Hansen fits right in

The lacy black tank top and puffy purple skirt he had to wear out of Camden Yards Sunday and on the plane to Boston didn't bother him.

Nor does the pink American Princess backpack stuffed with candy that he has to lug everywhere, even around the Red Sox clubhouse.

This is rookie treatment, and Craig Hansen, the lanky 21-year old fireballer just four months out of St. John's, is happy to put up with the treatment.

The day before dressing in drag for the flight home, Hansen got his real hazing when, trying to preserve a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning against the Orioles, the 6-foot-5-inch righty offered up a two-seam fastball intended to be in tight on Melvin Mora. Though it had 96-mile-per-hour snap to it, the ball stayed near the middle of the plate for Mora to take a compact rip and tie up the game.

Asked what kind of pitch he threw to Mora, Hansen flashed a huge grin yesterday and said, ''a mistake," before elaborating.

''But that's just part of the game," he said, ''and I knew the only thing to do was to get aggressive and go after the next batter to try to get him out."

The next TV shot of Hansen showed him sitting on the bench in a serious conversation with Jason Varitek, who looked a little like a father trying to counsel a disappointed teenager.

''He just wanted to get to know me more, to know what I like to throw to different batters," said Hansen. ''He told me not to be afraid to shake him off [which he did twice in the game, Varitek's idea of a bluff]. He said he thought it would be good for us to get to know each other more."

After all, with Keith Foulke out for the season, Hansen is expected to figure in Terry Francona's pitching plans as the Sox attempt to make it to October ball. While Francona does not offer up exactly what situation would get Hansen into the game, the manager said, ''He's definitely one of our weapons."

Hansen signed a $4 million, four-year contract after the Sox made him their top draft choice (26th overall), a compensation pick from the Dodgers for Derek Lowe. Last May he was pitching for St. John's, and this summer he was playing Double A ball for the Portland Sea Dogs.

Then, with a suddenness he hadn't really dreamed about, Hansen was in the majors. He debuted Sept. 19 in Tampa, striking out two of the three batters he faced. The outing against Baltimore Saturday (4 hits, 2 runs, in 2/3 of an inning) brought him back down to earth, but he remains confident as the Sox play in the most pressure-packed week of the season.

''That's what the [veterans] were saying to me," said Hansen. ''They say it's the same mound you've been pitching on all your life. It's just the crowd that's the big difference."

Even the thought of pitching against the Yankees has him excited.

''The pressure is great," he said, ''and it's great to know that Terry has the confidence in me to put me in in those situations."

As a college pitcher in New York and a Long Island native, he says, his affection for the Yankees morphed into ''a love of all baseball. I stopped liking any particular team, but since I was a little kid I knew I wanted to be part of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. The way it's coming down, we're playing great, they're playing great -- it's going to be exciting."