Just yesterday I was expressing some rare admiration for the Steins, and today I've got some kind words to say about the Red Sox. Shocking, I know, but it does happen occasionally.

They didn't play a charity game with a school in need of cheering up or anything of that caliber, but the Sox players did do something that the Yankees Chick extols: they stood up for themselves and people they value.

News broke today that the Red Sox opening day journey to Japan was in jeopardy due to the fact that their coaches were not going to be compensated. In a show of solidarity, the team threatened to boycott the trip unless the MLB agreed to pony up the dough for the non-playing Sox contingent. Obviously the league did not want to abort the trip, so an agreement was reached and the staff and coaches will earn some money in Tokyo after all, and rightfully so - as Varitek put it, "they're the basis of what takes care of us."

I'm glad the Red Sox did the right thing here. I have no doubt that they want to make the trip and that the boycott was just an idle threat, but it did the trick and got the message across. Their coaches were happy, too, and not just for the money but for the fact that their boys made such a display of appreciation for their hard work. Hitting coach Dave Magadan remarked that "a lot of people don't realize what we do" and that it's "nice to get recognition from the players." It's unfortunate to think that any coaches feel (or are) under-appreciated, because Varitek is right - without the behind the scenes folks there wouldn't be baseball as we know it.