Starters Clemens, Mulder show-stoppers

HOUSTON -- National League All-Star manager Jack McKeon surprised absolutely no one yesterday morning when he announced that hometown favorite Roger Clemens would be the NL's starting pitcher in tonight's 75th All-Star Game. Oakland lefthander Mark Mulder, a 12-game winner, will start for the American Leaguers, manager Joe Torre's choice made easier when Red Sox righthander Curt Schilling was scratched because of his ankle injury.

"Thank you, Mr. Torre, for choosing me, but having to go and face a lineup like the National League is throwing out there, it's not that thrilling," said Mulder, who will be facing two members of the 500-home run club, Barry Bonds (681) and Sammy Sosa (555) and would have had to face a third before Ken Griffey Jr. strained a hamstring and had to pull out from the event.

Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez was Torre's choice to bat cleanup in the AL lineup, sandwiched between Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels and Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees. And yes, Ramirez was present for all activities yesterday, after a recent history of no-showing.

"You mean, my rock star?" Ramirez's agent, Jeff Moorad, said of Ramirez, who wore a shirt and hairstyle straight out of "That '70s Show" while cheerfully answering questions during yesterday's interview session while sitting alongside DH David Ortiz, the Sox' other All-Star participant.

Torre, who had Clemens on four teams that went to the World Series, winning two of them, was asked if it would be strange to see the Rocket opposing him tonight.

"It's going to be strange," Torre said, "but it's going to be very nostalgic for me. Roger, you know, we forged a special relationship. I still feel very close to him. However, it doesn't keep me from wanting to beat his brains out [tonight]."

Clemens, who turns 42 Aug. 4, started for the American League in the All-Star Game in 1986, and was named MVP after throwing three perfect innings. That was the year Clemens, who pitched in the game in Houston's Astrodome, went 24-4 for the Red Sox and won the first of his six Cy Young Awards.

Nothing doing
Pedro Martinez's agent, Fernando Cuza, said there are no negotiations going on between the Red Sox and Martinez, apparently reaffirming the fact that talks will not resume until after the season. At that time, the Red Sox will have a 15-day window of exclusivity to negotiate with Martinez before he would have the right to talk contract with all clubs as a free agent. "We wanted to get through the season without the contract being a distraction," Cuza said . . . One industry source with direct knowledge of Boston's talks with catcher Jason Varitek, which are also on hold, predicted the Sox ultimately will re-sign him . . . Seven seasons after he was traded to the Montreal Expos as part of the package that brought Martinez to the Red Sox, Carl Pavano is a first-time All-Star, for the Florida Marlins. Pavano entered the game with a 9-4 record and 2.85 ERA, and has been the most consistent pitcher on a young and talented rotation. Pavano has won as many games (24) in parts of three seasons with the Marlins as he did in five seasons with the Expos, where he was plagued with elbow problems.

Clearing the air
Schilling and Ramirez both shot down the theory that Schilling was scolding Ramirez in the oft-replayed video from Sunday's pregame at Fenway. "It was Manny and David [Ortiz] and Kevin [Millar] and I," Schilling said. "There was no one topic. We talked about a lot of different things." Asked if Ramirez's hamstring injury (which took him out of the starting lineup Sunday) was discussed, Schilling said, "It wasn't a central topic of conversation. We talked about it. I'm not even sure I was the one that raised the topic. It wasn't a big deal, but I'm sure it's going to be made out to be. It was a private conversation." Asked if it bothered him that observers tried to frame the session as Schilling scolding Ramirez, Schilling said, "You guys do that every day. It gets tired, but I'm over it. It's part of playing there. I'm not going to go into details because it's really not that interesting. We have a group of guys that doesn't have a problem saying what's on their minds amongst each other. It makes it a lot easier to play the whole season that way. Things don't fester. It's a good environment for me. The 24 guys that wear that uniform, they're my family away from my house, so what happens every day on the field, whether I pitch or not, is very important to me." Ramirez said, "We were just joking around about the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby. We were just talking about the game. It doesn't matter." And the hamstring? "I'm good now," he said. "I just needed a little rest. It was my left hamstring. I got to be ready for the second half." . . . Expectations are high that former Red Sox manager Jimy Williams will be dismissed by the Astros (44-44) before they resume play in the second half. Mets hitting coach Don Baylor and Astros Triple A manager Jackie Moore are believed to be the leading candidates.

Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe staff contributed to this report.