Catching Up With Red Sox Pitcher Lackey

he chose to rehab with the Red Sox this year. He’s in the clubhouse every day, doing his work, talking only to teammates and clubbies.

“I’m still that guy,’’ he said. “Nothing has changed. A couple of things get blown out of proportion and people think you’re a different person. That’s just not right.’’

His Red Sox teammates invariably stuck up for him. And they seem sincere.

“A veteran told me a long time ago, you can’t fake your teammates,’’ said Lackey. “The guys in this room know who I am. Does it really matter if it gets out there? All [fans] care about is winning games.’’

“There always seems to be somebody who has to take the blame for things,’’ he said. “I absolutely don’t think it was [Francona’s] fault. We didn’t perform well down the stretch. He didn’t pitch any games.’’

Dan Shaughnessy and John Lackey team up for what turns out to be a pretty positive piece.