Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Manny Ramírez said he patched things up with a Red Sox employee he reportedly shoved to the ground during an argument, and the club said the matter is over.

The Providence Journal reported yesterday that Ramírez pushed traveling secretary Jack McCormick in the visitors' clubhouse Saturday in Houston after McCormick told Ramírez that he might not be able to come up with the 16 tickets the player requested for that night's game.

The two met behind closed doors, the newspaper said, and Ramírez apologized to McCormick.

"Whatever happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse," Ramírez said before last night's game against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. "I talked to him and everything is fine. He's going to continue being my friend. It's over with."

Manager Terry Francona said the matter was handled internally, and Ramírez was in the lineup last night, batting in his customary cleanup spot.

"When things happen with us, we take things really seriously and hopefully we deal with things respectfully to all parties. But we also do it internally," Francona said. . . .

Francona declined to comment on a report the team received a mailed threat targeting black and Latin players.

The Boston Herald, citing unidentified sources, reported the threat was believed to be postmarked in Memphis, and that a suspect believed to be from Baltimore but living in the Memphis area was being sought. The newspaper said the team increased security for its series against the Rays. . . .

Boston DH David Ortiz said he plans to attend the July 15 All-Star Game, but won't play because of his injured left wrist.

Ortiz will likely win the fan vote to be the starting American League DH. He has a partial tear of the sheath that surrounds his tendon, which occurred while swinging during a game against Baltimore on May 31.

"I'm going to go to the All-Star Game. Show respect for the fans," Ortiz said."I'm not going to be able to play."

Ortiz has been hitting off of a tee, and could move to soft toss sessions by the end of the week.

"I'm still working my way up," Ortiz said. "I'm feeling better everyday. I'm not going to tell you when I'm going to be 100 percent because I don't know."

· TIGERS: Crews began the process of tearing down historic Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

At least one hole was punched in the side of the stadium, which closed after the 1999 season. A back-hoe could be seen removing trash and other debris from the interior of the old ballpark. A handful of fans stopped by the site to watch the work.

An Aug. 1 deadline still stands for a nonprofit group seeking to raise enough money to save part of the stadium.

The park opened in 1912 as Navin Field and hosted thousands of Tigers games, Babe Ruth's 700th career home run in 1934 and a speech by South Africa President Nelson Mandela in 1990.

-- From News Services