Red Sox to boycott game

[WWVaBeach]

Winding down for our spring break next week, I let the kids watch some TV today in class. They voted and chose ESPN, and they (ESPN) were saying that an agreement had been reached and the coaches will be getting paid.

 

I found this link confirming that they're heading to Japan.

 

 

I find it interesting that there has been no mention of the A's having the same issue which probably means that it was the Red Sox organization all along that was causing the problem. Not MLB.

[bills_fan]

Good for Boston. There was a stipend that was to be paid to everyone who is going, MLB re-neged on the stipend for coaches, trainers, clubhouse personnel etc.

 

For those who think it is about greed...how much you figure the tickets are going for in Japan? Split those profits now...

[Phlegm Alley]

The Yankees play a charity game at Virginia Tech yesterday and the Red Sox complain that they want more money when their bosses tell them to go on a business trip. Nice contrast.

[bills_fan]

The Yankees play a charity game at Virginia Tech yesterday and the Red Sox complain that they want more money when their bosses tell them to go on a business trip. Nice contrast.

 

 

Totally different situations. If your boss asks you to play in a charity softball game, to benefit victims of a tragedy, are you going to ask to be paid? What if the same boss asks you to take a marketing trip halfway around the world? Different answer right?

[KD in CA]

Good for Boston. There was a stipend that was to be paid to everyone who is going, MLB re-neged on the stipend for coaches, trainers, clubhouse personnel etc.

 

For those who think it is about greed...how much you figure the tickets are going for in Japan? Split those profits now...

 

Do you have a link? The stories I read didn't say anything about a prior deal that was reneged. That would change the outlook for sure.

[apuszczalowski]

Do you have a link? The stories I read didn't say anything about a prior deal that was reneged. That would change the outlook for sure.

Exactly, no where have I seen it say that a deal was renegged, just that they assumed that everyone going was getting paid this, and that when they found out only the players were getting it (because it was a deal made through the Players Association), they said they would boycott it.

 

I'm still trying to find out, is this money ontop of their regular pay, and is the cost of the trip to Japan covered by the team/MLB (flight, hotel, food?). Basically what I am asking is that, is this just a bonus for going to Japan, or is it supposed to be to cover all their expenses while in Japan because the team/MLB isn't covering their costs?

[bills_fan]

Do you have a link? The stories I read didn't say anything about a prior deal that was reneged. That would change the outlook for sure.

 

Two things here...Francona was on the calls this offseason regarding the planning with MLB. He had the impression that MLB was paying the coaches.

 

Secondly, all previous coaching staffs were paid.

 

 

Link to Story

 

 

 

The $40,000 appearance fee in question was a big deal for most of the coaching staff. For example, bullpen catcher Manny Martinez, who would be considered part of the coaching staff on this Japan trip, earns just $30,000 per year.

 

According to Francona, the coaching staffs of previous MLB trips to Japan all were paid the same stipend as the players. The Sox manager was scheduled to join the Oakland A’s coaching staff in its team’s trip to Japan in 2003 and said it was agreed on that the coaches were to be paid. The trip was ultimately cancelled.

 

“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 this morning. “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.”

 

Francona has long been a huge advocate of coaches’ rights, executing such deeds as using money from television commercials to pay for the coaches’ clubhouse fees, and making sure they all are included in his contract with Reebok.

 

“This is a touchy situation for me,” Francona said. “It’s the last thing I want to deal with. I want to deal with getting ready to play baseball. It’s frustrating.

 

“They were told they were going to be (paid). For a coach, in some cases, this is two-fifths of their salary for the year. It’s a big deal. I don’t agree that coaches are second-class citizens. That has never sat well with me, ever, and continues to boggle my mind.”

[Bmwolf21]

Two things here...Francona was on the calls this offseason regarding the planning with MLB. He had the impression that MLB was paying the coaches.

 

Secondly, all previous coaching staffs were paid.

Link to Story

Thanks for the link. I was looking for one myself, but a lot of the stories I had read earlier have already been updated to reflect the new agreement, so a lot of the stuff I had read before was edited out.

 

This is the most relevant part, IMO:

 

Both Red Sox manager Terry Francona and multiple Red Sox players who were in on the offseason phone calls regarding the logistics of the trip insisted that part of the agreement to make the season-opening trip included the coaches being paid the same fee as the players.

 

"It's wrong, it's wrong," said Schilling. "It was part of the basic agreement when we talked about it last year. The coaching staff was part of the conversation, we all heard it.

 

"It's not really surprising because the coaches and staff are people generally who have always been overlooked and undervalued."

[KD in CA]

Exactly, no where have I seen it say that a deal was renegged, just that they assumed that everyone going was getting paid this, and that when they found out only the players were getting it (because it was a deal made through the Players Association), they said they would boycott it.

 

That's my take on it as well, but it would be nice to get clarification.

 

I'm still trying to find out, is this money ontop of their regular pay, and is the cost of the trip to Japan covered by the team/MLB (flight, hotel, food?). Basically what I am asking is that, is this just a bonus for going to Japan, or is it supposed to be to cover all their expenses while in Japan because the team/MLB isn't covering their costs?

 

Isn't all travel always covered by the team? I'm pretty sure the Red Sox aren't booking their own flights to Japan on United. This sounds like a pure bonus.

[bills_fan]

Two things here...Francona was on the calls this offseason regarding the planning with MLB. He had the impression that MLB was paying the coaches.

 

Secondly, all previous coaching staffs were paid.

Link to Story

 

 

Just a follow up link...

 

It's unclear what happened here. The Japanese promoters provide MLB with a sum to cover teams lost revenue, expenses and the promotional fees, and no one seems to know how the coaches and managers were left out of that tally. The Players Association negotiated the players' compensation, but the coaches and managers are not represented by the union except for licensing agreements, and this does not appear to fall under the same category. If there was a general pool to be doled out, the coaches and managers were not represented, but whose fault that was is murky.

 

A's perspective

 

 

 

"The conference call (in October) was tough in and of itself," Youkilis said. "There were six or seven players on it. In the business world conference calls are not the easiest way. You hear voices and everyone's talking. We definitely knew what we were told. There was added stuff just to get us to go over there. I can't blame one person for the misunderstanding. I think the next time we know going forward that when you have these conference calls, you have to get it in writing. It's the easiest way to do stuff. One thing that will be addressed at players' union meetings now is that you have to put it in writing and be on the same page. We found out today. It's a learning process, we're moving forward and we're going to have a lot of fun over there."

 

Youkilis Comments

[olivier in france]

The Yankees play a charity game at Virginia Tech yesterday and the Red Sox complain that they want more money when their bosses tell them to go on a business trip. Nice contrast.

 

 

stupidest comment of the day