Red Sox end boycott, resolve pay dispute

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - March 19, 2008 The televised game against Toronto started an hour late when players voted unanimously not to play the exhibition or to board Wednesday's scheduled flight to Tokyo for the two-game series against Oakland on March 25 and 26.

Boston players insisted their coaches receive $40,000 appearances fees for the Japan trip, matching the deal negotiated for players by their union. After a few hours of talks among players from the Red Sox and Athletics, Major League Baseball, the clubs and the players' association, the sides said the dispute had been resolved.

"We felt we had to make a stand, and being on ESPN didn't hurt," Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell said.

Major League Baseball agreed to pay the managers, coaches and trainers on the trip $20,000 each from management's proceeds, a person familiar with the agreement said, speaking on condition of anonymity because details weren't announced. The Red Sox agreed to make up the difference to make the amount equal, and to pay some of the other team personnel making the trip, the person said.

"The players just stepped up and they did what I think was right," Boston bench coach Brad Mills said.

It had not yet between determined whether Oakland would make additional payments to its staff.

"Everyone connected with the trip will be fairly compensated," baseball spokesman Rich Levin said.

Managers and coaches were included in the players' pool payments for baseball's two previous opening trips to Japan - the New York Mets played the Chicago Cubs in 2000 and the Yankees played Tampa Bay in 2004. But there was no such provision this time in the agreement between MLB and the players' association.

In Phoenix, A's players watched coverage of Boston's dispute on television, called a team meeting and didn't take batting practice before their game against a Los Angeles Angels' split squad.

A's player representative Huston Street emerged from the meeting and said the exhibition game would be played and Oakland players would make the trip.

"You have to stay firm in your belief, and I believe we've done that. Results have happened. That's why we're taking the field now. We wouldn't be taking the field now if we didn't firmly believe that the right thing was going to get done," he said. "The right thing is going to get done. We're going to play in Japan, and it's going to be an incredible series that everybody has been looking forward to."

A Boston player contacted Oakland pitcher Alan Embree on Wednesday morning.

"For those guys to take that stance - they're veterans. They feel strongly about it, and they brought it to the attention of higher-ups," Embree said. "We have to fix it one way or the other. ... Coaches deserved compensation. They're going over there, too, and every little bit counts."

Lowell said $20,000 payments for the coaches would not have been acceptable given that the players were making $40,000.

"We didn't think that was correct," he said. "Giving them half of that is not equal."

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who had been scheduled to pitch for Boston, left the stadium to pitch at a game against Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate. David Aardsma started in his place. Matsuzaka is scheduled to be the opening day starter in Tokyo next week against Oakland.

Boston manager Terry Francona spoke twice Wednesday with commissioner Bud Selig about the exhibition against the Blue Jays. Toronto won 4-3 before a crowd of 7,868.

"Mr. Selig was justifiably concerned about playing the game, which I completely understand," Francona said.

Boston's Kevin Youkilis stressed the players felt strongly about not going to Japan without a resolution.

"The club's working on stuff and trying to get money where it needs to get," he said. "It was definitely an experience of a lifetime, and it ended in a good way."

Varitek said players thought it was necessary to take a stand on behalf of the coaches and staff.

"They're the basis of what takes care of us," he said. Oakland general manager Billy Beane was happy the trip will go on and expressed desire for additional international play. "I hope we go to Rome. I hope we go to Paris, Berlin," Beane said, wearing shorts with a logo of the English soccer team Arsenal.

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum and AP freelance reporter Rick Eymer, both in Phoenix, contributed to this report.