DeRosa has surgery

Two days after he set the school's all-time single game passing record with 360 yards at Cornell, Penn starting quarterback Mark DeRosa underwent surgery on his right thumb. Early Monday morning at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Brian Sennett re-attached the ligaments to the bone in what was described as a "successful operation." DeRosa had torn the ulnar collateral ligaments in his right thumb completely off the bone in the Nov. 12 game against Harvard. He played Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y., in severe pain and with a splint on the thumb, and led the Quakers back from a 14-0 deficit. In his first season as the Quakers' starting quarterback, he led the team to its second consecutive undefeated Ivy League championship with a perfect 9-0 record. The fact the ligaments came completely off the bone was actually good news for the doctors and DeRosa. It made the surgery easier for doctors to perform and the ligaments are expected to heal faster. Chances for future problems are also decreased. "Everything was fine," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. DeRosa is expected to start at shortstop this spring for the baseball team. Last year, as the third baseman, the freshman led the Quakers in runs batted in. He will wear a cast for the next three weeks. "I'll have a lot of rehab to do but I'll be ready for Feb. 1 when baseball starts," DeRosa said.