Pedroia: "I'm Shredded And Jacked"

Dustin Pedroia arrives in camp today. He's ready to go:

I'm shredded and jacked. We're ready to kick everybody's [butt]. ... I'm fired up. It seemed like a really long offseason. I got about 12 to 14 weeks of workouts in. I got a lot faster and a lot stronger and my body is in a position to hold up throughout the 162-game season.

FY added that Jacoby Ellsbury worked out like a madman this winter.

Jed Lowrie says his left wrist (which he hurt last May) is now pain-free:

I took about a month off to just let it heal. We decided not to do surgery just because there wasn't enough time [before spring training]. ... From the left side, and I'm not one to make excuses, it really hindered my ability to swing with any sort of power. My wrist was just not strong enough to keep the barrel above the ball.

Towards the end of the year it really didn't matter what I did. I just kind of hit that wall. ... [Now] I can't even describe the difference. I couldn't even touch my wrist at the end of the year because it was painful. Now that's not the case.

A happy Jason Varitek spoke to the media today:

I'm ecstatic that I'm a Red Sox. I'm ecstatic that I have the peace of mind that I'll be in this uniform and closer to retiring in this uniform. Not saying I see retirement anytime soon ...

I wouldn't say there wasn't any doubt [about returning], but there was no doubt in what I wanted and what my heart wanted.

Terry Francona was asked about pinch-hitting for Varitek during the coming season:

It's the first day of spring and you got me hitting for him. But to answer your question, I would not look for that. If you're waiting for him to be hit for early in the season, I wouldn't hold your breath.

Tito also spoke with Bob Ryan about his job:

I love the games. "Fun" may not be the right word to describe the sensation every night, 'cause there's a lot of anxiety. What I enjoy is the competition. ... There are always going to be good times and bad times, but I always enjoy going through it with a group you like. It's not always going to be perfect. But I like who we are.

John Smoltz talked about his departure from Atlanta after busting his ass in conditioning drills. Smoltz will not throw off a mound until late March. ... Manny Delcarmen: "Last year my fastball was a little inconsistent and toward my second half I had good fastball command. But I'm going to force myself to pitch a little more in to righties, I think, and work on my breaking ball. ... Jon Lester talks about learning from the veterans.