FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Josh Beckett glanced at the nameplate above his locker and saw the number “19” printed next to his name.

Not 21, the number he had in Florida and the number Roger Clemens wore with the Red Sox.

Beckett is making a new start and hopes to make a name for himself in Boston.

“I’m excited about it,” he said Thursday. “It’s cool coming in and meeting new people. You’ve got to find new people to eat with, you’ve got to find new people to play golf with, everything. It’s going to be a good time.”

Moments later, Boston’s new power pitcher – and probable ace if Curt Schilling doesn’t bounce back from his injury-plagued 2005 season – headed off to make his tee time, but not before he threw in the bullpen for the first time in spring training.

The team’s first workout for pitchers and catchers is scheduled for Sunday, but Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Jon Papelbon and Keith Foulke already are in camp.

Clemens spent his first season with Boston in 1984 and is tied with Cy Young for most wins in franchise history with 192. Like Clemens, Beckett is a tall Texan, a power pitcher with an average of nearly one strikeout per inning.

But Beckett wants to create his own reputation in Boston, and that helped lead to the number change.

“I felt at first like, “yeah, it would be fun to have that,’ but it ended up being where I think I’d rather just have 19,” he said. “This is the number I was in the minor leagues and in high school.”

It also was the number in Florida of the third baseman who was part of the trade that brought Beckett to Boston on Nov. 24.

“I’m going to have to buy Mike Lowell something nice for it,” Beckett said.

Another former Marlin finalized his deal with the Red Sox on Feb. 3. The addition of free agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez combined with Lowell reunites Beckett with two outstanding fielders.

“It’s kind of cool. I got my whole left side of the infield,” Beckett said. “I was actually reading an article the other day and I think it was a fan that wrote in that Alex Gonzalez wasn’t a very good defensive shortstop.

“I don’t know what games he’s been watching, but as far as I’m concerned Alex Gonzalez could have won the gold glove in the National League the last three years. And Mikey Lowell finally won one last year.”

Beckett was 15-8 with a 3.38 ERA last season but didn’t pitch after Sept. 23 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder. He also has battled blisters and had nine stints on the disabled list in the last four years.

But he made at least 21 starts in each of the last four seasons, including a career-high 29 last year.

Since then, he’s thrown about nine bullpen sessions, fewer than in past offseasons at the request of the Red Sox, and said his shoulder feels fine.

“Last year I threw 14 bullpens before I even got to spring training,” Beckett said. “They wanted us with the Marlins to be ready to go because we were on a four-man rotation with the Marlins last spring. I think things are a little bit different over here. They just want us to kind of ease into it.

“I haven’t had any setbacks. So, we’re good.”

Now he plans to get used to his new teammates and prepare for his first season with the Red Sox.

“Spring training is such a fun time because we get to have a life during spring training,” he said. “We’re usually out of here by 11 or 12 o’clock and on the golf course or fishing or something like that.”

But not after the most important part of his day, working to be a major contributor the way he was in the 2003 World Series with Florida against Boston’s rival New York Yankees.

He already showed he’s not intimidated by them when he pitched a 2-0, five-hitter to win the championship in the sixth game on three days rest.

“I definitely respect them and I want to be a part of another one of those,” Beckett said, “and I want to do it here.”

AP-ES-02-16-06 1851EST