Third baseman Chad Spann, with a chance to make up for two errors, struck out with two out and a runner on second, ending tonight's exhibition opener with the teams tied at 4 after 10 innings.

Alex Ochoa, the guy who ended up with the Chunichi Dragons when Theo engineered the acquisition of Kevin Millar, just threw a man out at the plate for a fly out-tag out DP to end the top of the ninth. The man has a gun. Mercy.

The crowd was announced as 7,649....a sellout, of course.

Joe Mauer just hit an opposite-field 3-run HR off Julian Tavarez to tie the score. Most of the Sox regulars have already called it a night.

He just lined a rocket over the second baseman's head for an RBI single, and flew down the line.
Would you believe there are people in the Sox organization that say pitcher Clay Buchholz, a former wide receiver, is even faster than Ellsbury?

Donnelly must have scared kids in Little League with that delivery. First he throws it by 'em, then he kicks 'em.

Brendan Donnelly is in to pitch the 4th.

Should mention that Jacoby Ellsbury took a called third strike on his AB of the spring.

And did you know Twins pitcher Scott Baker was a Cape League All-Star?

Alberto Castillo's in to catch.

The Twins played it just like it was July, overshifting their infield against David Ortiz. But the former Twin hit a ball sharply that Luis Castillo couldn't handle in short right, Murphy scoring to make it 2-1.

Well, we've been telling you Julio Lugo's errors tend to come on routine plays, and he just threw away what would have been an inning ending grounder by Joe Mauer. The throw sailed to the home plate side of first.

And, naturally, it cost the Sox. Pineiro was unable to pick up his shortstop, as Rondell White lined a single. 1-0, Twins.

First unearned run of the season.

Just when we were going to mention that Alex Gonzalez made just one error in 62 games before July 1, the new man, Lugo, just delivered an RBI single. Scoring to tie the game was the shrink-wrapped Dustin pedroia, who singled and took second on David Murphy's base hit. The hits have come off Scott Baker.

That's all for Curt Schilling .... 2 innings pitched, 2 hits, 19 pitches, 15 for strikes.

Joel Pineiro is in.

Does Schill come out for another inning? He's only thrown 19 pitches, 15 for strikes, through 2 innings. He gave up a couple of sharp hits through the box but left two runners on when he induced Luis Rodriguez to roll out to first.

Matt Garza had a 1-2-3 first, tying up David Ortiz for a swinging third strike with a nasty slider down and in.

For Schill....9 pitches, 8 for strikes.

The big man is in midseason form.

....fouled off to the left side by Luis Castillo. It came at 7:06 p.m., game time temperature 73. The battle for the coveted Mayor's Trophy is on.

OK, so I talked to John Kiera, the promoter of last weekend's Classic Car auction in Atlantic City. "I think at this point, we're going to be the villains,'' Kiera said good-naturedly. Kiera said that he had been told "many times" by Tony Averso, the man who was putting Manny's 1967 Lincoln Continental customized convertible up for bid, that both Manny and his car would be coming to his event last Saturday.

Kiera said he asked repeatedly whether Ramirez was coming. "He sent us photographs of both Manny and the car,'' he said, "and told us Manny and the car were both coming.'' That's why, he said, they advertised Manny's appearance at the event. There was no signed contract, he said, and Manny wasn't being paid for coming. "We didn't want to put out any false claims,'' Kiera said, "and when we were told he wasn't coming, we put out a statement and posted it at our box office.''

Reggie Jackson, who also was advertised as coming to the event, did appear. "He even did some auctioneering for us,'' Kiera said. Kiera bore no ill will toward the player, and said he wanted to see the matter end. "I can see the pressure he's probably under,'' he said of Ramirez.

Checked with Tony Averso, who when we first spoke to him last week said he'd been in daily contact with Manny, and had said the player told him repeatedly he'd be attending the event. Asked if he'd spoken to Manny since the reports surfaced, Averso said, "No, I didn't. I was representing the car.'' Asked if he thought Manny might have made him look foolish, he said: "Nobody made me look foolish. I was representing the car. I assumed he was coming. It's over with, it's done.''

The car, he said, was not sold.

Terry Francona said he plans to have lefty Jon Lester pitch an inning in a minor-league "B" game next Monday morning. Lester will then pitch again in another minor-league game, later in the week, as the Sox bring him along slowly in his recovery from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Francona is planning to stay back here tomorrow and manage the game against Northeastern, with bench coach Brad Mills taking the club to Dunedin. Contrary to an earlier post here, OF Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew are not making the trip to Dunedin and presumably will see their first action here. Former Blue Jays Eric Hinske and Kevin Cash, who is also a Tampa native, will make the trip, along with shortstop Alex Cora and outfielder Wily Mo Pena. Dustin Pedroia will also make the day-after-a-night-game trip, Francona said, because "he's Pedroia ... he's the Youkilis of last year.”

They're unveiling a new statue of Ted Williams, a replica of the one that stands outside Fenway and used to be at Ted's museum in Hernando, Fla., later this afternoon.

There's also a new section of seats out in right field with a bar rail and stools like the ones on Fenway's Green Monster.

A game. Only an exhibition, to be sure, but still a game, which signals the arrival of another season and the commencement of our annual obsession with all things Red Sox.

Maybe you'll only watch or listen to just an inning or two tonight, or maybe you'll stick with it until the last kid with a football number on his back gets a turn at bat. But for many of you, I'm sure, as you go through your paces in your offices, factories, classrooms, malls, telephone poles, delivery routes and construction sites, there's a real sense of anticipation: Tonight, you get your first look at the Olde Towne Teame. Your first glimpse at Schill ... is he as heavy as the reporters have been telling you? Is he going to throw the changeup more, like he told my colleague Jackie MacMullan he would do?

How about the new DP combination, Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia? The new outfielder, J.D. Drew, he makes his spring debut tomorrow in Dunedin, but the auditioning closer, Joel Pineiro, is due to pitch the third inning.

You've heard from the "experts" ... now, what do YOU think? A first-night delight: Big Papi, the man who hit 54 home runs, digging in against Matt Garza, the 23-year-old right-hander who started last season in Class A Fort Myers and made it to the bigs by the end, a big, cocky kid with a 98 mile an hour fastball.

Justin Morneau, the AL MVP, won't play tonight; he's on the team of Twins going to Tampa tomorrow to play the Yanks. But Joe Mauer, the AL batting champion, is scheduled to play, as is CF Torii Hunter, as fun a guy as there is in the big leagues, and a wonderful outfielder to boot. Which reminds me: You'll also get your first look of spring at Jacoby Ellsbury, the gifted OF who may begin this season back in Portland but may be just a year away from the majors.

And so it begins. NESN will beam the pictures back to you; WRKO will bring you the sights and sounds. There's a chance of a thundershower sometime today, but the evening is supposed to be a beauty: 64 degrees, partly cloudy.

I'll be the guy in the City of Palms Park press box, blogging. See you there.

We’ve got the pitching plan for the first few Grapefruit League games along with other news and notes from Fort Myers, courtesy of the Red Sox. The information below was offered in a press release by the Red Sox:

Kevin Youkilis and Jimmy Fund chairman Mike Andrews this afternoon jointly announced the second annual Red Sox Rally Against Cancer, which will be held on April 10 when the Sox play their home opener against the Seattle Mariners. For information, visit www.jimmyfund.org/rally or call 617-632-5420. ...

Here is the Red Sox lineup when they face the Twins in the first exhibition game of the season tomorrow at 7 p.m.

1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Jason Varitek, C
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Wily Mo Pena, RF
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. David Murphy, LF
9. Jacob Ellsbury, CF

Pitcher: Curt Schilling

Not much to report on this last day of Red Sox workouts at the minor league complex. There will be no live batting practice and Terry Francona plans to have his players work on defensive drills .

Things are finally quieting down here today. Manny left about an hour ago... as expected, he did not speak with reporters, and has given no indication that he intends to do so. Last year, he spoke once at the start of camp, and that was it. That, of course, is his prerogative, though it leaves many questions unanswered.

I have received a few e-mails questioning the tone of the interview with Manny's agents. I did not identify the questioners in the transcript I sent. I would agree that a couple of the questions were not fair-minded, and may have reflected too much of the questioner's personal opinion, but in general I believe the questions were appropriate.

Manny surprised everyone by jumping into live BP against Travis Hughes and Dice-K, though he just looked at three pitchers from the Japanese righthander. His agents tell me that for the first time Manny hit during the offseason, beginning back on Dec 1. He was working out at a place called Perfect Competition in Davie, near his Ft. Lauderdale-area home. He also has signed a shoe contract with Nike, a one-year deal, after having been with Reebok.

What to think of the auto show commitment? People close to Manny tell me he probably did say he would be there, because he doesn't say no to anyone. His agents insist he never intended to be there.

David Ortiz passed on doing a post-practice session out in front of the TV cameras. I suspect he didn't want to be grilled on Manny. He answered some questions at his locker, said it didn't bother him that Manny reported after everyone else, and said he was interested in "keeping it real.''

Terry Francona, still suffering from flu symptoms, made today's workout. He said he didn't know when he might use Manny in games, but probably wouldn't right out of the chute. While hoping to use most of his regular lineup Wednesday against the Twins--"it's for the Mayor's Cup, after all" he said--he thought he'd probably keep three or four regulars out because the team is scheduled to play twice on Thursday, including a game in Dunedin.

"We got everybody here now--that's good,'' he said of Manny's arrival in camp. "I'm more concerned with the 120 RBIs.''

Francona said he didn't believe Manny's absence was a distraction, and that players here had a lot of experience with these things and wouldn't allow it to be. He did seem to make a point of noting, however, that Manny was "the only guy in baseball" who did not report with his teammates--that may not be true, but I can't think of another superstar who didn't report when his team expected him. He said that the game is not just about numbers. "We're trying to form a team here.''

The Manny business almost made Dice-K an afterthought. He threw at what he said was 75-80 percent of maximum effort during a 12-minute BP session in which a ground ball through the right side by Ortiz was the closest thing to look like a hit. Dice-K pitched from the stretch the entire time. he said afterward that he is working on a two-seamer here but hasn't decided whether he'd use one in a game.

Ortiz said he had good stuff "but we haven't played yet, let's see. Come to me right after he pitches in a game, and I'll tell you what I see.''

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 50 pitches in his batting practice session today, and the closest thing to a hit he gave up was a ground ball through the right side by David Ortiz (though that probably would have been an out if the overshift had been on).

Besides Ortiz, Matsuzaka faced Manny Ramirez (who just tracked the three pitches he saw), Julio Lugo, Wily Mo Pena, Alex Ochoa, and Alex Cora.

After his 50 pitches, Matsuzaka threw two pitchouts, then two more pitches to Ochoa just for good measure.

Matsuzaka came off the mound to applause from the fans, to which he shook his head. Jason Varitek, who was sitting on a water cooler at the time (Doug Mirabelli caught Dice-K’s session), stood up and waved thanks at the fans’ gesture as if it was for him, which cracked up Matsuzaka.

One final note ... earlier, Ramirez hit against Travis Hughes and got what would have been a single.

Manny Ramirez hasn’t been at camp for more than a few hours, and already he’s stepped into the box against Daisuke Matsuzaka for batting practice.

Ramirez saw three pitches from Dice-K, but didn’t swing at any of them (often times during BP players track the pitches instead of trying to hit them).

Ramirez is in a hitting group with Wily Mo Pena, David Ortiz, and Julio Lugo.

Greg Genske, one of Manny Ramirez's agents, met with reporters after Manny reported this morning. Here's a transcript (with some comments from Gene Matos, Manny's other agent, further below):

Why is Manny here today?

“He was ready to report, and he’s excited to be here.”

What’s situation with his mother?

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to get into the health issues of his mother. Those questions would be better addressed to Manny himself, when he’s ready to talk about it.”

Reporter: That might be October. Can you acknowledge whether she’s in the hospital?

“I’m not going to talk about the health of Manny’s mother.”

Manny is 34 now. Do you think it’s time for him to be more accountable instead of being babied like a 12-year-old?

“Well, I wouldn’t accept your characterization of his behavior to begin with, and again I’ll just say he’s reported to spring training here, he’s happy to be here he’s here before he’s required to be here, either by the team or the mandatory report date. He’s happy to be here and ready to go.”

Do you think since he’s your meal ticket, you should try to help him grow up?

“Again, I wouldn’t agree with your characterization, either of Manny’s behavior or of whatever else you’re talking about.”

He indicated March 1 was the day. What changed that he moved that up?

“Again. I think that’s something Manny would have to answer but he indicated he was ready to go so that’s why he’s here.”

What was the deal with the auto show?

“I have no idea what the deal was with the auto show. I do know Manny had never had any intention of being there.”

What has changed since he asked to be traded last fall?

“I’m not going to comment on anything about trades or speculation or anything like that right now. He’s here right now, and he’s excited to be here. You can tell that when he took the field.”

He never agreed to do the car show?

“Not that I’m aware of.”

So he doesn’t want to be traded now?

“He’s just focused on the season right now. He’s reported, he’s here and he’s ready to go.”

Why did he choose not to report with other position players?

“I think the Red Sox have already gone to the press with this. They extended him the opportunity to stay with his mother, who had surgery this offseason.”

Was it at all important for you or Manny to arrive before tomorrow’s mandatory report date?

“I think it was important for both Manny and me that he get to spring training as early as he could given his family situation. That’s why he came today, because he was prepared to come today.”

Have you had conversation with the organization at any point to discuss whether Manny still wants to be traded?

"No. We have not had any conversations about trades."

What is his health status?

"He's in great shape, perfectly healthy. He's very, very excited to begin the season."

Did he have any treatment on his knee in the offseason? Gene, do you know? Did he have any treatment on his knee in the offseason? (Gene Matos is based in Miami and also represents Manny).

Matos: "In November and December, he did. He continued the rehab he engaged in during the season."

Ever occasion he had to go to a doctor and be checked out and discuss the possibility of whether they had to do anything more aggressive than what he was doing in Boston?

Matos: "He has consulted with physicians and he has continued rehabilitation."

What's condition of knee now going forward?

Genske: "I think he feels very good. He feels very good, and he's optimistic he's going to have a great season."

Under any restrictions?

Genske: "He has green light ready to go."

You say we should ask Manny. Will he answer if we ask him?

Genske: "It's my understanding that he'll answer questions at some point. We haven't talked about it, we don't have any plans, but I assume he will at some point."

Has he received any assurances that this won't be a chronic condition?

Genske: "I think he's been given a green light, that he's ready to go. We don't anticipate any future problems, but again one never knows."

Matos: "It's not chronic, it's not arthritis."

Gene, did you know anything about the car show?

Matos: "I don't know anything about that."

Did the organizers get in touch with you and ask you if Manny was coming?

Matos: "I don't know anything about it, I really don't."

You had zero conversations with anyone?

Matos: "I just know he wasn't going to be there. That's all I know."

If neither of you think he ever intended to be at this car show, would you consider legal action against these people for using his name without his knowledge.

Genske: "We're not considering anything at this time."

If what you say is accurate, it sounds like they used his name inappropriately.

Genske: "Again, I'm not familiar with the circumstances surrounding the car show."

Sox seemed miffed they got news of Manny coming late through Julian Tavarez. In retrospect, should you or Manny have done a better job of communicating, given that he wasn't here when other position players were?

Genske: "I think we've done an excellent job of communicating with the Red Sox. I'm not aware of them being miffed in any way."

Want to hear my tape? I have it in the trailer.

Genske: "Thank you all."

Click here to listen to the Q&A session

Manny’s agent, Greg Genske, answered questions about his client in a frequently tense question-and-answer session with the media that lasted about eight and a half minutes. Among the highlights:

Boston Globe columnist Jackie MacMullan (Editor's note: Jackie chats on Boston.com at 3 p.m.) was leaning near Manny Ramirez’s locker when he arrived this morning.

“Can you give me a little space please?,” Ramirez said sharply to MacMullan.

Catcher Doug Mirabelli came around the corner and feigned surprise when he saw Ramirez for the first time. “Whoa,” he said.

Teammate Julian Tavarez, meanwhile, said, “Manny needs his running shoes, his bike, and 10 bucks for a haircut.”

Ramirez’s latest hairstyle includes red streaks.

We’ll have comments from Manny’s agents soon ...

Manny Ramirez is in the batting cages now, hitting soft tosses from coach Ino Guerrero. Hitting coach Dave Magadan was in the cage watching him.

After a little BP, Ramirez Ran onto the field with the other players to loud applause from the fans.

Greg Genske, one of Ramirez’s agents, is expected to address the media shortly.

Manny Ramirez is getting dressed and is expected out on the field shortly. He’s certainly going to stretch with the team and my guess is he’ll hit in the cage.

He was greeted by David Ortiz, Doug Mirabelli, and other teammates.

There’s a doctor at the facility here, but I’m not sure if Manny got his physical.

Outfielder Manny Ramirez showed up at Red Sox spring training camp in Fort Myers this morning, three days earlier than he said he would.

He arrived with agents Greg Genske and Gene Matosis, and will take his physical soon.

A Sox official said Ramirez is not going to speak with the media. No word on whether Manny will work out today.

More on Manny (Updated at 9:05 a.m.)

For the second time in three days, Terry Francona wasn't able to make his appointed rounds at the team's workout, instead staying home to deal with a flu bug that has hit him hard. A team doctor saw him twice this morning after a visit last night. Francona had come out Saturday to view the workout, but may not have given himself time to recover from a 100-degree temperature the day before. There was some concern that he might be dehydrated. He worked vigorously earlier in the week banging baseballs at the pitchers during fielding workouts.

A smaller than usual turnout at the Fort today, as many folks make their way back to New England after school vacation week. Mike Timlin had to cut short his BP session after 10 pitches or so when struck by either a cramp or spasm. He came in for heat, ice and a rub and said he'll have to wait to see if he will make his scheduled exhibition debut Wednesday. Timlin is the second reliever to come up with a back problem early, joining Craig Hansen, who will take it slow for a few days after sustaining a slight strain. The difference is, no one raises the issue of Hansen's age as they do with Timlin, who turns 41 next month.

"I've only been asked 20 times about it already," Timlin said.

Asked if he and the other members of the 40-plus fraternity -- Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield -- might form a club within a club, with their own T-shirts and the like, Timlin said, "No, that would be a clique, and this team has no cliques."

Timlin reiterated a desire to get a shot at closing, which he didn't get in the famous bullpen-by-committee in '03.

Other random thoughts:

-- Wily Mo Pena fouled a ball off his foot in BP and somewhat incredibly said that's the first time that's happened to him.

-- Jason Varitek looked like a sci-fi creature while testing a pair of those infrared contact lenses. Varitek said it's supposed to help with contrast in color, something that might be useful in Fenway's shadows. There was no corrective aspect to the lenses: Varitek has spectacular 20-10 vision.

-- There's a chance David Ortiz will be hitting against Dice-K when the Japanese star throws another round of live BP tomorrow. "You know what?" he said. "Dice-K is on my team now, so I don't have to worry about him. But right now, I don't feel like getting in the cage against anybody."

-- Luis Tiant played golf with Josh Beckett on Saturday and was giving pointers today to Joel Pineiro, who said, yes, he knew how good Tiant was. El Tiante is pessimistic about his chances of being selected by the Veterans Committee into the Hall of Fame. An announcement comes this week.

-- Dustin Pedroia, who boasted of his ping-pong prowess in my colleague Amalie Benjamin's nice feature today, ratcheted the stakes today when he said he and doubles partner Kevin Youkilis could not only beat anyone in the Sox clubhouse but any other twosome "in the world." I'm a good basement player myself, but I'm hoping some of my Japanese colleagues are world class and will put these guys in their place. Youks is challenging the Globe to come up with the scratch to import a table so a tournament can be held this March. Gotta run that one by the bosses.

-- Don't miss Red Sox Stories on Channel 38 tonight at 10:30; they're showing a sweet film on the life of Johnny Pesky, who watched it this afternoon and was misty-eyed by the end, as were a few of those who were watching with him. Some great photos of the Old Man of the Red Sox, in a film beautifully put together by Tom Catlin, who has left the Sox to become VP of creative services for the Dodgers.

--And aside to Leslie Epstein: My friends Dick and Rose from Naples advise me there is a Nathan's about to open in the Fort Myers airport.

A director of the Atlantic City classic car auction told a Philadelphia radio station this morning that they'd received word from Manny Ramirez's people that the Sox slugger would not be making his scheduled appearance at the auction, which was slated for noon tomorrow. The director told the "Matt and Huggy Show" on WYSP-FM in Philadelphia, one of the radio stations that had been running spots saying Manny would appear with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, that Manny had bowed out. But Manny's wheels are there and up for bidding, a customized 1967 Lincoln Continental convertible that is expected to go for at least $200,000.

Curt Schilling, who’s stretching out on the grass in front of the Funai media tent with his wife and kids nearby, will get the first spring start of the year for the Red Sox.

Pitching coach John Farrell announced the starting pitchers for the start of the Grapefruit League schedule, with Schilling going up against the Minnesota Twins next Wednesday at City of Palms Park in the opener.

Kason Gabbard gets the call against the Blue Jays in Dunedin on Day 2, while Josh Beckett faces Northeastern in Fort Myers. On Friday, Kyle Snyder starts against the Jays, and Daisuke Matsuzaka goes that night against Boston College. In the Saturday day game against the Phillies, Tim Wakefield gets the nod, with Jonathan Papelbon getting in work by the third or fourth inning.

Farrell said this in no way predicated how the rotation would look come April.

“We have some thoughts on it, but we haven’t decided what that 1-5 will be at this point,” he said.

The starters will participate in two more rounds of batting practice, Farrell said, after the relievers threw today and will get one more session in before a period of rest prior to the game schedule next week.

Farrell, taking over for an absent Terry Francona (flu) for the media session this morning, also suggested the benefits of keeping two lefthanders on the bullpen staff.

“You look at having one lefthander in the bullpen, and it can handicap the manager,” he said. “We don’t want to get caught up in a left-right-left part of the lineup.

Relievers Javy Lopez, J.C. Romero, and Hideki Okajima are the prime candidates to fill that role, although Farrell today said that Gabbard might also warrant consideration.

The Red Sox are wrapping up their first batting practice session of the spring, the group including Alex Cora, David Ortiz, and Wily Mo Pena drawing the largest crowd of spectators by far.

Pena and Ortiz put on a show with the lumber, Pena knocking a few into the lagoon beyond the chain-link fence, water splashing visible in the distance, and Ortiz prompting a few reporters to roughly measure the distance of a couple of tape-measure shots that landed just in front of the media trailers with a step-by-step measurement (about 440 feet). A couple of errant balls from another field hit the NESN set during this morning’s taping of The Boston Globe: Sportsplus.

Meanwhile, Coco Crisp shed the batting gloves he wore in the offseason and took an extended BP session, showing no lingering effects on the index finger that marred his debut season with the Red Sox.

Crisp will give the finger a rest this afternoon, electing not to take part in the team's charity golf tournament.

"I'm a worse golfer than Charles Barkley," Crisp said.

J.C. Romero, Mike Timlin, Joel Piniero, Julian Tavarez, and Manny Delcarmen were among the hurlers to throw live BP, Timlin and Adam Bernero drawing the Pena-Ortiz field. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein watched newcomers Romero and Brendan Donnelly toss pitches to Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell, and JD Drew.

Eric Hinske took grounders at third base with Lowell this morning. Hinske came into the AL with the Blue Jays as a full-time third baseman, but has only played 10 games at the position (all last season with Toronto) since 2004.

As I was roaming the throngs of autograph seekers yesterday at the Red Sox minor league complex here, seeking reaction to the latest Manny affair and the Red Sox’ reluctance to ink Curt Schilling, I ran into Mark Bowman, who, as it turned out, had already gotten more significant inscriptions than any lucky person who might have been able to obtain the signatures of both David Ortiz and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the same day.

Bowman, 36, who was with his father and nine-year-old daughter Brooke in the shadow of Eddie Powposki Field at the Sox developmental complex, returned last October from Iraq, where he served as a Sgt. First Class in the First Strike Brigade, out of Fort Luis, Wash. Originally a native of Salem, NH and lifelong Red Sox fan, Bowman ran into Red Sox reliever -- and well-known supporter of American troops overseas -- Mike Timlin during a game in Seattle back in 2004, just before he shipped out.

“He had a ball signed from [all the pitchers in the] bullpen that I carried with me in my pocket,” said Bowman, who was stationed in Mosul, Iraq. “The whole year over there, every time I got blown up, that ball was in my pocket.”

And there it stayed, even as his tank was getting walloped by improvised explosive devices. Even as Bowman suffered six concussions, including one of the two worst on April 4, 2005, the day before he was due to ship home. He laid under medical supervision the next day, knowing he might have been just one evasive measure from being back in Washington with his daughter, watching the Red Sox in his living room.

“My soldiers made sure we didn’t lose that ball,” he said. “So whenever we had the opportunity of not getting shot at, or just finished getting shot at, we took it out and took a quick picture and put it back in our pockets.”

The year that the Red Sox won the World Series, Bowman’s tank included a driver from Burlington and a gunner from Connecticut, trying to find out the scores of October at any chance they could, when shrapnel wasn’t flying about their heads.

When Keith Foulke tossed the final out in Game 4 of the World Series to Doug Mientkiewicz, Bowman and his troop, which was just coming off duty at the time, got to witness it on TV. Until the power went out a whole three seconds into the celebration.

Many of us have pictures of where we were at the moment, be it at a public house or with friends and family. Bowman has a photo of himself in his Red Sox cap in front of a blank TV.

The ball, the same one that Timlin had the 2004 bullpen sign for him, was nearby.

“They’re out there protecting what we’re doing,” Timlin said yesterday, “and we have the ability to walk around the street and be free. That’s what they’re out there for -- protecting that fact. No one is coming into our country and walking around with an AK-47 or driving a tank over a neighbor’s house, and nobody saying anything about it. That stuff is going on over there all the time. There’s no search and seizure at my house; that stuff happens over there. These guys are doing that to protect that over here and any small gesture that we can do to make them feel like they have a part of home, then so be it.”

That thought rang true as I was asking Bowman how he felt about Ramirez not reporting, the thought of a $20 million player not showing up on time seeming even more ridiculous after talking with the veteran over just a 10-minute period.

“The simple things that they cry and whine about, yeah, it’s frustrating, knowing what I go through,” Bowman said. “And I get paid very little, enough to take care of my family, and that’s about it. And they get paid to play a game and have all the extra toys they want, but they’re not getting shot at or blown up.

“We don’t want to hear you cry about it. You want to hear crying, go talk to my solider who got paralyzed when he got shot through the throat. You can talk to him about crying. He was 21 at the time. So he’s never going to have the life that they've got, and he doesn’t cry about it. Big difference.”

On leave in 2005, Bowman caught up with Timlin again, and showed him pictures and video of the troops’ ordeal in Iraq. Among the photos, no doubt, was one of Bowman, Red Sox cap on his oft-concussed head, the bullpen ball nearby, cheering in front of a blank TV as the Red Sox celebrated at Busch Stadium.

“We should probably put them on a pedestal,” said Timlin, who often wore a camouflage T-shirt beneath his Red Sox whites in support of the troops. “There are a lot of guys who are crying over petty stuff, who if they were put in different situations they wouldn’t think that way. Until you are put in that situation or were required to act that way in that situation ... petty things are, I guess, extremely important to some people.”

It should be a fairly early day here at the minor league complex, with many members of the Red Sox scheduled to arrive at the Forest Golf Club at 12:30 p.m. for this afternoon’s shotgun stat in the Children’s Hospital golf tournament. The clubhouse opened a half-hour earlier than normal – at 7:30 – this morning, as will workouts, kicking off at 9.

A few players, including Eric Hinske, Joe McEwing, and David Ortiz were outside a short time ago in the batting cages hacking away, Ortiz’s new dog, Mikey, keeping an eye on things. Ortiz is now right outside the media trailer conducting a radio interview.

Jack Kasarjian, president of X-Bats, was on hand in the clubhouse, handing out samples and filling orders for the season. Kasarjian said he has 45 different bats, the most popular, model No. 24, an all-maple, 34-inch, 32-oz. piece of lumber. Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the X-Bat users on the team. Ortiz picked up a sampling of bats in the clubhouse, while…well, Ramirez didn’t.

Parked outside is a Mizuno van, complete with mini-showroom to provide its clients, like newly-signed Julio Lugo, the latest in batting gloves, mitts, and cleats. Despite being a Japanese company, representative Mike Puccini points out, Nike-sponsored Daisuke Matsuzaka isn’t a Mizuno client.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had his likeness taken by the Players Trust for the next batch of baseball video games, one of the newer players the players association didn’t have an image for. Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima were also scheduled to sit for the three-minute digital process.

The Sox have picture day tomorrow, uniform measurements on Tuesday.

The message to the Red Sox front office from the fans is clear: Sign Curt Schilling.

The Red Sox ace was the talk of camp at the minor league complex in Fort Myers today, when Schilling announced that Theo Epstein informed him the team would not award him a $13 million extension, and that he will test the free agent waters following this season.

“That’s a bad thing,” said 44-year-old Kevin Cloutier of Westford, who was enjoying spring training with his family. “I would have hoped if it took $13 million to get a guy like Curt Schilling, we would have done that. People are paying $17 million for a Barry Zito. You’ve got to get a Curt Schilling for 13. That’s going to be a problem for us. You can’t get too cocky because you have a lot of pitchers. You never know what happens.”

Last spring, there was talk of the Red Sox having a surplus of starting pitching, sparking the trade of Bronson Arroyo. But injuries and a lack of depth resulted in a third-place finish.

“He’s really in a key spot in that pitching rotation right now. It would be really hard to lose that No. 1,” said 16-year-old Chris Tommila of Belchertown. “It comes down to Theo I guess.”

Epstein had a three-minute chat with Schilling last night when he informed the pitcher that there would be no deal this spring, which is probably three minutes longer than the GM has spoken with his absent left fielder.

Manny Ramirez continued to be a no-show today, after Epstein yesterday confirmed his arrival on March 1, due to a family matter. The Boston Globe reported, however, that Ramirez was scheduled to attend a classic car auction in Atlantic City Saturday. Epstein said today that Ramirez's agent told him that his client would not be attending the auction.

Still, fans continued to shrug their shoulders at this annual drama.

“Just because he’s done it in the past I kind of have mixed feelings on that,” said 18-year-old Jessica Tommila of Belchertown.

And if he had indeed planned to attend the car show this weekend?

“Oh, that, I don’t know,” she said. “I think that’s a little sketchy. If he’s with his family then I think that’s fine. But I think this is where he should be if he’s not doing that.”

Cloutier, clad in a Ramirez T-shirt, defended the player, saying his absence didn’t bother him at all, unless the rumors of his weekend were true.

“That’s probably not the greatest thing,” he said. “He doesn’t need money right? He could skip that. If his Mom is ill, that’s fine. If he’s trying to make money, that’s ridiculous.”

Twelve-year-old Steven Jepeal had similar thoughts.

“If it’s true I’m going to kind of be disappointed, but he’s Manny,” he said. “I definitely think he should try to be more of a team player, but I guess it’s not really him though. Sometimes people make too big of a deal about what he does.”

Still, no matter what lingering frustrations, the same response continued to ooze from fans when asked if they were bothered about Ramirez not being there: .300, 40, 120.

“Red Sox Nation is fanatic about baseball,” Cloutier said. “So I think they’ll be down on him until early April, and then he bangs out four or five home runs or wins a game, does the phenomenal things he’s done. You know how people have short memories.”

Just wanted to mention a great scene I witnessed today over at Sox camp. It was quite a moment.

As David Ortiz was walking off the field -- to a chorus of "Papi! Papi!" -- a whole group of Red Sox minor leaguers arrived to make their way onto the field after the big leaguers. You could just see their eyes widen as they were faced with hundreds of people all shouting at Ortiz, and walked through the lines of fans to get to the field. Among the biggest of the minor league names were Daniel Bard, Michael Bowden, Bryce Cox, Felix Doubront, Jonathan Egan, and Josh Papelbon.

Welcome to camp, kids.

It might seem an eye-opening feat that Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a 103-pitch bullpen session in the first week of spring training, but according to Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, it was of benefit to both the player and team.

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 103 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday. (Reuters Photo)

"Given the bullpens to date and the amount of long-tossing Daisuke has done, this was, I think, in line,” Farrell said this afternoon. “Keep in mind, he threw 100 pitches today, but it was at a pace where he took some time in between pitches. I don’t think he overworked over overtaxed himself physically."

Matsuzaka approached the Red Sox coaching staff two days ago and requested the extended bullpen session, a part of his normal routine while playing in Japan.

"I was trying to stick to what I am used to in Japan," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I pitched more today, longer, but nothing out of the ordinary."

“While we have talked about these changes or these differences that may emerge, I don’t think they’ll be on a regular basis,” Farrell said. “He felt like it was time for him to stretch out a little bit and be able work on the assortment of pitches that he does have, and that’s what was afforded here today.”

Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek caught the entire bullpen.

“I think it shows great feel of all of his pitches,” Varitek said. “He’s at a point where he needs to extend what he needs to do, and if that’s the point, we’ll accommodate him.”

Farrell said that allowing Matsuzaka to extend today’s workout gave the team more of a chance to understand his routine and delivery.

“What continues to emerge here is the way he goes about his work and the precision,” Farrell said. “For instance, you see him work out of the stretch, he’ll hold the ball, he’ll look back at second base as if there’s a runner, that he’s controlling the running game. So he’s already thinking about the game situation and incorporating that mindset in his bullpen work.”

Farrell pointed out that the team has not approached hard pitch counts for Matsuzaka, with a number of adjustments in coming to the majors, most significantly the five-day rotation. Matsuzaka pitched in a seven-day rotation in Japan.

“That’s a feel that he’ll gain here in spring training,” Farrell said.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein discusses Matsuzaka’s bullpen session as well.

“It wasn’t something he just dropped on us,” said Epstein. “That bullpen today was the product of a lot of discourse and part of his very well-thought-out structured routine. And it was impressive.

"I think probably the thing that caught my attention the most was, he’s in there 80-90 pitches deep, and he’s still going from the stretch, still checking runners, still taking it like a real game situation. Every single pitch had a purpose. You almost wanted to videotape it and show it to our young guys in minor league camp, about how to get the most out of your practice, and he certainly does.”

As for pitchers not named Matsuzaka, Farrell pointed out Josh Beckett’s strength in keeping the fastball down in the zone -- something they are specifically working with him on.

As for Jonathan Papelbon switching roles from the bullpen to the starting rotation, Varitek said he isn’t worried about any loss of intensity.

“I don’t see it changing, but he will have to be more patient,” Varitek said.

Three minutes and it was over.

After a meeting with general manager Theo Epstein yesterday that lasted about three minutes -- Curt Schilling asked for the short version -- it appears that Schilling will not be signing a new contract with the Red Sox before the season, deciding instead to play out his contract in Boston and file for free agency at the end of the season.

"I'm human. Yeah, it's disappointing, but it's something I absolutely understood and I said coming in, I knew that's a possibility," Schilling said in a rapid-fire, four-and-a-half minute press conference. "That's the way it happens. That's a decision that they made on their end. Whether you like it or not it's the way things have to work."

There was no offer last night, and with Schilling's age a major factor, the Red Sox decided that signing Schilling at this point wasn't worth the risk with the pitcher set to turn 41 in November. Epstein confirmed that age was significant in the team's decision.

"We met yesterday to wrap up the negotiations," Epstein said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for Curt. Always have, always will. It doesn't change how we feel about him. It doesn't change our expectations for him. Doesn't change his place in the organization. It simply wasn't the right time for us to enter into a guaranteed agreement for 2008."

Schilling did add that he would not rule out signing with the Red Sox after also listening to offers from other teams in free agency.

 Schilling's comments

 Theo's take

With all the top Sox brass looking on, Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a whopping 103-pitch bullpen session today. Afterwards, catcher Doug Mirabelli said he’d never seen anyone throw that many pitches in a single session this early in spring training.

“It wasn’t something he just dropped on us,” said Sox GM Theo Epstein. “That bullpen today was the product of a lot of discourse and part of his very well-thought-out structured routine. And it was impressive.

"I think probably the thing that caught my attention the most was, he’s in there 80-90 pitches deep, and he’s still going from the stretch, still checking runners, still taking it like a real game situation. Every single pitch had a purpose. You almost wanted to videotape it and show it to our young guys in minor league camp, about how to get the most out of your practice, and he certainly does.”

Equally impressive was the fact that catcher Jason Varitek caught him the entire session. That's above and beyond what a catcher is usually called upon to do.

Matsuzaka threw longer-than-usual bullpen sessions in Japan, and manager Terry Francona said earlier this week he’d continue to do so with the Sox here in Fort Myers.

“I heard the question earlier about how do you know how much is too much,” said Epstein. “Certainly he’s got an established track record of staying healthy. He knows himself really well. But there are going to be compromises and input on both ends so, I think he backed off a little bit yesterday from his long toss program in order to be fresh to throw an extended bullpen today and I feel really good about the way he’s getting ready for the season right now.”

Red Sox owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, Epstein, and president Larry Lucchino were all on hand to watch the session.

Curt Schilling threw his first live batting practice of the spring this morning, with catcher Dusty Brown behind the plate, pitching against Red Sox minor leaguers Jeff Corsaletti, Andrew Pinckney, and Jeff Natale.

“That’s a little out of the frying pan and into the fires,” said the 24-year-old Pinckney, who hit .255 last season for Single-A Greenville. “That’s kind of intense, first live batting practice against Schilling. But it was cool. Good experience right there.”

Pinckney said that Schilling looked “firm and straight,” throwing a variety of changeups, curves, and fastballs during his session. “I think he threw one split to me,” he said.

Pinckney guessed that the pitcher’s velocity, meanwhile ranged anywhere from the low 90’s to upper-80’s. “I think that last one he threw to me he kind of humped up on,” he said.

Prior to throwing batting practice, Schilling participated in another bullpen session, this time with hurlers Devern Hansack, Bryan Corey, Kason Gabbard, Abe Alvarez, and Travis Hughes. The ace is also the talk around camp this morning, as fans and media members lurking about are abuzz with Schilling’s radio revelation this morning that he will test free agency at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the entire Sox starting infield took grounders for the first time, Alex Cora joining Dustin Pedroia at second base, and David Ortiz (who made a few nice stops down the line), side-by-side with Kevin Youkilis.

Good morning.

We were just kicked out of the clubhouse about 15 minutes earlier than usual this morning, told that we were being asked to leave for a team meeting.

While we did have access, a number of reporters surrounded Mike Lowell, who hasn't talked much since his arrival, asking him about a variety of topic, most importantly about his feelings on Manny Ramirez's delayed arrival to camp. Here's the question-and-answer session from today.

Would it help to have Manny here now?

"I think in the standpoint where we kind of all want to be on the same page, but he came in March 1 last year and he didn't look too shabby. If he comes in in shape, which I'm assuming he is. I mean I actually talked to guys in Fort Lauderdale who were working out with him, said he was working out real hard. I'd like to see him here March 1, be on board with everyone else, have a good year with us."

But last year March 1 was before the Grapefruit League schedule. This year it's after the games have started. Is that an issue?

"Not when your owner says it's OK. What am I going to do? Tell him he's wrong? Manny's been given some leeway. I think we're giving him, like last year, some [leeway] on this reporting day. We'll see how it goes from there. I hope it goes well."

Comfortable with more accomplished players getting more leeway?

"It's like Jimmy Johnson says, If Troy Aikman falls asleep in the video, he'll nudge him and tell him to wake up. If the second string special teams guy falls asleep, he cuts him."

What about the car show?

"I'll wait til it's true. I don't know. Concerning Manny there's a lot of things you hear that aren't true, and some are. So put a TBA on that one."

How is he as a teammate?

"I get along with him great. He's a different personality. I think he has this, I think, stereotype about him that he's just this aloof guy who has this amazing ability to hit, who just comes to the field and puts up unbelievable numbers. That's really not true at all. On the road he's lifting weights in the morning. It's not like he shows up on a Tuesday and then he'll show up maybe four weeks later. He's got his own plan hitting. A lot of times he doesn't like to hit outside, but you know what, a lot of guys don't. But he's inside the cage, does a lot of those visualization drills before the game. That's kind of an accelerated type thing. Most people don't really concentrate on the visual. He feels comfortable with that. So I mean, he could eat four bananas and a slice of pizza before every game. If it makes him hit that way, you'll see a lot of guys eating four bananas and a slice of pizza. There's a method to his madness, though, it's not just like this guy shows up with his crazy hair and starts killing pitchers. He's got a plan."

When does he become a distraction?

"We'll wait and see. He can be great. He can be phenomenal for this team. He actually can be slightly a uniting guy. It's not where you guys see it, you know, it's on the team bus where he feels more comfortable. I think he can be a tremendous asset to this team. Our chances of winning a World Series are much better with him than without him."

There will be much more later, especially if Curt Schilling decides to hold court.

And check out my boston.com chat at 3 p.m. I'm happy to answer any and all questions that you might have about what's going on down here in sunny Fort Myers.

In an interview this morning on Boston sports radio station WEEI 850 AM, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said he plans on filing for free agency after the season after learning the Sox weren’t planning on offering him a contract extension before the end of spring training.

“They’re not going to offer me a contract until after the season,” Schilling told WEEI’s John Dennis and Gerry Callahan.

When Schilling first announced he would pitch next season instead of retiring, he said if he didn’t have an extension by the end of spring training, he wouldn’t negotiate during the season and instead become a free agent for the first time in his career.

Schilling said this morning that he spoke with Sox GM Theo Epstein about the situation yesterday, and that the decision not to make him a contract offer until season’s end was made for business reasons, not personal ones. Schilling also said he was "disappointed."

"Theo and I talked yesterday and Theo was upfront and honest," the 40-year-old pitcher said. "It was a very quick meeting. It was easy."

“At this age and stage it was probably more appropriate to make that contract decision at the end of the season,” Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said on WEEI this morning after Schilling’s appearance.

Lucchino also said, however, that this didn't necessarily mean Schilling wouldn't be with the Sox next season.

"He's been a horse for us," Lucchino said. "He's been sensational over the years and this is, by no means, meant to be a sayonara to Curt Schilling in any way, shape or form."

Schilling reiterated that even if he wasn’t pitching in Boston next season, he wouldn’t consider signing with the Yankees.

“That’s not a place I think I could finish my career after what’s happened here,” he said.

Schilling, who acts as his own agent, is due to make $13 million in the final year of his deal with Boston. He said at the end of January that he told the team he'll play for the same salary and that more money "was not a very big deal to me."

So what happens now?

“Now we go about getting ready for the season and doing the things we do,” Schilling said.

Red Sox superstar David Ortiz rolled into camp this morning and sped out this afternoon in the new Toyota Tundra truck that he said team owner John Henry awarded him this morning.

“That was my breakfast,” he said. “I saw it this morning, but I don’t know what kind it is. I’ll be rolling on it.”

Ortiz revealed the gift when he was asked a question today about all the perks that were afforded this offseason in the acquisition of Daisuke Matsuzaka.

“My first truck ever,” he said. “That’s what I got for my new year.”

This isn’t the first time he has been given a gift from Red Sox brass, Ortiz said. “I get a little bit of something every year. That’s why I keep on rolling man. I like presents.”

Ortiz joked that maybe the truck was an act on ownership’s part after baseball salaries exploded during the offseason. The slugger will make $11.5 million this season, a relative bargain on the market for a player that hit 54 homers and 137 runs batted in last season.

“I know there was a lot of good things happening out there,” Ortiz said of the high-priced winter. “It’s something you can’t control. You make decisions, something happens, you already did what you were supposed to, I guess. Doesn’t bother me, I guess. I’m still going to be young when this contract finishes. Hopefully the money is still out there like that.”

The 31-year-old Ortiz’s deal runs through the 2010 season (there's also an option for 2011).

The one gift Ortiz didn’t receive Wednesday was the batter who hits behind him in the lineup. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein confirmed today that Ramirez will report March 1 because of a family issue.

“He’s got to do what he’s got to do,” Ortiz said. “I would be doing the same thing if I still had my momma alive.”

When asked if he was pleased that Ramirez was not traded in the offseason, Ortiz said the market simply was not there for any deal to be made.

“It’s hard to find a player like Manny,” he said. “When you go out there, Manny’s got to be one of the best hitters in the game, no doubt about it. It’s hard to trade Manny because of his salary. It’s hard to get somebody when you trade Manny. That’s what’s been the problem…get what you deserve.

“Manny is still crazy I’m still babysitting him. Same thing.”

Ortiz said the offseason was difficult in his Dominican homeland because he has become so recognizable (Despite Julio Lugo’s assertion that he could run for president and win, Ortiz said he had no interest in being a politician because everybody hates you once you become one).

“I always tell people that everyone looks the same to me in Japan,” Ortiz joked. “Which is cool, man because I wish we could be like that in the Dominican, so we can hide.”

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein confirmed today that Manny Ramirez will report to camp on March 1, due to a family matter.

Epstein and manager Terry Francona spoke of Ramirez reporting and being “accountable," but stressed that this was a message no different for anyone else on the team.

"Manny’s going to be here ready to go March 1," Epstein said. "He’s got a family situation. The important thing from our perspective, at this point, is that when he does show up on March 1 that he’s ready to go, accountable to his teammates, accountable to the organization."

Francona also said that he spoke with Manny and his agent last night.

Pitcher Julian Tavarez told the media earlier this week that Ramirez would not report until March 1 because he was with his mother in Weston, Fla. after she had undergone surgery for a feared tumor. Tavarez also told the Globe's Gordon Edes this was not the reason Ramirez was going to be late. "Manny being Manny," he said.

David Ortiz, looking fit and trim, emerged from the Red Sox clubhouse at 12:43 this afternoon, closely followed by Mike Lowell, as the position players headed out to the practice fields to go through conditioning drills. Alex Cora also made his first appearance of the spring.

Still no sign though of Manny Ramirez.

J.D. Drew held his first press conference today, and no, they didn't roll him out on a gurney. The new Red Sox right fielder, signed to a five-year, $70 million contract, said he's as healthy as he's been in a long time, is having no problems with his surgically repaired right shoulder, and has played a lot of catch in the offseason with no problems.

"Last year was a healing process,'' Drew said, referring to a season in which he went nearly two months without a home run and admitted that the shoulder surgery he'd had in September 2005 had adversely affected his throwing.

Drew said he was looking forward to learning the right field corner in Fenway and that he would "hopefully be a solid defender'' with the Sox. He is looking forward to being part of a 3-4-5 with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez and said on paper this should be the best lineup he's ever been a part of.

Drew, who sported a small goatee, deflected questions about critics who have accused him of being a passive player, saying critical comments made by former manager Tony La Russa would not stop him from saying hello to him if he saw him.

One of his most outspoken critics in the past was Curt Schilling, who was with the Phillies when Drew spurned an offer to sign with Philadelphia and wound up going to the Cardinals instead. On the Cardinals' first visit to Philly, Schilling invited the fans to boo Drew, egging them on with, "This is going to be one of the defining moments for our fans,'' Schilling said at the time, adding, "I expect them to participate in this exercise of booism.''

Phillies fans not only booed Drew, but threw batteries, coins and rolls of toilet paper at him, and Cards manager La Russa ripped Schill for baiting the fans. Drew had single, triple, stole a base and scored two runs in that game, then hit a 434-foot homer the next.

"That goes way, way back,'' Drew said with a smile. "We're completely fine.''

Drew said he saw Schill on the treadmill this morning, but didn't say whether they'd talked. He did mention that when the Sox played the Braves in 2004, his brother Tim drilled Manny with a pitch, and he said Schilling, who pitched a complete game, tried to hit him in retaliation but he was nimble enough to get out of the way.

Click here to listen to the entire press conference.

NESN has announced that Dice-K's first start, scheduled for March 2 against Boston College, has been added to their broadcast schedule, and they'll be airing it live starting at 6 p.m.

For all you Eagles fans, though, my sense is they're not planning to air the whole game ... they've got some hockey commitments, too, so it may just be the couple of innings Matsuzaka is pitching.

J.D. Drew will make his first appearance before the assembled media in 15 minutes. You may remember the Sox (and/or Drew) downplayed his signing, maybe because it took 52 days to finalize his contract. There was no press conference in Boston, just a conference call, so this will be his first bit before the cameras.

Time to pass along another Daisuke factoid: Daisuke struck out 200 batters last season, while walking just 34. That's a K-to-walk ratio of 5.88, which would have put him behind only Curt Schilling among major league qualifiers (Schill K'd 183, walked 28).

Red Sox pitchers and catchers are out on the practice fields pretty much going through the same routine as they have the past three days -- stretch, toss, fielding practice. All in a day’s work.

Pitcher J.C Romero did, however, cause a mini-stir among the fans when he emerged from the restroom trailer -- the public restroom trailer -- that is situated between the fields during team stretching.

Julian Tavarez and Joel Pineiro played a little long toss (Tavarez situated in mid-center field, Pineiro on the foul line) before hitting the bullpen for a throwing session, along with Mike Timlin, Brendan Donnelly, and Manny Delcarmen. Meanwhile, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, and Hideki Okajima participated in fielding drills, including making a pivot throw to second, and making an out at the plate.

There's no official count, but there seem to be a lot more fans on hand today. And the mass of media here to cover Daisuke Matsuzaka's every move has dwindled with each passing day, from a few hundred Sunday, to maybe half that yesterday, to even less today. Maybe they have enough pictures by now?

The vaunted Boston media corps missed the arrival of David Ortiz...

He stopped by early last night, my sources tell me, and is now undergoing his physical at a doctor's office off-campus. He'll of course be here in a little while. If I had to guess, he'll be holding court around noon, if not sooner.

Greetings from the Fort, where the early word is that new outfielder J.D. Drew stopped by unobserved late yesterday afternoon to drop off his stuff, and we're now waiting for the arrival of the Big Man, David Ortiz. The Japanese TV cameras, of course, are set up outside again waiting for you-know-who. Wonder if they expect him to show up on a moped one morning?

Dennis and Callahan have been at it since 6 a.m., their makeshift studio a table outside the press trailers, and WBZ's Jonny Miller arrived at 3, his wireless connections having stopped working at his hotel.

One of the extra guys is already in the cage, hitting -- he's so extra I don't know who he is yet. This morning will be devoted to physicals for the position players, with the pitchers doing their normal drills. This afternoon, the position players will be conditioning.

An early Daisuke Matsuzaka factoid to ponder this morning: According to one Japanese website I was reading this a.m., Daisuke averaged 145 pitches a start in 2005, "only" 138 last season. For comparison's sake, our old friend Bronson Arroyo led the majors with an average of 110.06 pitches per start, while Barry Zito led the AL at 107.82. (Schill was third in the AL at 104.77.)

Wily Mo Pena, in his return to spring training, sent one ball soaring over the fence in batting practice -- and broke his bat in the process. Not only did he smash the ball, but shattered the barrel, with the biggest chunk landing over by third base. Afterwards, even Wily Mo expressed some incredulity at the bat breaking and the home run. Meanwhile, he's just getting used to his first start of spring training with the Sox. He arrived in town from his house in Tampa yesterday with his agent, Josh Zeide, and tried to arrive early this morning at the minor league complex.

Except he ended up at City of Palms Park. Someone at the park had to alert him to the fact that he was the only one around, sending him all the way down Edison Road to meet up with the rest of the team.

Foibles aside, Pena seemed happy to be back, though he -- like a number of the players -- asked when Manny Ramirez was planning on showing up. He laughed when told the latest word is March 1. Just laughed. (His locker in the clubhouse is next to David Ortiz, with an empty space, and then Manny's locker.) He then proceeded to open some fan mail, including one with photos of a one year old whose parents called their son "Wily Mo" while the mother was pregnant. There was a picture included of the kid in a T-shirt with Wily Mo's name across the back. Fans from Cincinnati, apparently.

I also got a chance to talk to George Kottaras, who is quite the good talker. Kottaras, from Toronto originally, has only been playing baseball since he was 15. He spent much of his offseason in Phoenix before heading to Florida for the rookie development program on January 31. We were discussing the difficulty in putting names to faces with 60 or so guys in the clubhouse. When asked whether he studied the roster in the offseason, a big smile crept across his face and he said, "No comment."

More interesting about Kottaras is that he went to a small community college in Oklahoma. Which one? Connors State College. Yup, the very same one that Julio Lugo also attended. Both were coached by the longtime head man there, Perry Keith, and each spent two years in Warner, Oklahoma. It's a long way from a big city like New York City (Lugo) or Toronto (Kottaras). But it clearly has a way with players. Kottaras spent his time there with Humberto Sanchez, one of the minor leaguers traded from Detroit to the Yankees in the Gary Sheffield deal.

Tomorrow means physicals for the position players, which means they're all supposed to be here, so look for J.D. Drew and David Ortiz as the two big arrivals. That's all from me today. Check back in the a.m. for more information as it happens from down here in Fort Myers.

Some tidbits from camp today:

The blog universe got a bit carried away about an item that appeared in this space regarding the Sox closer situation, citing an interview I did with Theo Epstein that will appear on NESN tomorrow night. Another website took at face value a joke made by Sox chairman Tom Werner about the Sox already knowing who their closer was -- IT WAS A JOKE, KIDS -- and linking it to my interview with Theo, saying that Theo hinted Papelbon would be the closer.

Can I say this loud enough to be heard in cyberspace? That’s not what he said. Essentially, what he said was no different than we've been reporting for, oh, the last six weeks or so -- going back to the Boston baseball writers dinner -- that the Sox have not ruled out Papelbon as an option.

Here's Theo's quote from the NESN interview, which was in response to a question from me, in which I noted he'd stood behind Joel Pineiro in his first throwing session, whether he was reasonably sure someone would emerge to claim the closer's job, and whether he would consider returning Papelbon to that role.

Theo: "We certainly hope a closer emerges from this group we have, either one of the veterans who have filled in when we needed it in the past, like a Timlin or one of the really talented relievers coming off a bad year, like a Romero or even a Donnelly who is coming off a subpar year for him, or one of the younger guys, like a Delcarmen or Hansen or even someone who may be targeted to start in the minor leagues. So hopefully, someone out of that group emerges. I hope I didn't forget anyone, Julian Tavarez as well as Pineiro coming over, but if they don't we have options. We have options internally, if Jon [Papelbon]'s shoulder progresses to a point we're comfortable it makes sense overall in the scheme of this ballclub and his career. And then we have options outside of the organization as well. We can always pursue a trade. Yeah, it's an unsettling feeling not to have that guy now. I think as that person emerges, we'll all feel better.''

Aside from Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and J.D. Drew, Red Sox position players reported to camp Tuesday, with Alex Cora on the way.

“Other than that, I think everybody might have been on that field today,” manager Terry Francona said.

For the second straight day, Francona refused to comment on Julian Tavarez’s assertion that Ramirez will not report until March 1.

“Until I have something to the contrary of him being here, I sort of think it’s not correct for me to say something,” he said.

During their meeting with the media, owner John Henry and Tom Werner had the following light-hearted exchange about the closer spot:

Werner: "Well, we don’t have one today, but hopefully we’ll have one soon."

Henry: "I thought we had one today."

Werner: "Well, you said we did."

Henry: "We do have one, I guess we just can’t tell you who that is. It hasn’t been announced? No closer has been announced? ... You can’t always believe what you hear."

You hear the rest of Henry and Werner's press conference here.

Separately, in an interview with the Globe’s Gordon Edes that will air on NESN tomorrow night, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said that Jonathan Papelbon remained among the team's many options at closer.

Red Sox owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, and a contingent that included new Red Sox business partner Jack Roush, joined general manager Theo Epstein this morning to watch Daisuke Matsuzaka take the bullpen mound, getting their first spring glance at their offseason prize.

Matsuzaka threw with the same group that he did on Sunday – Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, and Curt Schilling.

Following their session, the group took pitchers fielding practice with manager Terry Francona and Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson, forming three teams of two – Schilling and Okajima, Matsuzaka and Wakefield, and Papelbon and Beckett. The Schilling-Okajima and Matsuzaka-Wakefield teams tied the first round with 20 stopped balls, after Matsuzaka stopped an impressive streak , 12 in a row, to carry his teammate. (By the way, according to Johnson, the record is 25 in a row for a team).

Papelbon and Beckett didn’t fare quite as well. After Beckett managed to stop only two, Papelbon, spotting a sea of random balls on the ground and faced with the challenge of getting 18 in a row just to tie, asked for a reload on the number of balls Francona and Johnson had at their disposal.

“Nah,” Francona said. "I don’t think we’re going to need one.”

Papelbon managed to stop just seven, slamming his glove to the ground.

Schilling and Okajima went on to take the second round, 18-13.

Francona should be speaking to the media shortly. We’ll try and find out which other position players have reported.

Newly signed Wily Mo Pena appeared at camp today, though he wasn't in the clubhouse this morning. Perhaps a late arrival. Saw his back as he walked across the grass and knew it could only be one person. No one else on this team is that big.

He immediately headed out to the outfield on the field with position players to start practicing. Pena's contract was finalized on Friday just before he headed to arbitration with the team, a $1.875 million pact that kept Theo Epstein from his first trip to arbitration as the general manager of the Sox.

And, on another note, after practicing at third base yesterday, Kevin Youkilis was back at first today. Mike Lowell took his place at third.

It's beautiful here today, so you can start getting jealous. And, no, I am not looking for hate email. It's just a statement of fact.

Just an added note on Coco Crisp. He arrived yesterday evening around 10:30 p.m. on a flight from California that was supposed to get in about five hours earlier, before turning around and waking up this morning at 3 a.m. West Coast time. So he can be excused for dragging just a bit this morning.

As for his son, Crisp said the kid will be his last (his daughter is nearly two). He's not complaining about the week or so he'll have before his family flies in from California. He said he can use the sleep. No crying kid, no midnight feedings, no diaper changes. Not a bad break.

Crisp, for some reason, is about the most organized ballplayer I've ever met. (In his locker at Fenway, he has a white organizer on the floor, stacked neatly with his things, while most players just leave whatever they have strewn throughout their lockers.) He was lamenting the organizer's absence from his spring training digs, while surveying the load of brown boxes sitting in front of him full of stuff. Moments after the pack of reporters surrounding him drifted off, he set to work on unpacking and getting everything settled.

Other than that it was a pretty quiet morning, just a lot of players greeting the newcomers, boxes lying around, people trying not to trip over each other in the limited walking space of the clubhouse. (On that note, I almost became infamous the other day. While talking to David Pauley at his locker, Curt Schilling walked behind me and stumbled over my heel. Of all the ways to make my name known, I was hoping not to have it be because I hobbled the team's ace in spring training. But no worries. Curt righted himself, and continued on his way, after apologizing. Whew. Missed a close one.)

That's it for me, for now. I promise I'll be better about posting than I've been over the weekend. Don't worry. And thanks for all the emails about missing me.

Does Curt Schilling have something to prove to Theo Epstein before he gets a new contract?

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein sat down with WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan in Fort Myers this morning to answer a few questions about the pitching staff, the new arrivals, Schilling’s status, and more this morning.

Surprisingly, the hosts did not ask Epstein if he had heard from Sox slugger Manny Ramirez, who reportedly will not arrive in camp until March 1, or if Epstein would confirm Ramirez’s arrival date as today is the team’s reporting date for players.

Epstein was asked if he expected a deal to get done for Curt Schilling to pitch in ’08.

“Yeah, I have little doubt in my mind that if Curt wants to pitch in ’08 that he’s going to be a member of the Boston Red Sox,” said Epstein. “As far as the timing of the deal, or the nature of the deal, that remains to be seen. He’s sort of at the point in his career where, as an organization, we’ve been slower to commit guaranteed money in the future. We tend to like guys to kind of prove it at that age but, you know, we’re talking and I’m sure there will be an amicable resolution one way or the other.”

Theo also spoke about the high cost to acquire quality pitching in today’s market.

“I can’t say we saw the whole market shift [on the high price of pitching] coming early enough because otherwise we would have done things differently,” said Epstein. “Last offseason we would have signed all our guys, but I think we did see the pitching market coming and we got Josh [Beckett] done at a really good number and we were proactive with [Daisuke] Matsuzaka because we knew to get even the second or third best pitcher later in the offseason, would be more expensive.”

Coco Crisp has arrived in Fort Myers, growing his hair out over the winter, which sparked some remarks from Jason Varitek and manager Terry Francona.

“If you decide to cut it, put it in a bag and give it to me,” quipped the hair-challenged manager.

Crisp, who kept finding himself playing with his new locks in the clubhouse, said the hair is probably here to stay on the account of his wife. “She thinks it’s sexy,” he said.

As for being dropped from the leadoff spot in the batting order this season with the addition of Julio Lugo, Crisp said he’s excited about the prospects of his new slot. He also recounted that he hit well batting second behind Grady Sizemore in his time in Cleveland.

Crisp and his wife also had a son during the offseason, Caden Covelli Crisp (CCC, Crisp said), who was born on Nov. 21.

It’s shaping up to be a picture-perfect day here at the minor league complex. Not a cloud in the sky, and despite some early chill (temperatures in the 40’s), it’s expected to warm up rapidly, with highs in the 70’s. The ideal day for spring training.

Things are pretty quiet for now, but it should be a pretty active day with positional players due to report today. NESN has erected a large staging area in between the fields where they will begin programming tomorrow night. Other than that, there’s not much else to report. The Sox should hit the fields around 9. We’ll have plenty more throughout the day, so keep checking in.

A day before position players are due to report, Mike Lowell stopped by the player development training facility, and chances are better than even that David Ortiz will hold court tomorrow.

New Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo showed up at camp today and said he feels “bananas” about the lineup that he’s joining.

“We’ve got a good team,” he said.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona compared the enthusiasm that Lugo will bring to the club to that of Orlando Cabrera after coming over from the Montreal Expos at the 2004 trading deadline.

“Similar type of attitude,” Francona said. “He’s got that type of attitude that I think, in Boston, will make him a better player. The atmosphere we have, I think, will bring out the best he can be. It happened with [David] Ortiz and it certainly happened with Orlando Cabrera.”

Francona also admitted that Lugo, who has made 20-plus errors three of the last four years, would have a tough act to follow in Alex Gonzalez.

“The thing we’re going to battle is the guy who played here last year played the best shortstop we’ve ever seen. The best shortstop I’ve ever seen. Nobody is going to do that again.”

Lugo comes in already good friends with Sox star sluggers Manny Ramirez and Ortiz, the latter of whom he played against in the Dominican Winter League and would frequent restaurants with.

“He makes a little more money, so he has to take me to dinner now,” Lugo said.

You can hear more of Lugo’s comments today by clicking here.

Add Mike Timlin to the list of candidates to close for the Red Sox.

Manager Terry Francona said today that the veteran reliever is probably one the pitchers who could be tabbed with the role if need be by the time camp breaks.

“He’s probably a candidate to be our closer if things don’t pan out,” Francona said.” But his value is so much needed, whether it’s the 6th 7th or 8th inning….He’s so versatile but he can close. He can do anything we ask him to do, and that’s huge.”

Last season, Timlin struggled down the stretch, finishing 6-6 with a 4.36 ERA. Francona said that he was convinced that his participation in the World Baseball Classic affected him during the season.

“It was a battle the whole year,” Francona said. “I think he was behind the gun from the day he got back from the WBC.”

Of the names most mentioned as the top prospects to be the team’s closer, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, and Joel Piniero all threw off mounds today during workouts, as did Timlin. Francona said it is the team’s job over the next few weeks to assign roles to specific pitchers.

“The biggest thing is, it’s not a competition,” Francona said. “We’ve got names out there and we want to get them in roles where we feel we’re best suited to compete every day.”

Terry Francona isn’t touching this one.

When asked about Julian Tavarez’s comments regarding Manny Ramirez - who told Tavarez he would not be reporting to camp until March 1- Francona elected to go the no comment route.

“I haven’t talked to him,” he said. “Lot of he said, she said that I’m not sure is true.”

Tavarez said this morning that Ramirez’s mother had surgery recently for what was feared to have been a tumor in her chest and that Ramirez, who is in western Florida with her, had been having a difficult time dealing with the situation. Tavarez also told the Globe’s Gordon Edes this morning, however, that his mother's condition is not the reason for his tardiness. "Manny being Manny," Tavarez said.

“If somebody calls me and tells me something happens it’s easier for me to comment than his publicist, Julian, saying this,” Francona said. “Let me get it figured out here.”

More from Francona in a bit…

With Daisuke Matsuzaka not throwing off the bullpen mound today, there was considerably much more room to breathe, not to mention see, in the area to the rear of the minor league complex.

Red Sox pitchers Manny Delcarmen, Julian Tavarez, Brendan Donnelly, and Joel Piniero were in the first group. Delcarmen, Piniero, and Donnelly were audibly popping the mitt with a bit more oomph on occasion, while Tavarez and Timlin enjoyed more of a soft toss. J.C. Romero, Runelvys Hernandez, Craig Breslow, Craig Hansen, and Javier Lopez were in the second group to throw.

Meanwhile, over the fence, manager Terry Francona continued to put the hurlers through PFP (pitcher fielding practice). Francona sounds like he really enjoys this part of the job, kidding around with the pitchers, calling it yesterday a nice spring bonding exercise.

Speaking of Francona, he should be meeting with the media shortly, along with newcomer Julio Lugo. We’ll bring you those comments in a bit.

For those of you particularly interested in the chemistry in the new double play combination of Dustin Pedroia and Julio Lugo, the pair met today for the first time. Pedroia had mentioned to me yesterday that he had yet to meet the effervescent (my word, not his) shortstop and was looking forward to it. He got his wish today, as Lugo showed up on the day before position players are supposed to report (though he had originally indicated he would be here on Friday), and was already out on the field for drills with the other non-pitchers and catchers. We just saw the pair of infielders taking ground balls. They're not quite up to working on double plays yet. It's still early.

In case you were wondering, Lugo came into camp clean-shaven, unlike Kevin Youkilis, whose thick reddish beard balances his shaved head.

Youkilis, for what it's worth, spent the morning taking grounders at third base, alongside Eric Hinske.

Meanwhile, the pitchers scheduled to take to bullpen mounds today included just about every reliever other than Hideki Okajima, who participated with the starters yesterday.

That's the current excitement. I can tell you (again) that it's still cold here. Sunny, but it was in the 40s as I was driving in. Tina Cervasio just remarked to me that we need a vat of Dunkin' Donuts coffee just to warm up -- not to mention for the caffeine factor after all these 6 a.m. wakeups we've been having.

Looks like Lugo should be talking today. We'll bring you the latest from the shortstop -- since we last met with him in the Dominican Republic -- sometime this afternoon. I know you are all eagerly anticipating the news. We're here for you.

Red Sox relief pitcher Julian Tavarez, and friend of Manny Ramirez, held court in the Red Sox clubhouse this morning, discussing the latest developments surrounding the slugger’s anticipated arrival in camp.

“I spoke to Manny yesterday and he said he’s going to be here the first, March 1,” Tavarez said. Tomorrow is the reporting date for positional players in camp.

Ramirez was given permission by the Red Sox to report on March 1 last season, but as of last night, manager Terry Francona told the Globe’s Gordon Edes he had no knowledge of the situation.

Tavarez said that Ramirez’s mother had surgery recently for what was feared to have been a tumor in her chest and that Ramirez, who is in Weston, Fla. with her, had been having a difficult time dealing with the situation.

“Everybody here is like Manny, Manny, Manny, so nobody believes that. But this is true about his mom,” Tavarez said. “She’ll be OK, but she really got surgery.”

Tavarez did tell Edes this morning, however, that his mother's condition is not the reason for his tardiness. "Manny being Manny," Tavarez said.

Tavarez said that despite the health of his mother, Ramirez seemed to be in good spirits.

“The way he sounded yesterday, he was laughing,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s because his mom, you know she’s home already and he’s happy. But he said, ‘Hang in there, I’ll be there the first.’ I said you better show up out here, what the hell are you doing home? He was just laughing. It’s Manny.”

Tavarez also said to rest assured that Ramirez would show up in shape and ready for the exhibition season.

“Manny is really prepared for the things that he does to play ball,” he said. “He’s worked hard in the offseason, always shows up in good shape. Manny is going to show up late, Manny is going to show up early, he’s still going to put up 100 RBI, 40 home runs and hit .300. He’s a natural player right there.”

Just to give you an idea of the attention the Red Sox are drawing here at the Fort Myers minor league complex: Upon arriving at 7:15 this morning, there was already a pair of satellite trucks set up out front, approximately 15 cars in the media parking lot, and about 35-40 vehicles in the Red Sox players and personnel section.

A quick count while driving past the Minnesota Twins’ spring training facility, where pitchers and catchers reported yesterday, about 20 minutes earlier revealed a grand total of 11 cars. Give or take.

It should be another hectic day here, with the latest edition of the Manny Watch upon us. Red Sox pitcher Julian Tavarez told WBZ’s Dan Roche last night that Manny Ramírez will not report to camp until March 1 because his mother requires surgery for an undisclosed reason. Red Sox manager Terry Francona told the Globe’s Gordon Edes last night that he had not yet been informed of the situation.

So, here we go…

The players should take the field for workouts in a couple hours. We’ll have more in a bit.

Red Sox pitcher Julian Tavarez said in a TV interview tonight 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 tonight 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 Tuesday, 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."

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling articulated on a number of topics this afternoon, from his learning Japanese, to the current state of his contract negotiations, to how the Red Sox plan to deal with all the added attention and media that will be with the Red Sox this season.

Listen to his comments here. Forgive the occasional gust of wind. It was so strong that at one point, prior to Terry Francona taking the stage before Schilling, one of the speakers from which the team pumped the audio went crashing to the cement.

While manager Terry Francona was hitting fungoes to pitchers on one side of the fence, the other boasted Boston’s potential starting rotation, fully intact, with Tim Wakefield, Jonathan Papelbon, Curt Schilling, and Josh Beckett, plus Hideki Okajima, pitching left to right on the handful of practice pitching rubbers aligning the field.

On the far end was pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who threw 40-plus pitches, and was popping the mitt of Jason Varitek at a much more audible rate than any of the others.

“That’s really not what we want today,” Francona said. “You know, talking to John [Farrell, pitching coach], he had to back a couple of guys off, just because he thought they were throwing a little firm.”

Matsuzaka met with the media following the workout and said he threw about 60-70 percent of his normal velocity.

“It was a different way of approaching, but overall I think it worked out well,” he said.

Jason Varitek just spoke about some of the challenges that he will face this season with the language barrier between himself and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

"Baby steps," he joked with the Japanese contingent. Varitek also spoke about the major differences in catching Hideo Nomo and what he expects with Matsuzaka.

Listen to his comments here.

Workouts are done for the day, and Red Sox manager Terry Francona and Curt Schilling just finished meeting with the media here at the minor league complex.

After Schilling met with one group of media members, he headed on over to the Funai Media Tent, where he exhibited some of the conversational Japanese he has been working on to Daisuke Matsuzaka’s chroniclers. Schilling repeated the Japanese words he said to Matsuzaka upon meeting him for the first time this spring, and even drew a smattering of applause from the Japanese media folk. Whatever it was that he said, it was some form of hello.

“I said it at the same time as he did, and I realized I was saying it wrong,” Schilling said.

More to come…

Of the few hundred Red Sox fans in attendance at the start of today’s workout, I’d estimate about three-quarters to be Japanese, thrilled to get sight of Daisuke Matsuzaka.

As Red Sox pitchers and catchers filed out of the clubhouse and onto the practice field, Matsuzaka sparked applause, mostly drowned out by the shrieks of his female fans. Think Justin Timberlake walking into the lobby of your local high school. He was closely followed by Jason Varitek, who was sporting a silly grin over the spectacle of it all.

And, as you might have heard, there’s a lot of Japanese media on hand here. The scrum oozed onto the practice field, attempting to catch another shot of Matsuzaka, prompting Curt Schilling to have Red Sox personnel push the cameras back. The whole scene is quite surreal, really. Even more so considering the players are out there, you know, stretching.

The sun is shining brightly, but temperatures haven’t accompanied it, a breeze keeping things somewhere in the low 50’s. I had to run back to the media trailer to retrieve my windbreaker, fooled by the sight of blue skies.

Some more drills and then Curt Schilling and Terry Francona are going to meet with the media. We’ll bring you those comments soon after.

Don't worry. I haven't abandoned you. We've just added a new face to the blog rotation, Eric Wilbur.

Got a chance to catch up with a few new faces in the clubhouse this morning, including the newly arrived Eric Hinske and Julian Tavarez.

Hinske said he got in last night around 10 p.m., ready to be in spring training. All that working out -- even with a trainer -- can get a bit tedious and lonely at times, so he headed to Fort Myers for his first spring training with the Sox a bit earlier than the position players are required to arrive, on Tuesday. Hinske spent the offseason at his home in Scottsdale, with a brief trip to Wisconsin for his brother's wedding (apparently it was pretty cold up there -- go figure). The small group of position players here so far will conduct workouts together, including Hinske, Dustin Pedroia, Joe McEwing, and others.

When I headed over to say my hello to Tavarez, he was making some sort of a shake with bananas and protein powder already put in the blender. He offered to let me try it. I wasn't going to go for it, but Jonathan Papelbon requested one of his own. A braver person than me, apparently. Though perhaps that's not a difficult assignment.

While I was in that portion of the locker room, where the pitchers are situated, I introduced myself to righthander Adam Bernero, a non-roster invitee to camp. Bernero's locker was placed right in the middle of the Kansas City Royals refuge, near Kyle Snyder and Runelvys Hernandez, though Bernero's played just about everywhere -- Detroit, Colorado, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. He marveled at the number of reporters in the clubhouse, asking if it's always like this around the Red Sox. I assured him that it's not, that this is mostly a reaction to a single player, Daisuke Matsuzaka, of course. The going estimate is about 30-40 reporters for the first day of workouts, including Peter Gammons. No, not like this always. We'll see how it translates in the tiny confines of the Sox home clubhouse -- or on the road in such small spaces as the visiting clubhouse in Toronto.

OK, out to watch workouts. We'll be back. (I'm just happy the rain has stopped and the sun has emerged, though no warmth yet.)

After a wet start to the day, the sun has come out shining here the minor league complex, where the Red Sox are getting set to take the field for today’s workout, beginning at 9. We’ll have some updates for you throughout the day.

Just got out of the Red Sox clubhouse, where pinned to the bulletin board are four red laminated sheets detailing a hitter’s approach at the plate. They included:

Clearly today wasn't an easy day for everybody. An obviously drained Manny Delcarmen indicated that the players weren't exactly taking it easy with the conditioning drills, making them do shuttle runs and shuffle drills with cones and medicine ball throws. He looked over at some of the other young pitchers, and said with a smile, "Everybody can't stand up." While they all did manage to stand up, and get their gear together, and head out of the clubhouse, some of the pitchers did look a little tired in their return to baseball after the offseason -- Delcarmen seemed happy he wouldn't be throwing tomorrow, as it's mostly just the starters.

Jason Varitek's press availability ran mostly to his return from an injury-marred season (though he refused to use them as excuses) and his communication with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Varitek said he hasn't tried to learn any Japanese, and wasn't planning on it, unless it became crucial for communication on the mound. He watched Matsuzaka, as he did with other pitchers, on tape that pitching coach John Farrell sent. But, he said, it's difficult to see and understand the movement on the ball from that angle. As for his own health, he said his elbow -- the one he broke -- is as good as it has been in a number of years, enabling to workout without limitations in the offseason.

Francona, in his press talk, discussed those three-on-one meetings, added his impression of the Curt Schilling contract negotiation -- saying it will never affect him on the mound -- and the fitness of Dustin Pedroia (looked good, noticeably different).

That's about all for me from here. Tomorrow should be interesting, with many of the pitchers -- Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, Hideki Okajima, Tim Wakefield, Curt Schilling, Abe Alvarez, Jonathan Papelbon, Kason Gabbard, Jon Lester, Kyle Snyder, Travis Hughes, Bryan Corey, Devern Hansack, and David Pauley -- throwing.

For now, have an excellent Saturday night. We'll see you back here again tomorrow.

Hey, all. It's back to the minor league complex on a day that's sunnier than I expected, though still cold (not as cold as yesterday, however). The big news is a couple of new arrivals to spring training, including Curt Schilling, the slimmed down Dustin Pedroia, and Julian Tavarez. Right now they're all out on one of the far fields doing some testing drills, after having all taken their physicals today.

Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, and Terry Francona all spoke today on the two-step permanent green risers outside the clubhouse that have been used for all big interviews (or at least the big interviews not done in front of the Japanese media in the Funai tent). I will try to update you on the notable things they said in another blog entry.

Meanwhile, I wanted to let you in on the big new thing the Red Sox are doing here on the first full day in camp. Pitching coach John Farrell suggested, after he joined the organization, that it might be helpful to conduct one-on-one meetings with every pitcher in camp. Francona said he had considered doing so before, but the lack of an office at the minor league complex prevented him in previous years. But they managed to clear out a space and Francona (and Farrell and general manager Theo Epstein) had three-on-one meetings today, prescheduled, with lists of times having been distributed previously to the pitchers. Basically they wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page in terms of expectations and understanding how the organization works, amid other topics.

With those done, they hit the field for the conditioning.

Just wanted to check in. We'll try to get you some more information (and fun stuff!) later on in the day.

I'm back from my "real" job, writing for the print edition of the paper. Make sure to read it all tomorrow.

I just wanted to update you on some of the comments made by those Red Sox players and coaches who held press availability during the day, including Josh Beckett and pitching coach John Farrell. You'll have to read Gordon Edes tomorrow in the Globe for an update on the press conference held by manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein -- hope I got your interest up. (I promised not to steal his thunder.)

Pitching coach John Farrell talked about his Japanese lessons, and the possibility that he'll need some help on the mound. (More on that can be found in tomorrow's Red Sox notebook.) He also discussed the role of the closer, indicating that it will most likely come down to one of the oft-repeated group of four righthanded pitchers, Brendan Donnelly, Joel Pineiro, Julian Tavarez, or Mike Timlin. He wouldn't handicap the race, shockingly, with spring training workouts not having yet started.

Farrell also talked about the three-hour lunch he had with Beckett in Texas in the offseason, something that Beckett said he didn't think was possible.

"We just sat there and talked," Beckett said. "I like a lot of his ideas, and I think he's going to be a big help."

Beckett said he's much more comfortable this year, coming in for his second season with the team. Some new faces, but certainly not as many as last season. He spent some time in the offseason pondering his "ups and downs" and working on pinpointing the reasons for his inconsistencies. Listening to Jason Varitek -- and leaving games in his hands -- seems to be one of the biggest. ("Trust Tek" was his advice to Daisuke Matsuzaka.)

Two pieces of information that seem to be on the minds of Red Sox Nation. Nope, I have no idea when Manny Ramirez will be showing up to camp. I can only assume he'll be here Tuesday with the rest of the position players, but I surely will not be betting on it. (Perhaps, though, that is because I refuse to gamble.)

Also, Matt Clement arrived today, as I mentioned earlier. We didn't get a chance to speak with him, but he looks good. I will do my best to get an update on his shoulder and his rehab as soon as I can -- and I'll be happy to share that all with you.

For now, the Globies down here in Fort Myers are heading out to dinner, braving those frosty temperatures. If anything breaks, you'll find it on here. But, for now, keep warm and keep checking Extra Bases. There will be posts over the weekend -- see, we're not just for those of you peeking at work -- so you can keep updated as the pitchers and catchers take physicals and have their first official workouts.

We'll catch you later.

I know you are all clamoring for more blogging. And, finally, I'm here to give it to you!

The wireless was down most of the day at the complex, so I'm back in my hotel room, ready to write my story for the paper, and ready to give you a few more tidbits from the day that you were waiting for all offseason.

Pitchers and catchers.

The big arrivals today included Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement, Mike Timlin, and Doug Mirabelli. Unless we missed something, Mirabelli did not have to resort to a police escort and sirens. He arrived quietly, though he was wearing orange. Joel Pineiro was also around today, having arrived a few days ago. (He was throwing with a red glove today. Hideki Okajima has also been spotted with a red version.) They're starting to trickle in, greeted by a massive pack of media and chilly temperatures.

Varitek drove down from Georgia yesterday, arriving last night. I asked him to contribute a story or anecdote to the blog. He looked up at me, somewhat incredulously, and asked if I remembered the last time he told anyone in the media a story. Good point, Jason. He did say he would speak with the media tomorrow. No time today.

Got a chance to catch up with Alberto Castillo, the new free agent catcher brought in this season. I met him for the first time, as I mentioned recently, when I was down in the Dominican. He's an interesting guy, has been around forever, or at least since he signed at 17. (He turned 37 earlier this week.) Perhaps the key piece of information was the fact that he can actually speak a bit of Japanese. He's not fluent or anything, but he's caught Hideo Nomo and Masato Yoshii, so he has at least a foundation of baseball terminology. We'll keep watch on whether he spends some time catching either Okajima or Daisuke Matsuzaka during spring training. He also has a reunion coming up -- outfielder Alex Ochoa was his roommate in Triple A back in the early '90s.

Time to write for the print edition. I should be back for a final entry in a few hours.

The following information provided by the Globe's Gordon Edes and Amalie Benjamin, and the Associated Press:

The Red Sox avoided an arbitration hearing with outfielder Wily Mo Pena today by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.875 million.

The Sox had initially offered $1.725 million; Peña was asking for $2.2 million. A hearing had been scheduled for today.

Pena hit .301 with 11 homers and 42 RBI for the Sox last year while playing in 84 games. He was sidelined some with a wrist injury.

"We certainly weren't afraid to go" to the hearing, general manager Theo Epstein said, but "both sides are satisfied."

The Red Sox have not had an arbitration hearing since Epstein took over as general manager in 2003.

Pena, obtained from Cincinnati for pitcher Bronson Arroyo last March 20, is the fourth outfielder on Boston but can play all three positions.

"There are plenty of plate appearances" for an extra outfielder that can play all the spots, Epstein said, "and Wily Mo is going to scoop all those up."

I have to apologize for not updating the blog earlier. I meant to add more last night when I finished my stories, but it simply got to be too late. And this morning I've been stranded at the Sox minor league complex where the wireless Internet wasn't working, which was most unfortunate.

No big-name arrivals to report, though I can respond to all of you who wanted weather updates with the fact that it's freezing here (Florida freezing, obviously, not Boston freezing). There's a frost watch on for tonight, and all the reporters are decked out in sweaters, long pants, and jackets. I'm just glad I threw a couple of extra sweaters in my suitcase. OK, enough of that. I'm not asking for an avalanche of e-mails excoriating me for thinking 50-degree temperatures are cold while Boston's getting ice and snow.

I do have a few notes to add, though. When Hideki Okajima spoke to the press yesterday, he mentioned that his locker was placed next to Daisuke Matsuzaka and some pitcher he couldn't identify. (This was after Matsuzaka had told the press he was situated between Jason Varitek and Okajima.) For those wondering, the unnamed pitcher is actually Runelvys Hernandez, the former Royals pitcher who came in on a minor league deal.

And far more importantly, I have solved the hair mystery! (Seriously, I got almost as many e-mails asking about Manny Delcarmen's highlights as I did about the arrival date of the other Manny.) The hair, back to its pre-shaved head length, has a bit of a bizarre orange tint, which Delcarmen -- who has been in Fort Myers since Feb. 1 -- fully acknowledged, laughing as he explained the process that brought him to this hue.

"It wasn't highlights," Delcarmen said. "I did it myself, like all over. I wanted it to be a little blond and my wife was like, 'It's going to be too blond, take it out!' I took it out and it stayed a little orange. It doesn't look that bad when it's wet. When it's wet you can't tell."

Good times.

We'll have more later from Josh Beckett, as well as Terry Francona and Theo Epstein, who are both speaking around 1 p.m.

It looks like Keith Foulke is going to get closer to his home in Arizona after all: The former Red Sox reliever is retiring.

"Over the last few weeks, while preparing for the 2007 season, my body has not responded as it has in years past," Foulke said in a statement released today. "I feel strongly I will not be able to perform at the level where I need to be to help the Indians this season. They are a class organization and I wish them the best of luck in 2007."

The Indians, whose slide from 93 wins in 2005 to 78 wins and a fourth-place finish last season was tied to a dreadful bullpen, signed Foulke to a one-year, $5 million contract in January.

The club would have had to honor that deal if Foulke had reported to camp and then retired.

"He didn't want to disappoint the organization or his teammates," general manager Mark Shapiro said, praising Foulke's integrity.

Foulke had battled elbow, back and knee injuries the past two seasons. Last year he was replaced as Boston's closer by rookie Jonathan Papelbon. The 34-year-old recently had elbow soreness and informed the Indians of his decision Thursday when the club's pitchers and catchers reported to Winter Haven, Fla.

Foulke was one of five relievers signed this winter by Shapiro, whose goal was to add experience and back-end depth to a Cleveland bullpen which posted a major league-low 24 saves last season.

"While we are disappointed that Keith will not be pitching for the Indians this year, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and the way he went about this decision," Shapiro said. "Keith clearly demonstrated a great deal of integrity and character in this matter, and we wish him success in his future endeavors."

According to the ESPN's Buster Olney, Indians club sources told him that Foulke had felt pain in his elbow in recent days.

When the Indians signed Foulke in January, it appeared he was healthy enough to play this season. "His physical was a pleasant surprise," Shapiro said at the time.

Foulke made $7.5 million with the Red Sox last season, but the team did not pick up his club option. Foulke then rejected a $5.25 million player option to stay in Boston.

"I know a lot of guys who say it isn't about the money, but Keith just backs that up,'' Foulke's agent Dan Horwits said last November. "He wants to pitch closer to home and hopefully he will have that chance."

Foulke had 32 saves in the 2004 World Series championship season, but his performance suffered in the last two season as he was bothered by a knee and elbow injuries. He went 3-1 with a 4.35 ERA for the Sox last year, with no saves in 44 games. He missed two months with elbow tendinitis.

Foulke spoke to the Globe's Amalie Benjamin about the possibility of retirement last September. "I might retire. I don't know. It's a big option," said Foulke. "If I can't have fun playing this game, if I don't have the motivation to prepare, you know, as far as strength and training and all that. I'm not going to be a middle bullpen, 5 ERA guy. Either I can come back and be a dominant pitcher, or I'll take it to the house."

"I got a lot of work to do," Foulke said as he prepared to enter this past offseason. "There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It's been a nasty little cycle with my knees for a couple of years, then my elbow started bothering me. Then I changed some stuff there, then my back started bothering me. It's been a bad circle. I can't go on like that. I don't want to be on the DL. I want to be out there, and I want to pitch in 85 ballgames a year, 100 innings. If I can get myself in shape to do that, then I'll come back. If I'm sitting around my house drinking beer, I'll take it to the house. I'll stay there."

Foulke lost some stature in the eyes of fans because of several flare-ups in Boston over the past two seasons. ''They're not going to make it any harder than it is for me to go home and look in the mirror," Foulke said about the booing that rained down from the Fenway stands in June 2005. "Like I've told you guys plenty of times, I'm more embarrassed to walk into this locker room and look at the faces of my teammates than I am to walk out and see Johnny from Burger King booing me. I'm worried about these guys, not everybody else."

(Material from The Associated Press was used in this update - 4:34 p.m.)

I'm back!

The Daisuke Matsuzaka press conference was thoroughly entertaining, even for those of us who understand approximately one word in Japanese (yes, that would be me). The guy exudes confidence and a definite personality. He had the smile and dimples flashing throughout his 40-minute press conference here at City of Palms Park that started after he arrived at 4:58 p.m., two minutes early. Still very impressive.

Matsuzaka was clearly thoughtful in his answers to questions -- and even understood some English. He said he's learning it now, and it became apparent after he obviously understood some of what his translator, media relations employee Sachiyo Sekiguchi, said to the English-speaking press.

He finished off his press conference by thanking the media, in English, then bowed to us. And, before going back into the dugout, he bowed to the field.

All in all, very interesting. The best part, of course, was when he joked that he was looking forward to playing catch with Tim Wakefield so he could try to catch the knuckleball. He also let us know that he tried to throw one during his recent workouts in Southern California, but it didn't work out too well. Looks like he'll keep that one on the shelf.

(Even though no games will be played on the field at City of Palms Park until March 1, people were working on the field before the press conference. The going theory? They're sprucing it up to look good on all the camera feeds being beamed back to Japan.)

And if you happen to get sports station NHK, you'll see me answering questions from the Japanese press. They've been going around asking members of the American media to appear on TV and take questions on Matsuzaka. Today was my turn, I guess.

OK, it's time for me to transcribe Matsuzaka's answers from his press conference. I will try to post at least another entry tonight.

First, I just wanted to thank everyone for their very kind emails. I will certainly try to get to many of the questions in them, though most of you just wrote to cheer me on -- and I appreciate it! And, yes, I do have this kind of energy in person, and it's nearly constant, though you'll have to check back with me near the end of the baseball season to be sure.

We've moved over from the minor league complex to City of Palms Park for the Daisuke Matsuzaka press conference. After our hour and a half of access down Edison Road, all the reporters picked up quickly and shot down to make sure we could get a spot in what we assumed would be a mighty crowded press box for the event of the beginning of spring training. And there are definitely some big names around here. Many of the New York papers have shown up, plus the Washington Post, Yahoo!, ESPN, and more.

Back down the road, we got to "talk" to Hideki Okajima and talk to Kevin Youkilis, so I will try to get you some information from both of them, though more will be included in stories in the paper tomorrow. (Okajima had to be related to us through a translator, of course.) Today might require a bit of patience from all of you, which I will most appreciate. Matsuzaka will be on in just more than an hour and we'll try to get that stuff to you, as well.

Okajima and Youkilis, along with new reliever Brendan Donnelly, were the new arrivals in camp today, though we didn't see Donnelly over at the minor league complex.

Time to transcribe my tape from Okajima and Youkilis. Be back in a little while.

For those of you wondering exactly what Funai is, here's your answer, straight from its press release.

"Funai Electric is an integrated audiovisual household electronics manufacturer which manufactures and sells products including liquid crystal televisions, plasma televisions, DVD recorders, DVD players, printers, and digital still cameras in the United States, Japan, and the countries of Europe and Asia."

Its headquarters are in Osaka. It was founded Aug. 9, 1961. Their "capitalization" as of Dec. 31, 2006, was 31,264,000,000 yen.

That is all for now. We'll get back to you.

And for those of you who'd like to see specific information in the blog, or want clarifications, or have anecdotes of your own, or want me to do some investigative reporting on the state of Manny Delcarmen's highlights, or want to compliment my excessive use of commas, or anything else, feel free to e-mail me at abenjamin@globe.com.

Remember, we're here for you.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm sure you will all be happy to note that I did not squander my free morning. Just got back from a 3-mile run. I'm apparently trying to shake off that offseason malaise and be ready for the start of spring training. Or something like that.

I meant to mention this yesterday, but I thought -- since there's no access until 1:30 p.m. today -- that I'd get you a much-anticipated blog entry this morning. The Red Sox handed out a press release yesterday having to do with an agreement the Sox have struck with Funai Electric Co., Ltd. This is important mostly for the Japanese media -- or for those of you who come to the Sox minor league complex and wonder why on earth there is a media tent (and a million lawn signs) with the company's logo. Essentially the company will have a presence at the minor league complex, the major league complex, and up at Fenway Park.

Down at the bottom of the press release, there's a section titled "A Short History of the Boston Red Sox." I thought I would bring that to you, in its entirety:

"A charter member of the American League in 1901, the Boston Red Sox have been one of the most successful major league teams over the last several decades, on and off the field. The team has a .540 winning percentage beginning in 1969, second best among the 30 MLB teams in that period, has produced nine consecutive winning seasons, and has advanced to post-season play in three of the last four years. The Red Sox play their home games at 'America's Most Beloved Ballpark,' Fenway Park, where the team has established attendance records for each of the last seven years. Active in the community, the Red Sox Foundation is recognized as the largest sports foundation in New England."

Missing anything? Like, say, that World Series title in 2004?

Oh well. Guess they'll have to learn that part for themselves.

We'll be back with more later, don't worry.

Lenny DiNardo was tipping his cap as he said hello to a friend when he came on to the field to work out this morning, but by the end of the day he would be waving goodbye, as he was claimed off of waivers by the Oakland Athletics. (Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

Cross Lenny DiNardo off your list of potential Red Sox closers for 2007 because he's headed for Oakland. The A's claimed DiNardo off waivers today.

The Red Sox announced that right fielder J.D. Drew, who signed a $70 million deal with Boston as a free agent on January 26, was officially added to the 40-man roster. Drew's deal had to be reviewed by major league baseball and the Sox needed to open a slot on their 40-man roster for Drew.

The 27-year old DiNardo went 1-2 with a 7.85 ERA in 13 games, including six starts, with Boston in 2006. He missed missed 92 games after straining his neck in May. The lefthander came back from the disabled list on Aug. 31 and made one start and five relief appearances for the Red Sox in September.

To make room for DiNardo on Oakland's 40-man roster, the A's designated outfielder Hiram Bocachica for assignment.

Some other random pieces of information for today...

Twenty-one of the players with invites to the major league camp had arrived by today: Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Lenny DiNardo, Kason Gabbard, Devern Hansack, David Murphy, David Pauley, Chad Spann, Abe Alvarez, Craig Breslow, Dusty Brown, Travis Hughes, Kyle Jackson, George Kottaras, Edgar Martinez, Javier Lopez, and Mike Burns. That's the crew so far, but expect more to show up tomorrow before pitchers and catchers officially report on Friday -- and the fun really begins.

With the Japanese media clearly already having mostly arrived, the Boston press is slowly trickling in. The Globe (obviously), Herald, Providence Journal, WBZ radio, and Channel 7 were the early arrivals on Monday, with the Hartford Courant and Lawrence Eagle-Tribune making an appearance this morning. The Globe also added a photographer, and the Herald doubled its writing crew, to two. As the players arrive, so too should the media. We're expecting Matsuzaka's opening press conference tomorrow to add additional bodies from up north.

Tomorrow's blog schedule will be a little different. Instead of the early wake ups (yes, this means I get to sleep in past 6 a.m.), access to the players at the minor league complex will begin at 1:30 p.m. Hopefully I'll have a fun anecdote (aren't all my anecdotes fun?) for you to keep your appetite sated in the morning. But, barring that, I'll get back to you in the early afternoon. The big news is that reporters should start to have wireless internet access at the complex, which means your updates could become even more timely -- without having to wait for me to journey back to my hotel room for an internet connection.

So that's the good news and the bad news and, probably, stuff that isn't news at all. This might be it for today, but if anything breaks (or amuses me), we'll get it to you.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Craig Hansen -- you know, that closer out of St. John's, drafted in the first round and projected to save the Red Sox bullpen -- isn't quite ready to give up on those Red Sox closer dreams. After all, he's still 23 years old and has barely enough minor league experience to discuss. And Hansen, in his first talk to the media today in this year's spring training, said all the right things. He's not fixated on closing. Really, he just wants to be headed to Boston -- instead of Pawtucket -- when camp breaks.

Even with the lack of a bona fide closer in the Sox' current bullpen.

"I can see that as an opportunity, but I'm basically going out there trying to win any role, whether it be middle relief, long relief, closer, set up," Hansen said. "I'm looking to pitch and help out the team as much as I can.

"If I had the choice I would like to close but that's basically not in my hands. The only thing I've been working on is just trying to earn a role whether it be middle relief or closing."

He followed with more thoughts on the closer's role.

"It's something that I've got to earn, definitely, something that I'm going to be working for now and in the future and throughout the rest of my career."

And, while he's trying to prove himself, he's taking that whole "Todd Helton-for-Craig Hansen" thing as a compliment. Why wouldn't it be, after all?

More from Hansen can be found in your very own copy of the Boston Globe in the morning. We do hope you'll check back to see what else the tall guy had to say -- for those who have forgotten over the winter, he's 6-foot-5 -- about his preparations for the upcoming season. He, certainly, will be one to watch.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Just got back from another lovely day at the minor league training complex. There wasn't a ton of activity around the place, especially with no early Daisuke Matsuzaka appearance -- which left the Japanese media waiting patiently out by the road. Two new arrivals into camp, Mike Burns and Javier Lopez. Got to talk to Lopez, one of the nicest guys on the team, and a potential lefty out of the bullpen (though more likely to pitch in Pawtucket). He spent the offseason not doing much, weekend trips, a bit of house hunting. Nothing too exciting. And, unlike Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester, no dead animals. Lopez isn't exactly the hunter type.

Asked what stories he had to add to the blog for today, he spoke cryptically about highlights in Manny Delcarmen's hair. Delcarmen, unfortunately, was wearing a hat out on the field and I didn't get a chance to check for these highlights. We'll see if Lopez was on to something, or if he was just pulling my chain. I will be sure to keep you all updated, of course.

Other than that, mostly guys were just running, doing some throwing on one of the far fields, getting some work in the batting cages. Josh Beckett made an appearance before heading to Daytona to be there for the unveiling of the Sox-NASCAR partnership, though he didn't really speak to the media. Craig Hansen, however, did speak and we'll get you some of his comments later on in the day.

Daisuke Matsuzaka surprised Sox officials as he left the training facility when he turned to speak briefly with the reporters who had hung around to record his departure for posterity.

His biggest revelation? His locker in camp is between catcher Jason Varitek and Hideki Okajima, the other Japanese pitcher who is on the Sox big-league roster.

Matsuzaka expressed great satisfaction about lockering next to 'Tek, who has been sent videos of past Matsuzaka outings to study, and also spoke by phone with Dice-K after he'd signed with the club. Varitek is Matsuzaka's favorite player, according to Dice-K's agent, Scott Boras, who coincidentally represents Varitek, too.

"I will try to communicate with Varitek as much as possible in order to have a good relationship,'' Matsuzaka said, as translated by Gaku Tashiro, veteran reporter for Sankei Sports, whose colleague, Dai Yuasa, was part of the Dice-K stakeout. "I want to play catch with him soon, but maybe Mr. Okajima will be my first partner.

"I am learning teammates' names and faces right now. By talking to Varitek, I would like to know my teammates deeply.''

George Kottaras, the new catcher in camp who was doing catching drills when the Sox were looking for someone to play catch with Dice-K, had nice things to say about Matsuzaka.

"He seems like he is a great guy, just playing catch with him,'' Kottaras said. "He's smiling at me, we were having fun with it. We just went out there to do a job.''

Most communication, Kottaras said, went through a translator. Matsuzaka spoke once in English, when he said "sorry" after one of his throws nearly got away from Kottaras. The catcher, meanwhile, tried out a couple of phrases of Japanese he'd picked up when he was with the Padres and two years ago caught Japanese pitcher Akinori Otsuka.

Read more comments from Kottaras in tomorrow’s Globe.

Well, it's all over. For today, at least.

You already know the basics, but we're here to bring you all the details you wanted (or didn't want) to know.

Daisuke Matsuzaka entered the minor league complex here in Fort Myers (click here for photos), changed into his Red Sox duds, and has played catch with George Kottaras. As nearly 50 Japanese media members -- and about a dozen American ones -- chronicled the pitcher's every move, Matsuzaka remained almost completely aloof, not really ever acknowledging the presences of the throng with the TV and still cameras and pens and notepads. We're still not sure if he saw the Japanese flag planted not far from the turn-in, possibly by a fan. (A half dozen of them were seated near the flag as I left the complex.) He did, at the end, speak with the assembled Japanese media. Gordon Edes will be bringing you the translated comments shortly.

So, here it is, the step-by-step account of Matsuzaka's first appearance at spring training.

With the announcement coming that he would arrive at noon, Matsuzaka indicated he hasn't yet picked up on all the aspects of being in the big leagues, turning into the parking lot of the complex at exactly 12:01 p.m. to the snapping of camera shutters. After a lead vehicle, a gray Nissan, Matsuzaka pulled in, driving a black Cadillac Escalade, presumably the same one that whisked him away from the Tampa airport last night. And, yes, you read that right. Matsuzaka was driving, his escort sitting in the passenger seat.

As media relations folks here had lined up the media near the entrance to the complex, Matsuzaka walked by, clad in a gray sleeveless shirt and gray athletic shorts, black Nikes, sunglasses pushed up beyond his forehead, and a black bag thrown over his shoulder. Without a peep, he walked in. No member of the Japanese media asked so much as a question. Nothing shouted. Hardly the norm for the American media, for sure.

Matsuzaka soon had changed into a red team shirt, with Boston Red Sox written across the front, and had taken his walk from inside the clubhouse onto the field, accompanied by equipment and clubhouse manager Joe Cochran, assistant equipment manager Pookie Jackson, and new media relations employee (and translator) Sachiyo Sekiguchi. Kottaras trailed the group at a short distance.

By 12:35 p.m., the pitcher had reached the field, where he dropped his bag to the ground, and swung his arms over his head to get warmed up. Stretching followed, of course, and three minutes later he took a slow jog to the other end of the field with a ball in his hand. It was then that the single moment of curiosity came for Matsuzaka. Looking out over the swampy area out past the field -- the one rumored to hold alligators -- Matsuzaka stood and took it all in. Different? Welcome to spring training, Daisuke.

Long toss in the outfield followed the warmups, the ball easily sailing back and forth from Kottaras to Matsuzaka. He did, at times, have a little smile on his face, perhaps the only indication that he heard the thousands of shutter clicks accompanying every toss. And then, just as the pair was getting ready for the real workout, the media horde was escorted out of the complex. No more watching, as Matsuzaka's workouts before pitchers and catchers report had already been deemed off limits.

Yup, that was it. We get to hear more of his words (of the translated variety) at his upcoming press conference on Thursday at 5 p.m. So to hear more about his driving skills, or his thoughts on alligators, or even his temporary battery mate, you'll just have to wait. (At least until Gordo posts today's sentiments.)

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Dice-K has arrived.

At a minute past noon, Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka pulled into the Red Sox spring training facilities in a black Cadillac Escalade. He was greeted by Sox head of security Charles Cellucci and went into the complex.

He’ll be coming out shortly to look at the fields and to play catch with catcher George Kottaras, but we’re being ushered out of here before that happens.

Matsuzka is scheduled to speak to the media for the first time on Thursday.

The Red Sox issued a press release this morning stating that pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected to arrive at the team's developmental complex in Fort Myers today at noon.

The media will be allowed to photograph him as he arrives and it is possible that he may have a short workout session as well. But he is not expected to address the media today.

Amalie Benjamin will have more details on Matsuzaka's arrival later in the day.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Good morning!

Nothing going on here quite yet (it is, after all, still dark outside). And, yes, I know it's 6:40 a.m., but really I'm just trying to keep up with the Joneses (or Reiss's Pieces).

But I wanted to keep you updated on what's going on today. We're still not yet sure if Daisuke Matsuzaka will be heading to minor league camp today to look around, but we'll let you know if he does. He was greeted by a horde of Japanese media in the Delta terminal when he arrived in Tampa last night, and should be followed closely by them the rest of his years in Boston. So, if nothing else, at least we'll know when he's coming.

That's it for now. We'll let you know all the happenings on what should be a fairly quiet day -- barring a Matsuzaka sighting -- at the minor league complex. We are pretty sure that the Japanese sensation won't be speaking, however, as his first comments are already scheduled for a Thursday 5 p.m. press conference.

OK, it's time for the final bits and pieces. There's not much else that went on today, but I wanted to share a minor anecdote from my recent trip to the Dominican Republic, where I found Julio Lugo -- who told me he would be reporting early to camp, possibly on Thursday -- and the team's Dominican academy.

I happened to run into a couple of non-roster invitees, catcher Alberto Castillo (at the Licey-Aguilas Dominican Winter League game) and pitcher Runelvys Hernandez (at the academy). I didn't get to spend much time with Castillo, who turned 37 on Saturday, because he was about to play in the game for Aguilas and I was headed into the dugout to talk to Wily Mo Pena. Hernandez, however, made his first trip to the academy, bringing with him two baseball players for an open tryout.

Now that's a fun guy. Hernandez, the Royals cast off, looked a little bit big -- he has, after all, been fighting weight issues throughout his career -- but he assured me he was on his way to taking some of the pounds off. Granted, this was mid-January. But he seemed to be happy to be getting even a minor league deal with the Red Sox, after having been recruited to the organization by Allard Baird, formerly of those same Royals. And, after trying unsuccessfully to teach me a bit of Spanish, he went off to work out -- swimming, I believe. We'll keep you updated on his weight loss when he arrives, don't worry.

That's it, everybody. I'm headed off into the sunset for today. As for tomorrow, it looks like few people will be around the complex, as there are organizational meetings, but we'll see who we can find. And there might even be a photo op with Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Have a pleasant evening all, and I'll see you back here tomorrow.

With a cap on, hiding his still growing-in hair, Jon Lester appeared almost like his old self today at the minor league complex. Lester was one of the first few to arrive in Fort Myers, where he's been for about a week already, as his strength and mechanics work back into the shape they were in before he was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma last season. He threw a session on the mound wearing a black T-shirt that read "it's a strong man's game" across the back.

"When I first saw Jon today, I almost didn't recognize him because I didn't expect him to look that good," said Jonathan Papelbon, after arriving today for the first time. "Look the same old Jonny to me. Obviously I've said prayer after prayer for him this offseason, me and my wife. It's just awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome to see him come back from that. The fight that he's gone through, you know, it's just amazing. For me that's the kind of teammate I want, somebody that's never going to give up, somebody that's going to go out there and bust his butt to succeed and bust his butt to get where he wants and deserves. That was awesome, almost like a pick-me-up."

Lester's weight had dropped all the way to 190 pounds at some points in his treatment but, as of today, he's back up to 212 pounds, very close to the 215 or so that he normally carries during a baseball season. It's a good sign, one that he hopes will cause the Red Sox training and coaching staffs to let him go without holding him back.

"Once those guys show up and see that the weight is back on, I'm in shape, I'm doing all my work, I'm running, I feel good, then I think everything will be back to normal," said Lester, who still managed to go on his annual duck- and quail-hunting trip with Sox infielder Chad Spann in January, after his cancer treatments were finished. "Until that happens I think they're going to talk about being cautious with me. Like I said, if they tell me, 'Hey, we need to back you off,' I've got to do that, I've got to listen to what they have to say."

For now, he said, he's just happy to be out of the house, not so worried about germs that it required constant hand-washing. Now he's more worried about repeating his mechanics. And, though he's still not sure where he'll be during the season -- Boston or Pawtucket -- he's happy to see the rest of the team returning, joining him in Fort Myers. He's glad to see that surprise that Papelbon mentioned, too.

"I think more or less it surprised people," Lester said. "They're expecting to see the cancer patient here instead of me. It's good to get that feeling that I've prepared well and came in in shape."

Other than the continuing bizarre saga of Jonathan Papelbon's hair -- remember the "Wild Thing" mohawk?; it's now long on the top and back and more close-shaven on the sides -- the erstwhile closer looked almost ready for the season to start. After an offseason of hunting with Eli Manning and others, Papelbon's eager to get back to starting. At least, he is now. ("We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," was the oft-repeated response to the continued closing question.)

Meanwhile, Papelbon seemed to indicate that he's unlikely to sign a long-term deal before he's eligible for arbitration, which would occur after the 2008 season as long as he stays on the major league roster for the next two years. If he's as healthy and strong as he believes he will be, with a possible 15-win season ahead of him, it wouldn't seem to be the prudent financial move. And, yes, he did happen to mention Cub Carlos Zambrano's recent filing for an impressive $15.5 million in arbitration.

"My agent's talked a little bit with Theo [Epstein], here and there," Papelbon said. "But for me, the longer they wait, the longer I'm waiting, you know? For me, it makes no sense if I'm a year away from arbitration, and my shoulder is healthy, and I go through the season with no problems, and they don't lock me up by [the] All-Star break, I'll probably go to arbitration, just because I'm healthy. If I come off a 15-win, 20-win season, I'm going to arbitration, because that's just lost money. We'll see. It's fun. It's interesting, you know?"

But first he's got to revisit the curveball that he abandoned all of last season for his superior fastball, splitter, and slider. That's coming along, as he continues to get the feel and touch back. Though, he joked, it's less of a 12-to-6 curve than a 1-to-4 curve. We'll see how hitters treat that.

Other than that, Papelbon's anticipating the four-man battle for his vacated closer's role, assuming that at least one guy will grab the role in spring training. He's willing to give out tips, in case Brendan Donnelly or Joel Pineiro or Julian Tavarez or Devern Hansack or Craig Hansen are reading the blog...

And, finally, as promised, that duck recipe that Papelbon shared, since I know most of you already have a fresh duck ready to prepare Papelbon-style this very evening to celebrate the start of spring training. I would, but my hotel room happens to lack cooking facilities. Guess I'll have to wait until I head back up to Boston.

Marinate the duck in Coke (yes, you read that correctly) and Italian dressing in a Ziploc bag. (Papelbon said the soda removes the game-y flavor from the duck.) Then slice the duck breast into four pieces. Wrap each of those in bacon, jalapeno peppers, and sour cream. And then, in his words, "throw it all on a grill, and it's amazing."

Thanks, Jonathan, we'll take your word for it.

Just a few observations around the spring training complex before I start reviewing the comments by Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester...

(Don't worry. We'll get to it all.)

Papelbon, Lester, and Josh Beckett all threw off the mound today in the cages protected from the chilly and wet weather. Assistant trainer Mike Reinold kept a close watch on all three of the major league pitchers, while some of the minor leaguers hit or threw in the cages as well. Joshua Papelbon sat behind the fencing, watching his brother's nearly 40 pitches, all while jokingly complaining that he was scheduled to throw last.

Among the other players spotted at the complex today: Kason Gabbard, David Murphy, Craig Breslow, George Kottaras, David Pauley, Devern Hansack, Edgar Martinez, Abe Alvarez, and Travis Hughes.

Many of the players were wearing red versions of the traditional "B" caps, which Red Sox media relations chief John Blake indicated would be worn in spring training home games and in batting practice during the season.

For those of you interested in this sort of thing -- and those who haven't already been checking the Red Sox roster online -- there are a few number changes to report. Lester has switched from 62 to 31; Manny Delcarmen from 57 to 17, and Kyle Snyder from 52 to 39. Dustin Pedroia, meanwhile, has not been moved from the 64 with which he was saddled last season. We'll see if that changes. It would be an odd number for a starting second baseman.

Oh, and in case you were wondering if the J.D. Drew issue could get any more bizarre, the right fielder still isn't on the 40-man roster. And there isn't really any news on when it will happen. But, you can be assured, it will happen at some point.

Welcome to Fort Myers, early edition.

There might not be too many players here yet -- notables were Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Manny Delcarmen, and Josh Beckett -- but your dedicated Globe writers are here to provide you with news and notes throughout the day.

Players started to trickle in at the minor league complex around 7:30 a.m., by which time about 15 members of the media had arrived to stake out the parking lot, including only a couple of Japanese reporters. Papelbon made his appearance, his first of the spring, at the complex at 7:55 a.m., with Lenny DiNardo following soon after at 8. It was just sprinkling at that point, though the weather degenerated into cold and rainy (yes, I know you all have little sympathy).

Perhaps all that Japanese media was huddled at the airport, awaiting the arrival of Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose plane is scheduled to land in Tampa at 6:30 p.m. tonight. No need to track this plane, though you can be assured most of the Japanese media has that on their computer screens.

Meanwhile Papelbon and Lester both held court with the assorted media in attendance, and we'll be bringing you some of their comments -- in particular Papelbon's thoughts on his contract status and his best recipe for duck -- in the coming hours.

Keep checking back here at Extra Bases, because the baseball team here in Fort Myers (currently Gordon Edes and myself) will be bringing you the latest and greatest on the Red Sox. Enjoy.

The truck that will carry Red Sox team equipment to spring training arrived outside of Fenway Park at 5:30 a.m. this morning (live photo above), and will depart for Fort Myers in an official ceremony at 1 p.m.

For fans who want to see it off, the truck will leave from the players’ parking lot entrance on Van Ness St., and will be followed in procession by Fenway Ambassadors, Red Sox staff, and Wally the Green Monster tossing gifts from a flat-bed truck.

Kevin Carson of New England Household Moving & Storage in Holliston is supervising the loading process.

“I love it,” said Carson about truck day. “It’s like Groundhog Day for two reasons: It’s the first rite of spring. And it’s the same every year, just like the movie.”

Don Barboza, who works on equipment for the Red Sox in addition to detailing players’ cars, said he is excited to be heading down to Florida with the team. Barboza arrived at the ballpark early and will accompany the team to Fort Myers.

New Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected to arrive in Fort Myers on Monday in advance of spring training, but his workouts will be closed to the media until Thursday, according to the team.

The Red Sox will make Matsuzaka available to speak with reporters on Thursday at 5 p.m. at City of Palms Park.

Calling all candidates: Someone will be elected “President of Red Sox Nation” this season (no, John Kerry has not yet thrown his hat into the ring).

According to the Red Sox -- who announced this today as part of a new promotional campaign to get fans to register for Red Sox Nation citizenship -- the “presidential” honor comes with tickets and a free blog on redsox.com.

The Sox did not provide any further details on how the “election” will take place.

According to the Sox, fans who sign up for the team's 2007 Red Sox Nation program will receive a DVD in English, Spanish, or Japanese, a photograph of a citizen’s name on the Fenway Park scoreboard, a Red Sox publication, and chances to win prizes. Of course, everyone who signs up will also receive a Red Sox Nation citizenship card, which can be renewed annually. The price for this Fan Pack is $14.95 per season.

“These new benefits and innovations are designed to help connect Red Sox fans to the club and to each other, even if they are separated by language, miles, and oceans,” said Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino in the release. “The passionate fan base has been a vital element of Red Sox baseball for more than 100 years, and modern communication modalities are providing opportunities to further connect and unite these fans.

“Chapters of Red Sox Nation flourish around the nation and throughout the world. This program is intended to be the unifying voice and vehicle.”

Red Sox fans outside of New England have made certain restaurants their “homes away from Fenway.” From “Sonny McLean’s” in Santa Monica, Calif. and “Fat Face Fenner’s Fishshack” in Redondo Beach, Calif. to “The Riv” in New York, and “Smoky Joe’s Ribs” in Aruba, Red Sox fans seem to find a place, adopt it, and make it a mini-Fenway Park.

More info on this year’s Red Sox Nation program:

In what has become a sure sign that spring is just around the corner in Boston, "Truck Day" will finally arrive on Monday.

The Red Sox confirmed today that the team's equipment truck will leave Fenway Monday at approximately 1:00 p.m. to begin the 1,480-mile journey to the team's spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla.

According to the Sox press release today, the truck will depart from Fenway Park at the players’ parking lot entrance on Van Ness St. The truck will be followed in procession by Fenway ambassadors, Red Sox staff, and Wally the Green Monster tossing gifts to fans from a flat-bed truck.

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, currently in Orange County, Calif., is expected to report to Fort Myers on Monday as well, four days before the reporting date for pitchers and catchers. The first workout is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18.

While the Red Sox have made changes to their radio broadcast team for the upcoming season, the television voice of the Sox should stay the same for a while.

Don Orsillo agreed to a multi-year contract extension to remain the voice of the Red Sox on NESN, the network announced in a press release. NESN did not give details on how long the contract would run.

“Don has established himself as one of the best announcers in the game and an important part of our award winning Red Sox broadcast team,” said NESN president Sean McGrail in the release. “We are thrilled that Don has agreed to continue with NESN and look forward to more of the outstanding play-by-play that Red Sox Nation has come to expect.”

Orsillo joined NESN back in 2001 after serving as the play-by-play voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox. Since joining NESN, Orsillo has won two New England Emmy Awards for sports play-by-play and was named the 2005 Massachusetts sportscaster of the year.

The Red Sox today identified 18 players who will be invited to spring training as non-roster invitees. Here’s the list:

Pitchers
Abe Alvarez
Adam Bernero
Mike Burns
Bryan Corey
Runelvys Hernandez
Travis Hughes

Catchers
Dusty Brown
Kevin Cash
Alberto Castillo

Infielders
Jeff Bailey
Luis Jimenez
Joe McEwing
Ed Rogers
Bobby Scales
Chad Spann

Outfielders
Jacoby Ellsbury
Alex Ochoa
Kerry Robinson

Red Sox manager Terry Francona addressed the media at Fenway Park this afternoon. Here are a few tidbits:

Cross your fingers and wish yourself good luck if you hope to sit in the Monster seats this summer or score hard-to-get tickets for Opening Day or a Red Sox-Yankees game.

The random drawing for Red Sox tickets for Opening Day (Tuesday, April 10 vs. Seattle), Patriots Day (Monday, April 16 vs. the Angels, a 10 a.m. start), nine Red Sox-Yankees games, the right field roof deck, and Green Monster seats has begun.

Online registration at the team’s website, RedSox.com, started at noon today and runs until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Details on the drawing and the sale dates and times for those tickets are listed here on the Red Sox website.

The bulk of the tickets for the Red Sox 2007 home games went on sale last Saturday. In December, the Red Sox put select single games and Sox Pax tickets on sale during their Christmas at Fenway event.

The team sold 2,272,724 tickets for 2007 home games through this past weekend and Sox fans have sold out 307 consecutive regular-season games at Fenway Park.

2007 ticket prices for single games are as follows:

- Loge box: $85
- Right field box: $45
- Right field roof box: $45
- Infield grandstand: $45
- Outfield grandstand: $27
- Bleachers: $23
- Upper bleachers: $12
- Standing room: $20

Premium seating areas single game prices:

- Field box: $105
- State Street Pavilion Club: $158
- Home Plate Pavilion Club: $205
- Dugout box (canvas alley): $130
- Extended dugout box: $260
- Dugout box (infield): $312
- EMC Club $286
- Pavilion standing room: $25
- Green Monster seats: $140
- Green Monster standing room: $30
- Right field roof deck: $110 per seat, table of four (includes $100 worth of food and beverage)
- Right field roof deck standing room: $30, group of four

Tickets for Opening Day, Patriots Day, and the nine Red Sox vs. Yankees games ticket are variably priced between $12 and $90 each depending on the seat category available.

Click here for the Red Sox’ complete 2007 home and road schedule.