Surgery

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Less than an hour before the Phillies' final Florida exhibition, Ruben Amaro Jr. found Delmon Young eating lunch in the clubhouse. The general manager shook the outfielder's hand, wished him luck, and patted him on the back. While everyone else packed, Young faced the likelihood of another month here to recover from ankle surgery. It does not bother him. "They can have April," he said. "I want October. " The Phillies have not assigned a hard timetable to Young's return and Young said he does not have a date in mind.

Bobby Hurley was introduced Tuesday as the men's basketball coach at Buffalo. Hurley, 41, completed his first season as an associate coach at Rhode Island this month, working under brother Dan. He spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Wagner, also with Dan as head coach. He takes over for Reggie Witherspoon, who was fired two weeks ago after 14 seasons on the job. Hurley, a superstar guard while playing for his father, Bob Sr., at St. Anthony in New Jersey in the 1980s, led Duke to three Final Four berths.

Derek Jeter will likely join Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson on the New York Yankees' star-studded disabled list for the season opener against the Boston Red Sox on April 1. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says it's "more likely than not" Jeter will start on the DL because of a sore left ankle, still recovering from surgery last October. Eduardo Nunez, known for his bat more than his glove, would fill in at shortstop for the 13-time all-star, who broke the ankle Oct. 13 during the AL Championship Series opener against Detroit and had surgery a week later.

DODGERS SHORTSTOP Hanley Ramirez is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday on his injured right thumb and is expected to be sidelined for 8 weeks. The Dodgers said Thursday that an MRI indicated a ligament in Ramirez's thumb was torn. Ramirez suffered the injury Tuesday night while playing for the Dominican Republic in its victory over Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic championship game in San Francisco. Ramirez was at third base when he suffered the injury. The Dodgers moved him to shortstop, his original position, after obtaining him from the Miami Marlins on July 25. Dr. Steve Shin, a sports-medicine hand specialist, is scheduled to perform the surgery in Los Angeles.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - After quickly recording the first two outs of the fourth inning, Mike Stutes turned and watched. And waited. The third batter of the inning, Atlanta Braves' third baseman Juan Francisco, squared up one of Stutes' pitches and launched the ball over the fence in leftfield. The home run was one of five hit Monday between the Phillies and Braves, even though it felt like there were a dozen. The homer was one of 36 hits between the two teams, even though it felt like 66. "The ball was carrying a little bit," Stutes said at his locker at the tail end of a wild, 17-10 loss to the Braves.

UNLIKE THE TEAMS in the NCAA Tournament, it could be none and done for Andrew Bynum as a 76er. The Sixers announced at halftime of Monday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers that the 7-foot, 300-pound Bynum will have surgery on Tuesday, thus ending one of the most frustrating situations in team history. Bynum, who has not played all season, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees. It will be performed by Dr. David Altchek, of the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York.

Any chance that the 76ers had at having Andrew Bynum play for them this season - or perhaps ever - is gone. Bynum will undergo surgery on both knees Tuesday that will prevent him from playing. "After many months of rehabilitation and consulting with numerous doctors, Andrew and the doctors treating him determined that this is the best course of action at this point," general manager Tony DiLeo said in a statement. The 25-year-old Bynum, who will have part of his $16.5 million salary defrayed by insurance, may never play for the Sixers, despite the fact that the team holds his Larry Bird rights and can pay him more than any other team.

MARK TEIXEIRA says he has a partially torn tendon sheath in his right wrist and didn't rule out missing up to 2 months of the regular season. The first baseman rejoined the New York Yankees at spring training Sunday after getting hurt March 5 while with the U.S. team at the World Baseball Classic. The injury initially was announced as a strained wrist. "The tendon is fine," Teixeira said. "That's the good thing. It's the sheath that holds the tendon over . . . It's the little covering that holds the tendon in place.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny returned to the club Thursday after undergoing back surgery Monday in St. Louis. Matheny was beset with pain for several days, stemming from a ruptured disc in his back that caused particles to come into contact with a nerve. Surgeons found and removed four particles during a 90-minute procedure, known as a microdiscectomy. "It was something, as much as I was going to try to put it off, it would not have gotten better on its own," Matheny said. "It had to be taken care of. "I was impressed with how much better I felt right away.

DAVID WRIGHT was scratched from the United States' World Baseball Classic game against the Dominican Republic because of sore ribs, but he's optimistic he'll be back in the lineup soon. The New York Mets third baseman said the injury had bothered him for about a week, and the Mets were aware of the issue. He was pulled from the lineup shortly before the game after USA Baseball officials consulted with the Mets. Wright said he'll be examined Friday by a Mets doctor at the team's complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "I'm optimistic they will allow me to come back and rejoin the team," he said.