FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Got a theory on spring training: The more "ifs" you have now, the more L's you'll have later.

Only it might not apply to the 2009 Red Sox.

Veterans of five playoff series the past two seasons, the Red Sox will begin their spring schedule with a split-squad doubleheader today and tonight, first against Boston College before a nightcap with the Twins. Over the next seven weeks, we should begin to get some answers to some of the questions facing this club.

Which brings us to the "ifs," of which there are quite a few:

If Josh Beckett can avoid nagging injuries . . .

. . . if David Ortiz can regain his form . . .

. . . if Mike Lowell is healthy . . .

. . . if Jason Varitek can rebound . . .

. . . if J.D. Drew can stay on the field . . .

. . . if a productive starting shortstop emerges . . .

. . . if Jacoby Ellsbury can be more consistent . . .

. . . if Rocco Baldelli can really help . . .

. . . if Brad Penny can turn it around . . .

. . . if John Smoltz can hold up . . .

. . . then the Red Sox will be a legitimate threat to win another World Series.

Of course, every team has its questions at this time of year, so the Red Sox hardly qualify as unique. Nonetheless, relative to Sox teams of recent years, only the 2006 edition seemed to have as many potential issues. That club had a 61-38 record and a 2-1/2-game lead in the AL East with 63 games to go, then went 25-38 over a final two months highlighted by an avalanche of injuries and Operation Shutdown, the controversial withdrawal of Manny Ramirez.

The change was dramatic with that club, to be certain, but the truth is that the Red Sox' deficiencies caught up with them that year, which is precisely what the baseball season is constructed to do.

Expose you.

That brings us to the 2009 edition and the relatively large number of health issues facing this club, which can only make you wonder if the Red Sox could be facing some sort of late-season breakdown again. At the same time, these Sox are much deeper and younger. The farm system has matured considerably since 2006, which remains the only sub-90-win season on the resume of general manager Theo Epstein.

For all of the questions with this club, there could be enormous benefit from the uncertainty, too. From Varitek to Beckett to Ortiz to Ellsbury, many of this year's Sox have something to prove, at least on some level. Beckett may have his Red Sox legacy at stake; Varitek may be fighting for his right to remain a starter; Ellsbury has yet to establish an identity -- cornerstone or ceiling tile? -- and Ortiz may be fighting for his reputation as a true No. 3 or No. 4 hitter.

In many ways, that is a good thing.

In 1995, after all, the Red Sox won a division title with a collection of players on one-year deals fighting to rebuild their reputations in the wake of the infamous work stoppage that wiped out the 1994 World Series. Erik Hanson won 17 games that year. Stan Belinda finished with a 3.10 ERA. Mike Macfarlane hit 15 home runs and Luis Alicea batted .270.

And in a division (and league) thrown into disarray by the work stoppage, that slightest bit of motivation proved enough to get the Sox into the postseason.

Make no mistake: At the highest levels, assuming a decent amount of talent is at hand, motivation can make all the difference in the world. Whether or not anyone here wants to admit it, that was part of the reason the Tampa Bay Rays were such a scary matchup for the Red Sox last year. The Rays were hungry. They had a great deal to prove. They were willing to fight for their place in the AL hierarchy, something they demonstrated at Fenway Park early last season when James Shields drilled Coco Crisp and touched off a bench-clearing brawl.

To their credit, the Red Sox last season did not give up their world title so much as they had it taken away. They lost to a younger, better, and healthier team. One of the most underrated qualities of Red Sox teams in recent years has been their sheer competitiveness, which comes back to an old cliche: you may be able to measure the size of the man in the fight, but you cannot measure the size of fight in the man. In the last six years, especially, the Red Sox have been unafraid to fight anyone at anytime, and they can proudly say that they did not lose to anyone for lack of focus, heart, or guts.

When they lost, they generally got beat.

What that means for this season is anybody's guess, but this much we know: To a man, the 2009 Sox possess great pride, professionalism, and work ethic. The peer pressure in the Boston clubhouse is a very positive thing because, generally speaking, Sox players all seem to hold themselves to a high standard. As Josh Beckett noted last postseason, the Sox wanted to win for each other as much as for themselves, and the DNA of this club generally has been unaltered.

The long-term health of this club? Maybe it's worth worrying about than in some other years.

But if history has shown us anything, it is that the new-age Red Sox are willing and downright eager to confront any challenge.