Blame the 66 minute Red Sox strike on, of course, the Yankees

(NY Times): "The confusion stemmed from the negotiations between the union and Major League Baseball over how much the players would get and the amount of the guarantee from the games’ sponsor, Yomiuri Shimbun.

• When the Yankees and the Rays opened the 2004 season in Tokyo, Yomiuri guaranteed $13.5 million. This time, it guaranteed $11 million.

Because the players wanted at least as much as the players received in 2004 to play the games, something had to give. For the players to be guaranteed $40,000 each there would be no money for the coaches and others.

• It was expected, however, that the clubs would take care of the others....

...“In the end, the players on both teams were told others would receive additional compensation.”

• It was not clear, however, if coaches, trainers and others would receive as much as $40,000. The money will come from the two teams and the commissioner’s office....

When the Yankees opened the 2004 season in Japan, Mike Mussina said Wednesday, the players received a large pool of money and equally divided it among players, coaches and staff.

• “There are a lot of things to do,” Mussina, their player representative, said, “and if they’re going to board the plane and do the same travel as we are, they deserve just as much as anybody who is going out on the field playing, at least in my opinion, and apparently the Red Sox felt that way, too.”"

• From NY Times column by Murray Chass, "Japan Games Almost Stuck on Tarmac," 3/20/08

*********************** AP report does not cite Japanese company, saying MLB and the Players Assn. made the agreement and knew what they were doing:

• "But this time, the agreement between MLB and the players' association called only for payments to 30 players on each club, and left out the coaches....

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.

• "It was a misunderstanding of what agreement was reached between MLB and the MLBPA," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. "We said we would step up and make sure a second pool was created and would seek contributions from all parties."...

From AP report, "Red Sox, MLB Resolve Japan Trip Pay Issues," 3/19/08, published on sportingnews.com

• (It's my observation that ultra-ultra rich people--billionaires--are the cheapest, meanest people in the world). sm

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