Torre dodges NY circus

He feels there's nothing to prove

FORT MYERS, Fla. - It might have passed unnoticed if not for the photographers and television cameras trailing them. The Red Sox manager and the Dodgers manager, approaching the Dodgers dugout together and disappearing down the steps.

Except this was Terry Francona and Joe Torre and, 15 minutes before their first meeting as anything other than blood rivals in years, they were able to have a tete-a-tete in view of the Red Sox fans waiting for an autograph from, really, either one.

They stayed inside for about five minutes, Francona emerging to run across the field to his dugout, flashbulbs in full force. It is, of course, not the same now that Torre is wearing Dodger blue instead of Yankee pinstripes. He and Francona can simply be friends and occasional rivals.

"It feels different because of the uniform I'm wearing," Torre said. "I got on the bus today and it wasn't the same thought process coming over here."

With the situation in New York "deteriorating" after the Yankees were eliminated by the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series in 2004, Torre said managing in New York wasn't the same the past three seasons. He was ready to retire when he left a meeting with George Steinbrenner in Tampa without a contract in October.

"I was pretty well satisfied with that," Torre said. "I knew I wasn't comfortable back there after the last three years. Then there were some feelers. The Dodgers wanted to talk. I don't want to downplay somebody else calling, but I seriously doubt that if it was somebody other than the Dodgers, I would have paid attention to it."

So spring training, without the Yankee circus, has been fun again. But, even with a new team and a new rival, Torre doesn't feel the need to show people anything, at least not about his ability to manage.

"I'm not in the validation game," Torre said. "I mean, sure, I want to win. I'd really be cheating the McCourts [Dodgers owners] if I came here just to get a paycheck. When you've been around baseball your whole life, you understand there's only one reason you either play the game or manage it, and that's to get to the World Series. It certainly would be very satisfying for me to come to a new ball club and the result would be a World Series.

"That's certainly not my motivation . . . to prove anything."

Open wide

As if having to work through a groin injury wasn't enough, Coco Crisp got a trip to the dentist for his troubles. With the center fielder out since getting two at-bats in Sunday's game against the Twins, there has hardly been a competition in center field this spring.

But Jacoby Ellsbury finally made a statement. He made a Crisp-style catch in center in the first inning yesterday, robbing Xavier Paul steps before the warning track, then tumbling to the turf.

He followed by belting a ground-rule double - though he made it to third, nearly lapping Doug Mirabelli - to break an 0-for-9 spring.

Francona said Crisp had a root canal and will try to work out today. "Maybe it's a blessing 'cause it gives him another day," Francona said. "At the same time, coming through that root canal, I can't imagine him being ready to go out [today] and play nine innings. So he's lost about a week, which gets frustrating.

"We're trying to make decisions and make good decisions - and be fair to everybody. It is hard when a guy's in the dentist chair. It doesn't make it easier, that's for sure."

Wakefield sharp

Though the Red Sox were leading by three runs in the top of the ninth inning yesterday, the combination of Luke May and Jason Repko got rid of that in a hurry. May hit a three-run homer to tie the score, and Repko hit a grand slam, giving the Dodgers a 9-5 lead. The Red Sox came back with one run in the bottom of the inning, but couldn't get any closer. Tim Wakefield got the start against Derek Lowe, throwing three shutout innings, allowing one hit with three strikeouts and two walks on 48 pitches. "I thought Wake, especially the last inning, looked like he got stronger," Francona said. "His knuckleball really had some movement to it." The Dodgers also scored when Matt Kemp deposited a Mike Timlin pitch over the fence in left-center for a solo home run . . . Lowe, who still maintains his offseason home in Fort Myers, pitched here for the first time since leaving the Sox to sign as a free agent with the Dodgers after the 2004 season. Lowe termed his performance "godawful" (2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). He said he has been working on mixing in a few high fastballs with his trademark sinker to change hitters' eye levels. This winter, Lowe worked out with Chris Correnti, the former Sox physical therapist who has worked with Pedro Martínez for years. "I've talked with [Martínez] numerous times on the phone," Lowe said. "He worked his tail off in the offseason. He's taken a pounding on his body over the years. Nobody wants surgery, but it kind of gave his body time to heal. He's a very motivated guy. He kind of likes to prove people wrong, so to speak, and people are saying he's on the downside of his career, what have you. I think he's going to have - you can't say his best years - but a year he's definitely going to be proud of."

Colon going live

Bartolo Colon will throw to live hitters Sunday, not Monday, as previously reported. He will throw in the morning before the team heads to Vero Beach to play the Dodgers . . . George Kottaras tweaked a quadriceps muscle tripping over first base. He came out of the game, but the injury is not expected to keep him out long . . . The Dodgers reassigned pitcher Rick Asadoorian to minor league camp Wednesday. Asadoorian was the Red Sox' first-round pick (No. 17 overall) in the 1999 draft - as an outfielder. The Worcester native shifted last season while with Double A Chattanooga in the Reds organization. He was signed by the Dodgers and was in camp as a nonroster invitee . . . The Red Sox hosted the Bluffton University baseball team yesterday. Four members of the team were killed last March when their bus plunged off an overpass in Atlanta on their way to Florida.

Gordon Edes of the Globe staff contributed to this report.