E-Mail This Article to a Friend Mirror images: What the Sox’ stars see BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Johnny Damon said it, as did Kevin Millar. Michael Jackson even sang about it — although in a somewhat different context. It’s the company line as stated by the Red Sox players, whose total payroll comes to $128 million: everybody’s got to take a look at the man in the mirror to figure out why this ultra-loaded team is just six games above .500 and just 3.5 games in front of the $28 million Devil Rays.

So what should the Sox players see when they gaze into the looking glass each morning prior to their daily shave? (Damon excepted, of course, since his razor, and apparently also his mirror, have been MIA for months.)

Manny Ramirez. 2004 salary: $20.5 million. Stats: .340 BA, 22 HRs, 65 RBIs. Manny sees a man who’s more relaxed than he has been in years, and again a Triple Crown threat. Sure, there have been some lunkhead moments this season, but that’s par for the course, and nobody can reasonably challenge Ramirez’s work ethic or stats thus far. Going 0-for-8 in the first two games of the recent Yankees series certainly didn’t ignite the squad’s efforts, but perhaps more so than any other Sox player, Manny has earned his keep. What he sees: a solid contributor. What we see: ditto.

Pedro Martinez. Salary: $17.5 million. Stats: 8-3 W-L, 3.74 ERA, 105 Ks. Pedro sees the world differently from the rest of us, and he is probably satisfied with his results to this point. The fans, however, expected a little more. An ERA of nearly four for Pedro is completely unfathomable, and he has given up twice as many HRs (14) as he did all last season. Shutouts used to be the norm; this year he’s held the opposition scoreless just once since April 25. What he sees: still the best pitcher in baseball. What we see: not so much, even though he’s paid as if he is. He must do better if things are to turn around.

Curt Schilling. Salary: $12 million. Stats: 11-4 W-L, 3.08 ERA, 110 Ks. He was embraced when he accepted the trade here, and he’s been the Sox’ most reliable pitcher. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a bit of his dark side, and he’s joined the chorus of players complaining about the media pressure here. Schilling needs to take more of a leadership role, and his dressing down from catcher Jason Varitek for missing a pitchers’ meeting is a prime example of how he may be lacking in that area. Still, no one is better prepared or has been a better slump-stopper than Schill, and few can argue with the results of his first AL season since 1990. What he sees: the staff’s ace. What we see: the same, but more disgruntled and grumpy than advertised.

Nomar Garciaparra. Salary: $11.5 million. Stats: .284 BA, two HRs, 10 RBIs. How much time ya got? Truly, in some ways I feel as if Nomar’s got a bad deal, and rushed back from injury before he was fully healed. I think he remains in significant pain, and the negative ink about his absence in New York is a bit unfair. Still, I don’t care if the guy isn’t comfortable as a team leader — he needs to do it if this team is to flourish, and his attitude and resentment over the off-season-trade rumors are anything but commendable. He sure as hell is outta here come November, but it would be nice if he would at least go through the motions from a leadership standpoint and take the high road. If he wants to stay, say so — this time with feeling. Otherwise, stop being such a model of negativity and start earning your hefty salary at crunch time. What he sees: an unappreciated 100-percenter who’s playing hurt and still getting grief. What we see: a former icon falling from grace and showing little of it in the process.

Johnny Damon. Salary: $8 million. Stats: .296, 7 HRs, 38 RBIs. Quietly, Damon’s been doing the job, and his current BA is higher than it’s been since 2000. He handled the Carlos Beltran trade talk with class and aplomb, and his mild-mannered demeanor through all the recent chaos has been refreshing and exemplary. Johnny’s a hairy beast, but he’s not sulking or making excuses, and it’s too bad his relaxed attitude isn’t catching. What he sees: a decent player doing his job as best he can. What we see: someone who hasn’t really earned his big-money contract thus far, but a stand-up guy who’s likable and often productive.

Keith Foulke. Salary: $7 million. Stats: 13 saves in 16 chances, 1.28 ERA. Foulke’s been as good or better than Sox fans would have hoped, and though he blew a save at a time when the team really needed it in Atlanta (on Friday), he’s been a savior and instiller of team confidence after last year’s uncertainty. What he sees: a guy who’s done okay but can do better. What we see: a guy who’s done great but can’t afford to falter if the team has any hope of the division crown.

Jason Varitek. Salary: $6.7 million. Stats: .272, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs. A lot of the free-agent hand-wringing seemingly permeating the team could have been avoided if management had inked the sturdy backstop to a long-term deal prior to the season. Instead, he was allegedly low-balled, and what’s worse, he’s got one of the most sinister agents backing him, and the tandem has chosen to put off all further contract discussions until after the season. Varitek still has the fire and the passion needed to spark this team to greatness, but unfortunately his stats are decidedly average. He’s obviously the glue that keeps the pitching staff together, but like it or not, he’s got to take some responsibility for the rotation’s 4.27 team ERA. Of the position players, his production — particularly his power numbers — has been less than it should be. I don’t know what more Varitek can do to jump-start this team, but it’s likely that the Sox brass is starting to plan for a future without him. What he sees: an underpaid star who wants to win more than anything. What we see: that rare commodity (a switch-hitting catcher) who will be missed more defensively than offensively, yet will be truly appreciated only after he’s gone.

Trot Nixon. Salary: $6.6 million. Stats: .240, 3 HRs, 6 RBIs. Too early to tell whether Trot will be a credible contributor since his return from injury, but his stats to date have been underwhelming, to say the least. If his calf doesn’t fully heal for the duration of the season, then he is a liability in right field, and his trademark hustle will be muted and compromised. Without that full-time duty and the leadership role that comes with it, then the Sox have little chance for ALCS redemption. What he sees: a budding and passionate superstar hampered by fluke injuries. What we see: a guy whose hard-nosed attitude would ideally be emulated by his teammates.

David Ortiz. Salary: $4.587 million. Stats: .306, 22 HRs, 76 RBIs. Where would this Red Sox team be without this guy? Seemingly unwanted and grabbed off the scrap heap a year and a half ago, Ortiz is again putting up MVP-type numbers and (along with Ramirez) leading by example. He has nothing to be ashamed of in this team’s lackluster season thus far, and his voice should be booming through the Sox’ clubhouse in an effort to kick-start this underachieving bunch. What he sees: a guy who works hard and yet can never take anything for granted. What we see: the team’s sole overachiever, rapidly becoming the pre-eminent fan favorite.

Derek Lowe. Salary: $4.5 million. Stats: 6-8, 6.02 ERA, 41 Ks. Then you’ve got the team’s most woeful underachiever, as Lowe has transformed himself from a pitcher who won 38 games over two seasons to a guy who will be lucky to last the season here in the Hub of Hardball. One could posit that Lowe’s failures have been the single biggest debilitating element of the Sox’ season, and as the confidence in its fourth starter spirals downward, so have the team’s fortunes. Whether he’s been trying too hard to nail down a free-agent bonanza, or simply pitching badly, it is Lowe’s face that is squarely stamped on the team’s descent into mediocrity. What he sees: a guy who can still turn it around. What we see: a puzzling figure with whom the fandom’s patience has run out, and whose departure in many ways would make the team better.

Tim Wakefield. Salary: $4.35 million. Stats: 4-5, 4.27 ERA, 52 Ks. Everybody likes Tim, but his numbers have been disappointing. Coupled with Lowe’s failings and the fifth starters’ inconsistency, the 3-4-5 guys are 13-21. Those eight games under .500, if flip-flopped, would put the Sox atop the AL East. Simple as that. What he sees: a valuable component whose underappreciated talents have been taken advantage of for far too long. What we see: a solid citizen whose performance is unpredictable from one start to the next.

Kevin Millar. Salary: $3.3 million. Stats: .268, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs. Another character guy whose production has diminished at the worst possible time. No one is more devoted to becoming a key component of this team, but Millar’s drastic loss of power offers one of the biggest contrasts to last year’s team. Without the depth and meaningful contributions he provides, he is just another 1B/DH/OF who can’t produce in the clutch. What he sees: a guy going through a tough time but bound to revert to form. What we see: the beginning of the end of the 32-year-old’s career.

After a 1-5 road trip through the Bronx and Atlanta, the A’s and Rangers come to town for a the final six games before the All-Star break. Those two teams, at 46-34 tied for the AL West lead, can look into the mirror this morning with pride and hope.

The Sox can look at the season’s remainder in two ways: they can quote the pride of Atlanta, Scarlett O’Hara, who once said, "Tomorrow is another day," or the words of her spouse: "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn."

For the blustery Sox, the choice they make will determine whether they can truly accept the men looking back from the mirror come October.

"Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com