Elbow

Mike Schmidt became a half-million dollars richer yesterday, and he didn't have to win the lottery to do it. Rather, the windfall resulted from a clause in his contract that said he would receive that sum if he were still on the Phillies' roster on May 15. Seeing his 1989 salary doubled overnight didn't excite Schmidt, who is more concerned these days with the sore left elbow that may have contributed to his being homerless since May 2....

As if the Phoenix Suns didn't have enough trouble already, the prognosis on Charles Barkley's tender right elbow is not cause for optimism. Barkley, the heart, soul and spirit of the Suns, played last night in Game 3 with a large protective wrap on the elbow. At times during the game, he sat on the bench with ice on the elbow. If this series lasts much longer, his effectiveness could be in doubt. Suns team physician Richard Emerson said the elbow was not damaged when Barkley collided in Game 2 with Chicago's Scott Williams, but it was inflamed.

Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham grabbed his throwing elbow as he was helped off the Georgia Dome carpet and we could hear the gasps from Channel 29 viewers all the way down here. "I had a little palpitation," coach Rich Kotite said after the Birds' 20-12 loss to the Falcons. "I went over (to the bench) and I knew immediately it wasn't serious, so I felt a lot better. " Understandably so. Kotite, after all, has had Cunningham for just 20 of his 48 regular-season games as the Birds' head coach.

The huddle included Phillies manager Nick Leyva, general manager Lee Thomas, trainer Jeff Cooper and club physician Dr. Phillip Marone. After a while, the door to Leyva's office opened and righthander Steve Ontiveros was invited to join the group. Then the door closed again. By the time Ontiveros emerged, the best-laid plans once again had been scrambled. Ontiveros, it was announced, would not be activated from the disabled list. He would not pitch Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Righthander Mark Portugal was told last night that he will have surgery on his right elbow Monday and will miss at least three months. In addition, lefthander Matt Beech was placed on the disabled list. Reliever Ken Ryan was activated, and struggling pitcher Bobby Munoz said he and catcher Mike Lieberthal are friends but "have a communication problem. " And that wasn't all. After their 3-1 win over Colorado, the Phils sent pitcher Scott Ruffcorn (0-0, 4.38 ERA) and infielder Kevin Sefcik (.150)

The diagnosis - bone chips in his right elbow - is in for Glenn Robinson, and the 76ers forward must decide whether to have surgery and possibly miss the remainder of the season, or rest it in the hopes of playing again. Robinson was examined Monday by orthopedist James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. He was given two options: surgery that would sideline him for three to five weeks, or rehabilitation that may get him back sooner. "I'm stuck in between right now," Robinson said last night before the Sixers' game against the Chicago Bulls.

National League MVP Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies' will undergo arthroscopic surgery on a troublesome right elbow Tuesday in Denver and is expected to miss most of spring training. The team expects the rightfielder to be 100 percent healthy by opening day. Walker felt pain in his elbow after swinging and missing a pitch in the Rockies' 160th game of the season on Sept. 26. Later in that at-bat, Walker belted his 49th homer of the season. He never got a chance for No. 50 as the pain in the elbow prevented him from playing the final two games.

Larry Walker barely had time to dry himself off from a stint in the hot tub when he received the all-too-familiar news. He was returning to the disabled list and could possibly miss the remainder of the season. The Colorado Rockies placed the two-time defending National League batting champion on the 15-day DL yesterday, hoping the time off will help Walker's chronically ailing right elbow. "I came to the ballpark with my game face on, ready to play and now I'm on the DL," Walker said.

Rick Mahorn has been wearing a Sixers uniform less than a week, but he already has begun making waves. The veteran power forward, long known as one of the league's most rugged players, was ejected from last night's 115-91 victory over Miami after elbowing the Heat's feisty 6-9 rookie, Terry Davis, above the shoulder with 9:42 to play in the second quarter. The NBA rules instruct officials to eject anyone throwing an elbow that makes contact above shoulder level. When the dust clears from this one, Mahorn should be shelling out some money for his actions.

An examination of Frank Viola's pitching elbow yesterday revealed signs of small bone spurs, but the New York Mets said he would continue his workouts as scheduled. Anti-inflammatory medication was prescribed for the lefthander, who underwent a magnetic resonance imaging examination. The MRI detected no loose bodies, and the team said he would work out today. Viola reported soreness after throwing Friday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "The only thing that concerned me is that I've never had problems at all, especially this early," he said.

When Phillies fifth starter John Lannan was placed on the disabled list last month with a knee injury, one of the players who was in consideration to be called up was Lehigh Valley lefthander Adam Morgan. Eventually Jonathan Pettibone was recalled. Meanwhile, after a strong start this season, the 23-year-old Morgan has struggled. On Wednesday, Morgan allowed 10 runs (just three earned) on 10 hits in 31/3 innings of a 10-1 loss to Norfolk. Morgan was 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in his first three starts.

Calling SugarHouse Casino "ripe for expansion," the gaming hall's general manager told state regulators Tuesday that a plan to scale back a parking garage while enlarging the gambling floor makes more sense than an earlier proposal. Wendy Hamilton, who has run the waterfront casino on North Delaware Avenue since its 2010 opening, said customers have told her that the casino needs "more elbow room. " "This is a better plan," Hamilton testified in a hearing before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in Philadelphia.

CLEVELAND - Another dangerous pitch has Carlos Carrasco in trouble again. The Cleveland Indians pitcher was suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball on Friday for "intentionally throwing" at New York's Kevin Youkilis, the righthander's second penalty in two years for aiming at a hitter. The Indians acquired Carrasco in 2009 as part of the trade that sent Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Phillies. Carrasco had just completed serving a five-game suspension for a fastball thrown at Kansas City's Billy Butler in 2011 (Carrasco missed all of 2012 following elbow ligament-replacement surgery)

LOS ANGELES Angels righthander Jered Weaver will be out for at least a month after the ace broke a bone in his left elbow. The Angels put Weaver on the 15-day disabled list, and the durable 20-game winner's non-throwing arm was in a blue sling while his teammates took batting practice before their Angel Stadium opener against Oakland. "This is all new to me," Weaver said. "I've never broken anything before, and didn't really know how to take the news. It kind of was a shock at first, and now you've just got to play the waiting game, I guess.

NEW YORK Mets pitcher Johan Santana had shoulder surgery for the second time in 31 months. The Mets said the 34-year-old lefthander was operated on Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Mets medical director David Altchek repaired a tear in the capsule in the front of Santana's left shoulder. The team said the two-time Cy Young Award winner will be hospitalized overnight. Santana is likely to miss the entire season for the second time in 3 years. He had surgery on Sept.

NEW YORK Yankees captain Derek Jeter is resigned to starting the season on the disabled list for the first time since 2001. Jeter is undergoing treatment for his sore left ankle, still recovering from surgery last October. His last game action came as a designated hitter Saturday in a minor league exhibition. "Of course, it's disappointing," Jeter said Tuesday. "I told you guys all along the goal was to be ready on Opening Day, and I didn't reach it. I ran out of days. I pushed to try to get there opening day, and it didn't work out. But I've still got to be ready for the majority of the season.

Gloucester Catholic baseball pitcher Mike Shawaryn committed to the University of Maryland on a full scholarship on Friday. Shawaryn had narrowed his choices to Duke and Maryland before making the decision. He also was recruited by Vanderbilt, Louisiana State, and Stony Brook. "It was a mixture of a gut feeling, and you can't explain it - I just felt a sense of comfortability down there," Shawaryn said. "I'm excited to be part of the program. " The 6-foot-2 righthander suffered a season-ending injury to a ligament in his right elbow last year.

RELAX, YANKEES fans. The captain is OK. Derek Jeter was removed from New York's lineup against the Phillies on Tuesday for "precautionary" reasons because his surgically repaired left ankle feels "stiff. " He said he might be able to play Wednesday, and doesn't consider this a setback. Jeter has mild inflammation of the ankle, a precautionary MRI showed. An X-ray was negative. He was listed as day-to-day. "I'm not concerned because I was told this was going to happen," Jeter said before the test results came back.

SAN DIEGO Padres third baseman Chase Headley will miss at least the first 2 weeks of the season after breaking the tip of his left thumb. Headley was injured Sunday while sliding into second base trying to break up a doubleplay. He went to San Diego, and an exam Monday revealed the fracture. The injury is not likely to require surgery and will need about a month to heal. "Injuries occur. You hate to see it happen, but it's the nature of a physical sport like baseball," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford could miss the April 1 opener against San Francisco after leaving spring training in Glendale, Ariz., to have his elbow examined in Los Angeles. Recovering from elbow ligament-replacement surgery on Aug. 23, Crawford felt nerve irritation in his left arm. The Dodgers said Friday he was examined a day earlier and was prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and told to rest. Crawford was back in camp Friday and will not take batting practice or throw for about seven days, according to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.