[Professional], and I use the word cautiously, athletes strike again. Yesterday afternoon, the Boston Red
Sox decided it would be an appropriate team decision to boycott their
pre-season game
being hosted by the Blue Jays. Way to start things off classy. Why? They had apparently found out at that moment, while on the field during
warm ups, that the coaching staff was not going to get the same amount of compensation for their opener in Japan. How
conveniently timed was that? According to Mike Lowell it seemed all too staged, "We felt we had to make a stand, and being on ESPN didn't hurt." Terry
Francona, had this to offer, "It wasn't about players being greedy, it was about standing up for someone." What kind of coach offers support in such a situation? One who is also greedy. Each Boston Red Sock will receive $40,000 to make the trip to Japan. I make that much in a year, and they'll be receiving that to GO TO JAPAN AND [PLAY] BASEBALL. The unfortunate fact that these players are the role models of American youth makes it that much worse, but I didn't have to tell you that. That fact is a very sad idea in itself, but we'll leave that for another day. 3 hours later after quite a fucking stunt, they decided they would play the game. Sometimes I wish the days of owner dictators were still around.
Get this. Across the country in Phoenix, Oakland Athletics players were watching the Boston game(I'm pretty sure it was warm ups so I don't know why the hell they'd be watching it) and saw what happened. They didn't take batting practice and held five team meetings before FOLLOWING Boston's LEAD and deciding to play. How gracious of them!
The average person would assume that after having a preseason that was overshadowed by Steroids(let's stop using the PC word 'performance enhancing drugs') the players might be interested in changing the focus of things. Apparently not. Thank you Roger Clemens, thank you Barry Bonds, and thank you Boston and Oakland for
diluting America's
pass time once again, and making it a fucking joke.
"We're so united. And I don't mean just the players,"
Francona said in a dugout interview with ESPN during Wednesday's game. "I mean the staff, the trainers and our players showed that and that's what this was about. It wasn't about being greedy. It was about trying to be unified." What he failed to mention was that he had 'Dice-K', who was scheduled to make that start, leave the stadium to pitch in a game against Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate while David
Aardsma started in his place.
End Result: Both teams have coaches that are $40,000 richer and another preseason loss.