March 23

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Someday, the first edition of the Red Sox media guide will be like the original cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday and Today" album, which was pulled off the market because of the bloody dolls cover. Today, that cover is worth $17,000-$20,000, and 20-something years from now when someone finds the first edition guide, it will be an eBay special. That's because after a short run that was good for one handout around the club and New England media, they had to redo it and start a whole new edition.

	The Red Sox are hopeful to have a healthy Pedro Martinez for the entire season.

The Red Sox team that at the end of last season seemed like a stage version of "Lord of the Flies" has, since the club reported to spring training, new ownership, a new general manager, a new manager, a new pitching coach and a lot of new people standing in the shadows as folks wonder, "Who's next?"

Remember, when the Sox reported for spring training, they already had a new bench, third base, hitting and bullpen coach. Their best starting pitcher last year, Hideo Nomo, was gone after leading the team in starts and wins, and their next two pitchers in wins and starts -- Frank Castillo and David Cone -- were on the bubble and semi-retired. They had acquired at least three new starting pitchers (John Burkett, Dustin Hermanson and Darren Oliver), a new first baseman (Tony Clark) and a new center fielder (Johnny Damon).

Now, a week from opening the season, at least 40 percent of the roster may have turned over, as in addition, Rey Sanchez will be the starting second baseman and outfielders Rickey Henderson and Michael Coleman and infielder Carlos Baerga along with pitcher Willie Banks could make the team.

And what do players most talk about? "This is a completely different place," says pitcher Derek Lowe. "It's just much freer. Players are allowed to be themselves."

It's like the Berlin Wall came down. Players no longer have to fear that what they say in the clubhouse is being reported upstairs, or that they will be tweaked by some incommunicative communication. "It's important to have fun playing this game, because it's so tough," says new manager Grady Little. "I don't mean that it isn't serious, but you have to want to come to the park, and if a Red Sox team is having fun playing the game, then they can have a tremendous home-field advantage because of the fans."

Not that the Iron Curtain atmosphere was all Dan Duquette's fault. Getting rid of the daily Carl Everett crisis is the definition of freedom.

Still, the club can't do enough for the media and fans. Players are made available, and the public relations staff is joyous in being able to accommodate anyone and everyone, which further alleviates the walls of tension.

But while they may take the field every day to the strains of "I'm Free (to do what I want)" and everyone from Nomar Garciaparra to Governor Lou Merloni know that it will make their jobs easier over the entire season, there are three huge questions to be answered before the post-Cold War Era at The Fens can be a success: Pedro, Nomar and Jason Varitek.

As for Garciaparra and Varitek, the signs are encouraging. "What tells me that I'm going to be fine is that this spring I can get up on top of good high fastballs," says Garciaparra. "That's something I couldn't do last season, and it's something I anticipated this spring. I've been able to do it, and that tells me everything else will follow."

Varitek, whose season ended with a broken elbow he suffered making a spectacular diving catch and landing on a useless plastic mat in the on-deck circle, also feels that he is getting close to being back all the way. "I have felt fine throwing, although some of my timing hasn't been right," says Varitek, whom Pedro calls the "key to this team."

	“	My goal is to have (Pedro Martinez) pitching well in October. Because if he is, we've got a heckuva chance to beat anyone. ”
		— Grady Little, Red Sox manager

This week, Varitek had to make a tough throw, and did so, and when the team was in Lakeland, Fla. playing the Tigers he instinctively dove for a pop fly that caused Mike Stanley, who was the acting manager in the game, to wonder if his managerial career were over.

If Garciaparra and Varitek are healthy, the team in the field is pretty good. Damon has brought energy, enthusiasm and fearlessness to the top of the order and center field. Now that he has Little as his manager, Manny Ramirez seems settled back to where he was until August of last year, especially with Baerga around. And the Ramirez-Damon-Trot Nixon outfield is outstanding.

Tony Clark has also earned immediate clubhouse respect with his presence, Sanchez gives them defense at second base, and while Shea Hillenbrand works to gain plate discipline, everyone knows he is as hard a worker as they have. If Clark develops back problems and Brian Daubach is languishing, don't be surprised if Cuban Juan Diaz -- who is bigger than Rhode Island, but has big-time bat speed and lithe feet around the bag at first base -- doesn't come up Route 95 from Triple-A Pawtucket and become an important part of the team.

Then there's Rickey ... If the season were to open this Monday, he would have a significant role.

Is it a great team? No, but it's a very good team, especially if they can make a couple of moves during the season. That is ...

If Pedro remains healthy.

After his season ended with shoulder problems and a diagnosis of a tear in the rotator cuff in August, Martinez spent the past winter working diligently. He lifted weights, ran, threw and came into camp over 190 pounds. "I feel good, this is the strongest I've felt in three years," says Martinez.

Does that mean that he's convinced he'll hold up for the entire season? "I can't answer that," he says. "I hope so. But I cannot be certain."

The spring numbers -- 13.2 IP, 16 H, 13 ER, 5 BB, 15 K -- are not impressive, and while he says, "I would like them to be better," he also admits "this has been a feeling out process. I have to find myself and my delivery. It takes some time."

On Thursday, Martinez pitched five innings against the Cardinals, allowing four runs. He had an excellent changeup, getting eight swings and misses. He got a couple of misses on curveballs and also got one swing and miss on a fastball.

The TV radar gun read in the 90s, but hitters did not react to his fastball as they have in the past. "He has very good strength, and that's a good sign," says Varitek. "He needs time."

"It's been since August since I pitched," says Pedro. "So this has to take time. I'm having some trouble finding my arm slot. I get it, then I lose it." His delivery often seems more shortarmed than whipping, as in the past. "I need to keep testing it and feeling it out, and I think it will come."

There is a sense that Martinez still isn't certain he is completely healthy, which is understandable. It is as if every time out he pushes himself a little farther on down the road to recovery. "What encourages me (about Thursday) is that the last inning was the best I threw." In the fifth, he threw only one ball, and in a final seven pitch at-bat against Jim Edmonds threw six heaters -- a called strike and four foul balls -- before dropping in a changeup for a swinging strike three. In all he threw 79 pitches, 57 for strikes.

"What encouraged me in his last start was that Pedro was able to go up the ladder against Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds to get them out," Varitek said. "He hadn't done that all spring. That's all part of what may be a long process of regaining his feel and his confidence. But I'm certain he'll regain both."

That Pedro is at least a tad concerned is evidenced by the fact that he threw several cut fastballs. The only time he went to cutters in the past was when he was hurt, such as in the 1999 postseason against the Yankees and Indians. "I'm having trouble with the feel of the pitch," says Pedro. "I tried to get some in, like to Kerry Robinson, and they hung back over the plate. But feel and touch is something I don't have right now. I really think and hope that feel is my only problem, and the more I pitch, the more I'll get it back. I'm a feel pitcher, and I don't have the feel ... yet."

Little acknowledges "Pedro is not a big man" and says he might use him on five days' rest as often as possible. He also says that he believes his ace is going to be fine. "If he is," says Little, "we'll be OK, and I think he will be fine. I know that the indication of a pitcher's health is his command, not velocity, but I think that command is coming."

Without Pedro, the Red Sox pitching is ... well ... suspect. But with him, Lowe has a chance to step into the No. 2 spot in the rotation and be a frontline starter. If Burkett has the command he had in the National League, he'll be fine. Cardinals people think Hermanson may have some problems in Fenway because of his problems with lefties, but the man goes to the post and is willing to pitch.

As for the bullpen, the Sox hope Ugueth Urbina holds up, and that Rich Garces, Tim Wakefield, Rolando Arrojo, Casey Fossum, et al do, too. Fossum is a dilemma, as they'd like to send him out to start and develop his changeup, but he has so much stuff and armspeed and gets out lefties (.188), that they may have to keep him and pair him with Garces (.188 BA, .291 OBP, .272 slugging vs. lefties) against the powerful left-handed lineups in the division like the Yankees and Blue Jays, not to mention Oakland, Seattle and Minnesota.

"It's funny, last spring people were picking us to win it all and there was all kinds of excitement," says Garciaparra, who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the magazine guarantee of a 2001 World Championship. "Then came all the injuries, and so much went wrong. Now, here we are this spring."

Could this team be better than the one with all the hype?

"Absolutely," says Garciaparra. "I actually feel very good about this team, about the attitude, about the talent. We probably are better than we were at this time last year."

At this time last year, Garciaparra was already gone. But at this time last year, no one seemed concerned about Pedro. Now the owners and front office, managers and coaches have come and gone. The storyline for the 2002 Red Sox may well be Pedro.

"My goal is to have him pitching well in October," says Little. "Because if he is, we've got a heckuva chance to beat anyone."