BoSox lay claim to Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. – Boston Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner traveled to Connecticut Monday to thank fans here for guarding the border of Red Sox nation.

“Some say Connecticut is really Yankee territory and I know it’s not really easy being Red Sox fans here, but we appreciate all of your support,” Henry told the dozens of fans who turned out for a rally at the Old State House.

A poll released by Quinnipiac University in May showed that 33 percent of Connecticut baseball fans root for the Sox, while Yankee supporters make up 47 percent of the state fan base.

But there were no pinstripes in sight Monday as Mayor Eddie Perez declared it Red Sox day in the city.

Fans, many wearing decidedly anti-Yankee T-shirts and shouting equally disparaging comments about the Bronx Bombers, cheered Henry, Werner, Boston pitcher Ramiro Mendoza and former pitcher Luis Tiant.

“We’re Red Sox fans because we hate the Yankees,” said Patrick and Dennis Martin, 13 and 11 of Hartford.

And while the storied curse of the Bambino may hang over their heads, Connecticut Red Sox fans could take solace in the knowledge that Babe Ruth’s granddaughter was in the crowd Monday.

Glaus leaves with shoulder injury

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Anaheim Angels third baseman Troy Glaus left Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay in the third inning after bruising his right shoulder.

Glaus was hurt when he landed awkwardly while attempting to make a play on Julio Lugo’s bunt. He was moving to his left when pitcher Aaron Sele deflected the bunt. Glaus went down when he tried to stop and change direction.

The Angels said X-rays were normal and Glaus was day to day.

Glaus struck out in his only at-bat Monday. He has just two homers and seven RBIs in his past 35 games.

All-Star game a hit in Japan

NEW YORK – Baseball’s All-Star game was more popular in Japan than in the United States.

Last week’s AL-NL showcase received a 9.8 television rating in Japan, the commissioner’s office said Monday.

That means a higher percentage of households watched the game there than in the United States, where the rating was 9.5 on Fox – tied for the lowest in history. In Japan, the game began at 9:30 a.m. local time, while it was on in prime time in the United States.

The highest Japanese TV rating for baseball’s All-Star game was 12.3 for the 2001 game in Seattle, when the Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki played as a rookie. Suzuki and the Yankees’ Hideki Matsui started in the outfield for the AL this year.

Major League Baseball is opening an office in Tokyo responsible for creating new business in Asia and overseeing TV, sponsorship and licensing deals.

The sport already had regional offices in England and Australia.

Jim Small will be managing director of the Tokyo office. He also will remain in his previous job as regional vice president of global market development for Major League Baseball International.

Yankees’ payroll brings tax man

NEW YORK – There’s only one team in baseball projected to pay the new luxury tax.

You guessed it – the New York Yankees.

Following last week’s acquisition of reliever Armando Benitez from the crosstown Mets, the Yankees’ payroll comes to $180.3 million for their 40-man roster, including benefits. The updated figure compiled by the commissioner’s office translates to a projected tax bill of $10.8 million that will come due Jan. 31.

No other team is above the threshold of $117 million established by baseball’s new labor contract.

“Winning is the priority here,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said before Monday night’s game against Toronto. “They generate a lot of revenue here, and there’s a lot of pressure. I know George Steinbrenner made a commitment to this city that we’ve won and we’re going to continue to try to keep winning. If that means he needs to spend more money than he planned, then he’s willing to do it to plug a hole.”

The Mets had the No. 2 luxury tax payroll at $116.3 million, followed by Los Angeles ($109.2 million), Texas ($106.3 million) and Boston ($104.9 million), according to the calculations, which were distributed to teams last week and obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The actual tax will be determined based on final figures as of Dec. 20.

Payrolls are based on the average annual values of contracts, $7.6 million per team in benefits, money paid or received in trades and salary owed to released players. The payrolls are based on roster moves through July 15, with the following day’s acquisition of Benitez also included.

in Yankees’ total.

The Yankees’ payroll for luxury tax purposes has gone down from February, when the commissioner’s office projected it at $182 million. Back then, the Mets’ payroll also was second, estimated at $122 million, followed by Texas ($113 million), Los Angeles ($109 million) and Boston ($105 million).

The Mets’ payroll has gone down only slightly because the team is paying most of the salaries of two traded stars, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz. The Yankees are paying all of Benitez’s salary in the second half.

Using the conventional method of counting payrolls – salaries plus prorated shares of signing bonuses for players on the 25-man roster and disabled list – the Yankees’ payroll has increased to $154.7 million from $149.7 million on opening day.

AP-ES-07-21-03 2026EDT