01:00 AM EST on Sunday, March 19, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It's a given that change is part of the baseball landscape. Thanks to free agency and roster churn, players come and go with sometimes stunning regularity.

Now more than ever, last year's players are yesterday's news. The Red Sox, for example, will feature a completely new infield, a new center fielder and at least three new members of the bullpen. It didn't matter that the Red Sox won as many games as all but one American League team last year and qualified for the postseason for the third straight year. One way or another, a change was going to come.

But it's not just the roster that's undergoing a transformation. It's also the personality, or the clubhouse culture, that figures to undergo a makeover.

When the Red Sox allowed Kevin Millar to seek free agency and refused to match the New York Yankees' offer to Johnny Damon, they lost a significant part of their personality. Millar was one of the team's leaders and clubhouse jesters. Damon, with his free-flowing hair and rock-star mentality, was often the face of the franchise.

Together, they came to represent the Red Sox' cultivated "Idiots" image, a term coined by Damon and embodied by Millar. Now that they're gone, so is a large part of the team's personality and character.

It will take time for the 2006 Red Sox to develop their own identity. But, one way or another, it will be different.

"I know it won't be quite as loud (with Millar gone)," joked manager Terry Francona. "That team we had for a couple of years was unique. It worked for that bunch of guys. This will be different. But just because the decibel level will not be as loud doesn't mean they won't embrace one another."

"Every team has its own personality," added general manager Theo Epstein. "That can't be manufactured. The most important thing to us is that whatever attitude develops, it's team-first. We look for supportive teammates, whether they're loud or quiet."

When the current ownership and management team took over, it inherited an organization that was uptight under former GM Dan Duquette, whose controlling nature affected the club from top to bottom. There was a benefit to having the players relax some.

Over time, the 2003-05 Red Sox may have taken the idea too far. Traditionalists were aghast at the Red Sox' overly casual appearance, long hair and lighthearted approach.

When it culminated in a World Series win, however, all was forgiven.

Some have noted that while Millar and Damon are gone, they've been replaced by Mike Lowell, J.T. Snow and Mark Loretta, all of whom fall into the category of old-school professionals.

Epstein insists that the Sox weren't overtly focused on makeup and personality when they remade the roster during the offseason. But it's known that Red Sox management was unhappy at times with the team's more notorious displays, including Millar's revelation that the team drank shots of Jack Daniels as part of a postseason ritual in 2004.

"That," acknowledged one team source, "crossed the line."

"There were some things," said one player who asked not to be identified, "that maybe you wish didn't happen. When you look at it from the outside, it probably didn't always look normal."

Outfielder Trot Nixon, who has been with the club longer than any position player, says Millar and Damon will be missed, both for their on-field ability as well as their off-field contribution.

"But we still have a great group of guys here," said Nixon, "and we have guys who have a professional attitude."

Lowell, Loretta and Snow have more than 33 years of experience at the major-league level. But none is as camera-friendly as Damon, or as boisterous as Millar.

"Personally, I'm not going to say much," said Lowell. "I'll try to soak it all in and find out what it's all about around here. I think for anyone new to come into a place and (assume a leadership role) would be foolish."

Snow and Loretta are similarly focused, more interested in assimilating than asserting their personality. They may be more traditional role models for young players such as Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia and others who will be integrated into the team in the next season or two.

Nixon believes that the 2006 Red Sox can continue to be fun-loving without devolving into excess. And someone will fill the void left by Millar, who excelled in keeping things light.

"There were lots of subtle things he did," said Nixon. "He had the ability to make you forget that you had lost three in a row. He could change the mood, and that's important because everyone struggles in this game. And if you can't deal with that, it only gets worse.

"We'll still get on everybody. You have to check your ego at the door. It can get very stressful in Boston, because you have to be successful. It matters. You have to win. You need to win. So it helps to keep the mood light, and I think the guys that are here know how to do that."

The inherent pressures that come with playing in a market such as Boston, where a playoff-like intensity can manifest itself in an April game, make it imperative that players have an outlet, an ability to sidestep the demands and expectations.

"We give guys free reign to be individuals because we think that's important in Boston," said Epstein. "We don't have a lot of unnecessary rules here."

What they have, however, is a new group of players learning about each other and trying to figure out their collective personality.

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340