Seth Mnookin, whose last book, Hard News, scrutinized the woes at the New York Times brought on by the depredations of Jayson Blair, has taken a happier theme for his next outing. He's going behind the scenes of the triumphant Boston Red Sox, both on and off the field, to find out what it is about players and management that makes the team tick so resoundingly. David Rosenthal at Simon & Schuster bought the project, which is planned for publication as the 2006 baseball season begins next spring, from DavidMcCormick at Collins McCormick, and the book will be edited by BobBender.