Hell no, they won't go!*

Update: *Actually, they will go. Since the original post, a deal was reached and the Sox are playing in Japan. Also, apparently it was MLB that did the reneging, not the Sox brass. Woops.


The Boston Red Sox, like the teams that played in Japan last year, have been whining and moaning about having to go to the Land of the Rising Sun for their home opener since it was announced they’d been selected to go. So when I read a headline this morning that the Sox were considering boycotting the trip, I rolled my eyes and prepared to be embarrassed by the 25 millionaires I root for, suspecting they were boycotting the trip because it’ll interfere with their preparation routine of stretching, running, and shot-gunning Natty Ice.

So I was pleasantly surprised to read that the players are actually boycotting for a really good reason: the team’s management is apparently reneging on a promise to pay coaches and trainers a $40,000 stipend to make the trip.

According to some of the players, the organization promised everyone – including the players – would get this stipend, but it then turned out the coaches and training staff will not. So the Sox have refused to start their final spring training game, and are threatening to boycott the Japan trip.

I’m on the record as having really mixed feelings about the Sox organization – the higher ups in the front office. They brought us two championships so I can’t hate, but they are greedy little stinkers. If they did in fact promise money to coaches and staff and now they’re reneging, that’s pretty low. No matter how much these guys make.