Here is your daily dose of Red Sox spring training news from Wednesday.

J.D. Drew is in town. He actually arrived late last night and took part in the workout today. Drew met with the media after the workouts and was asked how he thought his shoulder would hold up:

”Absolutely,” he said when asked if his shoulder would hold up throughout that time. ”I’ve been in a situation over the last three years where I’ve changed some things in the way I kind of manage myself off the field and that’s really paid off.

He was also asked about his relationship with Curt Schilling. Schilling was a member of the Phillies when J.D. Drew was originally drafted by them in 1997. Drew had wanted $10 million dollars to sign but the Phillies never met the offer and Drew was signed and drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals the following year. Schilling had asked the Phillies fans to boo Drew when he came to town. They did that and as Philly fans would took it to another level. They threw the kitchen sink, dildos, batteries, toilet paper, and rolls of coins. Drew responded by blasting a 434 foot homerun and a single and triple with a stolen base.

“I saw him today on the treadmill,” Drew said. ”Those days seem just like yesterday and you look back and it’s been, what was it, 10 years ago or so? It’s going to be completely fine.”

It is good to see that whatever rift that was between them in the past is gone. It was also good to hear that he feels his shoulder will hold up. Drew doesn’t play the field as aggressively as Trot Nixon did so it will be interesting to see how the Red Sox fans take to this. We are accustomed to the hard-nosed play of Nixon out there and will only expect the same from Drew.

If you want to watch Daisuke Matsuzaka’s first game in a Sox uniform, you’re in luck. NESN has added the March 2nd game vs the Boston College Eagles at 6:00 PM to it’s schedule. While the whole game might not be shown due to NESN’s commitments with the Boston Bruins. I know I will be tuned in to watch the game.

Speaking of Matsuzaka, manager Terry Francona spoke out on his workout regimen. It is a lot different than other Red Sox pitchers. From the Boston Globe:

Manager Terry Francona, who has not watched either of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s bullpen sessions, acknowledged yesterday that the Japanese pitcher, who is accustomed to doing considerably more throwing than his American counterparts in spring training, will continue to do so here. Matsuzaka followed his first session Sunday by throwing long toss Monday, which customarily would be a day off here.

Francona had this to say about Matsuzaka:

Matsuzaka threw long toss from 220 feet Tuesday while most pitchers took the day off. “I’ve never seen someone throw the ball that long,” manager Terry Francona said.

Whatever they have to do with Dice-K is fine by me. As long as he is comfortable here, I will be happy. Of course about 15-20 wins from him would be nice too.

Read more news after the jump:

The biggest question of the past two days has been when will Manny Ramirez report. His buddy, Julian Tavarez, had stated that Manny would report to camp on March 1st due to problems with Manny’s mom after her unknown surgery. Well on Wednesday, Francona and Theo Epstein came out and publicly said that Manny will in fact report to Ft. Myers on March 1st but they’d like him there earlier if possible. Then later this afternoon, a report came out that Manny would be in Atlantic City on Saturday for a car show. Ramirez’s agent told a source that Manny will not be in Atlantic City on Saturday but rather in Florida with his mom as she heals from the surgery.

Is this Manny just being Manny? Even though the Red Sox can’t fine him because he doesn’t have to report on the reporting day due to terms in the collective bargaining agreement, there has to be something that can be done if he does indeed go to this car show.

David Ortiz arrived at camp last night and was part of the workouts today as well. He even received a surprise gift from the owners of the Red Sox. A brand new Toyota Tundra truck. This is what Ortiz had to say about the rise of salaries this offseason:

“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.”

Ortiz is slated to make $11.5 million this season. A very good bargain for someone with Papi’s numbers. Maybe thats why he got the truck from the Red Sox. Yes Papi is worth money. But at least he is not greedy and sitting out for an extension or a new deal. He is our heart and soul and also Manny’s babysitter. Well worth his salary in itself.

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

And for those of you who read yesterday’s update and were wondering what Kevin Youkilis’ bald head looked like, here you go:

Information from the Boston Herald and Boston Globe was used in the making of this post.

TechnoratiTechnorati: , , , , , , , , , , ,