Is Japan Trip a Good Thing?

It depends who you ask. The Japan trip will be good for MLB's bottom line. It will be good for the home-country fans of Dice-K.

How about the fans in Ft. Myers? They only got 13 home games at City of Palms Park when most teams get 16 home games in the Grapefruit League.

A 6:04am Eastern start time on a Tuesday isn't good for any baseball fan. Opening Day is a big deal. It's hard to get fired for a game that starts before the sun rises.

I think it will be hard to see how the Sox season benefits from the trip. The jet lag may well take a toll. I think future Japan trips should be exhibitions at the start of March, not official games at the end.

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Sox Players Considering Japan Trip Boycott?

The Boston Herald has an interesting story this morning regarding the Japan trip. It cites sources saying that Sox players will be holding a players-only meeting this morning. The players will reportedly be discussing the issue of pay for coaches. Apparently, coaches were not being paid the 40,000 that each player was for the Japan trip.

Sources are saying that the Sox players may consider boycotting the trip if the coaches aren't paid. They are scheduled to get on the plane to Japan later today.

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