Red Sox positioned for second season

As soon as the breeze subsided from Doug Mirabelli's swinging strike three against Twins closer Joe Nathan, the Red Sox put the regular season behind them.

Ninety-six wins are well and good, but they won't mean a thing if the team can't win 11 more games.

"Championship teams make players great," said Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon after Sunday's 3-2 season-ending loss, "and players are remembered to be great when they're on championship teams. It's just like football; Peyton (Manning) wasn't considered great until he won it all. It's the same thing with baseball. You're not considered a great player until you contribute to those championship teams."

That's the goal that lies ahead. The Sox will begin that championship quest on Wednesday against the Angels in the best-of-five division series. Win that, and there's the best-of-seven championship series against either the Indians or Yankees.

Win that, well, and the Sox will have a chance to have a lot of players considered great.

"We've all worked hard to get to this point," said second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "Now we've got to let it all come out."

"This season is concluded and we're ready to start another one," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "I think we're in good position. We're healthy, we seem to be where guys can be productive. Nothing's assured, but we're in a good position where we should be able to go out and play our best baseball."

There was no nervousness in the Red Sox clubhouse. Players smiled and spoke eloquently about the challenge that lies ahead. There is a sense of anticipation, a good feeling about what could come in the next couple of weeks.

Some of the players were around in 2004 when the Sox won the championship, and some more were there in 2005 when they lost in the division series to the White Sox.

Theirs is an even-keel view. There's excitement that the playoffs lie ahead and caution about the quality of opponent they're going to play.

"They do everything well," Papelbon said of the Angels. "We'll have to do a lot of things well to beat them."

"They play small ball," added first baseman Eric Hinske. "They steal bases and they're quick. You have to play fundamental baseball against them; everybody knows that. They have good starting pitching and a solid bullpen. They're tough, but we match up pretty well against them."

Most of the players will take today off. There's an optional workout at Fenway Park, but Manager Terry Francona doesn't expect that to be well attended.

It won't be a day off for the braintrust, however. Francona and his coaches will huddle with scouts who have followed the Angels the last month or so in an effort to get prepared for them.

"The players will get a little bit of a blow, those who need it, but other than that, there's a lot of work ahead of us," said Francona. "Tomorrow's a big day for us.

"The scouts have been grinding it for awhile now. There's been guys out all over the place. There are a lot of hours that go into this. It doesn't mean you're going to win, it doesn't mean you're going to lose, but it gives you a comfort level going in that you've covered everything. As a staff, we need to be prepared. And we will."

Francona has remained silent about the 25 players he'll take into the postseason with him, and he wouldn't divulge his pitching rotation, but it would be a major surprise if Josh Beckett doesn't take the mound for the Sox in Game 1.

Likewise, he'll probably be opposed by Angels ace John Lackey.

Beyond Lackey, though, there are other quality starters on the Angels and they boast one of the best bullpens in the business. And in Vlad Guerrero, they have a West Coast version of David Ortiz.

But why worry about the Angels now? That's for Wednesday.

"It's awesome," said Hinske. "I can't wait. It's too bad we've got a couple days off."

The next two days should be used to rest up, let some bumps and bruises heal and make sure their timing is down.

The Sox will have to be at their best for the playoffs, for they know the other seven teams in baseball will be at their best as well.

"I wouldn't necessarily say this is the fun time," said Papelbon. "I'd say this is the time when all the hard work pays off. You use all that hard work and the money you put in the bank early in the season, and now it's time to withdraw that money and use it to buy a championship.

"That's the approach I take as far as lifting weights and the shoulder program and things like that. This is what you dream of. This is something you put all the hard work into and, hopefully, it will pay off.

"I'm strapping the saddle on."