Arriving at Ramírez decision

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Julio Lugo, the new Red Sox shortstop, checked in yesterday morning, a day before position players are scheduled to report, joining Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Eric Hinske among the more prominent early arrivals. Mike Lowell dropped off some stuff at camp in the afternoon, and the buzz is that David Ortiz, who was three days early last year, will hold court today.

Manny Ramírez? Manager Terry Francona had little interest yesterday in speculating on the veracity of Julian Tavarez's declaration that Ramírez wouldn't be here until March 1, which is the mandatory reporting date.

Ramírez's track record would suggest that Tavarez's information is good. Last spring, Ramírez dismayed organizers of the Dominican Republic's entry in the World Baseball Classic by reneging (they said) on a pledge to represent his native country in the tournament. Then, citing "personal and family reasons," general manager Theo Epstein, in a joint statement with Ramírez's agent, Greg Genske, announced Ramírez wouldn't be in camp until -- ta dum -- March 1.

Tavarez, who is Ramírez's friend and a neighbor in South Florida, did not back off yesterday from comments he made to Channel 4's Dan Roche the night before that Ramírez had told him by telephone he wasn't coming until March 1. Tavarez said Ramírez's mother had surgery for an undisclosed problem, but he clarified yesterday that Ramírez's mother had nothing to do with the timing of his arrival.

"The way he sounded yesterday, he was laughing a lot," said Tavarez. "I don't know if it was because his mom, she's home already, that he's happy. But he said, 'Hang in there, I'll be here the first.' I said, 'You better show up out here; what the heck are you doing home?' He was laughing. That's Manny."

"I have no comment on what evidently transpired on blogs and [other media outlets]," Francona said. "That's unfair because I haven't talked to him. There's a lot of 'he said, she said' that I'm not sure is true, so we'll see.

"If somebody calls me and tells me something happens, it's easier for me to comment than on his publicist Julian saying this. Let me get it figured out here."

Efforts to reach Genske were unsuccessful, and Epstein said last night that "communication is in progress."

Don't be surprised if another joint statement is issued today, followed by what has become predictable reactions from teammates that they don't care as long as Ramírez hits 40 home runs and knocks in another 120 runs this season.

Lugo lived up to his image as an upbeat, ebullient personality upon meeting reporters yesterday. "I think bananas, we've got a good team," he said when asked about the lineup in which he is slated to serve as leadoff man. He also spoke in colorful terms about his longstanding friendship with Ortiz. "He's a god in the Dominican Republic right now," Lugo said. "He could be the president of the Dominican Republic right now." Francona said that while no one can expect Lugo to match the defense Alex Gonzalez gave the club last season, he expects an energized player whose most meaningful contribution will come in the runs scored column. "He's got that type of attitude that I think in Boston will make him a better player -- the full house every night, the atmosphere we have, I think, will bring out the best player he can be," Francona said. "It happened with Ortiz; it certainly happened with Orlando Cabrera. He went from Montreal, where he looked bored, and got to Boston and looked like he was a step quicker. You saw that infectious smile. I think that's the type of player you'll see." No competition Francona put an end to any thought that Doug Mirabelli was facing competition for a job this spring. "Dougie's our backup catcher," Francona said. "George Kottaras needs to go to Triple A and play. He's got a chance to be a good young catcher. Sitting here not playing is not what he needs to do, and he hasn't been catching that long anyway. At the same time, we want to look at Alberto Castillo and everybody in camp. Just to see when and if something happens, where do we go?" . . . Here's how speculation gets started: Daisuke Matsuzaka asked for and received a uniform from Ichiro Suzuki, with whom he became good friends during the World Baseball Classic last season. The two had dinner before Sox camp opened. With Ichiro a prospective free agent after the season, you're going to hear talk about Boston being a possible destination.