Sox players go to bat for coaches

"In the end, the right thing was done," said Red Sox righthander Curt Schilling. "It was a busy, hectic day, but we all put our heads together and got it worked out."

When the Sox players agreed to make the trip to Japan, the Players' Association negotiated a payment of $40,000 to each player. However, the payments to the manager, coaches, and support staff were not included in the written agreement. An MLB source blamed the Players' Association, which does not recognize coaches, except for pensions. The union said it was merely something that fell through the cracks - something that was said during negotiations but not put into writing.

"It wasn't so much the money, it was the fact that these things were promised and then reneged," said Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, who didn't assess blame.

Francona had been under the impression that he and his staff were getting the extra stipend until he talked Tuesday night with Oakland manager Bob Geren and learned the A's coaches were not getting paid.

Early yesterday, Francona met with Lowell, general manager Theo Epstein, and team president Larry Lucchino, and had a conference call with commissioner Bud Selig to express his concerns over his staff not being properly compensated.

The players then voted unanimously to boycott the Japan trip if the coaches were not paid and voted not to play the Grapefruit League finale against the Blue Jays. They sat in the dugout for 15 minutes before going back into the clubhouse while fans booed the delay of the game. Groups of players later came out to sign autographs during the delay.