Red Sox Friendly Protest

[bthurley19]

If you turn on ESPN right now you'll see a very surreal scene as the Red Sox players are protesting and not playing todays game. Apparently they are protesting on behalf of the coaches who are not being paid "appearance fees" for there trip to Japan. The players voted unanimously to not play today's exhibition against the Blue Jays and to not board the plane to Japan. Nice show of unity by the players in my opinion.

[sbrylski]

How about protest because Opening Day of United States' Major League Baseball, America's national pastime, is being played in Japan. Stupid. Let's get it back in Cincinnati where it belongs.

[JoeHova]

The Sox all caught the Red Flu, I see.

 

 

I'm just kidding, I think it's nice that they're standing up for the coaches.

[JimH5]

The Red Sox players as a group have no bargaining power at all. They don't have a say in who gets what. Coaches and trainers aren't part of their union to begin with, so they're boycotting "just because". It will be interesting to see what the MLBPA says about the actions of the Red Sox players acting on their own, on behalf of nonunion members.

 

And to hold MLB & the Red Sox front office basically at hostage over this is preposterous.

 

There are fans in Florida right now who paid to see a game, who aren't seeing one. Tickets have been sold in Japan, the sport's spotlight will be on the opener, and to have this vigilante action is pretty chippy.

 

I loathe the Red Sox more now than ever.

[TooLiveBrew]

I just want to ask a question for clarification - I'm supposed to feel sorry for MLB coaches for not getting some free money? I can't really feel like they're victims here.

[JoeHova]

Well, MLB had apparently agreed to pay the coaches, so how is it the Red Sox who were holding MLB hostage? It was MLB trying to save a half million bucks by gambling that the players wouldn't care. They lost that bet, so now we'll see what they do.

[ccbrew]

This will all be over within the next 24 hrs - neither the team nor MLB can afford the PR nightmare. It's $40,000 a head, right? They'll pay up.

[JoeHova]

word is that the coaches will now be paid and the trip is back on.

[pitchleague]

I wish I could be paid my entire year's salary and then some to fly to Japan for a couple of days and do some work.

[JimH5]

Well, MLB had apparently agreed to pay the coaches, so how is it the Red Sox who were holding MLB hostage?

First of all, none of us know the facts on what was promised to whom. The Oakland staff doesn't seem to have had the expectations that they would receive the money, which is what got Francona's attention. Why would the Red Sox coaches expect it?

Maybe the money was supposed to be MLB money, maybe it was supposed to be Red Sox money, maybe someone made a promise that he couldn't keep, maybe someone heard something that wasn't said. Who really knows. . .

My point is that Schilling, Lowell, Varitek, etc. are under contract to play MLB games. They have a contractual obligation. It's not up to them to decide how much to charge for parking, or when to turn the beer taps off, or how much coaches and trainers get paid.

Who among us has traveled on business, and then expected a 40 percent bonus because of a trip?

And, according to baseball-reference.com, those three guys, the three who have been quoted in news stories have earned $190 million from MLB during the course of their careers. It comes across as odd to hear guys with that kind of bankroll complain about a financial decision that was made by their employer.

[Oldcity]

Why does this entire thing need to be made public? So we all see the Red Sox players as good guys?

[halfnard]

How about if the Players coughed up some of their $40,000 stipend for the sake of the unpaid staff. That is something I can feel a bit of compassion for. Otherwise I agree, why is this news?

[joepepsi]

Wow I hope I never work with most of you...

[sveumrules]

Wow I hope I never work with most of you...

i think the reason it seems so absurd to most "everypeople" is that this 40,000 bucks or whatever they're getting is on top of their normal salary and is essentially a bonus to go to japan in order to do work they would have had to do either way.

 

now for me, as someone who hasn't made 40 grand total in the last THREE years and would love to go to japan i can see why most proletariat fans would see this as ridiculous. you have a bunch of millionaires protesting that a handful of hundred thousandaires aren't getting even more money than they already have to go do their job in a beautiful foreign country that many much poorer than themselves gladly PAY to go to and NOT work.

 

at the same time, oh weird a bunch of rich people who want even more money???? and in sports to boot????

[olliegjw]

I can't believe so many people here are seeing the players as the bad guys in this. I normally can't stand the player's union, but they appear to have a valid beef. MLB can't make teams play in Japan. The teams have to be willing to travel there. With this, there is probably some negotiating and incentives to get the teams MLB wants to play over there.

 

Also, its not like any of us with office jobs, going overseas and working in a similar office over there. Both teams will be a walking media circus the entire time they are there. The whole experience is very different than their "normal" job in the States.

[joepepsi]

Good post, olliegjw.

 

Folks, professional athletes are entertainers. It amazes me people get all worked up over ARod's salary yet don't give a whit that Julia Roberts makes a much per picture, usually a 6 week committment, as Arod does in a year. Let's face it, it's been a long time since Julia's had any year as successful as most of Arod's seasons. Rock starts like the Rolling Stones make billions of dollars a year, but no one cares about that, despite the fact Mick Jagger hasn't had a good year since 1972.

 

At the very least, you have these millionaire ballplayers who stood together and supported the staff and coaches who work with them. That's a nice gesture regardless whether all involved parties make money than you do.

[jazzytrav]

Folks, professional athletes are entertainers. It amazes me people get all worked up over ARod's salary yet don't give a whit that Julia Roberts makes a much per picture, usually a 6 week committment, as Arod does in a year. Let's face it, it's been a long time since Julia's had any year as successful as most of Arod's seasons. Rock starts like the Rolling Stones make billions of dollars a year, but no one cares about that, despite the fact Mick Jagger hasn't had a good year since 1972.

I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. Yeah, there are other people that make a lot of money besides baseball players. No one said otherwise. But if Julia Roberts starts boycotting a making of her own movie because the producer, who is already making a lot of money, didn't get some extra bonus...then yeah, we'll get a little pissed at her, too.

 

The bottom line for me is that they're boycotting about it. BOYTCOTTING! Why would you boycott for something as minimal as this? Because a few 6-7 figure coaches aren't getting another 40 grand? That's a cause for boycotting? Seriously, pick a cause that actually makes a difference in the grand scheme of things. People aren't mad that baseball players and coaches make more than us; we're mad because they make more than us and rub it in our faces by whining about not getting bonuses on top of making more than us. It shows how out of contact they really are with the rest of normal society.

[1992casey]

I'd be surprised if any coaches made seven figures. I'd bet on almost all of them being below the player minimum wage.

[jazzytrav]

Are we including the manager in this? Francona made $1.65 mil last year, and I believe is set to make $1.75 mil this year.

[Invader3K]

How about protest because Opening Day of United States' Major League Baseball, America's national pastime, is being played in Japan. Stupid. Let's get it back in Cincinnati where it belongs.

Like it or not, I've heard figures that something like one third of all MLB merchandise sales happen in the Japanese market. So, throwing them a bone is warranted, from a business standpoint.

 

[1992casey]

Managers obviously make more than coaches. The lowest paid manager I recall in recent years received a little under $400,000 from the Reds. $600,000 is typical for inexperienced guys, and of course, many have seven digit salaries.

[AJAY]

40,000 for a seven day trip to Japan is way too much. I am glad the players care about their fellow staff members, but their demands are too excessive.

[1992casey]

I'd guess that in this case, there's probably a pretty big pie to share.

[joepepsi]

I'd guess that in this case, there's probably a pretty big pie to share.

Yup. and teams voted whether they wanted to go or not. They weren't forced. MLB made deals to get the A's and Red Sox to agree. Then apparently, they backed out of the deals.