--RHP Jonathan Papelbon had some choice things to say about departed OF Manny Ramirez in an article that appeared in Esquire Magazine this month. The All-Star closer called Ramirez a "cancer" and basically restated that it was time for the mercurial slugger to change baseball addresses. The article touched on several different areas, including his competitiveness and his desire to be the best closer in baseball history, but the Ramirez material was pretty blunt. "For him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man! It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that's exactly what was happening," Papelbon said. "Once we saw that, we weren't afraid to get rid of him. It's like cancer. That's what he was. Cancer. He had to go. ... That was the only scenario that was going to work. That was it for us. And after, you could feel it in the air in the clubhouse."

--LHP Jon Lester agreed to a five-year, $30 million contract extension. The 25-year-old is coming off a breakout 16-win season for the Red Sox in which he took over as a top-of-the-rotation starter and logged nearly 240 innings during the regular season and postseason. The Lester pact leaves only closer RHP Jonathan Papelbon among Red Sox homegrown products who haven't yet formalized contract extensions to stay in Boston.

--RHP Brad Penny made his first start of the spring, throwing 33 pitches in an intrasquad start at the team's minor league complex. Penny was lifted from an earlier scheduled start because of weakness in his pitching shoulder but appeared healthy in allowing one hit and a walk in two innings. The 30-year-old is slightly behind the rest of Boston's starters, but the outing was a good first step. "He showed good velocity," pitching coach John Farrell said. "He was in the low 90s, which I think is very encouraging for his first game activity."

--OF Jason Bay and DH David Ortiz returned to Red Sox camp after Team Canada and Team Dominican Republic were both eliminated from the World Baseball Classic. The Red Sox announced that they have broken off talks with Bay on a contract extension, and Ortiz is still icing his left shoulder -- a nagging injury that's been bothering him since the beginning of spring training. Ortiz also told WEEI.com that he didn't think he'd be playing in another WBC for his native country.

--RHP Josh Beckett has looked strong early in spring training, throwing 11 scoreless innings without the slightest hint of injury or discomfort. The 28-year-old has allowed only five hits and one walk, which is the complete opposite of last spring, when he suffered a back injury in his first spring appearance. With the Red Sox offense seemingly in flux, it's imperative that Beckett return to form this season and reclaim his mantle as the staff ace.

BY THE NUMBERS: 150 -- The number of games that 3B Mike Lowell placed as a potential goal this season after returning from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's got that enthusiasm and that is contagious. I'm telling you right now. When you have that and you can put it together. When I found out that he won that MVP last year, I felt like it was me that won it. Because it's Pedey. He did it, he did it all." -- DH David Ortiz, talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.