Oakland A's-Boston Red Sox: Split in Japan

Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox opened the 2008 MLB season in the Land of the Rising of Sun this week. When it was first announced, I was against the trip to Japan because it didn't make sense to have the defending World Series Champion Red Sox play the rebuilding A's. I held the opinion that a Boston versus the Seattle Mariners and Ichiro would be a better match up in the terms of marketing the game. After Oakland and Boston splitting both games, my opinion about this trip has changed little. The positives of this series were the games against the Japanese teams and the Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka being a rock star in his homeland. In addition, as an A's fan, Oakland splitting the series, Rich Harden pitching great, and the homers of second baseman Mark Ellis and outfielder Emil Brown were highlights, as well. The negatives were the 3:00 a.m. start time, ads on uniforms and helmets, the A's being the "home team" even though the stadium played "Sweet Carolina," and ... [link]