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Nobody can question Boston's grit in the ALCS, but there are questions to be answered this offseason.

By JIMMY GOLEN, The Associated Press October 21, 2008

BOSTON — Their nearly unprecedented comeback in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series didn't get the Boston Red Sox into the World Series.

All it did was change their outlook on how things ended.

"It was big that we didn't just roll over," shortstop Jed Lowrie said on Monday, a day after a Game 7 loss to Tampa Bay ended Boston's hopes of repeating as champion. "We gave it a great run, and we made the Rays earn their spot."

The Rays beat the Red Sox 3-1 Sunday night, eliminating them and advancing to the first World Series in Tampa Bay's franchise history. That left Boston right where it seemed to be headed three nights earlier, when it trailed the Rays 7-0 with seven outs to go before staging the biggest postseason rally in almost 80 years.

The Red Sox followed with a victory in Game 6 Saturday night to force a decisive game.

They seemed to have all the momentum, all the experience and certainly all the tradition over the expansion team that had never been to the playoffs before this season.

But it's the Rays who Monday were getting ready to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series and the Red Sox who were cleaning out their lockers at Fenway Park in preparation for a bit longer of an offseason than they had planned.

"Hopefully we can come back and give the fans another championship" in 2009, infielder Alex Cora said. "Because I know, even though we just won last year, they're still hungry."

In his postseason meeting with reporters, General Manager Theo Epstein said the comeback may have changed how the end of the season is viewed, but it doesn't affect how the organization will push ahead this offseason to prepare for 2009.

"What happened in Game 5, to get within a few runs of the World Series, to salvage the season right up until the very end, to me that changes the tone of the end of our season. It doesn't change where we are, where we need to improve and how we stack up against our competition," Epstein said.

Although this offseason has the potential to be quiet, it rarely turns out that way for Boston.

• Catcher Jason Varitek, the captain and an 11-year Red Sox veteran, is eligible to become a free agent, and he did not have the kind of contract year (.220, 13 HR, 43 RBI) that would command a lot of attention. But Epstein said his defense and handling of the pitching staff still make him an important player for the organization. "If I walk into spring training and don't see Jason Varitek, it will be eye-opening and very sad," infielder Kevin Youkilis said.

• Third baseman Mike Lowell, who had surgery on his hip Monday, should be ready for the start of the '09 season. "They said they were pleasantly surprised by the condition of the labrum," Epstein said. "They called it a complete success."

• Shortstop Julio Lugo, who missed the last half of the season because of a leg injury, has yet to perform to the level of the four-year, $36 million contract he signed before the '07 season. Cora and Jed Lowrie filled in for him, but Epstein has always sought more production from that position and is likely to pursue an upgrade.

• Pitcher Josh Beckett will have the offseason to rest and recover from the strained oblique that kept him from performing like the postseason star he had always been. Epstein said Beckett injured himself on the last of 45 scheduled pitches during his last throwing session before the playoffs began.

"It's pretty clear, watching him in October, that he wasn't 100 percent," Epstein said. "He just needs rest."

• Designated hitter David Ortiz, who also had an off season (.264, 23, 89) while making two trips to the disabled list with a left wrist injury, is also expected to recover with rest. "I see no reason why he can't continue to be one of the most dominant power bats sitting in the middle of our lineup," Epstein said.

• Outfielder Jason...