By DAN BARBARISI, The Providence Journal

BOSTON - One night, the boos cascaded down on David Ortiz's head as he failed again and again in big situations. The next, he was getting a standing ovation after clubbing a home run over the Green Monster.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell on Monday became first baseman Mike Lowell, moving across the diamond for the first time in his major-league career. It also marked the first time Lowell has played in a game of any type since the Red Sox were knocked out of the playoffs last October.

There were plenty of reasons to anticipate this debut.

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has set such a ridiculously high standard over his four years in the majors that even a little spring mediocrity looks jarringly out of place.

It was a nice spring night in 2006 at a bar in Vero Beach, Fla., the old site of Los Angeles Dodgers spring training, when Takashi Saito grabbed a microphone and queued up a Beatles song, and Brad Penny laughed his way into a lasting friendship.

After a few weeks when you literally couldn't tell the players without a scorecard, the Boston Red Sox were finally set to look like themselves again Friday.
With the Dominican Republic and Canada both knocked out in the first round of the World Baseball Classic, David Ortiz and Jason Bay both rolled into the Red Sox spring training complex Thursday.

The Boston Red Sox traded for two relievers this offseason to shore up what, at the time, was a leaky bullpen.
The first acquisition, Ramon Ramirez, hasn't looked great, but he's got the track record to make the team despite some spring struggles.
The other, Wes Littleton, may not be so lucky.

Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester sat across from a man who, on the other 364 days of the year, is one of his arch-nemeses: New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain.