Then again, Sabathia might prefer to join a team with a greater numberof black players or live in a different city. He became good friendswith veteran outfielder Mike Cameron in Milwaukee. The Brewers, whofeature a sizable contingent of African-Americans, were an unusuallyclose team.

The Red Sox, who have drafted African-Americans with their second pickin each of the past two drafts, are not the only team with a shortageof black players: Only 8.2 percent of major leaguers in 2007 wereAfrican-American, according to Richard Lapchick, the director of theUniversity of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics inSports. That percentage is the lowest in the two decades that Lapchickhas conducted his survey, and less than half than what it was 10 yearsago.

Latinos comprise a far higher percentage of major leaguers. Several ofthe Red Sox's top prospects are from Latin America, and the teamsigned Lugo to a four-year, $36 million free-agent contract after the2006 season. The Sox won the '07 World Series with Lugo at short.

Since then, they've signed first baseman Sean Casey as a free agentand traded for outfielder Jason Bay, pitcher Paul Byrd and outfielderMark Kotsay — all white players. Bartolo Colon, a Dominican who joinedthe club as a minor-league free agent, did not last.

Also this season, the Sox have added two more white prospects — shortstop Jed Lowrie, who got his chance when Lugo went down with a strained left quad, and reliever Justin Masterson — to a group that already included first baseman Kevin Youkilis, second baseman Dustin Pedroia, closer Jonathan Papelbon and left-hander Jon Lester.

Youkilis, Papelbon and Pedroia are All-Stars, while Lester already hasthrown a no-hitter and won a World Series clincher. Not even the mostskeptical observer could argue with the Sox's motives in advancingthose players. Their trade of Hanley Ramirez, a Dominican shortstopwho became a star, for right-hander Josh Beckett, a white pitcher whobecame an ace, also made perfect sense.