Orioles cancel Palmeiro honor

NOTES

The Baltimore Orioles canceled a pregame ceremony scheduled for Aug. 14 at Camden Yards to commemorate Rafael Palmeiro’s 3,000th hit at the slugger’s request, the team said Thursday.

On Monday, Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days after testing positive for steroids. He has said he took a banned substance unintentionally, but a person with knowledge of baseball’s drug-testing program told The Associated Press that Palmeiro tested positive for a powerful steroid not available in nutritional supplements.

Ramirez may play today

Manny Ramirez wore dark glasses and gave the thumbs-up sign on his way out Boston’s clubhouse as he headed to the bus for a trip to Minnesota.

Manager Terry Francona said there’s a chance Ramirez could play there tonight after he missed an 11-9 victory over Kansas City because of blurry vision caused by a collision the previous night with teammate Edgar Renteria.

Bell family suffers loss

Lance Cpl. Timothy Michael Bell Jr., the cousin of Philadelphia third baseman David Bell and a nephew of Kansas City manager Buddy Bell, was among the 14 Marines killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

“We’re all going to miss him,” David Bell said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to his dad. According to my family, who’ve talked to him, they said he’s just very proud of him and he died doing what he wanted to be doing.”

Clearing the bases

St. Louis is switching radio stations, leaving KMOX after more than a half a century. The Cardinals announced that the team’s radio rights will go to KTRS, starting in 2006, severing the relationship with KMOX that began in 1954 with Harry Caray, Joe Garagiola and a young Jack Buck at the microphone. … USA Baseball selected Bob Watson as general manager for all professional teams through the 2008 Beijing Olympics.