Spring training questions start for Red Sox

Those glorious words are upon us, words that come every February to help us all realize that spring is just a few weeks away.
Pitchers and catchers.
The Boston Red Sox have started trickling, one by one, into their home away from home in Fort Myers, Fla., preparing to defend their World Series title for the second time in the last four years. Of course, even though Boston broke The Curse in 2004, controversy still surrounds the Sox as it always has.
Spring training allows such controversy to fester like an untreated rash. All the down time gives the players and the media chances to start little fires that need to be extinguished, bringing up questions about contracts, starting rotations, bullpen roles and batting orders. Witness the drama over the health of Curt Schilling and use it as a good example. The questions over Schilling's ailing right shoulder were treated like the apocalypse for a couple of days, with barbs flying back and forth between the Red Sox and the 41-year-old righthander, before both sides insisted that the matter has been resolved. Be prepared for several more situations like this one before the season starts in Japan on March 25. Here are just a few of the storylines that will be beaten to death before Josh Beckett throws the first pitch of the season.

--Terry Francona's contract status
This one comes up first because Francona was the first member of the organization to formally address the media. Francona and Theo Epstein held a joint press conference on Thursday at the picnic tables on the patio outside the Red Sox clubhouse. Epstein said after the World Series that negotiating an extension with Francona would be a priority for the club but a deal has not been signed yet. Francona is due to make $1.7 million this season and is likely in line for a sizeable raise with two rings and the public on his side. Boston won't fight this battle in public. The Red Sox will get a deal done with Francona before anything blows up.

--The No. 5 starter
Schilling's injury has put his status for the season in limbo. The most conservative estimate is that he will be out until the All-Star break, leaving about 16 starts unclaimed in Boston's rotation. Clay Buchholz and Julian Tavarez are the leading contenders for the spot, a classic comparison between young and old. Buchholz will be the fan favorite, the young kid with all the potential and a no-hitter already on his resume, but there's no telling how he will perform when asked to throw more innings than he ever has previously in his career. Nonetheless, Buchholz should be the pick here. Tavarez has a track record of durability and is capable of jumping from the bullpen into the rotation if needed. It would be too much to ask of Buchholz, in his first full season, to make such a switch.

--Coco Crisp vs. Jacoby Ellsbury
With Johan Santana going to the New York Mets, both Crisp and Ellsbury remained in Boston despite being named in various trade proposals for the star lefthander. All indications are that Crisp is still on the trading block. His comparatively cheap salary ($13 million over the next two years), speed and tremendous defensive ability will make him an attractive option for the right team. Crisp has been pushed out of his starting spot in center field by Ellsbury, the organization's best young talent right now. He hit .438 during the sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the World Series and .360 overall in the postseason, putting Crisp on the bench midway through the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians and never letting go of his spot. He's not likely to do that now or any time in the near future unless he is injured or traded.

--The Manny Ramirez chronicles
Spring controversy over Ramirez is as reliable as the sun rising in the east every morning. He's reported to camp late. He's reported out of shape. He's reported with undisclosed and unexplained injuries. He's reported and demanded trades. He's reported and declined to play. Will he do any of those things this year? Maybe. That's part of the act. The new controversy surrounding Ramirez will concern the remaining two years on his contract, club options that Ramirez and his agent, Greg Genske, wanted picked up while the club was discussing the possibility of trading Ramirez during the 2005 season. Each of those options is worth $20 million and Ramirez will be 38 by the time his deal expires. Are the Red Sox or any other team willing to pay an aging slugger that much money if he is clearly in decline?

Those are just a few of the talking points that we can identify right now. More are certain to come up over the course of Boston's lazy days in the Fort Myers sun. Winning hasn't changed the culture of controversy that swirls over the Red Sox. It's a guilty pleasure that I hope never ends.