For Bard, a chance to catch on Handling Wakefield key to landing reserve role

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – While much of the attention during Wednesday afternoon’s intrasquad scrimmage at the Boston Red Sox Minor League Training Complex was focused on the appearances of major league righthanders Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, there was another important player on the field.

Josh Bard, who is bidding to earn a spot as Boston’s backup catcher this spring, toiled for 51/2 consecutive innings while handling both pitchers.

“The idea of catching basically 10 innings without stopping, you kind of go, wow,” Bard said, “but it wasn’t as bad as I thought and that’s a lot of credit to those guys [Wakefield and Schilling]. They threw strikes, they got ground balls.”

The 27-year-old Bard was acquired along with outfielder Coco Crisp and pitcher David Riske in the Jan. 27 deal that sent Guillermo Mota, Andy Marte and Kelly Shoppach to the Cleveland Indians.

Bard, coming off his first full big-league season, appears to be the heir apparent to veteran backstop Doug Mirabelli. It was Mirabelli who had carved a niche for the Red Sox as the catcher for Wakefield and his unpredictable knuckleball.

Bard, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, told manager Terry Francona he would be happy to handle Wednesday’s double duty, since the big-league club was playing a spring training game in Fort Lauderdale.

“I want to take advantage of getting as much time with the big-league guys, and the guys on the staff, as I can,” Bard said. “Obviously you’ve caught them a couple times but I’m still learning, trying to find out.”

Bard was already plenty busy this month. With Boston starter Jason Varitek playing for the United States in the World Baseball Classic, John Flaherty having retired and nonroster invitee Ken Huckaby nursing a balky left knee, Bard has been the primary catcher in camp.

“He’s done a good job,” Wakefield said. “We’re all professionals here and he’s been great since he’s come here. He’s a great receiver anyway whether he catches me or not.”

For the moment, it appears trying to knock down Wakefield’s knuckler will be his No. 1 priority for the foreseeable future. It’s a dynamic that has to be experienced, often, to be appreciated and, if possible, mastered.

Bard knows it won’t be a short-term proposition, but more of a gradual process. He has to take Wakefield one pitch at a time.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen with Wake, you have to concentrate on every inch of the ball, all the way up there [to the plate],” Bard said. “It’s just when Wake’s out there, you’ve got to lock in.”

Wakefield is doing everything he can to teach Bard the intricacies of how he might better handle the unpredictable knuckleball. He expects Bard will rise to the occasion.

“Josh, I think, can do a good job catching me,” said Wakefield, who in the same breath mentioned there had been talk the Red Sox might try to reacquire his good friend Mirabelli, who in December was traded to San Diego for second baseman Mark Loretta.

“It’s just a matter of repetition, him catching me, getting used to different things,” Wakefield added.

Getting a grip on the knuckler

When he found out he had been traded to the Red Sox, Bard immediately had to make a call to his agent. He needed a new glove that would be appropriate for snaring Wakefield’s knuckleball.

“It’s a fast-pitch softball glove,” Bard offered, admitting it wasn’t produced by the company that supplies his gloves. “I’ve tried three or four. This is the one I feel most comfortable with.”

Whereas a regular catcher’s mitt is thickly padded and more bulky to handle the likes of Jonathan Papelbon’s 97 mph fastball, the softball glove is thinner and more supple.

“It’s light, so I feel like when Wake throws his really nasty ones I can at least make an attempt or an adjustment to try to get something [equipment] on it,” Bard said. “I’ve got a couple more coming. I want to make sure I have at least two that I feel comfortable with.”

Change of pace for Schilling

As pleased as Schilling was with his velocity and overall effort Wednesday, he was even happier to proclaim he has a new pitch with which he hopes to confound American League hitters this season.

Schilling, who already features a fastball he likes to locate on the outside corner, a split-fingered fastball and a curveball, is trying to implement a changeup.

“I’m throwing my changeup to the point where I’m going to use it in a game to get people out,” said Schilling, who admitted he has toyed with throwing a change in the past – unsuccessfully.

“I’ve never used it,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to have and never been comfortable with it. The last two years I’ve started to really practice it a lot.”

Sensing he is gaining command of the changeup, Schilling hopes to plant the seed in batters’ minds that he’ll use it now.

“It’s something I think gives me a huge advantage if I take it into the season and guys haven’t seen it,” he said.

Ellsbury makes an impression

There were a lot of as yet unknown Red Sox prospects playing in Wednesday’s intrasquad game, but one caught the attention of everyone watching the contest.

Jacoby Ellsbury made his presence felt, making a spectacular play in the outfield, beating out a routine-looking bunt and stealing a base while facing Wakefield.

The 6-1, 185-pounder out of Oregon State was Boston’s No. 1 pick and the 23rd selection overall in the first round of the 2005 amateur draft.

In the top of the fourth inning, David Murphy cranked a Schilling changeup high and deep to right-center field. Ellsbury raced over and made an acrobatic diving catch on the warning track.

“That was a fantastic catch,” Schilling said. “To someone who’s as terrifically slow as I am, he looks even faster.”

Ellsbury, who is limited because of a wrist injury that prevents him from taking a full swing, nonetheless exhibited some offensive flare in the bottom of the inning. On a 2-0 pitch, he laid down a routine bunt between the mound and home plate.