Mar. 22 -- HERE AT THE FORT

BY SCOTT LAUBER

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Greetings from City of Palms Park, spring home of the Boston Red Sox. Josh Beckett on the mound for the Sawx. Ryan Howard in the cleanup spot for the Phils. And if y'all remember the spring of '06, you know why that's significant. Beckett and Howard exchanged words and nearly got into a rare Grapefruit League brawl one sunny day at Bright House Field.

Doubt we'll see any fireworks today, but hey, ya never know.

Sox have close to their A-lineup here today, with the exception of nicked-up first baseman Kevin Youkilis. So, it should be a good test for Brett Myers. Here's the Sox full lineup with spring-training stats:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.294/1/4)
2B Dustin Pedroia (.333/0/2)
DH David Ortiz (.176/2/5)
3B Mike Lowell (.385/1/1)
LF Jason Bay (.250/1/3)
RF Rocco Baldelli (.208/0/4)
C Jason Varitek (.185/2/10)
SS Jed Lowrie (.439/2/10)
1B Paul McAnulty (.256/1/9)

And for the Phils:
3B Eric Bruntlett (.333/1/5)
CF Jayson Werth (.286/3/8)
LF Raul Ibanez (.216/0/8)
1B Ryan Howard (.289/6/16)
DH Matt Stairs (.259/0/4)
RF John Mayberry Jr. (.281/3/10)
SS Miguel Cairo (.289/2/4)
2B Pablo Ozuna (.367/1/4)
C Carlos Ruiz (.313/0/4)

***
A few notes: INF Jason Donald (twisted ankle) is here today and likely will play at some point. ... RHP Joe Bisenius was optioned to minor-league camp. ... Routine day off for 2B Chase Utley.

***
In your Sunday News Journal: I had a conversation with Kyle Kendrick after he pitched yesterday. Judge for yourself, but I thought, based on his comments, that he sounds like a guy who is bracing for bad news. Also, within the notebook, we have news on Cole Hamels' bullpen session, Chan Ho Park's hamstring, Scott Eyre's teeth and more. And, finally, in the Sunday MLB notes, we look at the Curse of the World Series-winning aces. From Chris Carpenter to Beckett to Hamels, pitchers have had their problems in the season immediately following their playoff heroics.

Enjoy your Sunday.