News from the Trop

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- So it's no longer the ICU in the Red Sox clubhouse, though Manny Delcarmen looked like he didn't want to move a bit in the pregame clubhouse. And, yes, Delcarmen reported, the team did (sort of) try to make sure the flu-ridden members of the entourage rode in the back of the plane. No masks required, though.

Other than that, Bryan Corey has arrived in St. Petersburg with the team, where he was put on the roster, taking the place of Justin Masterson. He was being taken his contract, which he had to sign, before the game.

There is a bit of news on Bartolo Colon, who has made the trip down here. Colon played catch on the field before the game. Terry Francona and John Farrell sat down with Colon to speak to him about his progress. He is scheduled to throw a side session in a couple of days, with three sides planned before May 5, the day that he might finally be able to get back on a mound.

There's only one problem with that, though. Colon has an out in his contract on May 1.

"Theo [Epstein] spoke to his representatives, we spoke to Bartolo," Francona said. "We just wanted to make sure he understood how we feel. At the same time it's not realistic that he's going to pitch in six days. We wanted to make sure that he understood that we want to keep him, so we're trying. I think they've worked some things out where that will be moved back. I don't anticipate any problems there, but I don't want to speak for him. He wants to stay and we want him to stay. That won't be a problem."