John Henry fires back at slugger's comments  —  Manny Ramirez might get his meeting with John Henry, but the Red Sox [team stats]' principal owner will have a hard time giving his slugger any sympathy.  —  Henry responded via e-mail to Ramirez' statement in The Herald yesterday saying …

Wright would have pitched for NL, if he had to  —  As Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium became Wednesday morning's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Major League Baseball officials made it clear to the two managers: This game would be played to its completion.  There would be no tie.

D-Backs close to Clark deal  —  The Diamondbacks appear to be closing in on a trade with the San Diego Padres that will bring first baseman Tony Clark back to Arizona.  —  After significant discussions in recent days, a deal could be final as soon as today, according to a major league source …

Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo retires  —  TOKYO (AFP) — Japanese right-handed pitcher Hideo Nomo, who won National League Rookie of the Year honours in 1995, on Thursday announced his retirement from baseball.  —  The 39-year-old Nomo, who pitched two no-hitters in the US Major Leagues …

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.

Future Shock  —  NL East Notebook  —  Atlanta Braves  —  Meddling With Success: Coming off of a season in which he struck out 63 in 46 innings over three levels, right-hander Kris Medlen entered the year as a sleeper in the Braves system.  He struggled early, cobbling together a 4.70 ERA …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …