08:26 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 21, 2004

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo Ellis Burks plans to keep playing.

TORONTO -- Ellis Burks confirmed that he's suffering from a partial tear of his left miniscus, but labeled a report that he might have to undergo yet another surgical procedure on his knee was, at best, premature.

Burks said he suffered the injury in the last two weeks of spring training and an MRI performed last week revealed the tear. He received a cortisone shot last week to minimize the pain.

"I've been playing with it, I'm dealing with it and I'm going to continue with it until it's a problem," he said. "It only becomes a problem when I can't run or bear weight. As of now, (surgery) is not even under discussion."

Burks says the knee sometimes is irritated and subject to swelling. But with the proper approach, he can continue playing.

"It's calmed down quite a bit (since the shot)," he said. "I'm going to continue to get treatment on it until it gets better. I can play with it unless it locks up."

Burks was already dealing with a surgically-repared elbow, which has kept him out of the field and limited him to DH duty. The 39-year-old outfielder is just 2-for-22, but said the knee hasn't affected him at the plate.

He said his knees haven't bothered him much since the end of the 1999 season when he underwent yet another operation.

Manager Terry Francona plans to have Burks DH tonight against Toronto lefty Ted Lilly.

"(The knee) is kind of a nagging thing," Francona said. "We're trying to pick our spots where he can help us offensively. He'll let us know how he feels. He's honest enough; we'll take his word on it."

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Benches and bullpens cleared for a minute in the ninth when Toronto reliever Terry Adams threw a pitch up and in on Manny Ramirez.

Ramirez angrily spun out of the way, then walked a few steps toward the mound to shout at Adams. Immediately, players from the dugouts spilled onto the field, but order was quickly restored.

"Maybe he didn't do it on purpose," said Ramirez later. "I can take being hit. But don't go up near my head. I don't think he meant to (hit me), but that pitch was a little high."

In the seventh, David Ortiz had been pitched tight by Valerio De Los Santos.

Permission slip?

While the Red Sox team charter left Boston shortly before 4 p.m. on Patriots Day, about a dozen players remained behind, electing to attend Monday's Bruins-Canadiens game at the FleetCenter.

The players then chartered their own flight to Toronto yesterday morning.

The move was an unusual one, since teams seldom want players traveling on the day of a game, but the players had the permission of Francona.

The manager then acknowledged: I think if my Dad (former major league Tito Francona) had heard that, he'd probably look at me funny. (But) this isn't 30 years ago where there we no private jets. I spoke to all of them. As long as I know where people are, (it's OK)."

Good news on Nixon

Francona spoke by phone with Trot Nixon, who has begun baseball activity at the team's extended spring training site in Fort Myers, Fla.

The manager said Nixon, out since the start of spring with a slightly herniated disk in his back, had "a very good day" swinging the bat. Nixon took six rounds of batting practice and reported no pain.

Still, Francona reiterated that the club won't rush Nixon back.

"Just because we miss him (in the lineup, we can't force him to hurry," said Francona. "Patience is the key -- even when we don't want it to be."

Elsewhere, Nomar Garciaparra (Achilles tendinitis) continues eliptical work. Later this week, he will try jogging and could be on the field for light baseball activity early next week.

Around the bases

After missing the last two games of the Yankee series with a sore elbow, second baseman Mark Bellhorn returned to the lineup. . . . Francona was asked if he would use a pitcher to pinch-run in an important situation. "I wouldn't be comfortable doing that." In Monday's win over the Yankees, Francona, short on position players, elected to allow Dave McCarty to run for himself, representing the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Francona added that the Sox plan to keep their 12-pitcher, 13-position-player roster for a while. "I don't forsee anything (different) in the immediate future," he said. . . . Thanks in part to a promotion that featured $2 upper-level seats, the announced crowd of 26,010 was much smaller as much of greater Toronto was paying attention to the Maple Leafs, hosting Game 7 of their conference quarterfinal series with Ottawa just down the street. . . . Jason Varitek has multi-hit games in each of his last four games and is hitting .526 (10-for-19) in his last five games.