It's not yet official, but it's acepted as fact that Josh Bard will catch when Tim Wakefield pitches.

01:00 AM EST on Sunday, March 26, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For better than four seasons, they were inexorably linked. If one was on the mound, then it was a given that the other was behind the plate, and vice versa.

But one winter-meetings transaction brought an end to the familiar battery. When the Red Sox sent catcher Doug Mirabelli to the San Diego Padres for second baseman Mark Loretta last December, they not only dealt their backup receiver, but also stripped Tim Wakefield of his security blanket.

Barring injury, Mirabelli regularly caught Wakefield and his capricious pitch, the knuckleball. It may have seemed like a thankless task, but Mirabelli grew so comfortable in the role -- and Wakefield, in turn, comfortable with him -- that the two were like a vaudeville act, able to anticipate one another's actions.

Though -- or perhaps, because -- he can seldom predict what his signature pitch will do next, Wakefield is otherwise a creature of habit, with a yen for the familiar. With Mirabelli gone, it's as if Wakefield, in his 12th season with the Sox, has to start over.

The Red Sox haven't announced that Josh Bard will be Wakefield's new designated catcher, but it's now accepted as fact. John Flaherty caught Wakefield's first Grapefruit League game, but he retired a few days later. Bard has caught the rest, including yesterday.

If Ken Huckaby were truly in the mix for the backup catcher's spot, he would have caught Wakefield for the first time in a game situation. Instead, the assignment again went to Bard and the disappointment was etched on Huckaby's face.

"It's kind of tough day for Ken," acknowledged manager Terry Francona yesterday morning, saying a lot with a little.

For someone who had not caught a knuckler before mid-February, Bard, by all accounts, has proved to be quick study. Acquired as part of the six-player deal that brought Coco Crisp to Boston, he's treated routine bullpen sessions as essential tutorial sessions, learning the pitch's unpredictable dips and drops while gaining insight into Wakefield's approach.

With one more tune-up scheduled for their regular-season debut April 4, the two are pleased with their joint progress.

"I'm very comfortable with him," said Wakefield of Bard after giving up four runs in five innings in a 5-3 setback to the Toronto Blue Jays. "He's done a tremendous job. He takes a lot of pride in what he does."

Tracking and successfully catching the knuckler is challenging enough, but Bard has taken his indoctrination one step further. By watching Wakefield carefully -- both on tape and on the side -- he's capable of spotting trouble before it starts.

"He's not afraid to speak up (if he spots a problem with my mechanics)," said Wakefield, "and take a more immediate approach. I really admire that in him."

That may prove particularly valuable given that the Sox are expected to be without pitching coach Dave Wallace for the season. Wallace, who also worked with Charlie Hough, could spot and correct Wakefield's delivery flaws before much damage was done.

Bard's learning curve has been a steep one.

"Each day," he said, "there are one or two balls I catch that I have no business catching, and one or two that I think I should have . . . get away. It's kind of give-and-take. But each day, I've felt more comfortable."

He credits Wakefield for helping him learn on the run. The pitcher has provided Bard with as much information as he can, and solicited the catcher's input.

"I've been a little surprised at how much of a pitcher he is," Bard said. "He doesn't just chuck (the knuckleball) up there. There's a method to his madness and we're learning together. Each time we go out, it's going to be another step."

Initially, Bard set specific -- and rudimentary -- goals: he wanted to catch every ball, no matter its unpredictability. Now, he finds himself demanding more of himself. Ideally, he'd like to achieve the kind of relationship his predecessor enjoyed with Wakefield in which the two share a rhythm on the field.

Comparing his new receiver with his former catcher, Wakefield noted the two "were similar in a lot of ways. They both have great hands. Doug sets up a little differently. He sets up a little deeper (in the box), while Josh is out in front a little more."

In time, Wakefield and Bard hope each outing can be routine, or as routine as possible when the pitch in question is anything but.

For now, Bard has begun to adjust his thinking to reflect his new assignment. Fittingly, for a role that requires communication and anticipation, the catcher has been begun thinking like his batterymate.

"I'm almost looking at it like I'm on a starting pitcher's program," Bard said, "and my job every fifth day (is) that's my game to win."

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