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.

Utley would welcome some pitching help  —  Chase Utley says he's paying attention to trade rumors that could affect the Phillies.  —  “You want to know what the possibilities are out there,” Utley said Tuesday before playing in his third All-Star Game.  “I know our organization wants to win …

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!

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.

Hamilton's Derby deed should help Texas Rangers  —  In the history of the Texas Rangers, I believe there have been four seminal moments.  In 1972, Judge Tom VanderGriff gave the franchise life.  In 1973, David Clyde gave the organization a pulse.  In 1989, Nolan Ryan gave the organization legitimacy.

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.

Boxer Diaz still in critical condition after surgery  —  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.

Top Tiger prospect breaks bone; Fernando Rodney on the trading block  —  Second baseman Scott Sizemore, one of the Tigers' top prospects, likely will be out until sometime in August after undergoing surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left wrist.  —  “It feels better every day,” Sizemore said in a telephone interview.

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 …