Trot Nixon was part of the heart and soul of the Red Sox for his eight years in Boston, earning his teammates’ admiration and the fans’ affection for his gung-ho, gritty style of play.

Now, he is a member of the Indians, having been allowed to leave Boston as a free agent in the off-season. He has brought with him the leadership Cleveland was seeking, even if his performances on the field have left him a part-time performer.

Yesterday, Nixon talked about his affection for several members of the Sox, joking about such things as Kevin Youkilis’s prominent chin. And he also has fond memories of the fans, who gave him a standing ovation when he was replaced in the middle of an inning in the Sox’ final home game in 2006 as well as the hero’s reception he received each night when Cleveland was in Boston in late May.

“Those are some things I’ll never forget,” said Nixon yesterday.

Now, though, he has brought some of the Red Sox with him to Cleveland.

“I do my stuff and maybe a little Kevin Millar stuff,” joked Nixon yesterday, though he hasn’t borrowed the “Cowboy Up” theme that Millar espoused.

“I’m not going to get much playing time [in the series] and that’s fine,” said Nixon, who batted .251 with only 3 homers and 31 RBI in 99 games before taking Roger Clemens deep in Game Three of the ALDS.

“I’ll be in the dugout picking up those guys. I realized how important those guys who didn’t play were in 2004, during all those long games with the Yankees. They would be screaming to help keep us fired up. I don’t think they realized how important they were to us. You don’t want to come back to a dead dugout [between innings].

“There are a lot of young guys here, guys who haven’t had much post-season experience, and I want them to be able to play hard, but to enjoy the moment, relax and play the game,” he said.

-Steven Krasner