A reality show for Pauley

Pitcher impressed by ex-mobster's speech

FORT MYERS, Fla. - David Pauley, who has an outside shot at landing the fifth starter spot in the Red Sox rotation, was one of two players who represented the team at Major League Baseball's Rookie Career Development Program last month in Virginia.

Pauley, who was there with pitcher Kyle Jackson, attended seminars that covered a wide range of issues players encounter in their first year in the big leagues, ranging from how to handle your money to how to deal with the media.

But Pauley said he was most taken with the presentation of Michael Franzese, the former "Long Island don" and member of the Colombo crime family. "You had to pay attention," Pauley said of Franzese, who admonished the players about some of the darker entanglements in which they could find themselves.

Straight out of "The Sopranos"?

"He said 'The Sopranos' wasn't that realistic," Pauley said. "He said the most realistic movies were 'Goodfellas' and 'A Bronx Tale.' "

Franzese's bona fides included seven years in prison.

"Don't let anyone make a sucker out of you," Franzese told the players, according to Tim Brown of Yahoosports.com, who attended the session. "I put professional athletes in trouble and some of them got hurt. And some of them affected the outcome of games, because they had no choice."

Pauley, who came to the Sox in a trade with San Diego, made it to the big leagues in memorable fashion in 2006. His second big-league start came in Yankee Stadium, when he held the Bombers to two runs in 6 2/3 innings but lost, 2-1, to Chien-Ming Wang.

He spent all of last season in Triple A Pawtucket, leading the PawSox in starts (26) and innings (153 2/3) and finishing second in strikeouts (110). He was 6-6 with a 4.33 ERA, and has been mentioned in the mix for the No. 5 spot, the one for which rookie phenom Clay Buchholz is the clear favorite.

The Sox have one option left on Pauley, which means that they can send him to the minors once more without him having to clear waivers.

Not a workday

Outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew came into camp yesterday and dropped off their equipment, but neither player worked out. Ellsbury said he flew all night and planned to work out today; Drew came and went without a word. Official reporting date for position players is tomorrow, with the first full squad workout scheduled for Friday . . . According to research done by Boston baseball historian Bill Nowlin, it was 100 years ago this spring that the team, then training in Little Rock, Ark., was first called "Red Sox." That spring, the Sox had a 17-2 exhibition record, which included games against the "Yannigans" - the name by which the Sox reserves were known . . . David Ortiz was spotted in town last night . . . Former Sox player and current Jimmy Fund chairman Mike Andrews is expected this afternoon for a press conference with Dustin Pedroia to kick off the Jimmy Fund Rally Against Cancer. Schools and businesses interested in participating can log on to rallyagainstcancer.org. The fund is asking individuals for a minimum donation of $5 and to wear Sox gear to work or school on the day of the home opener, Tuesday, April 8. The top fund-raising school and office each will win a visit from Pedroia.