– FORT MYERS, Fla. – They are saying all the right things.

There has been plenty of talk about turning the page here in Camp Valentine, talk about earning back the trust of the fans and showing the world that the collapse of 2011 was an isolated incident.

They are words that needed to be spoken, an important part of the process of putting the past behind a team that couldn’t win two straight games in September and blew a nine-game playoff lead in four weeks.

Now, with the first games being played this spring, comes a more important part of that process.

After two weeks of saying things the fans need to hear, the Red Sox are going about the business of backing up those words with deeds.

As always, actions speak louder than words.

A 25-0 win over Northeastern won’t make Red Sox Nation forget about 2011, but watching Cody Ross absolutely crush a couple of balls over Green Monster South might make us forget about J.D. Drew.

Seeing Jon Lester throwing effortlessly might make you forget about the Yankees’ beefed up rotation.

A 6-3 win over Boston College certainly won’t make you feel great about Boston’s chances to win it all in 2012, but a two inning performance by a shaped-up Felix Doubront might make us feel better about the pitching depth the Sox so desperately needed last year.

David Ortiz played first base in that game, handling seven balls without incident, which might make us feel better about how Big Papi can stay in the lineup during the dreaded interleague days of June.

An 8-3 win over the Twins in early March isn’t likely to conjure images of late October baseball, but a great catch by Jacoby Ellsbury had us remembering that the center fielder finished second in the MVP voting despite the team’s late season collapse. Mike Aviles went 2 for 2 and drove in a pair of runs, making us forget about Marco Scutaro for a day.

Josh Beckett threw a pair of scoreless innings and once again said the right things afterward.

“We definitely have to win the trust back of the fans,” said Beckett following his first outing of the spring.

Actions, not words, will accomplish that goal. The real action won’t start for another month, but the early sights of a hopeful spring in Ft. Myers is allowing baseball fans in New England to finally move on.

 

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.