FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Wearing a black “Manny being Manny” T-shirt, Big Papi arrived at camp “ready to fight” for another championship, but unsure of the fate of his peculiar partner in the heart of the Red Sox lineup.

Ortiz definitely will be without two gregarious, fun-loving pals who left as free agents. Center fielder Johnny Damon went to the New York Yankees and first baseman Kevin Millar signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Millar helped Ramirez relax and feel more comfortable with the media.

“I’ve talked to Millar a lot,” Ortiz said. “Millar is the kind of guy that, as long as he was here, he kept this ballclub going one way or the other.

“Millar was an outstanding teammate and, hopefully, I get the opportunity to play with him again.”

Last season, Ortiz hit .300 with 47 homers and 148 RBIs. Nineteen of those homers tied games or put Boston ahead. That strengthened his MVP credentials, but he may have been hurt by being a designated hitter, and was edged by Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees.

The sting didn’t linger.

“The most important thing is to know you did what it takes to help your ballclub,” Ortiz said. “If ever it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, hang with it.”

Ortiz will be with new teammates in two weeks when he plays for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Many elite players had the option of missing major-league exhibition games to compete for their country and Ortiz jumped at the chance.

“I want to play. I got the opportunity to represent my country and you don’t get to see that,” he said. “There’s players that play forever and they never get the opportunity because that (tournament) was never going on before.”

But Ortiz did express concern about the timing of the global competition.

“I think it would be a better idea if they do that during the (All-Star) break, something like that,” he said. “There’s a lot of players that take time to get ready, especially pitchers.”

As if Ortiz needed extra incentive to stay healthy and keep slugging, he is nearing the end of his contract. The club has an option for 2007.

But he apparently isn’t worrying about working out his next deal.

“I’m not involved with it. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m just thinking about the season coming up right now.” he said. “Hopefully, I stay here for the rest of my career. I like it here.”

AP-ES-02-19-06 1835EST