FORT MYERS, Fla. - Closer Jonathan Papelbon, who began last spring training as a member of the starting rotation before returning to the closer's role expects to revisit his routine from a year ago.

"I'm gonna stick to closing, man," said Papelbon. "Last spring training I took a starter's approach and built up my arm strength. So I think for the first few weeks I'm going to be on the starter's throwing program again, so to speak, to build up my arm. It worked last year."

Papelbon spoke with ptiching coach John Farrell frequently during the offseason.

"Last year," said Papelbon, "I learned to understand my arm, understand my body and understand my usage. Now we're just tweaking that."

Papelbon said he regarded the Red Sox as the team to beat in 2008. "I think so," said Papelbon. "If we're not the team to beat, I'd like to know who is."

"The true test of a team is: Can they do it again? Was it a fluke? Did they catch breaks? There's no reason we can't repeat as long as we stay healthy."

Papelbon watched this month's Super Bowl from the Bahamas with mixed feelings. As a Mississippi native, he's come to know the Manning family well and has gone duck hunting with Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

"It was a double-edged sword for me," said Papelbon. "Your friend is one of the quarterbacks and then you've got the Pats trying to do what they were trying to do, and you want to have the city that you live in be vibrant and excited."