Red Sox threaten to boycott Japan trip

FORT MYERS, Fla., March 19 (UPI) -- Boston Red Sox players delayed the start of their final Florida spring training game Wednesday in a dispute related to their trip to Japan.

The players had a meeting Wednesday morning and said they would sit out the exhibition against the Toronto Blue Jays and, if no resolution was reached, would refuse to board the plane for Japan. The start of the game was delayed for about an hour.

The team was to fly to Japan after Wednesday's spring training game and a team official said the Red Sox would travel as scheduled. Details of any resolution, however, weren't announced.

The Red Sox are to open their regular season with games Tuesday and Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo. The players are to receive from Major League Baseball a $40,000 appearance fee for the trip to Japan. When team members learned their coaches and other Red Sox staff members wouldn't also receive the fee, they took the job action.

"Everybody's in full unity in what we've decided to do," said Boston catcher Jason Varitek before Wednesday's game. "We have to take care of the people that take care of us.

"A lot of things have fallen by the wayside and this one can't."