Woosnam continues to struggle with AS

Ian Woosnam's AS is continuing to cause him problems on the golf course. Some quotes: "I can't walk properly and if you can't play if you can't walk. ... I just can't get rid of it -- it's been a long time now. Just walking to the practice ground I'm knackered and after hitting 20 balls I am out of breath. ... It's like cramp and I keep going into spasm. I feel like I've got to go flat out just to swing and I'm not going to play again until I feel better. ... I wake up one day and can swing fine, but then the next I just don't have the movement." He's on anti-TNF therapy, but he's still having trouble; I wonder if his game is simply too hard on him.

Previously: Woosnam's golf tournament prep disrupted by AS; Ian Woosnam, OBE; Woosnam, on anti-TNF therapy, is one stroke off the lead; Ian Woosnam and ankylosing spondylitis

Update, May 1: He's pulled out of the Italian Open as a result of his most recent problems.

Chris Small now coaching

Retired snooker player (and AS sufferer) Chris Small is now coaching young snooker players, the Glasgow Herald reports in an article that also takes a broader look at Small's career and illness.

Previously: Chris Small denied financial assistance by snooker body; Chris Small profile; Chris Small benefit auction; Chris Small update; Chris Small; AS and sports.

The Everyday Visuals

Christopher Pappas, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter for Boston indie band The Everyday Visuals, has suffered from ankylosing spondylitis since he was 15, the Boston Globe reports:

"It's painful, it's debilitating, and it restricts motion," says Pappas. "But I can't let it win." Remarkably, he's kept his affliction mostly to himself. Until now.

"I never want to be like, 'Oh, the Everyday Visuals -- that's the one with the crippled lead singer,' " explains Pappas over drinks at a local pub with his bandmates -- Zembower, drummer Joseph Seiders , and Eli Scheer and Kyle Fredrickson , who alternate between guitar and keyboards. "But on the other hand, I can't ignore it. When I get up in the morning, I need help putting my jacket on. For me, the disease is not the tough part -- it's walking that line of, how much do I let the disease into my life?"

Indeed, despite his predilection for writing wistful, bittersweet songs that hover at the edge of heartache, there are few clues about Pappas's condition to be found on either the Visuals' self-released 2004 debut, "Media Crush," or their new disc. It is his way, perhaps, of exerting a degree of control over something that otherwise infiltrates and permeates his daily routine. A rare exception, however, is an arresting new track, "Two Birds." "I am just a fading spark, hiding out and bending my straight lines," Pappas sings softly as a lean rumble of guitars, bass, and the crisp snap of drums propel the song. Despite the forward motion of melody, Pappas confides, "I'm the boy who can't get out of bed." The tune, he agrees, " is definitely an example of feeling overwhelmed about the disease and dealing with it."

Woosnam's golf tournament prep disrupted by AS

Pro golfer Ian Woosnam's AS acted up yesterday, disrupting his preparations for the U.S. Masters golf tournament this month. Whose bright idea was it to put a golf tournament in the middle of flare season?

Previously: Ian Woosnam, OBE; Woosnam, on anti-TNF therapy, is one stroke off the lead; Ian Woosnam and ankylosing spondylitis.