EDMOND — Tori Witherspoon plucked a compact mirror from her purse and handed it to her father, Bobby Murcer . The New York Yankees broadcaster and five-time All-Star was lying in a bed at the Critical Care Unit at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center on Dec. 28. Turban-like bandages covered a freshly shaved head bearing an incision that looked something like a Nike swoosh.

Hours earlier, surgeons had rem...