How Pissed Off Should We Be at Dice-K?
“If I’m forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan,’’ he told the website. “The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years was because I used the savings of the shoulder I built up in Japan. Since I came to the major leagues, I couldn’t train in my own way, so now I’ve lost all those savings.’’ – Daisuke Matsuzaka, speaking to a website in Japan
There’s nothing like a midseason dust up between the Sox and one of their highest paid players to dominate the news cycle. Unless and until the Sox land Roy Halladay or a tricked out DeLorean pulls out of the bullpen carrying 1998 Pedro Martinez, the verbal Taseing of Dice-K is going to be THE dominant theme in the papers, the message boards and the airwaves. The “Red Sox Controversy Alarm” went off at the Shankcave, waking Shaughnessy up from his slumber of Manny coverage and “PIcked Up Pieces” columns, and today he’s doing what he does best: ripping Sox players.
The question is, how big a deal is this? I agree that Dice-K is out of line. Terry Francona is right as usual. For $102 million of John Henry’s money, the club has every right to expect disagreements will be handled in house. And for my money if Dice-K is going to rip the club he ought to have the decency of coming to The Stool with the scoop. But is the underlying issue he brings up here really so wrong? Dice-K believes he needs to throw more. There are plenty of baseball lifers around here who agree with him. Guys who believe that a pitching arm is a system of muscles, and like any muscle in order to strengthen it, you to have to use it. There is no shortage of baseball development people who think that pitch counts are making it harder for young pitchers to mature physically and make the jump to the majors. Matsuzaka clearly is of that school. And this isn’t some Rookie Leaguer we’re talking about. He made himself into Japan’s best pitcher by throwing early and often, and after three years of doing it the Sox way, he feels like his arm has atrophied. Maybe he’s right about that. What he’s wrong about is that as long as it says “Red Sox” on his paycheck, he can train however they goddamned tell him to. Especially when his ERA is sitting above 8.00. And if he has a beef, he should take it up with Tito and John Farrell and keep his sushi hole shut in public.
Still, I’m not ready to toss him overboard like a lot of people seem to. I blame Bud Selig’s insipid company softball tournament last March for Dice-K’s problems and I’m convinced he’s still going to help the Sox this season and next. So on a scale of 1-10, I’d say my problems with Matsuzaka popping off like this are about a 3. What does everyone else think?
(755 votes, average: 5.50 out of 10)
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Matsuzaka knows his body better than anyone else does and if he thinks he can handle pitching more often and for longer periods, I think the Sox would be crazy not to at least give him a shot.
Clearly what he’s doing right now isn’t working so why wouldn’t they at least let him try his own schedule? If it doesn’t work, then the firing squad can start lining up but until then…
The whole Dice-K thing will go down as a huge waste of $. . . almost a Yankee sized mistake of throwing cash around.
But if he goes to another team, then the Sox batters will have to face that amazing gyroball. Yup, everyone dreads facing that killer gyroball. Gyroball. Kill me.
I say fuck it. Let him throw 150 pitches a game. Even when he had his japanese arm strength he couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning.
If his arm breaks down then we know his system is flawed. The sox only have him for three more years anyway. If he wants to risk his career then so be it.
If he wasnt on the Red Sox he sure as hell wouldnt have had 18 wins last year. Run support and their bullpen bailed him out time and time again.
I think this is a classic case of over-evaluating a player’s talent. Take a look at his record in Japan, it’s not astounding by any means. It’s good, but that’s about it. What made everyone think being good in Japan was going to translate into being Great in the Major Leagues?
At this point I’m hoping for Dice-K to get in a horrible motorcycle accident that voids the rest of his contract. I’m so angry I could punch the next Japanese person I see…I’d watch out if you’re handing out the free teriyaki chicken samples at Sakkio Japan today.
What he did in Japan has no bearing on anything except that the Sox used it to incorrectly gauge his abilities. He’s a way overpaid rookie who has 2 complete seasons biting the hand that overfeeds him.
his struggles could also be attributed to the fact that he came to camp looking like the michelin man.
he was a big tarpon in a little pond over there. the hitters are better here. If he dropped the WBC and trained with the rest of the staff he’d be fine. The “arm strength” thing is a bunch of bull. he had run support during almost all of his wins. He wasn’t winning one run games, he was winning 5 run games. Wakefield was the pitcher without run support.
He pitched more innings in ’07 (204.7) than in ’08 (167.7) and gave up more hits, runs and HR (191, 100 & 25) than in ’08 (128, 58 & 12) with a higher ERA (4.40 compared to 2.90 in ’08) and had a worse record (15 – 12 compared to 18 – 3 in ’08), so who’s right?
Oh no, another one just blaming the WBC. Of course you would put all the blame squarely on that and ignore the fact that he wasn’t that great in either 07 or 08, but just INSANELY lucky, and that luck finally caught up with him.
I don’t think he’s as bad as ’09 either, but he’s certainly not as good as his 18 wins, and 2.90 ERA in ’08. You can only pitch yourself out of so many jams before it catches up with you.
John Henry should get in his private jet with an A-Bomb on board and threaten to drop it on Dice K if he doesn’t get better. That would get results.
This is nothing more than another athlete making excuses for shitty on-field performance.
It doesn’t matter if he said it in Japanese. He sucks, so it can’t be HIS fault, it’s the Red Sox program……
Whatever.
I say fuck it- let him throw as much as he wants between starts. Leave the lights on in the bullpen for him and go home.
WBC ruined him is a load of crap- his stats sucked right out of the gate. The WBC hitters as a whole in March were just not as good as the grind of MLB every 5 days Apr through Sept.
his game against he USA was classic Dice- 4.2, 98 pitches. Somehow wiggled out- this year he hasnt got so lucky.
I honestly think he doesn’t give a shit about the Red Sox. Dude cares more about the WBC then this 100%
He should fall on a sword for the way he has dishonered himself.
Jerry is still a day late and a dollar short on this one. Just like he was with schilling. Dice’k moved on and so have the sox. They’ll finish the year with him since they have to but he won’t finish his contract here.
Dice K is right on one thing, Japanese pitchers have a year or two of success and then fade in the US. It has nothing to do with deteriorating arm strength, it has to do with US hitters adjusting to them. All of the successful Japanese pitchers in the US have had something quirly about them. Nomo with his tornado wind up and diving forkball, Dice K with his nibbling at the corners and hesitation in his wind up. Once hitters adjust to these things it comes down to the pitchers’ stuff, which is not overwhelming.
Dice K blows, but I suppose the other option that year was to sign Zito.
Drew-Lugo-Renteria-Dice K. If you are a GM in any one of 28 MLB cities making any 2 of those moves gets you fired.