Pain Tolerance

Brian Westbrook's status on the injury report did not change yesterday. The Eagles still list their top running back as questionable for Sunday's cross-state showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. What did change was Westbrook's practice status. After working in a limited capacity Wednesday, Westbrook made it through the Eagles' entire practice yesterday inside the bubble at the NovaCare Complex. No promises or predictions about his status for Sunday were forthcoming, however.

Brian Westbrook has a rib injury that will likely keep the Eagles' top running back from playing Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and possibly the following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team source said yesterday. The source said that the injury, described as an avulsion fracture, does not require surgery and the exact date of Westbrook's return will depend on his level of pain tolerance. Westbrook suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Browns in Cleveland when he landed on top of the football after receiving a jarring hit from defensive end Kenard Lang.

Uncomfortable and unable to sleep Tuesday night, Allen Iverson considered calling 76ers trainer Lenny Currier. Iverson's body ached. His restlessness frustrated him. He awoke his fianc?e and checked the clock. It was 4 a.m. "We thought we would have to call him," Iverson said on Wednesday, his bruised back still stiff and sore. Iverson's injuries are getting worse, not better. Following a 5-for-26 shooting performance last night in a 92-78 loss in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, the possibility exists that Iverson, who finished with just 16 points, could miss Game 3 tomorrow in Milwaukee.

The instructions from the girlfriend who still gets offense and defense confused are always as basic as her knowledge of football: Play well and don't get hurt. To that end, Doug Easlick has supplied fellow Cherokee senior Michelle Hagmayer with plenty of cheerleading material. The 6-foot, 205-pound tailback-safety has already cracked the 1,000-yard mark, has stabilized a young secondary, and again has proved to be as durable as they come. Not coincidentally, No. 7 Cherokee, 6-1 entering tomorrow's 2 p.m. showdown with visiting Shawnee, has already secured a Group 4 playoff berth and is tied for first place in the Olympic Conference American Division.

It's the nature of cross-country that the elite runners have that little something extra in the pain-tolerance department. The best of the best know how to push aside the burn to push themselves a little harder, a little farther, a little faster. Cherokee senior Ben Werbos brings intestinal fortitude to a whole new level. Werbos has continued to lead the best team in South Jersey despite running with a triple hernia that will require surgery two days after the Meet of Champions.

High pain tolerance and high intelligence don't have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, they exist quite happily together in the head of LaSalle senior Ryan O'Donnell, for whom the saying "no brain, no pain" need not apply. O'Donnell's brain may not allow him to process pain easier, but it does help him rationalize it, understand it, and ultimately conquer it, along with just about every distance runner in the Catholic League. "He has a very high pain threshold," LaSalle coach Pat Devine said.

There's no evidence that something's amiss when Jaclyn Williamson plays tennis. The Unionville junior moves quickly and smoothly, making shots that are speedy and precise. She owns a 6-0 record for the 5-1 Indians. Who would guess that Williamson has been suffering from a broken back for nearly two years? She certainly is not going to tell anybody. Unless they ask. "When you're playing, it doesn't bother you that much," she said. "It's worse afterward. You suck it up. " Doctors determined that the injury can't get any worse if Williamson continues to play tennis.

IT WAS THE MIDDLE of January and Chattanooga coach John Shulman was feeling a bit despondent. Despite being loaded with seniors, his Mocs were 1-2 in the league and 5-10 overall. Davidson was clearly the darling of the Southern Conference, but Chattanooga was supposed to be better than 5-10 with 16 regular-season games remaining. Then, Shulman's cell phone went off. The text message read: " 20 WINS THIS YEAR!!! IT'S STILL POSSIBLE . " It was a missive from one of his leaders, Philadelphia native Khalil Hartwell, and it almost immediately brightened the coach's spirits.

Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson both were held out of Eagles practice Wednesday, and Jeremy Maclin was limited, raising questions about the three offensive stars' availability for Sunday's game. Vick tried to throw Tuesday, but his broken ribs prevented him from getting much work in, coach Andy Reid said. While Reid would not say definitively who will play Sunday, his update seemed to point to another start for Vince Young against the Patriots. "[Vick] didn't do much," on Tuesday, Reid said.

Michael Vick is pushing himself, but he said it's not just because the Eagles are hosting the Atlanta Falcons. Vick, the quarterback who sat out last Sunday with a rib cartilage tear suffered the previous week against Washington, didn't practice yesterday, but after practice, Vick said "don't count me out" of Sunday's game. Eagles coach Andy Reid said before practice that Vick had begun light weightlifting but was not yet throwing a football. Vick said after practice that he is throwing, and "got my motion back, baby.