DODGERS NOTEBOOK: HEROES INSPIRE THIS ALL-STAR.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

Gary Sheffield got just one at-bat in Tuesday's All-Star game, but he left Fenway Park with a lifetime of memories.

Sheffield, who grounded to short as a pinch-hitter for Jeff Bagwell, said the pregame ceremonies involving former Boston great Ted Williams will never be forgotten.

``There you have 40 of the greatest players who ever lived; Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and they are all standings there with their mouths open over Ted,'' Sheffield said. ``Having them there with today's All-Stars, (it) was so incredible to be part of that group on the mound.

``We're looking at them and they're looking at Ted. It was very emotional. That was the history of the game right out there on the mound.''

Sheffield, who left for Boston on a redeye after Sunday's 14-3 victory over Seattle, got back to town Wednesday afternoon and was excused from the club's workout at Dodger Stadium. Pitcher Carlos Perez was the only other player to miss the workout.

``Did a lot of sleeping after that,'' Sheffield said. ``But I wouldn't have missed that for anything.''

Vote of confidence: While frustrated with the Dodgers' awful first half, the Fox executive in charge of the team doesn't blame general manager Kevin Malone or manager Davey Johnson.

``We feel good about the people running the team. The one thing I feel quite comfortable about is it's not a lack of trying and effort,'' Chase Carey, co-chief operating officer of News Corp., the Dodgers corporate owner, told the Associated Press. ``We don't like the results, but we do like the decisions being made.''

While Carey frequently praised Malone and Johnson during an interview at News Corp.'s New York offices, he did not mention Dodgers president Bob Graziano, a holdover from the days of Peter O'Malley's ownership.

Earlier this year, News Corp. decided to have Graziano report to former NBA executive Rick Welts, the new president of the Fox Sports Entertainment Group, rather than directly to Carey.

``I think the cheap shots in terms of us, that's sports,'' Carey said. ``I'm a big boy, I can take it,'' adding that other owners were using the Dodgers as ``a scapegoat'' for baseball's economic disparity.

``When other owners take those kinds of shots, I don't think that's productive,'' he said. ``Baseball's problems from an economic perspective are industry problems and have been since long before we bought the Dodgers.''

Setback for Osuna: Reliever Antonio Osuna hoped to return to the Dodgers this weekend after missing most of the season due to surgery for bone chips in his right elbow.

Osuna experienced discomfort in his elbow Wednesday night during a one-inning outing for Single-A San Bernardino's game at Modesto.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ANGELS vs. DODGERS

Time: 7:05 p.m. at Edison Field.

TV/Radio: KTLA-5; KLAC-570, XPRS-1090, AM-1150, KWKW-1330.

Matchup: Tonight's game features two pitchers who have pitched better than their records indicate. Angels starter Omar Olivares ranks seventh in the AL in ERA at 3.28 but is only 8-6. Dodgers starter Ismael Valdes ranks ninth in the NL in ERA at 3.36 but is just 7-7. The Dodgers went into the second half 10 games out in the NL West, but it wasn't their largest deficit at the All-Star break since divisional play began in 1969. In 1979, the Dodgers were 17-1/2 games out.

- Joe Haakenson

CAPTION(S):

Box

BOX: DODGERS vs. ANGELS (see text)