Even though the Red Sox are opening the 2008 season in Japan in late March, they're opening spring training just two days earlier than normal, manager Terry Francona said last night at the Wang Center, where he went to see the premiere of the 2007 World Series DVD.
Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Fort Myers Feb. 14, with first on-field workout Feb. 16. Position players are scheduled to report Feb. 20, with first full-squad workout slated for Feb. 22.
"The pitchers and catchers normally go four days - we're going to go six with them," Francona said. "What it does for them is gives them an extra turn on the mound with supervision. Other than that, we're not doing anything different.
"We finished a month late, we start 10 days early, our pitchers will be up to 85 pitches. It's two games that count in the standings. We care about every game we play, but we're not going to jeopardize our season for two games that are played in Japan.
"We'll certainly do the best we can, but I think things can get skewed. You prepare for those two games so much, you get yourself out of whack for the rest of the year."
Francona said the Sox will not be required to pare their roster to 25 for the opener against the Athletics in Japan March 25. They'll be permitted to carry an additional three players.
"The hard part is, say we leave the 18th of March," Francona said. "We usually make very few cuts by then in a normal year."
After playing the Athletics a second time March 26, the Sox return to play three exhibition games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles March 28-30, then after a day off resume their series against the Athletics with two games in Oakland April 1-2. The following day, they fly to Toronto for three games against the Blue Jays before returning to Boston for their home opener April 8 against the Tigers.
In essence, assuming they leave for Japan on March 19, they will begin the season with a 19-day road trip.
"This is one of those things we need to do it, it's in the best interests of baseball," Francona said.
When someone mentioned that in 2004, Manny Ramírez left a team of touring major leaguers in Japan after just a few days, Francona said, "That wouldn't be good. He already told me on the plane back from Colorado that he's sick March 18. Hopefully he was just kidding."
Steinberg leaving
Dr. Charles Steinberg, who dramatically transformed the fan experience in Fenway Park in his nearly six years here, is leaving as executive vice president for public affairs to accept a top front-office position with the Dodgers, according to major league sources.The Dodgers are expected to announce today that Steinberg has been hired as chief marketing officer. Steinberg declined comment except to confirm that an announcement would be made today.
He will get a long-term deal worth in excess of $500,000 a year, the sources said. The Sox offered to extend his contract but their offer was dwarfed by the one made by the Dodgers.
Steinberg leaves an impressive legacy in Boston. He was the guiding force behind the team's grandest ceremonies, like the World Series rings presentation in 2005. He also created the Red Sox scholars program and other notable outreach programs.
Playing the Coliseum
Sox chairman Tom Werner was present at a news conference in Los Angeles yesterday when the Dodgers announced that their March 29 exhibition against the Red Sox will be played in the Memorial Coliseum, their original home when they moved from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. Net proceeds from the game will be donated to the Dodgers' charity, ThinkCure. The Coliseum can hold more than 90,000, and Werner predicts the exhibition will draw that number . . . A full World Series share was worth $308,236 for the Sox this season, down from the record $362,173 set by the Cardinals last year. The Sox voted 47 full shares, 14 partial shares, and 11 cash awards out of a pool of $18.89 million. "It was important to be very inclusive," Curt Schilling said . . . Talks appear to be intensifying between the Sox and Twins about a deal involving Coco Crisp.
