``I put more pressure on myself doing this than playing the game, do you believe that?" said Ortiz, who managed just three home runs in the second round after a 10-homer salvo in Round 1 (four other homers made it to the river on a bounce).
``When I stop and start over again, that's not easy," said Ortiz, who like Howard and a third of the eight contenders, Miguel Tejada of the Orioles, took his soft tosses from Ramon Henderson, the Phillies' bullpen coach who became in demand after he served up a record 53 homers to last year's winner, Bobby Abreu, also of the Phils.
``I run out of gas," Ortiz said. ``I find myself trying to overswing at the end. That's not me. I've got to keep it smooth."
But Ortiz didn't need to keep launching balls into the Allegheny, which runs behind PNC Park, to make a splash at these 77th All-Star Game festivities, when he will be one of four players representing the Red Sox (second baseman Mark Loretta, closer Jonathan Papelbon, and the spirit of Manny Ramírez are the others) at tonight's game, the fifth to be played in the Steel City.
An embarrassed sport forced by scandal to temper its enthusiasm for Barry Bonds's pursuit of one of its most hallowed home run records entertains no such reservations about Big Papi.
``I think he's the Magic Johnson of our era right now," said New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who may have edged out Ortiz for the American League Most Valuable Player Award last season but concedes it's no contest when it comes to unconditional love.
``He's the most charismatic baseball player I've ever been around. Whites like him, blacks, Hispanics, everybody," said A-Rod. ``Everybody loves David Ortiz. I love him. He's a good friend. It's hard when it's the New York Yankees and the Red Sox to say anything about love, but there's a lot of respect for him."
