BRUSHING UP ON THE BOSOX

Sean McAdam pens the 2003 Scouting Report for the Red Sox over at ESPN today, accompanied by John Sickels Minor League Report as well. The Sox, who are seeking to squeeze every last nickel out of Fenway Park this season by adding seats above the Green Monster, have introduced new batting practice uniforms, and caps, which should keep the "gear-revenue" flowing nicely, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, Kevin Millar is still in the Twilight Zone. According to the Boston Globe:

Major League Baseball will not mediate the dispute between Red Sox aspirant Kevin Millar and the Chunichi Dragons, reiterating its position that Millar has a signed contract with the Japanese team and must honor it.

...MLB is not accepting Millar's contention, Courtney said, that his case parallels that of Japanese third baseman Norihiro Nakamura, who had come to terms on a two-year deal with the Mets but changed his mind, electing to sign with a Japanese team instead. The difference, Courtney said, is that Nakamura never signed a contract, while Millar signed with Chunichi. Millar agreed to a two-year, $6.2 million contract with an option for a third year.

Millar also signed a letter agreement with the Florida Marlins, the team that sold him to Chunichi for $1.2 million, saying that he would reject any waiver claim made by another major league club. The Sox claimed him and Millar rejected that claim, but then Millar attempted to sign a deal with the Sox, claiming he was a free agent, while the Sox proposed to compensate Chunichi both with cash and a player.

The plot thickens...