PHOENIX, Ariz. — Call it a hidden-ball trick if you would like to, even though some members in the Boston Red Sox’ clubhouse weren’t willing to give Julio Lugo’s trickery Friday night that special designation.

You want to talk true, elite hidden-ball plays, Boston third baseman Mike Lowell will be happy to recount the one he pulled off, also against the Diamondbacks, on Aug. 10, 2005. Lugo’s play?

“That’s not a real hidden-ball play,” said a smiling Lowell yesterday afternoon as the Sox prepared for the second game of the series against Arizona.

But regardless of what Lugo’s play was called, it was something you don’t see very often.

In this case, the tag that surprised inattentive Arizona baserunner Alberto Callaspo was caused by Lugo’s alertness, and the alertness of second-base umpire Chris Guccione, helping the Red Sox nip a Diamondbacks rally in the bud in the third inning of Boston’s 10-3 victory.

The details of the play boiled down to this:

Callaspo, a rookie infielder, was too aggressive rounding second base on Chris Snyder’s base hit to right and had to scurry back to the second-base bag when right fielder J.D. Drew threw behind him, to Lugo, who was covering the bag.

The Diamondbacks runner went in headfirst, tagging the bag with his left hand. He was safe. Lugo, though, circled a bit behind him, keeping the ball in his glove, and when Callaspo pulled his hand off the bag to stand up and put his foot on the base, Lugo lunged forward and slapped the tag on the unsuspecting Callaspo.

Guccione didn’t give up on the play, either. He was right there, watching intently, and rightly called Callaspo out.

“No, I’ve never done that before,” said Lugo, breaking out into a huge smile yesterday in discussing the moment.

“I tried it once and I got a guy but the umpire didn’t see it. I just thought at the time that maybe this was something that would work. (Callaspo) was surprised. I didn’t say anything to him. And the ump was right on top of the play,” he said.

If Red Sox officials agree it was a hidden-ball play, it will be added to the list on page 499 of the media guide. Steve Lyons was the last Red Sox player to do it, catching the White Sox’ Ozzie Guillen, now that team’s manager, napping at second base on May 13, 1991.

Not so fast, said some in the Sox’ clubhouse.

“That didn’t take a long time,” said manager Terry Francona of Lugo’s deceit. “It’s not as much a hidden-ball play as he just got behind him.”

You want to hear a story about a real hidden-ball trick? Just ask Lowell. Terrero sleeping at third base, he had a valuable co-conspirator in pitcher Todd Jones.

Back on that day in 2005 when Lowell, playing for the Marlins, caught Arizona’s Luis Terrero sleeping, he had a co-conspirator, pitcher Todd Jones.

Lowell had cut a ball off and Jones had gone to back up the plate. So Lowell held the ball.

“I wasn’t going to throw the ball all the way to the plate, so I waited. I looked at Jonsey and we made eye contact, and he started walking behind the mound. He was stretching, tying his shoes. Jonsey sold it so well,” said Lowell, smiling at the memory.

“It was taking a long time. Honestly, after about three seconds I was going to forget about it because we couldn’t keep waiting. But then he took a step off the bag and I tagged him,” said Lowell.

Arizona’s third-base coach Carlos Tosca approached Lowell the day after during batting practice. Lowell apologized, thinking Tosca would be upset that one of his players had been shown up, in a way.

“He said, ‘No, thank you. I’ll never take my eye of the runner and the ball when he gets to third base,’ ” said Lowell, who says he has become extra careful on the basepaths, making sure he knows where the ball is at all times so he doesn’t get similarly embarrassed.

There’s a moral to this baserunning story, says Red Sox infield coach Luis Alicea, a veteran of 13 big-league seasons.

“Never trust a player on the other team,” said Alicea, who said he pulled hidden-ball tricks in college and in the minors, but never in the majors.

“Never ask a player anything. Look at your coaches. That’s why they’re out there if you’re not sure about something. Or ask the umpire. Like on a hit-and-run, you see an infielder pretend he has the ball and makes you slide so you don’t see where the ball is hit. Never trust another player,” he said.

And what did he think of the Lugo-Callaspo episode?

“That was no hidden-ball play,” said Alicea.

Hidden-ball play or not, it left just one question to be answered in this day and age of baseball etiquette.

If the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez had done what Lugo did in a game against the Red Sox, would he have been portrayed as a smart player or a cheater committing a breach of baseball etiquette, as he was charged with being when he yelled and caused a popup to drop in a key moment in a game against Toronto a few weeks ago?