FORT MYERS, Fla. – For Red Sox manager Terry Francona, it has been one of the most often-repeated questions of the offseason.

“Yeah, I get it a lot. People say ‘Do you know how hard it is to repeat?'” Francona said with a bemused look while holding court with reporters in the Boston dugout at City of Palms Park on Tuesday. “Hell, do you know how hard it is to win?

“I actually spent a lot of time this winter thinking about that because in ’05, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the whole spring because there was a lot of [stuff] going on on the field. At the end I remember thinking ‘You know what? I need to have more trust in our players because they were the same players who won the World Series.

“It was a different group of guys, but we won 95 games and it was a hard 95 because we had so many injuries. Well, this group is a little easier because you tell them what to do in the morning and they go do it.”

Francona likes his team’s cohesive mix of veteran leaders, superstars, young talent and rookies.

“When you’re winning, you’re veteran. When you’re getting beat, you’re old,” he said with a slight chuckle. “We try to balance that, and with the youth we have coming, we are.”

The way Francona sees it, the biggest commonality among his players is work ethic.

“We come out in the morning and we don’t just throw the balls out there,” he explained. “We go through fundamentals and our work every day and when the games start, some of these guys are tired because we do things in the morning to get ready for the season. I don’t think it’s a fluke that we normally are ready to play when the season starts.”

Asked if younger players like Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury had an effect on the veterans, and not just vice versa, Francona conceded it was a logical point.

“I think last year when we got a little younger with Ellsbury and Pedy, who played with a youthful spirit, it was a youthful reminder,” he said.

“I’ve been with a lot of different teams and I remember that with some teams, when you come up as a young kid, you’re kind of ostracized and I never understood that,” Francona continued. “Teams poke fun at rookies and ride them in fun, but if they’re your guy, why make them feel separate?”

Much was made of clubhouse tension between veteran players and rookies with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Francona, who said he has no personal knowledge of it but is well aware of the reports, said that’s not an issue with the Sox.

“I don’t know if it’s rare or not, but I’m glad that’s the way it is here,” he said. “Look at last year how many times things could have broken down. [Alex] Cora’s hitting about .400 and Pedy’s struggling early on. Who helped Pedy more than anyone? A.C.

“And if somebody took a shot at Pedy, who was the first one to be there with his arm around him? Mikey Lowell. That’s two of the more veteran guys we have on the team and I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

“I don’t care how they do it anywhere else. I actually hope they struggle,” Francona added. “You have to have the right people and we’re pretty fortunate that way.”

Beat-up Boston, sick Sox

Boston ace starting pitcher Josh Beckett reported some improvement Tuesday to team officials and will continue to undergo treatment for a pulled or strained muscle in his lower back. It is not known when he will make his next start.

Starting shortstop Julio Lugo is also out with tightness in his lower back and missed his ninth straight game Tuesday. Center fielder Coco Crisp still has not played in a game since March 2 due to tightness in both groin muscles. Lugo and Crisp continue to undergo treatment and are day to day.

Pedroia didn’t play Monday due to the flu and was not in Tuesday’s starting lineup either. Reserve outfielder Bobby Kielty missed Monday’s game because of tightness in his right hamstring.

aneff@bangordailynews.net

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SOX SPRING SCHEDULE

Remaining games in Florida

Wednesday ? Minnesota, 1:05 p.m.

Thursday ? Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.

Friday ? Baltimore, 1:05 p.m.

Saturday ? Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m.

Sunday ? Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m.

Monday ? N.Y. Yankees, 1:15 p.m.

March 19 ? Toronto, 12:05 p.m.