Tom Harrity To Undergo Total Hip Replacement Surgery Today 
by Rob Dinerman

Dateline August 21st --- Five-time U. S. Hardball Nationals champion Tom Harrity is scheduled to have a total hip replacement (THR) operation performed on his right leg by Dr. Robert Good of the famed Rothman Institute at the Physician Surgical Hospital in suburban Philadelphia this morning. This type of procedure seems to have become the surgery du jour in recent times, as former world top-four Chris Walker (left leg in July) and nine-time U. S. National Doubles champion Morris Clothier (right leg in April) have both undergone the same operation during the past few months.
 
    Harrity, 53, had a solid season in 2014-15, including partnering Sara Luther to the U. S. 50-and-over Mixed Doubles title, winning the U. S. National 50-and-over hardball singles and reaching the semis of the Open division of the U. S. Nationals with a noteworthy quarterfinal victory over Duncan Pearson. But a few weeks after that tournament, the pain in his hip area, which had been manageable throughout the winter months, suddenly and dramatically accelerated in intensity over a two-week period in March, causing him to limp badly, putting added pressure on his right knee and forcing him to the sidelines. A follow-up X-Ray confirmed that the cartilage in the joint had been completely worn away, creating a bone-on-bone situation that could only be remedied with a THR procedure.
 
    Harrity, a long-time and heavily decorated veteran of the squash wars, has compiled an admirable record over the years, in substantial measure due to his relentless conditioning routine and fiercely competitive attitude, and he has made successful recoveries after previous operations on his left knee and both Achilles tendons, one of which he ruptured during the last set of a doubles tennis match, yet played the 24 additional points (!) required for him and partner Todd Harrity, Tom's nephew and the reigning U. S. National singles champion, to prevail. The medical profession has become so much better at performing THRs during the past decade that Harrity has cause to be confident that he will be able to re-enter the competitive fray at full throttle before too many months have passed.