Manny Ramirez must play for pay  —  Sox wise to ignore contract ploy  —  Manny Ramirez isn't masking his feelings: He wants to know when, or if, the Red Sox [team stats] plan to keep him around beyond the 2008 season.  —  But even the most steadfastly loyal of Manny's many admirers …

Trade Ichiro?  It's a bold but sensible proposition  —  During last month's news conference announcing the firing of general manager Bill Bavasi, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln said he was open to trading anyone on the team.  —  If that's the case, the Mariners should deal Ichiro Suzuki by the July 31 deadline.

National League second-half preview  —  • A look at the National League, team-by-team.  —  Arizona Diamondbacks  —  •Schedule: Arizona is 21-10 against NL West rivals and plays 41 of its 67 second-half games inside the division, including three beginning Friday against the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Buzz And Me: An FAQ  —  Those foolish enough to miss the season premiere of “Project Runway” — and those not “connected” enough for ESPY tickets — might have stumbled across the newest episode of “Costas Now” last night.  It was entirely about baseball.  Hey, I love baseball!

Hampton tweaks groin in rehab start  —  Injury prone starter suffers another setback  —  Mike Hampton left his minor-league rehabilitation start with Class AA Mississippi on Wednesday night after only two innings, having tweaked his groin.  —  “He didn't want to take any chances with it …

Wainwright finds comfort in latest step  —  On the eve of the second half, one of the Cardinals' healing aces took to the field with his teammates for a simple, but telling, game of catch.  The other pitcher on the mend could learn today what field he's headed to next.

Diaz undergoes brain surgery after collapse in ring  —  Welterweight Oscar Diaz, who collapsed in his corner after the 10th round of a TKO loss to Delvin Rodriguez on Wednesday night, remained in critical condition Thursday after undergoing surgery overnight to relieve swelling on his brain at San Antonio's University Medical Center.

Billy Wagner is a major worry, but starting pitching will carry Mets  —  For Mets fans, the All-Star break was a time to bask in the glory of a nine-game winning streak that wiped away much of the anger and exasperation that came with watching this team for three months.

MacPhail stays the course  —  O's president keeps focus on rebuilding despite surprising first half, but players still hopeful  —  About 2 1/2 weeks ago, Orioles president Andy MacPhail appeared headed for a dilemma that he would have been perfectly happy to confront.

All-Star ties aren't so bad, Bud  —  Selig's overreaction to '02 tie creates poor situation for teams, fans  —  All right, everybody, let's say it together.  Bud Selig, we are so, so sorry.  —  Maybe ties in the All-Star Game aren't so bad, after all.  —  Now, six years after what we …

Shea is no place for a teenager  —  Inexpensive veterans would fit team better than F-Mart  —  A nine-game winning streak is a very good thing for any team.  Totally awesome.  Whether the credit goes to Jerry Manuel, the contributions from reserve players, offensive upgrades at catcher and second base …

Better late than never (cont.)  —  MLB controversy count very low  —  Another never-ending All-Star game would have been a mess.  But as it is, Selig had a very small number of controversies to confront at his annual All-Star Game press briefing.  His message was that the sport is thriving, and it's tough to argue.

U.S. Olympic Roster Announced  —  USA Baseball announced its roster for the Olympics this afternoon.  We'll have plenty of analysis as the day goes along, but here's a quick look at the 23-man roster that was announced.  Team USA will be prospect-laden behind the plate and in the outfield …