FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In a clubhouse thick with change, there is no better symbol for the Red Sox' altered existence than the one found in the fifth-to-last locker on the left in JetBlue Park's home clubhouse. That's where you can find a usually sweat-soaked Carl Crawford.

In just the past few weeks, Crawford has become enlightened.

There is his newfound understanding regarding the importance of patience. The reminder of what he left behind in Tampa -- and may have rediscovered with this season's Red Sox. And, finally, an admission that the outfielder's well-meaning approach finally caught up to him.

A PAINFUL LESSON

"I had dealt with the pain for the last four or five years," Crawford admitted regarding his injured left wrist. "That's how long I had been getting shots in it."

This is the first, and most important change. If he can help it, there will be no more shots. There will be no more playing with constant pain. In their place? A day-by-day recovery. Show up. Be told what to do. Do it. See if there is discomfort. If there isn't, then move on. 

So far, there has been some swings off a tee and some throwing. But there has been no more timetables. No more hoping for something that isn't going to happen, like playing Opening Day.

"I'm just following the program the trainers have set for me," Crawford said. "I've got my head around that. Sometimes they have to save you from yourself because you want to rush, rush, rush to try and get back. It's not the best thing every time. You have to wait until everything feels fine and you're ready to go. You want to make sure there are no more setbacks."

This isn't the first time Crawford has had the chance to change. 

The wrist had bothered him during 2007, leading to an MRI being performed. That day, however, which was supposed to be a day off for the lefty hitter, he came on to hit a pinch-hit home run. Over the next 10 games came four more homers, going on to hit .370 for the final two months, making any concerns over the wrist a thing of the past.

Then, in 2008, the outfielder came back after a six-week layoff due to a finger subluxation, hitting .345 in the American League Championship Series against the Red Sox. He wasn't fully healed. The process hadn't been perfect. But the path he took had paid off, so when presented with a similar situation this time around, there was no hesitation to once again try and fight through the aches and pains.

"I came back too early then. I didn't learn anything from it because I went into the playoffs and played well," he said. "I was hoping that was the case this time, but it wasn't.

"I'm going at their pace, just doing what they say," he added. "I'm just knowing when it's too much. If I feel any pain just tell them instead of trying to play through the slightest pain."

The first attempt at duplicating his previous approach came after trying to swing a bat this offseason for two weeks before understanding this was a non-negotiable situation.

"Even just walking around the house you could feel it a little bit, but I thought it was one of those pains where once I started swinging and got loose it would go away. But that didn't happen. It took a long time to get loose," he remembered. "It wasn't going away. It was never that bad."

That led to surgery, which paved the way to an ill-advised expedited spring training rehab program, which, of course, presented Crawford with his current lot in life. He has been able to do some things, but clearly not as much as he would like. What it has done is given the former All-Star a new perspective, not only in terms of what his present offers, but also how the future might be more intriguing than he previously imagined.

A RETURN TO THE RAYS' WAY?

There's a lot Crawford hasn't liked about this spring training, but there is also plenty that has brought a smile to his face. According to the outfielder, he has been re-introduced to the kind of preseason that he was used to while with Tampa Bay. And that's a good thing.

"I was just used to that up-tempo style of play, that up-tempo spring training," he said. "That was just what I was used to. You come in, take 1,000 swings. You're going to be running the bases. You're going to be bunting. You're going to be hitting the cut-off man all the time. You're going to be working on outfield work all the time. You're going to be tired, the way we are now."

He was then asked if he felt the same way after workouts in last year's spring training.

"We didn't do anything," Crawford said. "How could I get tired?"

The tempo of spring training is just part of the equation when it comes to Crawford's sense of optimism. There is also his perception regarding how the Red Sox will be playing, which the outfielder believes is setting up to be more conducive to his game.

According to Stats Inc., Crawford had 11 opportunities to go from first to third (having been at first when a single was hit), and only made it there once. In '10 with the Rays, he had six successful advancements to third in such situations, and eight in '09. It's a number -- and mindset -- he is banking on increasing this time around.

"Bobby has been doing a lot," he said. "Putting on a lot of plays and doing stuff like that, just letting other teams know this is how we're going to play this year. Guys are seeing how it helps. I've seen a play where [David Ortiz] went from first to third. It's a mind-set. If you set your mind to do those kind of plays, they'll work. If you're stubborn about it then it isn't going to work. If you see the results from it everybody buys into it and it helps the whole team.

"Just seeing that alone gets you excited. Don't get me wrong -- this team is still going to hit home runs. But if you need that one run or something you've got that Tampa team with all that good pitching you might not be able to score that many runs you might have to manufacture runs. I think it's just keeping all our options open, finding different ways to score runs instead of waiting on the three-run homer.

"It's definitely exciting for me. This is the style of play I've always played. This is the style of play that gets me excited. I can't wait to get back out there and do the things I normally do in this kind of offense. Hopefully everybody can see how I really play. Taking that extra base. Moving runners. Causing havoc, that's what I've done."

The excitement is clearly there for Crawford. That isn't difficult to decipher. But what is more important, is that his newfound patience remains the priority.

It's a changed approach for a changed player.

"When it's time, it's time," he said. "That's my mindset now."