery time. That could wipe out the '97 season.And while Dykstra said, "I'm definitely not thinking about retirement," he made it clear this is no simple surgery.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- After enduring the shooting pains of sciatica in his leg since last season, Tony Casillas decided yesterday to have back surgery that he hopes will allow him to return to the Jets in two months.Casillas was to be a cornerstone of the revamped defensive line from his left tackle position, which is geared to stop the run. Instead, he is likely to miss the first four regular-season games, although he said before leaving for Dallas and surgery Wednesday that he expects to be ready inside of eight weeks.