It's probably only interesting to Red Sox fans other than this little note in the column:
In the interest of disclosure, let us rewind for a moment. In the last few days, most recently in the Globe (which has more invested in the Red Sox than anyone but John Henry), it has been reported that Epstein rejected the Sox' latest contract offer, though the sides continue to talk and are expected to have some resolution in the next day or so. The latest proposal was for three years at $1.2 million per, which is the kind of information that comes out when real negotiations have given way to mud-slinging and damage control.The city's other newspaper, the Boston Globe, owns a big chunk of the Red Sox. When the Sox want to do down a member of their own organization they have a pretty reliable 'friend' in the Globe to parrot the company line. And, they can use broadcast rights to keep the t.v. and radio stations in line too. I always thought of print as the location for truth about my sports teams.
I don't even know if this is a common situation in professional sports. It wouldn't work in New York, where there are just too many newspapers. However, in smaller cities and towns (like Boston! - just kidding) this is an effective media strategy. Get the most powerful newspaper on your side through ownership and then tie up the t.v. and radio stations by dangling the broadcast rights before them.
