Things are far different in Tampa, where the Yankees’ Andy Pettitte and teammates soon will be bombarded by questions of drug use.

AP / ELISE AMENDOLA

FORT MYERS, Fla. — In Tampa — some 140 or so miles to the north on Interstate 75, but in some ways, a million miles away — the circus comes to town today.

Andy Pettitte is scheduled to report to camp with the New York Yankees and waiting for him will be several hundred reporters. They will want to know about his acknowledged use of human growth hormone (HGH) and his sworn depositions and affidavits regarding former teammate Roger Clemens.

They will ask about how often he used HGH, and whether he saw Clemens do the same. They will ask whether he and Clemens are still friends. They will ask what he thought of Clemens’ congressional testimony and what he thought when Clemens said that Pettitte “misremembered” things.

The rest of the Yankees will be asked all of this and more. How do you like the new job so far, Joe Girardi?

At the Red Sox minor-league complex at the far end of Edison Avenue, meanwhile, Red Sox pitchers will throw their second bullpen sessions, and the handful of position players who reported early will take some light batting practice. By 1 p.m., aside from the occasional thwack of the bat inside the batting cage, the place will be virtually empty and silent.

While the Yankees deal with the distractions and the fallout from the Mitchell Report, the Red Sox merely go about the business of getting ready for another season.

This is Tranquility Base, where the only hint of discord in camp remains unstated — at least until Curt Schilling decides to talk. Schilling and the organization were/are at odds over the best course of treatment for his ailing shoulder and biceps injuries, but other than that, a discouraging word cannot be heard.

Through sheer good fortune as much as anything — imagine the mess if they had “won” the Clemens bidding in either of the last two years — the Red Sox have been untouched by the steroid scandal, hardly sullied by the Mitchell Report release. Eric Gagne got mentioned and so did Brendan Donnelly, but both are gone now and neither was ever more than a bit player with the Sox.

The Sox turned over the hard drives of the computers, revealing correspondence about their suspicions regarding past use by Gagne or Donnelly, but otherwise, were above the fray.

Across Arizona and Florida, of course, it’s a different story in other camps. On Saturday, Paul Lo Duca had to address his involvement as a new member of the Washington Nationals. Toronto Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaunn had some questions to answer, too. Eventually, Miguel Tejada will have to do the same with his new team, the Houston Astros.

Not here. The questions surrounding the Sox are old-fashioned baseball issues: Who’s the fifth starter? When does Coco Crisp get traded?

For the Sox, in other words, life is good. Spring training ’08 is uncomplicated, controversy-free and just a little mundane — just the way the Sox like it.

“Anytime issues come up that don’t have anything to do with winning and losing games,” said general manager Theo Epstein, “it can become a distraction.

“It’s nice,” said manager Terry Francona, “that we don’t have our attention diverted by any of that stuff. We’re trying not to let anything get in the way of getting ready for the season. We kind of get caught up in what we’re doing.”

What they’re doing now is having their pitchers cover first base and working on bunt plays. This week, when more position players arrive, they’ll concentrate on base-running drills and relay throws.

Francona suspects that the Yankees will weather their coming storm just fine.

Derek Jeter, those guys … they’ve been through the whole New York thing before,” he said.

The manager also isn’t naïve enough to think that he’s guaranteed a controversy-free season. This is Boston, after all.

“Something,” he said with a rueful chuckle, “will be on the horizon. You know that.”

But for now, while the Yankees are asked about possible suspensions, fractured friendships and illicit drug use, the Red Sox answer questions about trying to repeat as champions and their spring trip to Japan.

“We come in and just get our work done,” Francona said. “If someone wants to say we’re a boring camp, I’ve got no problem with that.”

smcadam@projo.com