Stern isn't waving goodbye yet

Adam Stern fans, your hero lives to play in Pawtucket for another day.

The Canadian Babe Ruth, whose signature moment as a pro came when he gave a spectacular performance in a win over the US in the World Baseball Classic this spring, was pulled off waivers by the Red Sox after he was claimed yesterday by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The Sox had intended to ship Stern to the Baltimore Orioles to complete last week's trade for catcher Javy Lopez; the lefthanded-hitting outfielder was the proverbial ``player to be named later" in the deal. But the Devil Rays, who already extracted a pound of flesh from the Sox by taking two out of three games over the weekend, had first dibs on Stern by virtue of the fact they are behind the Orioles in the standings, and thus exercised their prerogative to claim him.

That had the effect of forcing the Red Sox to pull him back or lose him, so they withdrew the claim, meaning the Orioles will have to wait until after the season to complete the deal, which they evidently are willing to do. Stern's modest skills aren't normally the type to draw a great deal of interest in the waiver period, but major league sources have indicated that the D-Rays remain peeved at the Sox over the way they handled the Julio Lugo trade talks before the trading deadline, the D-Rays believing the Sox illegally contacted Lugo's agent. Buster Olney of ESPN.com first reported on July 30 that the Sox had made such contact.

Submitting a claim on Stern may have been a way to tweak the Sox, something the D-Rays already showed no aversion to doing when they mocked the Sox Sunday by playing a snippet of ``Sweet Caroline" after Greg Norton's 10th-inning walkoff home run.

Stern is expected to be in Rochester, N.Y., tonight when the PawSox face the Rochester Red Wings.

Keith Foulke wasn't exactly planning on being in Rochester for Stern's return, having told reporters that he expected to rejoin the Sox in Kansas City, but the Sox elected to see how he responds to back-to-back outings in Rochester before opening a roster spot for him. Foulke may be in for a bit of a shock: While tonight's game is scheduled for 7, tomorrow's game has an 11 a.m. start. Imagine how that might offend big-league sensibilities.

David Ortiz, the American League Player of the Month for July, can now claim the first week in August as well, but he has to share it. Ortiz and Indians DH Travis Hafner were named AL co-Players of the Week. Ortiz hit .370 (10 for 27) with a 1.000 slugging percentage, 2 doubles, 5 homers (including a walkoff against the Tribe, his fifth walkoff hit of the season), 8 RBIs, and 27 total bases. Hafner hit .385 (10 for 26) with a .962 slugging percentage, 3 doubles, 4 home runs (in four straight games), 9 RBIs, and 25 total bases. In a four-game series at Fenway Park, Hafner went 7 for 15 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Ortiz, who on Sunday became the first Sox player to hit 40 home runs in three successive seasons, enters the Kansas City series within reach of a more modest milestone. His next hit with be the 1,000th of his career.

Catcher Ken Huckaby, designated for assignment last Friday, has already told the Red Sox that he will accept an assignment to Pawtucket, assuming he clears waivers by this afternoon, according to his agent, Kevin Kohler. ``He's going to stay," Kohler said. Huckaby, who is expected to clear waivers, could opt for free agency, but his decision to accept an assignment to Pawtucket sends a strong signal that the Sox are planning to add him as a third catcher to the big-league roster by next Monday. Baseball rules stipulate that a designated player can't be brought back to the big leagues for 10 days unless it is to replace a player being placed on the DL. Sox manager Terry Francona already has said the club does not intend to do so with Doug Mirabelli, who expressed some hope that he will be sufficiently recovered from his sprained left ankle to play in Kansas City. The Sox have made do with two catchers for most of Terry Francona's tenure as manager, but with Jason Varitek on the DL and Lopez having caught little this year, Huckaby would give the Sox the option to bring in a catcher late in the game for defensive purposes, and to allow Francona to pinch hit for Lopez or Mirabelli.

Remember at the trading deadline, when the Sox had a deal on the table for Pirates pitcher Kip Wells but backed off because of concerns raised by his medical records? Wells wound up going to Texas, made one start for the Rangers, and complained of fatigue afterward. He has been shut down while doctors examine his shoulder . . . ESPN baseball analyst and longtime Globe baseball guru Peter Gammons continues to make considerable progress in his recovery from a brain aneurysm, said a friend of the family who had lunch with Gammons recently. Gammons is at his home on Cape Cod, continuing his rehab on an outpatient basis, but he's up and around, walking, talking, and getting stronger . . . Francona said the Sox are getting closer to the day when Dave Wallace returns to full-time duty as pitching coach after recovering from complications stemming from hip replacement surgery. Both interim pitching coach Al Nipper and bullpen coach Ralph Treuel will remain with the club, Francona said, but the manager would not elaborate on what role Nipper will have when Wallace comes back. Nipper began the season as bullpen coach.

Phil Seibel's attempt at coming back from Tommy John elbow ligament surgery has hit a snag. Seibel felt tightness in the elbow after facing just three batters in Pawtucket Saturday, and the lefthander is being sent to Fort Myers, Fla., to rehab. Also headed that way is David Pauley, who made two starts for the Sox this season but was placed on the DL by Pawtucket with a strained right forearm . . . The PawSox, who recently set a franchise record with five consecutive crowds of 10,000 or more, just completed a nine-game homestand in which they drew 82,347. In 1977, Ben Mondor's first year as PawSox owner, the team drew 70,354 fans the entire season.