Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are based entirely on my emotional connection to the game of baseball and the Red Sox. I cannot, nor will I attempt to, defend the position articulated below with objective fact or anything resembling logic.

There you have it. My cards are on the table, face up, right from the outset for all of you to see.

Generally speaking, I'm a big proponent of logic and sound rationale when defending a position. Because emotion runs counter to cognitive thinking, it's got to be checked at the door. However, there are rare instances, I believe, where passion should be allowed to supersede reason. Following is one such case. You be the judge.

A few weeks ago, while most of New England was preoccupied with the Patriots pursuit of perfection, the following news items caught my attention:

On January 23, it was reported that the corporate logo of EMC Corporation, the giant data storage firm in Hopkinton, will be sewn on the uniforms worn by all Red Sox players, coaches and manager Terry Francona during the opening series of the season at the Tokyo Dome in late March. This will mark the first time in franchise history that a corporate brand other than those belonging to sporting goods companies will adorn the Red Sox field uniform. The impetus for this, in part, is to highlight EMC's expanded business relationship with the Red Sox.

On the same day, final payroll figures from the 2007 Major League season were announced. The only two numbers that really matter to anyone in Red Sox Nation were Yankees $218.3 million, a new record, and Red Sox $155.4 million, which placed them second in this category. Within the same news story, it was reported that the Yankees had an aggregate revenue of $415 million last season, also tops in the Major Leagues.

Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry offered the following comment regarding the revenue disparity: "We're always working on increasing revenues, but it's getting harder and harder to do."

And then on February 2, Peter Gammons provided this quote in his blog entry discussing the significance and potential future impact of Johan Santana's new contract with the Mets. "We'd better enjoy [Josh] Beckett the next three years," one Boston Red Sox official said, "Because we won't be able to sign him after his deal is up after 2010."

If these four items are viewed as pieces of a puzzle, one begins to get a better understanding of the financial landscape facing the Red Sox when they're connected to three indisputable facts:

1. The Yankees have had the highest payroll for nine consecutive years.
2. Both the Mets and Yankees will open new stadiums in 2009, with estimated seating capacities of 45,000 and 53,000, respectively.
3. Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the Major Leagues and has the smallest seating capacity and the highest average ticket price. Although the Red Sox have done wonders in renovating Fenway over the past few years, its seating capacity is expected to top off at 39,000 in 2008.

There's no doubt that Red Sox ownership has surveyed this landscape and reached a similar conclusion, despite all of their innovative and resourceful efforts to increase revenue steams. Realizing they'll never out duel the Yankees in this area, Red Sox ownership seems to have decided to exploit one of the last remaining frontiers available: advertising on uniforms.

And this is where I have drawn a firm and impenetrable line in the sand. The Major League uniform is not simply clothing worn by one group of players for the purpose of distinguishing them from the opposing team. It's both part of what constitutes the game's intrinsic charm and appeal and also serves as a symbol of its history and traditions.

When a Dodger fan takes in a ballgame at Chavez Ravine, he undoubtedly feels a unique kinship with his grandfather because the uniform Jeff Kent is wearing at second base is identical to the one Jackie Robinson wore two generations earlier when Grandpa rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Here in Boston, one reason we gush so unabashedly over the Red Sox is because we feel that when David Ortiz steps to the plate, he is protected by the same suit of armor worn by Ted Williams.

In many respects, the Major League uniform represents to the baseball fan what a national flag symbolizes to the patriotic citizen. Each inspires allegiance, devotion and immense pride for one's homeland.

If this truly is the new frontier in the exploration for additional revenue sources then baseball fans everywhere need to rise up and vociferously protest. The Major League uniform is the Alaska wildlife refuge of professional sports and we cannot permit its desecration. This action doesn't represent progress and I refuse to accept that it's part of the natural evolution of the game.

The current Red Sox ownership group has been nothing short of marvelous since assuming control of the franchise six year ago. I think it's probably even fair to say that in spite of their brief tenure, they've already earned a reputation for being amongst the best owners in all of professional sports. But on this issue they're wrong.

Sometimes you have to throw out the rule book and go with your gut instinct. And my gut tells me that if this experiment becomes permanent, the game of baseball will have lost something it will never be able to regain.

This column was written on February 17, 2008.