WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The concept of "going to work" takes on new and much more positive meaning when it comes to the Spring Training report date.

As general manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge held a group meeting of their respective staffs, Indians pitchers and catchers unpacked their bags in the antiquated home clubhouse at Chain of Lakes Park on Thursday morning.

They were quite happy to get back to work.

"That feeling's pretty universal in here," backup catcher Kelly Shoppach said. "If we worked jobs at desks, we'd be bored out of our minds. It's nice to be back in action."

The only action on this chilly Florida morning -- "chilly" being a relative term, of course -- was a game of catch, here and there, a few cuts in the indoor cages for the position players who have arrived early, and the process of unpacking, which was easier for some than others.

Closer Joe Borowski, for instance, had to find room for the multitude of boxes of Nike shoes he had brought with him. And reliever Jensen Lewis was scratching his head, wondering why in the world he had packed the "50 Lewis" placard that hung above his locker at Jacobs Field last year.

"I think Ryan Garko and I just packed everything we could grab when we got back from Boston [after the American League Championship Series]," Lewis said with a laugh.

The team that walked off the field after a Game 7 loss to the Red Sox in that ALCS is, for the most part, returning intact.

That's a rare occurrence in this day and age of professional sports, and one that Borowski really seemed to appreciate.

"You don't want to do things [to alter the club] just for the sake of doing things," Borowski said. "If you start doing something just because someone else did something, it can start to spiral out of control."

Borowski, obviously, was referring to the drastic measures the AL Central-rival Tigers took to improve their team. The addition of Miguel Cabrera gives Detroit perhaps the most feared lineup in the game.

The Indians will counter with the same basic lineup and pitching staff that helped them to 96 wins, an AL Central title and an AL Division Series victory over the Yankees.

So the Indians will have no need for the awkward "getting to know you" period between teammates, because it really won't exist. This group knows each other quite well.

Outfielders Kenny Lofton and Trot Nixon are the only goners from last year's playoff squad. With David Dellucci back to full health after missing the majority of last season with a left hamstring tear and prospects Shin-Soo Choo and Ben Francisco on the horizon, the Indians feel their outfield has enough depth without those two veterans.

The only new additions to this team are right-handed reliever Masahide Kobayashi, plucked out of Japan via free agency, and utility infielder Jamey Carroll, nabbed from the Rockies for a player to be named.

Kobayashi was in the clubhouse Thursday morning, excited to be getting his first taste of the big leagues.

"I'm very pumped," he said through Toshi Nagahara, hired by the Indians as an interpreter and strength coach for Kobayashi. "I'm trying to remember everybody's face and name. [The language barrier] is very challenging, but I want to try to do what I can do and be my best."

The language barrier didn't seem to bother catcher Victor Martinez, who introduced himself to his new teammate with a slap of the hands and a greeting of "konichiwa."

And Martinez, for the record, looks to be in the best shape of his career. He's dropped about 13 pounds off his playing weight of 230 pounds from '07.

"It feels like the offseason went by pretty quick," Martinez said. "It's always nice to come back. I can't wait to start playing."

The Tribe won't start playing its slate of Grapefruit League exhibitions until Feb. 28, when the Astros come to Chain of Lakes.

Those games could help the Indians decide on what few position battles exist in this camp. The club has three left-handers -- veteran Cliff Lee and youngsters Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers -- vying for the fifth and final spot in the rotation.

Lee and Sowers were locks in the rotation a year ago, but their '07 seasons were disasters that led to demotions to Triple-A Buffalo. Laffey, meanwhile, began '07 at Double-A Akron but was pitching well in the fifth spot in the big leagues by season's end.

If the Indians deem Lee unable to help their rotation, they might decide trading him is a better option than paying him $3.75 million to pitch in Buffalo. So that's a topic worth tracking.

The hottest topic figured to be the C.C. Sabathia contract saga, but that died in a hurry when the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner announced on his Web site Wednesday night that he is forgoing further negotiations until after the season. Sabathia is eligible for free agency after '08.

By and large, this camp figures to be remembered more for the Indians' not-so-sentimental separation from Winter Haven than anything else. The club is looking forward to its impending move to a sparkling new facility in Goodyear, Ariz., in 2009.

But for one last year at Chain of Lakes, it's time to play ball.