Crisp

FORT MYERS, Fla. — There is nothing official just yet, but Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said yesterday that the possibility exists that Boston will open its season in Japan either in 2008 or 2009.

There is interest in the Red Sox in Japan, of course, after Boston signed former Japanese League pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima over the winter.

“It’s a little early to talk about it, but Major League Baseball is very interested in expanding what it does internationally,” said Lucchino, speaking to the Japanese media after yesterday’s pitchers-and-catchers workout at the team’s minor-league complex.

“One thing they have talked to us about is the possibility of playing in Japan. We would look forward to that. We would love to have that opportunity,” said Lucchino.

“It would be a tremendous honor,” added Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.

A crisp, new look

Coco Crisp is a new man.

Well, at least the center fielder looks different. Crisp, whose first year with the Sox was hampered by a broken finger, returned to camp Tuesday for the start of his second year sporting a very different hairstyle.

Crisp had the smooth-shaven head last year, when he played in only 105 games, batting a mediocre .264 before undergoing surgery on his left index finger, which was broken on April 8 in an aborted slide on a stolen-base attempt in Boston’s fifth game of the season.

Yesterday, Crisp was showing off a full and bushy head of hair.

“My wife likes it,” Crisp said with a smile.

Here’s the drills

Matsuzaka was part of one of the two groups that threw in the bullpen for the second time this spring.

During the first session, the pitchers were restricted to fastballs and changeups in an attempt to help them build arm strength. Yesterday, pitching coach John Farrell allowed them to mix in some other pitches.

Matzusaka threw 25 pitches from the windup and 15 more from the stretch, including two pitchouts to catcher Jason Varitek, who also caught the right-hander’s first bullpen session. Matsuzaka threw mostly fastballs, but also threw some curveballs, sliders and changeups.

Matsuzaka also had his second experience with manager Terry Francona’s pitcher’s fielding drill, during which he and Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson alternately bashed shots back to the mound with a soft baseball. There was much laughter in Matsuzaka’s group, which included veteran right-handers Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon, as well as Okajima.

Matzusaka has noticed a difference in the player-manager relationship here as opposed to Japan.

“The manager hits baseballs back to us (in Japanese drills) and there are some jokes, but the surprising thing to me is we could throw the baseballs back at (Francona),” Matsuzaka said through a translator.

Mostly accounted for

The position players were expected to report yesterday.

Manny Ramirez, who won’t arrive until March 1, as stated Monday by Julian Tavarez, whom Francona referred to as the slugger’s publicist. Francona said he had not spoken to Ramirez so he declined to comment.

David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Alex Cora were the only position players not at the park yesterday, though Cora had called to say he was en route. The players only had to be in the town, and not at the ballpark yesterday. They will have physicals today and the first full-squad workout will be held tomorrow.

Francona said yesterday he didn’t have any reason to think Ortiz and Drew wouldn’t be on hand today.

skrasner@projo.com