All-Star Baseball Capules: David Ortiz wins HR Derby with 11-homer final

ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Ortiz believes his power swing is all the way back. After a big finish in the Home Run Derby, Boston’s beloved slugger has a trophy to prove it.

Big Papi won his first derby title Monday night, hitting 11 homers in the final round to beat Florida’s Hanley Ramirez at Angel Stadium.

Showing plenty of potency in the fierce swing that once made him one of the majors’ most feared hitters, the Red Sox star put a relentless series of drives into the elevated stands above the right-field wall.

With Yankees bench coach Tony Pena crossing rivalry lines to feed fastballs straight into his wheelhouse, Ortiz hit 21 homers in the first two rounds of his fourth derby before holding off Ramirez to emerge from a field missing most of baseball’s top power hitters.

“This is my fourth time, so I just kind of used the experience,” Ortiz said. “I wanted to come here and make sure the fans enjoy what we do.”

Ortiz triumphantly held up the trophy featuring two crossed bats. He dedicated his performance to former major league pitcher Jose Lima, a Dominican Republic native who passed away in May after paramedics found him in cardiac arrest at his Southern California home.

Ramirez, Ortiz’s fellow Dominican slugger and former Boston teammate, matched Papi’s 21 homers in the first two rounds, pulling most of his shots over the left-field wall. But Ortiz became just the second slugger to reach double digits in the final round, while Ramirez managed only five.

“It’s good for him,” Ramirez said. “He’s been through a tough time. I know he’s going to come back in the second half.”

Ortiz reached the derby semifinals in 2005 and 2006, but hadn’t been back in the field since. His entire career was on the skids after he struggled in 2009 and again in April, but Boston’s longtime star is back on his game with 18 homers and 57 RBIs this season, earning his sixth All-Star berth.

“I’ve been dealing with so many things the past few years,” Ortiz said. “Coming back here (to another All-Star game), I want to thank the players for giving me the opportunity to be here. This is a job that we have, but it’s called a game. That’s what I try to do during the season — have fun with my teammates and make sure everything goes the right way.”

Milwaukee’s Corey Hart and Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera were eliminated in the second round, with Hart failing to connect after hitting 13 in the opening round and then waiting about 90 minutes for his second crack. Ortiz finished with 13 in the second round after getting off to a fast start.

Ortiz gave ample credit to Pena’s pitching after he coolly outslugged his younger competitors.

“Whenever we played the Yankees, I saw (Pena) throw batting practice,” Ortiz said. “As soon as I found out he was going to be here, I said to him, ‘Hey, Tony, can you pitch to me?’ And he said, ‘Fine. It’s not a problem. I’m going to throw to (Nick) Swisher, but I can throw to you, too.’ It’s the Home Run Derby, and we’re here for the fans to have fun. It’s not a Yankees and Boston kind of situation, so let’s do it.”

The derby field wasn’t exactly a murderers’ row, featuring five first-time competitors and no returning champions.

Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and defending champion Prince Fielder all sat out. So did major league homers leader Jose Bautista, NL co-leaders Adam Dunn and Joey Votto, and Texas’ Josh Hamilton, who hit 28 homers in a single round at Yankee Stadium two years ago.

Still, eight sluggers took aim at the artificial rock pile, moss and trees behind the center-field wall at Angel Stadium, the long-standing Orange County park that underwent a thorough renovation in recent years.

The Anaheim crowd booed Ortiz during pregame introductions, still remembering several years of postseason clashes between his Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels. But Ortiz hadn’t homered at Angel Stadium since hitting a shot during the 2007 AL division series.

Ortiz hit eight homers in the opening round, which included plateside delivery of a towel and a refreshing drink from laughing Tampa Bay closer Rafael Soriano.

Ortiz, who has been known for goofing around during the derby silliness in recent years, gave a towel break during the final round to Ramirez, who he said is “like a son to me.” Ramirez was traded to Florida when the Red Sox acquired ace Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.

“Of course, I wish Hanley would be playing on our team, like he was supposed to be, but there are things we can’t control,” Ortiz said. “The move that the Red Sox made was good for both sides.”

Ortiz took control of the last round with consecutive homers on his first four swings. Ramirez couldn’t catch up, hitting three straight before ending it by making outs on six of his last seven swings.

Hart highlighted the first round with six homers on his first eight swings. He had 11 on his first 15 whacks against Sandy Guerrero, the Nashville Sounds’ hitting coach.

St. Louis’ Matt Holliday, the Yankees’ Swisher, Toronto’s Vernon Wells and Arizona’s Chris Young didn’t escape the first round.

AL reign: Can NL finally win All-Star game again?

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ryan Howard is sick of all the talk about the American League’s dominance in the All-Star game.

The Phillies slugger knows all too well it’s been 13 years of AL bragging rights. And, no, that wacky 7-7 tie in 2002 did little to boost NL morale in baseball’s Midsummer Classic.

In this year of the pitcher, the National League is downright loaded, even for an All-Star game with the best of the best coming to Orange County on Tuesday night.

“This should be the year for us to go out there and hopefully end this drought,” Howard said. “I’m getting tired of hearing about the American League winning and how long they’ve won, every year for the last 13 years or whatnot. Basically go out there and try to change it up.”

There’s Colorado 15-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez starting at Angel Stadium. In the bullpen: Marlins ace Josh Johnson, Mr. perfect Roy Halladay and two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. And so on.

The AL run is one of the more perplexing streaks in sports. Is it simply a quirk, or evidence of true dominance? The American League has ruled interleague play for several years, and also done well in the World Series, winning four of the last six titles.

You’d think the NL might have caught a break at some point in a span of more than a decade, just getting one ball to bounce its way.

In 2008 at Yankee Stadium, the National League had 15 innings to make it happen and came up short. The previous year in San Francisco, a crazy ball off the wall gave Ichiro Suzuki the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history.

With a star-studded lineup of New York Yankees gathered in sunny, surf-crazed Southern California, even the Angels’ infamous rally monkey will probably be rooting for the AL if things are close late in the game.

The last time the NL won was 1996, when the Milwaukee Brewers were still in the AL. Not that many remember the 6-0 NL victory at Philly’s old Veterans Stadium.

“This will be Charlie’s second straight year to try to beat that stupid American League jinx,” Phillies chairman Bill Giles said of the Philadelphia and NL skipper, Charlie Manuel. “Charlie, your job’s on the line, man.”

It was Giles’ father, Warren, the former National League president, who used to enter the NL clubhouse and give fired-up speeches to help rally and ready his players for the All-Star game.

These days, there are graphic monkeys bouncing all over the big screen, Thunderstix and Vuvuzelas — oops, not those noisemakers, they aren’t allowed at Angel Stadium.

CC Sabathia isn’t sure any of that stuff really matters much.

“I can’t say it’s better players,” said the burly Yankees ace, who won’t pitch Tuesday. “It’s just one of those things. What is it, 13 years in a row? It’s pretty much luck I guess.”

A new rule keeps Sabathia and other pitchers who started on Sunday from being on the active roster. Tampa Bay lefty David Price will start Tuesday for the AL.

The NL players believe it’s their turn to finally turn the page on this decade-old drought.

And why not think that way? This game is being played within miles of Disneyland — “Happiest Place on Earth” — where thousands of kids (adults, too) get to dream big every day. Six-foot-tall, baseball-themed Mickey Mouse statues, some painted in stars and wearing caps or holding baseballs, are scattered around town.

“We know everyone’s here to have a good time but at the same time our priority is to win the game,” Jimenez said.

To do so, Jimenez and Co. must hold down an AL lineup featuring Josh Hamilton in the cleanup hole and Vladimir Guerrero batting fifth — with sluggers Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz as backups for manager Joe Girardi.

Boston’s Big Papi won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, hitting 11 homers in the final round to beat Florida’s Hanley Ramirez.

Beating the AL will be a daunting task indeed. Big swings often decide the game.

Still, with the likes of Albert Pujols and Howard on the NL side, it would look pretty even.

“We came back against the National League bullpen in 2003,” said All-Star coach Bud Black of the NL West-leading San Diego Padres. “I can’t explain (the streak). I wish I knew. There’s mutual respect league to league. I don’t think the AL senses any superiority at all. Even going back to my playing days in both leagues there was never that sense.”

Aside from having fun with peers during a short break from the demands of the 162-game schedule, everybody involved wants to shine at the All-Star game. Just do a little something.

Angels center fielder Torii Hunter has plans to make the highlight reels.

“I’m going to take a home run away from somebody and duplicate what I did in 2002 taking a home run away from Barry Bonds,” Hunter said with a grin.

He insists he will crash into the wall to do it if need be.

Home-field advantage for the World Series is on the line.

“Now with what’s at stake,” said NL coach Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants, “the National League needs to stop this.”

-- Janie McCauley

Gallardo would skip All-Stars in Arizona over law

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Yovani Gallardo is firm. Even if he’s fortunate enough to make the All-Star team again next summer, he’ll skip it.

“If the game is in Arizona, I will totally boycott,” the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher said Monday.

A year before Phoenix is set to host baseball’s big event, the state’s new immigration law kept drawing the attention of major leaguers.

Kansas City reliever Joakim Soria, who leads the majors with 25 saves, said he would support a Latino protest and stay away. Detroit closer Jose Valverde can see himself steering clear, too.

“It’s a really delicate issue,” said Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista, who leads the majors with 24 home runs. “Hopefully, there are some changes in the law before then. We have to back up our Latin communities.”

“If I do get chosen, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.

About three dozen protesters held signs Monday one block from the hotel where Major League Baseball held its welcoming news conferences. The demonstrators said they had over 100,000 petitions asking commissioner Bud Selig to move the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona.

Another protest was planned outside Angel Stadium before Tuesday night’s game.

Selig has not spoken directly on the subject. Asked in May about calls to shift next year’s game, he gave a defense of baseball’s minority hiring record. Selig did not take questions at Monday’s All-Star introductory event.

Arizona’s much-debated measure takes effect July 29. The statute requires police, while enforcing other laws, to ask about a person’s immigration status if there is reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.

“They could stop me and ask to see my papers,” Soria said. “I have to stand with my Latin community on this.”

The Mexican-born Gallardo said he’s talked with Soria and San Diego’s All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez about the Arizona law.

“We don’t agree with it,” Gallardo said. St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols said he opposed the law and Valverde called it “dumb.”

Several All-Stars avoided the topic.

“That’s a political thing,” New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano said. “I don’t have anything to say about it. They already made a decision. If I say anything it’s not going to make any difference.”

“Wrong guy,” teammate Alex Rodriguez said, pointing to other players in the interview room.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal said he would wait for guidance from the players’ union.

“The game is going on at this point, regardless,” said former All-Star Tony Clark, who played for Arizona last season and now works for the union. “Whatever decision an individual player makes, they would have the full support of the union.”

The union has already condemned the law and said that if it is not repealed or modified additional steps would be considered.

Oakland closer Andrew Bailey, whose team holds spring training in Phoenix, said his sport was caught in a crossfire.

“The Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball had nothing to do with making the Arizona immigration laws,” he said. “I know there are discrepancies. Hopefully, things can get resolved.”

-- Ben Walker

Ubaldo Jimenez, David Price to start All-Star game

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ubaldo Jimenez is always eager to share his accomplishments with a support system that runs from Denver to the Dominican Republic.

His home nation and adopted hometown will be tuned in when Jimenez takes the mound for one of his most memorable outings yet. The Colorado ace will start for the National League in the All-Star game, while the AL will counter with Tampa Bay’s David Price.

In this year of the pitcher, Jimenez was a fitting pick Monday by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

“One of the great talents in baseball and he’s a treat to watch pitch,” Manuel said of choosing Jimenez over Florida’s Josh Johnson. “This guy’s 15-1. His record speaks for itself.”

The NL will try Tuesday night to end a 13-year drought in baseball’s Midsummer Classic. Jimenez has a 2.20 ERA in 18 starts and 127 innings for the surging Rockies. Price is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA. Johnson is 9-3 with a majors-best 1.70 ERA for the Marlins.

“I said Jimenez from the beginning,” Johnson said. “He was my pick.”

Jimenez’s parents will be in the stands at Angel Stadium, along with his host family from Colorado and other family and friends.

“Any little thing is going to be huge for your career,” Jimenez said. “It’s just a huge honor for me to be out here. Hopefully we can put everything together and break the losing streak.”

Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard will be the National League’s designated hitter and bat cleanup for his regular skipper, Manuel.

“Not only is he my guy, he’s got 119 at-bats against left-handed pitchers and 65 RBIs,” Manuel said. “He can hit ‘em. He’s hitting .294. He’s very capable of hitting fourth in an All-Star lineup.”

There was some confusion, however, about Boston third baseman Adrian Beltre. AL manager Joe Girardi announced that Texas third baseman Michael Young would replace Beltre, who left Sunday’s game at Toronto with a strained left hamstring.

But less than an hour later, Beltre said he planned to play.

MLB executive Phyllis Merhige said an announcement about Beltre’s status was made prematurely. He planned to test his leg at the ballpark before making a final decision.

“They announced it without telling me,” Beltre said. “I’m think I’m going to play and I’m going to be on the active roster.”

Girardi is starting Evan Longoria of the Rays at third base, meaning Alex Rodriguez will come off the bench.

“Hopefully I can come in in the middle of the game and get a big hit,” A-Rod said.

-- Janie McCauley

Ethier’s first start in CF will be as All-Star

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Andre Ethier is starting in his first All-Star game — and he’ll be playing out of position.

The Dodgers right fielder and second-leading vote-getter among National League outfielders will start in center field between Milwaukee teammates Corey Hart and Ryan Braun, the first time he’s manned the position in his five-year career.

“The last time I played center field would have to have been, I think, college. That was in 2003, when I played the whole year there,” Ethier said Monday. “I’d better go get familiar with it. Maybe I’ll have to ask Torii Hunter for some pointers about playing center in Anaheim.

“Wow. I get to play center in the All-Star game! It’s going to be fun, he added. “But I hope Joe (Dodgers manager Joe Torre) doesn’t get any crazy ideas seeing me play center field and think I’m ready to play center now.”

Ethier will bat seventh in manager Charlie Manual’s lineup.

WATCHING INSTEAD OF PITCHING: CC Sabathia and Jered Weaver are All-Stars. They just can’t pitch in the game.

Thanks to a new rule that prohibits anyone from pitching in the Midsummer Classic after starting on Sunday, the two American League aces will not find their names in Tuesday night’s box score.

“I’m not upset at all, the Yankees’ Sabathia said. “I definitely could have pitched, because it’s a regular bullpen day. But you don’t want to get a guy out there at the end of the game and he has to throw after pitching on Sunday. So I understand the rule. The games in the regular season mean more than these, so I’ll be ready to pitch on Friday.”

Weaver, a first-time All-Star, wasn’t originally selected. He was added to the roster because of an injury.

“It was very important,” teammate Torii Hunter said of is selection. “I mean, with the Angels hosting the All-Star game and us having only one guy representing us, it was pretty weird. Jered Weaver was deserving of the All-Star game. I can’t remember the last time a pitcher who was leading the league in strikeouts didn’t make the team. I know he can’t pitch anyway because he pitched on Sunday, but I think he should have been named to the All-Star game earlier.”

Weaver said he would enjoy in the experience despite the rule.

“It’s going to be weird, this being my first one,” Weaver said. “I think it’s smart, but at the same time, I think there’s something they can do to try to change it up a little bit so that this doesn’t happen again. I think this year it kind of caught up to them with all the different people that actually did pitch on Sunday.”

VLAD GLAD TO BE BACK AT BIG A: The Angels had Vladimir Guerrero in their lineup for six seasons, winning five AL West titles with him before losing him to the division rival Texas Rangers as a free agent and replacing him with former Yankee and 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.

Guerrero, the 2004 AL MVP, is having a much better season than Matsui with 20 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .319 average. As a result he is in his ninth All-Star game as the AL’s starting designated hitter. New teammate Josh Hamilton thinks a change of scenery had something to do with it.

“I think it helps revive you as a player,” Hamilton said. “When you’ve been in a place for a long time, things just start becoming a routine and you might lose a little bit of passion. When you go somewhere else, you want to show these guys what you can do and you get revitalized a little bit.

“Vlad’s still a tremendous player and a tremendous talent and he brings smiles to the faces of the guys every day,” Hamilton continued. “Batting behind him, he’s so much fun to watch because you don’t know what he’s going to do every day.”

Former Halos teammate Torii Hunter missed not having that familiar “Superman” T-shirt around the clubhouse.

“He was a good teammate,” Hunter said. “Nothing bothered him. He was always smiling and joking in the clubhouse. The guys could joke with him and he didn’t get upset. He was a lot of fun. He worked his butt off in the offseason and lost a lot a lot of weight and got the strength back in his knees and his back, and now you’re seeing what he can do. A healthy Vladdy is scary. I’ve see it. So what he’s doing now is nothing new. You’re going to see Vladimir on the field every day, whether he’s hurt or whether he’s healthy.”

ON THE HUNT(ER) FOR HOMERS: No matter how many All-Star games Torii Hunter plays in, perhaps nothing could top the four-time All-Star’s first one, when he robbed Barry Bonds of a home run at Milwaukee in 2002 after being voted into the game as a starter by the fans.

“Barry Bonds steps to the plate in the first inning, I’m in center field, and I was like: ‘Please don’t hit it to me. Please don’t hit it to me.’ And then, Bam,” the nine-time Gold Glove winner recalled. “I saw that it was coming down, I thought I had a chance, and I went up and caught it.

“(Right fielder) Ichiro (Suzuki) was pretty excited, too, and he said some words I didn’t think he knew,” Hunter said with a grin. “I didn’t know he spoke that kind of English. It was rated ‘R.’ Then I ran in and Barry was waiting for me. Before that, we had never spoken or had any kind of encounter. But Barry picked me up and put me on his shoulder like a rag doll — he was strong as hell — and told me, ‘Nice catch, kid.’

The Angels’ PR staff did some research with Hunter’s help a while back and estimated that he has pulled back at least 35 home run bids by opposing players with the Angels and Minnesota Twins.

“I had a couple before that, but that was the one everyone saw on a national and international stage,” Hunter said. “And it was Barry Bonds, the home run king, and it was on a higher stage — the All-Star game. So to take a home run away from him was special. It was pretty exciting and something I’ll never forget.”

Elsewhere

Rockies on a roll since losing All-Star Tulowitzki

DENVER — Troy Tulowitzki was right. The Colorado Rockies went on a roll instead of rolling over after he was injured.

They’re an NL-best 16-7 since Tulowitzki was hit by a fastball June 17, breaking his left wrist. They’ve climbed back into the thick of the NL West and entered the All-Star break two games behind surprising San Diego.

Tulowitzki was in the midst of his first All-Star season when he went down last month. He emerged from his solitude after several days of silence to make it clear he was only disappointed, not discouraged.

He said he had an inkling Colorado wasn’t going to fizzle in his absence.

But how?

The Rockies had lost three-fifths of their starting rotation plus closer Huston Street to injuries. Todd Helton had a power outage at the plate and would soon join Tulowitzki on the DL. The Rockies also sent speedy, but slumping, center fielder Dexter Fowler to Triple-A Colorado Springs, where Chris Iannetta had also been banished, to work on his swing.

Ian Stewart, Clint Barmes, Seth Smith, Ryan Spilborghs, were all mired in offensive funks. The bullpen, overworked. The starting rotation a mix-and-match mess other than ace Ubaldo Jimenez (15-1, 2.20), who will start for the National League in the All-Star game.

Yet, the Rockies are the hottest team in the National League heading into the All-Star break. Colorado has gone 8-2 on their homestand that included a nine-run ninth-inning comeback to beat St. Louis a day after beating San Francisco in 15 innings.

“The circumstances that we were dealt,” manager Jim Tracy said, looking back, “we were not going to sit around and pout about it or make excuses as to see this is the reason we can’t be as good as we think we are capable of being; the mettle of the organization will be tested and we’ll try to figure some things out.

“I think we’ve done a pretty good job of it.”

After a first half filled with adversity, the Rockies have high hopes for a strong second half.

They have Jeff Francis, Jason Hammel and, perhaps most importantly, Jorge De La Rosa, back in the rotation. Of course they also have Jimenez, who has already tied his career high in wins and is the first pitcher since David Wells in 2000 to win 15 games by the break.

The Rockies have come around offensively and are pounding out hits and homers in bunches.

“I just sit back and say, ‘Wow,”‘ hitting coach Don Baylor said. “Hitters will hit. It might take them a longer time but hitters will hit.”

The Rockies are making up for three months’ worth of struggles.

Even without Tulowitzki, their infield defense is superb, anchored by Barmes, who moved over to short with Jonathan Herrera (.319) filling in at second.

“We replaced one of the best-fielding shortstops in the National League with one of the best-fielding shortstops in the National League,” Tracy marveled.

With Fowler back in the bigs — he went 10-for-16 with four triples, seven runs and seven walks in a four-game series with the Giants this month — the outfield has been outstanding.

And with Hammel going 6-0 with a 2.17 over his last nine starts, Jimenez doesn’t have to bear all the burden of Colorado’s creaking rotation by himself.

Street is back in stride after missing three months, easing the burden on the rest of the bullpen. With De La Rosa rejoining the rotation last week, the Rockies actually have an abundance of starters and had to put Jhoulys Chacin in long relief.

They’ll reconvene after the break with the roster they figured to break camp with three months ago, minus Helton, who landed on the DL with a stiff back. His replacements are Jason Giambi, 11-for-22 this month, and journeyman Brad Eldred, who provides much more pop at the plate than Helton had.

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The important part is coming up,” Tracy said. “Both halves are very important. What we’ve accomplished through the first 88 games is putting ourselves in a position to make the second half of the season very exciting.”

Which is something the Rockies know all about.

“Look what happened with us a year ago. We never quit,” Tracy said. “I think we were as far back as 14½.”

And they won the wild-card.

This year, they’re starting to put together momentum-gathering comebacks like they did a year ago. They won three straight games in their final at-bat last week.

“This us a team that can come back,” Miguel Olivo said. “There is no reason to give up. We are playing well and playing better. We had some injuries and now we are getting the players back.”

One night they were down 9-3 in the ninth and won. The next night, they were losing 7-4 in the eighth and won.

“If this is the way our offense is going to be,” Tracy said, “we are never out of a baseball game.”

Or a pennant race.

-- Arnie Stapleton

Fans give Braves rookie Jason Heyward a thumbs-up

ATLANTA — Hank Aaron expected Jason Heyward to make an immediate impact in a sport which needs young black stars.

The 20-year-old Heyward hasn’t disappointed.

He has become an overnight fan favorite, voted to start in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Is it because he’s young and talented? Yes, but it’s more than that. Is it because he’s a hometown kid who made it? Sure, but it’s more than that. It is because he is an African-American? No doubt, but it’s more than that.

It’s all those things — and more.

Heyward said fans identify with the way he plays.

“I look for excitement,” he said. “This is entertainment. I just go out there and have a good time and fit right in. I don’t put myself above the game. It’s a team game. I enjoy that part of it.”

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox agreed.

“I think they like watching him play, to be honest with you,” Cox said. “It doesn’t hurt to have a little hype. ... The team is playing well, too, but a lot of it is seeing a young kid who plays hard.”

Heyward received more votes, about 2.7 million, than any other Atlanta player, including Martin Prado, the NL’s leading hitter. If not for a thumb injury, Heyward would have been the youngest All-Star starter since Ken Griffey Jr., who was two months younger when voted to start in 1990.

Though the Braves said Heyward won’t play Tuesday, he doesn’t plan to miss his first bow on a national stage.

“I don’t know exactly what I’m going into because I’ve never done it before, but I’m just looking forward to taking it all in and being able to tip my cap to the fans when they announce the names, if that happens,” he said.

Heyward’s start is especially strong considering he’s been playing with the injured thumb the last two months. He jammed it while sliding head-first into third base on May 14 and still has 11 homers and 45 RBIs.

Heyward can come off the 15-day disabled list on Monday and plans to take batting practice at the All-Star game in Anaheim, Calif.

“I just want to enjoy the players, enjoy the fans and that environment and the family and friends that I have with me,” he said. “I’m very appreciative of the fans’ voting. It’s very exciting for myself, for my teammates and for my friends and family.”

Heyward said he watched All-Star games on TV while growing up.

“That’s my only memories of them, watching on TV and seeing the home-run derby and watching the commentators on TV talking about everything and seeing all the players sitting down there with their families with their video cameras,” he said.

So will Heyward bring a video camera?

“I probably won’t,” he said. “I just don’t do much with video cameras. I’ll just watch and take it in.”

Aaron has been watching Heyward for some time. He was captivated by the young black star from the Atlanta area — a perfect for Aaron’s Braves and the sport.

Aaron, who is black, told The Associated Press after Heyward’s debut that he could bring excitement back to baseball. “Not only for Atlanta, but also for African-American players,” Aaron said. “We do need to have many, many more Jason Heywards.”

And though he has played well, Heyward could have a better second half.

The first-place Braves can’t wait to see what a healthy Heyward can do after the break. Heyward is a significant part of the Braves’ hopes of holding off the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.

He hopes he will be able to grip a bat comfortably.

“If I can bend my thumb and move it all the way and bend it like I need to, I’ll be ready to play ball,” he said.

Heyward said he doesn’t worry about what his numbers might be if not for the injury.

“It is what it is,” he said. “I know we’re in first place. We have one of the best records. That’s what is most important.”

Cox said Heyward is genuine in his team-first approach.

“He’s concerned about winning and losing,” Cox said. “Kids that young aren’t always that way. They’re a little bit more interested most of the time in personal stats and things like that. I don’t think he thinks like that at all.”

Heyward’s stats took a beating when he tried to play through the injury. He was hitting .301 with 10 homers on May 30; he had only one more homer and his average had dropped 50 points when he was placed on the disabled list on June 27.

“He just comes out and battles,” said Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton. “With that thumb sore, he still tried to battle every day. He tried to use what he has. It just got to a point where he couldn’t function.”

Heyward didn’t hesitate when asked if he should have been disabled earlier.

“No. Not at all. We made a big push in May,” Heyward said, referring to the team’s 20-8 record in the month. “We played really well in May and the beginning of June. ... I was out there every day, just contributing.”

Fans will be watching to see how much more Heyward can contribute to the Braves, and baseball’s woes, in the second half.

-- Charles Odum

Manny Ramirez’s Porsche goes for less at auction

LOS ANGELES — A 1994 Porsche belonging to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez has been auctioned off for $50,100.

The team didn’t identify the winner of the online bidding that ended Monday. The red 911 Turbo coupe with gray leather interior has 34,569 miles on it and was appraised at more than $58,000.

Proceeds from the auction will be divided between ThinkCure!, the Dodgers’ official charity, and Maryvale, a residential placement home for girls in suburban Rosemead.

The team said Ramirez asked that the proceeds be shared with a center that specifically helps displaced children.