01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Notes from yesterday's Triple-A All-Star Game festivities:

One player who misses Pawtucket is Charlotte second baseman Bryant Nelson . He played with the PawSox for 60 games in 2002 and enjoyed the area so much he was thrilled to be named an All Star and return here this week. In 2002, he also played in 25 games for the Boston Red Sox, hitting .265 (9-for-34) in a backup role.

"You miss the relationship the two teams have," Nelson said. "In Pawtucket, you are truly a phone call away. The clubs are so tight they put the Red Sox games up on the big screen down here. It's neat."

Nelson played for a team in Japan in 2003 and while he says he enjoyed the cultural experience, he could feel the pressure when he got off to a slow start. Being overseas when the war in Iraq began wasn't a comfortable feeling either. As a free agent, Nelson signed with the White Sox and is the everyday second baseman with the Knights.

-- KEVIN McNAMARA

Truly, a family place This week's festivities have become almost as much a time for celebrating Pawtucket owner Ben Mondor as they have for celebrating the Triple-A All-Stars and the game of baseball.

One family taking in last night's offerings said they often enjoy games at McCoy Stadium more than those they see at Fenway Park.

"It's the whole family atmosphere and what he (Mondor) has done for the stadium," said Seekonk's Tish Walsh . "He's kept things inexpensive for a family of four to go and get interested in baseball."

Walsh, husband Mike Pickett and young sons Brendan and Nathan attend more than a half-dozen games each season.

A Rhode Island institution Former PawSox player Sam Horn said there have been quite a few changes around McCoy since his playing days there in the late 1980s. Horn has returned to McCoy on a few occasions, especially since getting an on-air position with NESN.

What stands out to Horn, he said, is the team's "growth. Not just the stadium, but in the community, too. When you think of Providence, you think of Pawtucket, and it's home of the best team in Triple A."

What's in a name anyway? The name is a mouthful, and certainly interesting. The Alberquerque Isotopes. And while some teams have been named by contests or perhaps the geographic area in which they're located, the Isotopes are likely the only professional sports franchise to get their name from a cartoon.

It came from an episode of The Simpsons, in which Homer Simpson went on a hunger strike in the hopes of keeping the mythical Springfield Isotopes from moving to Alberquerque.

Homer's move worked on the TV show, but in reality, the Isotopes are in New Mexico. They have been affiliated with the Florida Marlins since last season and have two players participating in tonight's game.

-- SHALISE MANZA YOUNG