Ortiz eager to return

The smile and the swing were unmistakably the same. They both belonged to David Ortiz and were on display yesterday, as he took batting practice for the first time since he was hospitalized for a second time because of heart palpitations.

Ortiz had reason to be happy. He may return to the Red Sox lineup as soon as today.

``I can't wait to start playing, dude," he said before last night's game against the White Sox.

With the dour mood around Fenway Park of late, Ortiz's big grin and booming bat would be welcome.

``He makes things fun," third baseman Mike Lowell said. ``He's not a guy who shies away from people. A lot of guys don't like the attention, but he likes it and he embraces it and I think that's why we all love him. The more guys there are like that, the more excited you are to be around."

Although he received clearance to resume baseball activities yesterday, Ortiz is still wearing an event monitor, a device that allows him to push a button and electronically record his heart rhythm if he has another episode.

``They keep that on me just to see if I get the pain back or whatever," Ortiz said. ``It seems like that one little thing that I had took some vacation, just like I did."

Ortiz's jovial mood was in stark contrast to the gravity of his health scare.

The slugger, who hasn't played since Aug. 27, when he went 1 for 3 and slammed his 47th home run of the season in a 6-3 loss at Seattle, left the team in Oakland last Tuesday after a recurrence of the irregular heartbeat he first experienced during the Yankees' most recent visit to Fenway. Ortiz was briefly hospitalized Aug. 19 after Boston's 13-5 loss to New York. He returned to play the next day, going 3 for 6 with a solo home run.

After flying back to Boston last week, Big Papi underwent a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital before he was released Thursday. He said Saturday that doctors told him they were ``97 percent" sure he didn't have a serious heart problem.

While Ortiz's long-term health no longer seems to be in jeopardy, the same can't be said of his team, which has its playoff hopes on life support. Ortiz's return, along with Manny Ramírez, Trot Nixon, and Jason Varitek -- all three of whom were back in the lineup last night -- might be just enough to revive the team.

``I've been watching our games; more than anything, we need some offense," Ortiz said. ``Our pitchers, they've been doing way better. They need some support. We need our hitters to go out there and produce for them."

Ortiz knows about production. Despite missing the last eight games, he's still tops in the American League in home runs (47) and runs batted in (121) and has a good shot at breaking Jimmie Foxx's club record of 50 home runs. However, his missed time and the Sox' slide may have jeopardized his MVP candidacy.

``I'm rooting for David to win the MVP because he's my teammate," Lowell said. ``But like I said, do we want five more home runs while his heart is in question? You know I think it's a non-issue there. I'm happier with the fact that he's fine than that he may have missed out on four or five home runs during this stretch."

White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye, who has emerged, along with Derek Jeter, as a prime candidate for the MVP award, said he's rooting for Ortiz's return.

``It's scary," Dye said. ``You just hope the best for him. Hopefully, he gets back on the field and gets healthy and gets back to playing the game he loves to play."

That could happen today.