Projo Sox Blog

But they say they've never seen anything like this.

David Ortiz will be in Pawtucket for the next four days, and Joe McDonald reports: "Nothing can compare to [it]." Says PawSox vice-president Bill Wanless: "As soon as the news began to filter out, the buzz grew and the momentum kept building. We've had some big ones, but this one ranks up there as the biggest." Which is really saying something.

All four games of the series are sold out, even though all of them will be televised -- the first three on Cox Cable in Rhode Island, Sunday afternoon's on NESN -- and only a limited number of standing-room tickets are available for each game. Can't get there? Don't have Cox? Check in right here. We'll be blogging live from McCoy.

The hoopla won't overshadow the fact that these are four important days; the Sox need Ortiz back and healthy, and we'll get to see just how healthy he is between now and Sunday. The Globe's Gordon Edes points out that the return of Ortiz would be the best trading-deadline pickup in baseball, something that would "likely trump anything its rivals summon in response." So, in this case, the event matches the buildup.

(Speaking of the PawSox, their stars shined bright at the Triple-A All-Star Game last night, even though the International League lost. One of those stars was Jeff Bailey, profiled here by Rob Lee.)

CONTROVERSY BREWING: When Manny Ramirez told the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley that he wanted to meet with Red Sox management, one of the things he said was: "I want no more (expletive) where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing." Yesterday John Henry said he found that particular comment "personally offensive" because "we have [not] been anything other than completely straightforward" with Ramirez. (Boston Herald)

Stay tuned.

HOLLIDAY PLANNING? And all of that may lead into this:

The New York Post's Joel Sherman says there's speculation the Rockies may not trade Matt Holliday this month, but instead will wait until the offseason. Then, the thinking goes, the Red Sox will cut their ties with Ramirez and ship some of their bountiful farm system to Colorado for Holliday, who would replace Manny as the left fielder/middle-of-the-order big bat.

It sounds plausible, but Holliday says he's heard rumors that have him heading to the A's. (San Francisco Chronicle) SI.com also reports the Rockies approached the Mets about a Holliday-for-Carlos Beltran swap, but were turned down.

And Peter Abraham on the LoHud Yankees Blog -- while talking about him in the context of a trade to New York -- raises the biggest red flag of all concerning Holliday.

EARNING ACCEPTANCE: J.D. Drew's All-Star MVP award may begin the process of Boston fans taking the soft-spoken outfielder for what he is: A baseball player, and nothing more. (Boston Herald)

AND A GOOD ONE, TOO: Jim Rice lists Drew as one of his first-half surprises for the Red Sox. (ask14.sullivantire.com)

BACK TO THE SOCK: Curt Schilling checks in with a rehab update and drops some surprising news: It's possible his arm and shoulder problems may have been caused by a lack of mobility in his right ankle, which he says is 'frozen' in place after the 2004 surgery. (38pitches.com)

CONCERN: David Pinto (Baseball Musings) and Bob Ryan (Boston Globe) are both worried about Terry Francona's health.

SOMEONE ALERT THE DAILY NEWS: FoxSports.com's ranks Mariano Rivera ninth in its list of Top 10 closers. Jonathan Papelbon? Fifth.

MO BEING MO: As the smell of the distasteful Papelbon incident finally begins to dissipate, Mariano Rivera stands tall -- as always -- and says he understands what Papelbon meant and that he has no hard feelings towards the Sox' closer. (New York Post)

WHY DO THEY HATE HIM SO? Hart Brachen nails why Yankee fans are so venomous towards Papelbon on his Soxaholix blog.

LESSON ONE -- WEAR THE RIGHT CAP: Kenny Chesney says he's a life-long Red Sox fan and his secret ambition is to play second base in Boston . . . but the people.com story telling us all this has a picture of him in a Yankee hat.

'IT IS A BEAUTIFUL $%*@# THING': SI.com's John Donovan spent Monday night's Home Run Derby with the Yankee Stadium "Bleacher Creatures" (left) and found they're all they're cracked up to be.

IT SURE IS: George Steinbrenner issues a post-All-Star Game statement in which he praises Yankee fans and says, "Anyone who needed proof that Yankee Stadium is the grandest stage in baseball got it." (New York Post)

CHANGING TIMES: Maybe so, but the New York Observer's Howard Megdal says "October, once the province of the Yankees, has become the stomping grounds of the Red Sox. Tuesday night, even Yankee Stadium, after much ado, belonged to Boston as well."

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS: There are no bleacher creatures there -- and if everything they say about the city is true, there never could be -- so next year's Home Run Derby and All-Star Game won't be nearly as, ah, colorful. In any case, St. Louis is already preparing for next year's party. (mlb.com)

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Tim McCarver was the National League catcher in the 15-inning All-Star Game in 1967, and he was one of the Fox announcers in this year's 15-inning affair. (New York Times)

'GUYS WANTED THAT GAME PRETTY BAD': Justin Morneau says Tuesday night was no exhibition; both teams, he says, were playing to win. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE THOUGHT OF THIS WHEN SHERM FELLER WAS ALIVE? Darren Rovell, on his SportsBiz blog, reports that technology exists that would enable the Yankees to develop a computer program in which the voice of Bob Sheppard could introduce the lineups at Yankee Stadium forever. It wouldn't be able to do announcements, but names and numbers? It's possible. The blog River Ave. Blues thinks it's a great idea, though many of the commenters don't. ("That is getting to the point of creepy.") One of them suggests that if they're going to do that, why not do with John Sterling.

LET'S SEE A COMPUTER REPLICATE THIS: I bet you never realized Sterling's "YANKEES WIN! TH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH YANKEES! WIN!" is a full-body production:

That was from Aug. 19, 2007. If you think it was a one-time thing, catch this one from June 7, 2008:

It must be contagious. Check out the person in the booth to Sterling's left in the two videos.

TALL ORDER: Now it's back to baseball, and the New York Post's George King says the Yankees have a big task ahead of them as they attempt to catch the Red Sox. The Daily News' Mark Feinsand hands out his first-half Yankee report card.

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: They've had plenty of losing streaks in Tampa Bay over the years, but never when they were in first place. So as the Rays start second-half play trying to snap a string of seven straight losses, the blog Outs Per Swing looks at the longest losing streaks of playoff teams in each of the last two years and concludes: "The sky isn't falling yet." Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune, meanwhile, submits a first-half report of his own for the Rays.

CATCHING UP WITH . . . Mike Greenwell and Bucky Dent, different-era survivors of the Red Sox/Yankee wars, as part of SI.com's "Where Are They Now?" series. Turns out Dent often wonders -- as do I -- how different history might be had he popped up instead of homered on that October afternoon in 1978.

HEY, ABBOTT! SI.com also tracks down Jim Abbott, who still gives hope to people with disabilities and who soon will become a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.

IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, JOIN 'EM . . . AND TRASH 'EM: Noted traditionalist Murray Chass has his own blog, and he spends most of his first post ridiculing both blogs and Red Sox fans. As you can well imagine, the folks at Fire Joe Morgan are appropriately incredulous.

CANADA'S CAPTAIN INTANGIBLES: Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey calls Roy Halladay "our Derek Jeter" and says the team will do everything it can to keep him happy enough that he'll want to stay in Toronto. (Toronto Globe and Mail)

WHERE TO START? In trying to affix blame for the Indians' lost season, Terry Pluto says there's plenty to go around. (cleveland.com)

TRADE TALK: Paul DePodesta says on his blog that the Padres are "just not terribly interested in trading" Brian Giles (itmightbedangerous.blogspot.com) . . . The Miami Herald reported the Marlins called the Tigers about the availability of ex-Florida catcher Ivan Rodriguez, but were told he's not available . . . Detroit is, however, willing to part with Fernando Rodney (Detroit Free Press); given the demand for relief pitching in baseball today, there could be plenty of suitors . . . Chipper Jones expects the Braves to deal Mark Teixeira if they fall out of contention (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Right now the Pirates have high price tags on Xavier Nady and Jason Bay, but the New York Post reports other executives believe they'll come down on their asking price . . . The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Phillies have an interest in the A's Joe Blanton.

TRADE PROPOSAL: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Jim Moore thinks the Mariners would be wise to place Ichiro Suzuki on the lot to see who kicks the tires.

RETURNING: Both the Rangers' Hank Blalock (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez (Detroit Free Press) are rejoining their respective clubs.

NOT RETURNING: But the Braves' Mike Hampton has had another injury setback. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

HERE AND THERE: It looks like Francisco Liriano's return to the Twins is imminent, and he could pitch out of the bullpen once he's back in Minnesota (St. Paul Pioneer Press) . . . The Cardinals' Adam Wainwright is throwing long toss as he recovers from an injured finger (mlb.com) . . . White Sox closer Bobby Jenks has been transferred to Double-A Birmingham as he continues his rehab assignment (Arlington Daily Herald) . . . Pablo Ozuna, whose designation for assignment caused such angst in the White Sox clubhouse last week, has officially been released (Chicago Tribune) . . . Jonathan Broxton will serve as the Dodgers' closer while Takashi Saito is sidelined. (Los Angeles Daily News)

-- ART MARTONE