Tavarez: Ramírez a latecomer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox pitcher Julian Tavarez said in a TV interview last night that Manny Ramírez will not report to camp until March 1 because his mother requires surgery for an undisclosed reason.

Tavarez, who is good friends with Ramírez, made the comment to Dan Roche of WBZ-TV.

Manager Terry Francona, who was at City of Palms Park last night taping a TV show, said he had no knowledge of the situation. The last information the team received, he said, was that Ramírez was in terrific shape, in good spirits, and planning to be here on time.

Position players are due to report tomorrow, with the first full squad workout two days later.

Tavarez has been held out of some drills because of lingering soreness in his right ankle, which he injured during the Caribbean Series while playing for the Dominican Republic.

Tavarez has been mentioned in trade speculation this winter, most recently during talks the Sox had with the Rockies regarding first baseman Todd Helton.

Asked if he expected to be traded, Tavarez said: "Not yet."

The journeyman said he would not be dismayed if a trade happens. The positive part of being traded, he said, is that the team doesn't make a deal unless it wants the player. "Piece of cake," he said. "Different color uniform, but the money is still green."

Curt Schilling, on the return to Arizona by Randy Johnson, with whom he shared World Series MVP honors when the Diamondbacks won it all in 2001:

"As far as RJ goes, there were a lot of personal things that were involved, his brother passing, obviously, all the things that happened. I think he's ecstatic to be back where he is.

"Regardless of what you want to say or what the New York media said about his two years there, the one thing you know about Randy, if you know anything about him, is he gave them everything he had every time he took the ball."

Greeting the Sox yesterday morning was a contingent of 150 students, family, and friends from the Miami Hoshuko school, a Japanese school for elementary and junior high students. A caravan of cars made the two-hour trek across Alligator Alley, leaving at 6 a.m., according to Izumi Ku, who moved to Miami from Tokyo just two years ago and came to see Daisuke Matsuzaka yesterday . . . It was a couple of British expatriates, Pat and Pete Hallett, who grabbed the spot closest to the field when the Sox came out for their first official workout. Pete Hallett became a Red Sox fan when he moved from Bristol, England, in 1965 to take a job as an aircraft engines program manager. Pat Hallett just retired from her job at Coldwell Banker. "The atmosphere is fabulous, just perfect," Pete Hallett said of the excitement generated by Matsuzaka . . . Matsuzaka, who threw 40 pitches in his first bullpen session, all fastballs and changeups, is accustomed to a much heavier workload in preseason in Japan. In one bullpen session last season, according to a reporter who covered the Seibu Lions, Matsuzaka threw an astounding 333 pitches. He also has been known, after pitching in an exhibition game, to go down to the bullpen to throw some more.