The bus trips will be fewer in spring training in 2008 for the Red Sox, an apparent concession to the 15,865 miles the Sox will travel (as the crow flies) from the time they break camp in Fort Myers, Fla., March 19 until they play their scheduled home opener in Boston April 8.
The Sox released their abbreviated Florida exhibition schedule yesterday, and the team has squeezed in 13 home games in City of Palms Park, with an additional three games against the Minnesota Twins in cross-town Hammond Stadium, for a total of 16 games within the city limits of Fort Myers.
The exhibition schedule begins with a split-squad doubleheader Feb. 28 against college teams, Boston College in the afternoon, Northeastern at 6:05.
The Sox play their final game in Florida March 19 at home against the Blue Jays, then intend to fly to Tokyo (7,362 miles). They will play two exhibitions there against Japanese teams yet to be announced before opening the regular season with two games against the Oakland Athletics March 25-26. The Sox then fly to Los Angeles (5,478 miles) for three exhibitions against the Dodgers, head up the coast to Oakland (331 miles) for two more games against the Athletics, then fly to Toronto (2,261 miles) for three games against the Blue Jays, completing what is believed to be baseball's first three-country road trip. Another 433-mile jaunt will be required to bring the Sox home.
Mindful that many New Englanders plan their winter vacations around spring training, the Sox intend to stage several Triple A games in City of Palms Park after they depart Florida, and will not charge admission. Just as they did after winning the World Series in 2004, the Sox will be jacking up prices on most seats in City of Palms Park, this time by $2 apiece.
The City of Palms Park box office will be open Dec. 15-16 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Beginning Dec. 17, the Fort Myers box office and the Red Sox Team Store at City of Palms Park will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets will also be available beginning at 10 a.m. next Saturday at www.redsox.com or by calling (617) 482-4SOX. For accessible seating, please call 877-REDSOX9.
Also, tickets for individual regular-season games, as well as Sox Pax, go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. today at www.redsox.com or by calling 24-hour touch-tone ticketing at (617) 482-4SOX. For accessible seating, call (877) RED-SOX9 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. today (while supplies last). The Red Sox' TTY number for hearing-impaired fans is (617) 226-6644.
Gagné leaving
Not surprisingly, reliever Eric Gagné declined salary arbitration last night after an unhappy experience in Boston, and the Sox will get a sandwich draft pick (between the first and second rounds) as compensation . . . Mike Timlin, whose signing was officially announced yesterday by the Sox (one year, $3 million), said he is "watching intently" the reports of negotiations with the Twins for lefthander Johan Santana. "Johan is an awesome pitcher, an incredible talent," said Timlin, who will turn 42 March 10. "Hopefully, it will come to fruition and we'll have him."Down on the farm
The Sox have added four managers or coaches to their field staff: Kevin Boles, son of former big league manager John Boles, will manage at Single A Greenville; Rich Sauveur becomes pitching coach at Triple A Pawtucket; former Marlin Billy McMillon becomes hitting coach at Greenville; and Luis Lopez becomes hitting coach at Single A Lowell. Six other coaches have been assigned to different clubs in the Boston organization, among them Russ Morman, who becomes hitting coach at Pawtucket after four seasons in the same job in Portland.Gordon Edes can be reached at edes@globe.com.
