Manny Ramirez will be late to Red Sox spring training, but the slugger may not miss much Grapefruit League action because he might skip the World Baseball Classic. The Red Sox and Manny Ramirez today issued the following joint statement: ?With the permission of the Boston Red Sox, Manny Ramirez will report to spring training in Fort Myers on March 1, 2006. Manny is in Florida completing an extensive training regimen, and is prepared to have an exceptional season.? Francona said he and Ramirez spoke over the phone last night, and added that he was "OK with this." "Manny was very honest, very forthright, very amicable," Francona said, "and he assures us he will be here on March 1 and ready to go." Players who will be participating in the World Baseball Classic are scheduled to report to their WBC teams on March 2. Ramirez is currently on the Dominican Republic?s provisional roster, but it should not be considered a lock that he is going to play in the Classic.