NOTEBOOK MLB All-Star Game

At home in Yankee Stadium: Reggie Jackson might be as well known for his Hall of Fame-sized ego as he is for knocking mammoth home runs in October. So there he was Monday night, holding court behind the batting cage amid a sea of All-Stars, media and special guests as this generation’s sluggers prepared for the Home Run Derby, defending his generation of ballplayers against the beefed-up players of today. “These young guys today, today they’re bigger. I don’t know if they’re stronger,” Jackson said. “ [Harmon] Killebrew, Frank Howard, [Willie] McCovey, Dick Allen, [Willie] Stargell, Rico Carty, [Mickey] Mantle, Lou Gehrig. Go back as far as you want there were some really strong people. There’s no one playing today that’s stronger than Jim Rice,” he added. “There’s no one playing today who hit the ball farther than Gorman Thomas.”

Papi’s power: Terry Francona tried not to look when David Ortiz stepped into the batting cage for some impromptu practice before the Home Run Derby, turning his back to deal with a throng of reporters. He missed quite a show. The injured designated hitter hit four straight over Yankee Stadium’s short right-field wall, then stepped out of the batter’s box to let somebody else have a turn. When he stepped back to the plate moments later, Ortiz sent four more out of the park before hitting one that dropped about 3 feet short of the 408-foot sign in center. Smiling like a child, Ortiz sprinted from the cage to the clubhouse without a pause. Ortiz has been on the disabled list since May 31 with a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. He was voted into the American League starting lineup for Tuesday night’s All-Star game but was replaced by Milton Bradley of the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox plan to send Ortiz on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday. If all goes well, he could return for Boston’s series July 25 against the Yankees.

Don’t give squat: It’s tradition among players to leave that day’s starting pitcher alone before game time to go through his routine. It’s also a superstition to let pitchers sit by themselves on the bench when they’re working on a no-hitter. But in the Giants’ clubhouse there might be a new reason to stay away from at least one hurler. Tim Lincecum, the hard-throwing right-hander and first-time All-Star, eats in a most unusual manner: he squats. “I sit in like a squatting position while I’m eating, for some times at least, some meals,” Lincecum said. “A couple guys on the team, you know, obviously, get on me about that, just say it’s kind of funny, but I guess it’s kind of quirky of me. So, it kind works of.”

Associated Press