Selig up front about absence

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- About 10 minutes before last night's game a fan in the second deck of Tropicana Field yelled, ``That knee looks fine, Manny. Let's go."

Despite the pleas of that fan and of Major League Baseball, it still appears Manny Ramírez, who received more fan votes than any other player in the American League, will not be in Pittsburgh for Tuesday night's All-Star Game.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona has indicated in several conversations over the last week with MLB officials that he would rather Ramírez not participate, citing a sore right knee.

Francona, who has become exhausted on the subject, said yesterday, ``I think the next thing that will happen is MLB will have the next announcement, or whatever it is. I've done my part, hopefully respectfully, hopefully talked to the right people."

Commissioner Bud Selig yesterday said the Sox hadn't officially contacted him regarding Ramírez's expected withdrawal.

``Nobody has officially called or talked to anybody," Selig said. ``The clubs know how I feel. This is a game that's very important to the sport. Fans have done a lot of voting. There's been a lot of effort, so I expect everybody to be as sensitive as they can to everybody. This is a time to do the right thing. It's a big honor, and I expect everybody who can be there to be there."

Last night Ramírez played for the 78th time in 82 games. Ramírez, selected to his 10th All-Star team, twice previously has declined invitations (2000, 2003), both times citing a sore left hamstring.

``I haven't heard it directly from anyone on the Red Sox," Selig said, when asked about Boston's request to pull Ramírez out of the game. ``I only know what I've read. All I can tell you is that I'm old-fashioned. I would hope that everybody who's voted in and selected comes and that's the way it's supposed to be. I assume unless a player can't physically play he'll be there. I'll talk to everybody if I have to. One thing I'm not is shy."

It could be that Selig is awaiting a more formal statement from the Sox, either by an owner, by general manager Theo Epstein, or by Ramírez himself. Ramírez remains mum on this and all subjects, and the Sox, in this situation, appear willing to take the heat to keep Ramírez happy rather than force him to answer for himself.

Epstein, who was e-mailed a copy of Selig's comments yesterday evening, said he could not comment. President/CEO Larry Lucchino, e-mailed the same comments, did not respond.

Another possibility is for Ramírez to opt out of the game but still attend as a show of good will. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, who was selected to the team but is injured, gave up his spot but will attend.

You wouldn't know by the way he's swinging -- two home runs Saturday, one Sunday, and one Tuesday -- but David Ortiz's right wrist is giving him a fair amount of pain.

``First time I felt this I was sleeping [and thought], `Damn, this hurts,' " he said.

``It's something that happened with a nerve, like it pinches me sometimes," he added, pointing to the bottom of his forearm.

Francona's hypothesis, as to the origin of the pain: ``My guess would be he probably had one of them car accidents sliding, just a lot of weight coming down."

Ortiz said that could be the case. ``It's hard for me to slide, man. I don't think about the landing, I just think about getting there. I have one good slide out of 20."

He does make a point of keeping his right hand aloft when he hits the ground. That's because he's had two surgeries on his right hand/wrist. In 1998 he broke the hamate bone and had it removed. In 2001 he broke the wrist sliding into home and had to have a pin inserted (the pin, Ortiz said, will always remain).

The discomfort he feels now ``could be [a result of] surgeries. It's sore."

But it's not too sore to swing. Ortiz intends to play in the All-Star Game and participate in Monday's Home Run Derby, a taxing event even for a healthy hitter.

``It doesn't bother me to swing," he said. ``It just hurts."

Francona said the post All-Star break rotation is written ``in pencil." The way it looks against Oakland: Tim Wakefield Thursday, Josh Beckett Friday, Curt Schilling Saturday, and either Jon Lester or Jason Johnson Sunday. Whichever pitcher does not start Sunday will go Monday against Kansas City.

``That would give Wake a full week off but not more than a week," Francona said. ``We're trying to give guys rest, but not too much."

Wakefield would be pitching on six days' rest, Beckett and Schilling on five days' rest. The decision when to pitch Lester or Johnson likely will be based on matchups. Pitching Lester July 17 would give him nine days' rest.

``That's the one guy [we want to give added rest], because he's going to pitch innings he never has before," Francona said of the 22-year-old lefthander.

Matt Clement, who lasted just one inning and 17 pitches before complaining of biceps soreness in Tuesday's Gulf Coast League rehab appearance, said yesterday he's feeling normal soreness and that his early exit wasn't ``alarming" to him. He said he decided to shut it down to prevent setting himself back a number of weeks. When he'll pitch again, though, remains in question. The hope before Tuesday was for Clement to make three rehab starts and rejoin the rotation July 19. Now, Francona said, the team will put him back on a strength-building program to ``make sure that when he does go on the mound he feels like he can let it go. Probably what he'll do is strengthen, long toss, then have a good side session, and hopefully when he feels ready to go then we'll figure it out." . . . Johnson opted to pitch out of the windup when Carl Crawford stole home in the fourth inning. But, when pitching out of the stretch, Johnson's times to home are normal, according to Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. ``He got it down to 1.25 [seconds]," Maddon said. ``He vacillates a little, but he gets it down to 1.25 to 1.4; 1.3 is average." . . . Jason Varitek was called for catcher's interference in the first inning with Crawford batting. Varitek said the situation was a pitch-out, and he jumped at the pitch too soon . . . Mike Lowell, with Devil Rays on first and second with no outs in the second inning, intentionally dropped a liner to third, hoping to start a double play. But his coyness didn't work. Third base umpire Paul Nauert properly called it an out. ``They called it an intentional drop, which it was," Lowell said, ``but I tried to sell it." . . . Home run guru Greg Rybarczyk determined that Ramírez's blast Tuesday evening covered 451 feet, making it the longest this season at Tropicana. The ball left the bat at 117.9 miles per hour . . . Wily Mo Peña hit his first homer while on rehab assignment with Pawtucket, but the PawSox still fell, 5-3, in Rochester, N.Y. Peña had an RBI single in the first and added a solo homer in the fifth. He's hitting .375 (6 for 16) in four games with Pawtucket.

Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe staff contributed to this report from Boston.