Papelbon, mates are men on a mission

SAN FRANCISCO -- As a first-time All-Star last season, Jonathan Papelbon estimates he probably got four hours of sleep in three days. That's not going to happen this time, he vows.

Papelbon said with home-field advantage in the World Series at stake, he and the five other Red Sox All-Stars told their teammates that they were coming here intent on winning the 78th edition for the American League.

"To us, this is a huge deal to win this game," Papelbon said at an interview session yesterday morning at which Manny Ramírez was the only AL no-show. "I have no doubt in my mind that it's going to come into play, that we're going to need this home-field advantage in October.

"I'm taking this as serious as any game I've pitched in all year. For me, it's not going to be any different than pitching against the Yankees in a rubber match. For me, it's a situation where when we left Detroit on Sunday all six of us, we assured our guys we're going to try to win this game."

A full share for Cardinals players after winning the World Series in 2006 was worth more than $362,000. The losing Tigers had full shares of more than $291,000. Papelbon acknowledges that it's a bit strange to have an exhibition game in which both teams freely substitute also count for something, but he insists it matters to him.

"This would be a huge paycheck for us, when you talk about the money you can make off the World Series," Papelbon said. "That makes a big difference over whether you play the game to win it, or party the next two days."

Not that Papelbon intends to lock himself in his room. "I'm not going to go to every single event and party," he said. "I'll go maybe to Barry [ Bonds's private party] and the Playboy party."

While Josh Beckett was passed over as AL starter by Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who went with Oakland's Dan Haren, Papelbon hopes he might get last call, especially with eight-time All-Star Mariano Rivera not here for the first time since 2003.

"I definitely [hope to]," Papelbon said about possibly closing. "I'm not going to complain if I don't, and I won't jump up and scream if I do. I just want to go out there and get the outs I'm supposed to get."

Having not faced Bonds in Boston -- Hideki Okajima got the call -- Papelbon said he hopes he gets that chance here.

"You want to face the best," he said. "As a closer, you want to go out and face guys who are going be Hall of Famers, see what you're made of. I want to face these guys as many times as I can, to get that rush, to see how good I am."

Leyland said he opted to start Haren, who is 10-3 with a 2.30 ERA, the lowest among starters in the American League, after crunching the numbers. Haren had the lowest WHIP (walks plus hits per 9 innings) of any AL All-Star starter, 1.00, has held opposing batters to a .205 average, and has 101 whiffs and 32 walks in 129 1/3 innings.

"And I would be lying if I felt that it wasn't a nice extra touch, since he pitches across the Bay here in this area," Leyland said.

Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, who has known Beckett since he broke in with the Marlins, said he imagined Beckett supported Leyland's decision.

"I think Josh is a big ERA, WHIP guy, and believes that wins are a little bit overrated," Lowell said. "I don't think he's disappointed. I think he would have preferred to be the starter because that's a special honor, but I don't think there's anyone in this room who's disappointed with Dan Haren being the choice. His numbers are tremendous."

Beckett echoed those thoughts. "I think those are the stats you really need to look at," he said. "Wins and losses are often reflective of how good your team is. It's [Haren's] backyard, too."

This is truly Bonds's backyard, and Beckett, like David Ortiz, Papelbon and Lowell, offered no BALCO-based criticism of Bonds being here.

"This is going to be a memorable day for Barry Bonds, as it should be," Beckett said. "If I was a fan anywhere, I would cheer him. In Fenway Park, they would boo him, but when he stepped in the box, it was all eyes on him.

"You talk about charisma, and stuff he does, he is a special human being and probably the best hitter who ever lived.

"If you went around this room and the National League room, there are a lot of fans of Barry Bonds. We all know what he's done for the game and what he's brought to the table."

Vladi Guerrero of the Angels won a Home Run Derby that was short both on star power and home runs. Bonds passed, saying he's too old for such things, a decision Giants owner Peter Magowan publicly questioned while San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler wrote: "Bonds skipping the home run derby in San Francisco is like Santa Claus blowing off the sleigh race at the North Pole Winter Olympics." Other stars who passed included Alex Rodriguez (sore hamstring), Ken Griffey Jr., and Ortiz, who cited the derby format as the reason he wasn't coming back for a third try, saying it was too long. New big boppers Prince Fielder, Justin Morneau, and Ryan Howard all washed out in the first round. Guerrero did hit one 503 feet, but after Alex Rios of the Blue Jays hit just two homers in the last round, Guerrero needed just three to win. A modest proposal for getting some sizzle back: Offer $1 million to the winner (with a matching $1 million to the winner's charity). Just a guess, but we suspect fewer sluggers would pass on the event.

Lowell is one of six players in this game who have represented both leagues in the All-Star Game. He made it with the Marlins three times, from 2002-04. He agreed the game doesn't mean as much now as when he was a kid.

"[But] only because of cable and the Internet," he said. "For me, I remember the All-Star Game was a huge deal because I saw one game a week on TV, the Saturday "Game of the Week", and usually it wasn't the West Coast teams that were playing, so I thought it was cool for me to see Rickey Henderson wearing white shoes, something like that to see on TV instead of seeing players as a box score."

"Now you can see every game every day, so the attraction of seeing guys for the first time or all on the same field is a little diluted. But I don't think it takes away from the game or how honored players are to make this team."

Asked what would make this one special, Lowell said, "Hitting a couple of home runs.

"Actually, it's special just being here. The most special thing I'm looking forward to is having my kids on the field for the [Home Run] Derby. [Previous times] my daughter was too small, and my son wasn't a year old, and I wasn't coming out on the field cleaning Pampers. So this is going to be something different."

Clay Buchholz, the much-touted Sox pitching prospect, was told after yesterday's Portland game that he is being promoted to Triple A Pawtucket. Buchholz, who turns 23 Aug. 14, pitched in Sunday's All-Star Futures Game, and had told Ian Browne of MLB.com in San Francisco that he might be promoted. In Portland, Buchholz was 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, with dominating numbers: 116 Ks and 22 BBs in 86 2/3 innings.

Gordon Edes can be reached at edes@globe.com.