The Boston Red Sox players have done something very unusual. The team has voted to boycott their final spring training game today against the Blue Jays, and are threatening to boycott their season opening series against the Oakland A's next week in Japan. The players are doing this because the team's coaching staff and other staff members are not getting the same $40,000 stipend from Major League Baseball for the series in Japan that the players are getting.
My prediction: Bud Selig folds and gives in to the players demands. MLB generated over $5 billion in revenue last year. In addition, this series in Japan means a lot for baseball as Selig tries to increase worldwide awareness for the game (plus MLB will probably make a ton of money on this trip, by far offsetting the cost of providing a stipend for the coaches and staff). I will provide updates as this situation unfolds.
UPDATE: Major League Baseball has apparently folded, as the Red Sox will make the trip to Japan and play the Oakland A's in the season opener next week (if you want to watch, get up early, game starts at 6am ET).
On a completely separate and hilarious note, Robert Weintraub, a writer for ESPN's Page 2, has come up with a modern-day update for the baseball classic with his Bull Durham: 21st Century Edition.
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1 comment:
Hilarious column, one of the funniest things I have ever read. Come on Meat!
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