Is anyone watching exh. baseball on ESPN now? The Red Sox are staging some kind of protest...

[marmar]

.... They're refusing to play the spring training game AND refusing to make the trip to Japan if coaches aren't paid appearance fees for the Japan visit.


WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!

[Drum]

1. Here's more, from SI.com(via CNN):

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/specials/spring_training/2008/03/19/redsox.boycott.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

BoSox threaten to boycott Japan trip
Posted: Wednesday March 19, 2008 11:03AM; Updated: Wednesday March 19, 2008 12:20PM

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox refused to take the field for their final spring training game in Florida on Wednesday and threatened to boycott their flight to Japan for their season openers unless their coaches and other staff are paid for the trip.

Fans filled the stadium, the national anthems were sung and the Boston and Toronto lineups were announced, but the game did not begin at its 12:07 p.m. scheduled start.

Manager Terry Francona and his players were upset after learning staff members are not going to get a $40,000 stipend. The Boston Herald reported players insisted part of their agreement to make the trip included the fee -- for them and the coaches.

"I did not have an off day yesterday. I had the phone glued to my ear because I was promised some answers and I haven't even received a phone call," Francona said Wednesday. "So I'm a little bit stuck. What I want to do this morning is get excited to play a baseball game and what I ended up doing is apologizing to the coaches and being humiliated."

----

...more at link

[rcsl1998]

2. That's How You Play Hardball!