FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – While reporters and fans eagerly wait to see if slugger Manny Ramirez shows up at training camp as scheduled today, the Red Sox themselves are paying little attention to the situation.

“I don’t expect anything,” said right-hander Curt Schilling, who last week said his only concern is whether Ramirez joins the team by their April 3 opener at Texas.

“I have no control over whether Manny comes through the door or not, and how I feel about it is not going to change anything.”

Manager Terry Francona said he hasn’t spoken with Ramirez since Feb. 20, when a lengthy phone conversation swayed him and general manager Theo Epstein to approve Ramirez’s late arrival.

He said Tuesday he didn’t expect Ramirez’s tardiness, after requesting a trade over the winter and hinting that might not report if the request was not honored, to cause a problem.

“I don’t know how he’s going to treat you guys,” Francona told reporters. “Yeah, I think it will be fine. I think to view it any other way would be unfair to Manny.”

Ramirez, who hit .292 with 45 home runs and 144 RBIs last season, was allowed an extra week to continue working out near his Miami home.

Ramirez was originally expected to join the Dominican Republic’s team for the World Baseball Classic on Thursday, but Red Sox owner John Henry said last week that Ramirez would skip the event and spend the month playing with the team.

Whether Ramirez stays or goes, Francona expects no physical problems.

“I don’t know what he’s doing, but you can be in great shape – which I bet he is – but you can’t simulate a day on the field,” Francona said.

He added that “it’s not the end of the world” if Ramirez were to miss Friday’s game against Northeastern University.

“The kids might be disappointed, but it’s not going to put a dent in our season,” Francona said. “We’ll back him up a couple days, make sure he’s ready to go, maybe DH him a couple at-bats.”

Trot Nixon said he couldn’t wait to see Ramirez.

“I’d like to see him tomorrow, but if he’s not here, I’m not going to wilt up and go away,” Nixon said. “He’s my teammate. I care about him, I love him, and he’s a big part of this ball club. We all look forward to seeing him.”

Does that mean Nixon thinks Ramirez is committed to staying in Boston?

“Manny can only speak on that, I can’t, but I think he’s coming to play baseball for us and do his thing like he does every year,” Nixon said. “I’m not going to expect anything less from him.”

Still, when asked, Francona sounded like he was leaving the door open for a Ramirez no-show.

“You know what? Don’t slam it shut. … Leaving it ajar is okay.” NOTES: Schilling threw 22 pitches to hitters during batting practice on Tuesday, and Francona said he is expected to throw 30-35 pitches on Friday against Boston College. “I felt great,” Schilling said. “I felt like we had a really, really good day from a workload standpoint, from a mental approach standpoint, an execution standpoint.” … The Red Sox said Tuesday they have agreed to terms on 2006 contracts with 16 players on the 40-man roster. Agreeing to terms were right-handers Manny Delcarmen, Edgar Martinez, Cla Meredith, Jonathan Papelbon, David Pauley, Jermaine Van Buren and Jamie Vermilyea; left-handers Abe Alvarez, Lenny DiNardo and Jon Lester; catcher Josh Bard; infielders Alejandro Machado and Kevin Youkilis; and outfielders Brandon Moss, David Murphy and Adam Stern.

AP-ES-02-28-06 1838EST