UPDATE: "Mike Lowell has told The Boston Globe the team voted unanimously not to take the field for their final spring training game or to board the plane later Wednesday for Japan."Remember a few weeks ago when Red Sox GM Theo Epstein called Mike Mussina a "bad apple" for complaining about an upcoming trip to play exhibitions in Japan. Epstein said his organization would make no such complaints. Well, according to ESPN, the Boston brigade has threatened to boycott their trip to the Rising Sun if their coaches are not paid $40,000 a piece. Pot, allow me to introduce you to Mr. Kettle:
Ok, Theo, we'd like that apology written in Chowder on a Fenway Frank wrapper.The sense of international goodwill Major League Baseball was hoping to spread with the Boston Red Sox-Oakland Athletics trip to Japan has been threatened before the plane even leaves the tarmac.
At issue is whether the Red Sox coaches will be paid $40,000 each -- the same as each player will be getting -- for the Japan appearance, which includes two exhibition games as well as two games that will count in the standings.
According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox will hold a players-only meeting Wednesday morning about the situation. The players are prepared to respond to Major League Baseball with an ultimatum -- if the coaches aren't paid, the Red Sox players will not get on the plane to go to Japan, the Herald reported.
