Bruise

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- North Carolina point guard Derrick Phelps suffered a severe bruise of the lower back yesterday in the semifinals of the ACC tournament when he fell hard to the floor after being fouled by Virginia's Jason Williford.Phelps remained on the ground behind the basket and was helped from the court at the Charlotte Coliseum on a stretcher. Preliminary X-rays showed no fracture, and Phelps, who had some numbness in his thighs, had increased strength in his legs within an hour after the incident.

Anquan Boldin has been diagnosed with a bruised shoulder, and the Ravens wide receiver's availability for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals is uncertain. “Anquan's got a shoulder bruise,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “So we'll see how that develops during the course of the week. All the other stuff that we had were basically things that will be day-to-day type things. There were no major injuries. So we're very fortunate there. So we continue to get a little bit more healthy, and some of the guys who have been working through some injuries should get a little bit better throughout the course of the week.” Harbaugh's latter comment presumably referred to a pair of injured starters in strong safety Bernard Pollard and outside linebacker Albert McClellan, who did not suit up for the Ravens' 33-14 thumping of the New York Giants Sunday evening due to rib and hamstring ailments.

I have a mammoth, purple bruise on my face, directly above my left eye. It seems to be ripening in a most unflattering way, extending down into the pale skin under my eyebrow. I've discovered that walking around with a big, honking bruise on my face is not unlike wearing a pirate eye-patch and shoulder-parrot to the mall, or a bathing suit and Miss Maryland sash to a business meeting. People want an explanation. I learned this the very first day I injured myself. Afterward that afternoon, I confidently drove to the grocery store.

Having just observed dozens of my fellow citizens standing in line for more than an hour to vote, I started to feel good about the country again. Some 430,000 Marylanders took advantage of five days of early voting this year, so many that Sandy Rosenberg, the veteran state delegate from Baltimore, says he'll be filing a bill in the next legislative session to expand the opportunities for early voting. I drove away from the polls thinking: Well, we've been through an ugly, money-soaked political season, but people still embrace and respect the process.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles limped around the clubhouse before yesterday's game, a sizable blue bruise on the top of his left foot. Hoiles was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning of Friday night's game, and the contusion will keep him out of the next two games, at least."I don't even know how I got through the whole game," said Hoiles. "What hurt most was squatting, because the flap [on his shinguard] hit right on the bruise."Hoiles got treatment on his foot for three hours Friday night, and X-rays revealed no broken bones.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Baltimore Orioles continued their descent into baseball purgatory last night, losing a close one to the Kansas City Royals and losing one of their most effective pitchers in the process.Reliever Mark Williamson was hit on the right forearm by a line drive in the seventh inning of the Orioles' 3-2, extra-inning loss at Royals Stadium. X-rays were negative, but he left the field in obvious pain and figures to be sidelined for at least the next several days.It was just another in a series of setbacks for the Orioles, who lost their third straight game on a 10th-inning RBI single by Royals outfielder Brian McRae that sent reliever Todd Frohwirth to his first defeat of 1991.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles limped around the clubhouse before last night's game, a sizable blue bruise on the top of his left foot. Hoiles was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning of Friday night's game, and the contusion will keep him out of the next two games, at least."I don't even know how I got through the whole game," said Hoiles. "What hurt most was squatting, because the flap [on his shinguard] hit right on the bruise."Hoiles got treatment on his foot for three hours Friday night, and X-rays revealed no broken bones.

Another examination of David Segui's left wrist yesterday brought a firm diagnosis from the Orioles and a split opinion over the findings. The Orioles announced that Segui has a bruised extensor tendon and some cartilage damage, but he remained on the Orioles' active roster through last night's 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Manager Mike Hargrove indicated that Segui, who swung a bat in the tunnel last night without appearing in the game, could play tonight for the first time since being scratched Friday.

ATLANTA - With the bruise still noticeable on his right hand, Melvin Mora was held out of the Orioles' lineup last night against the Atlanta Braves. Mora was hit on the base of his palm by a fastball from Greg Maddux in the first inning of Friday's game, and left in the second to have X-rays taken at Turner Field. They came back negative, and Mora doesn't expect to go on the disabled list. "It's sore, about the same as last night," he said. "But it's just a bruise." Sitting in front of his locker at Turner Field, Mora demonstrated how he could make a squeezing motion with his hand, but bending the wrist was painful because it pressed against the bruise.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After the connections of Empire Maker chose post 12 yesterday for their colt in the Kentucky Derby, he was tabbed the 6-5 morning-line favorite in spite of his bruised foot. The bruise has become the hot topic at Churchill Downs even as Bobby Frankel, Empire Maker's trainer, tries to play it down. On Tuesday, Frankel summoned his veterinarian and blacksmith to the barn to examine Empire Maker, who exited the morning's jog a little "off." Yesterday, Frankel declared: "The horse is OK. He's probably going to run."

Earlier Wednesday, Bernard Pollard vowed to be healthy enough to play in the Ravens' upcoming contest against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday night, but the starting strong safety did not practice on Wednesday. Pollard, who bruised his ribs on the final play of the first quarter of Sunday's 24-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, could be the beneficiary of an extra day off to accelerate the healing process. In addition to Pollard, a trio of starters in cornerback Lardarius Webb, inside linebacker Jameel McClain and defensive end Pernell McPhee did not take part in Wednesday's session.

The Orioles have placed infielder Wilson Betemit on the 15-day disabled list after an MRI taken before Thursday's game showed a small cartilage tear in his right wrist and a deep bone bruise. First baseman Joe Mahoney was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to replace Betemit on the roster. Betemit hadn't played in a game since Saturday. Before the call-up of rookie Manny Machado last week, Betemit had become the team's everyday third baseman. The switch-hitting Betemit has been one of the club's best hitters against right-handed pitching, batting .306 from the left side of the plate.

There were multiple bruises on Yeardley Love's body when she died in May 2010, according to testimony from a medical examiner Monday in the murder trial of her former University of Virginia boyfriend, George Huguely V, who's accused of beating the 22-year-old to death in a drunken rage shortly before their graduation. Her calves and thighs were bruised, there were "major" contusions on her left forearm, and there was a large bruise over the knuckles of her left hand, according to William T. Gormley, Virginia's assistant chief medical examiner, who performed the autopsy.

Marshal Yanda returned to practice Friday on a limited basis - an encouraging sign that his rib and thigh bruises are improving. But the Ravens right guard said any prediction that he might be able to start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals is a bit premature. “We'll see what happens,” Yanda said after practice. “We've got 48 hours yet, but we'll see what happens. I felt OK out there today, so we'll see what happens come Sunday. Still don't know yet. We'll see.” The team listed Yanda as doubtful in its final injury report of the week, and coach John Harbaugh was equally unsure about Yanda's availability.

The Ravens produced a 20-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns Saturday, but it came at a price. Four players, including two starters, sustained injuries in the contest. Coach John Harbaugh began his news conference Monday by providing updates on the four players and a few more of their injured teammates. On starting right guard Marshal Yanda's bruised ribs and thighs, Harbaugh said, “We'll just have to see how he does on that. They're good bruises. We'll just see where that goes.” On starting cornerback Cary Williams and inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe - both of whom suffered concussions - Harbaugh said, “Both are looking pretty decent today.

As the Ravens lined up for a third-down play that could have sealed a victory over the Cleveland Browns, they did so without Marshal Yanda, their right guard and perhaps their most punishing run blocker. On third-and-3 with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, running back Ray Rice ran off left end and was gobbled up by a pair of Browns 2 yards short of the first-down marker. The Ravens secured a win, 20-14, when Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor jumped offside before the ensuing play.

Coronado's Quest, the enigmatic horse at the center of this year's Preakness drama, played his role to the hilt yesterday, coming down with a foot bruise and further tossing this second jewel of the Triple Crown into turmoil.The immensely talented -- but sometimes temperamental -- colt owned by Maryland's Stuart S. Janney III was scratched from today's Preakness. His defection robbed the race of its likely betting favorite and the one horse on which all eyes would have focused during the pre-race buildup.

The Orioles needed to make room on the 25-man roster for pitcher John Maine yesterday, and center fielder Luis Matos was going to be unavailable for a while because of a bruised right shin. The solution wasn't hard to find. Matos went on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Thursday, because of the injury. He'll be eligible to return Aug. 6 when the Orioles begin a four-game series with the first-place Texas Rangers at Camden Yards. "The swelling has gone down," Matos said, "but the pain is the same."

CHESTER, Md. (AP) — A deer spent 90 minutes inside an Eastern Shore home before it was herded out the front door. Maryland Natural Resources Police Officer Robert Ford asked everyone to stay away from the open front door, and after a few minutes the deer found its way out of the Chester home Saturday afternoon. The male deer was one of three seen in the area earlier in the day by Audrey Thomas, who later noticed her neighbor's kitchen window was broken. Inside, the deer overturned kitchen chairs and a cabinet before becoming entangled in drapes near glass doors in an adjoining office.

Hours after winning a bruising primary for the Democratic nomination for Baltimore County executive, Councilman Kevin Kamenetz made a pitch for party unity, but did not immediately get the support of his fellow council member and primary opponent, Joseph Bartenfelder. Kamenetz is facing Republican Kenneth C. Holt, 59, of Kingsville, a senior vice president at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, who ran unopposed for his party's nomination. The former state delegate fired the first shots of the general election contest yesterday, saying he thought Kamenetz ran an "ugly campaign … based on attack ads, false statements, a lot of information that was not honest.