Francona 'disappointed' by Matsuzaka's 'unfortunate' comments

Regardless of right or wrong, Dice-K's comments were unprofessional.

Dice-K's comments were not only completely unprofessional and uncalled for, but also were nothing more than excuses for a poor performance. He may FINALLY be starting to realize that he can't be Superman and pitch all perfect games in the WBC then come into the MLB season and go 25-0 with a 1.00 ERA. Instead of understanding that he's a PART of a major league rotation, he'd rather make lame excuses about why he's not the ace that Japan expected him to be for Boston.

Dice-K is dead to me.

another overpaid primadona! let him get out in the real world where his job is in danger like real people then he can cry and moan.

You are being paid by an employer - you follow their orders. You are being paid over 100 million by an employer - you follow their orders with a smile.

Daisuke is a wussy. That's why he nibbles- he has four above average pitches, but he doesn't trust his stuff. He's having a horrible year- and he won't take responsibility for it. Why? Because he's a wussy. He needs to see a sports shrink. His shoulder may be a *little* frayed, but his head is up his...I mean... it's in the wrong place.

He needs to suck it up. Be a man. And pitch for the Red Sox like he pitches for his home country. Like a man. Not a wussy.

This is a cultural thing. I have worked with Japanese companies for several years I can't count the number of times we have had left meetings when we thought everyone was on the same page then all the sudden an email gets fired off that creates a firestorm. If I was Red Sox mgt I would make sure I had someone (maybe an american born Japanese whom spoke fluent Japanese whom also understood the nuance of baseball) in place.

Trade this bum to Toronto for Scuturo! See if the rest of the trade works first...

trade him.

Obviously he should have kept it behind closed doors....but for all we know, maybe he did and got nowhere so decided to go public as a "last ditch effort".

Everybody is going to jump on Dice-K because of this, but he makes some valid points. He was perfectly fine with his routine in Japan, and there is a long track record of pitchers from Japan flaming out rather quickly. Maybe there is a link between how drastically different things are. But if your body is used to one thing and it works, might as well stick with it. Because clearly what's going on now isn't working.

I think its time we figured out if he's really worth the 102 million we paid him... What good does it do to pay a guy more than he's worth, especially if he's bringing down team morale or causing unnecessary stress for tito? Unless he's getting 20 wins a year, for that price, he's overpaid. I'd say given his overall performance and communication since he was signed, its shut up and play time.

How much did get paid by Japan to pitch in the WBC pre-season, where he trashed his shoulder in the first place..?

For the record, he is not being paid $105 million. He is being paid $8.7 million a season.

Regardless, it isn't OUR money....so who cares? The Sox can go out and spend $5 billion on a guy if they want, it doesn't effect me....or you for that matter. So ticket prices go up....not that the average fan can afford them in the first place.

He is probably done in Boston..................He never caught on as a Redsox, as much as I thought he would....The lack of him being able to communicate did not help any of us really know who he was.... To me he seems like a visitor, not a Redsox... Time will tell how if he rebounds from this........Not near the pitcher that Nomo was in his prime....

are we allowed to trade matsucka back to japan? his head is way to stuck up his rear end that he doesnt realize that wbc has wrecked his shoulder or maybe he's just breaking down.

After two-plus seasons playing in the United States, you would think he would have picked up the language by now. He has appearred very standoffish and stubborn during his entire tenure with the Red Sox, so these statements shouldn't come as a surprise.

time to go dice-K

time to go dice-K

Matsuzaka needs to do what Big Papi did when BP was in his slump.
He should realize that he is an employee--just like BP did and do as
he is told.
Matsuzaka acts like he is the greatest pitcher to ever throw, and how
dare anyone question that.
If this problem is not resolved in a manner that helps the RED SOX,
then a trade would be in order.

Fire Matsuzaka's handlers. Esp. that middle-age woman who's always with him (his wife's handler?) What does she know about baseball? She is said to be the one who controls him.

Matsuzaka needs somebody who can tell him to do what "Romans/Bostonians" do. It really doesn't matter if you are a superstar in your home country or the Princess of England.Until you prove yourself, you are nobody in this country. Heck, I've learned it during my 20+ year residency in the U.S. It's (literally) a whole different ballgame. See, I really didn't want Sox to sign. Theo... this one's on you..

How much does he pay for Boras? Where is he when we need him (yuck)? It's getting embarassing. I just want Boras to shut Matsuzaka up.

All of a sudden, Arroyo and his $10+ (14?) salary look really really attractive. At least he had enough sense to hit A Rod. (What else is more important in Boston?)

there go the peace in the clubhouse

That slew of comments might be DiceK's last in Boston...

Players get frustrated for any number of reasons and sometimes say things to get them off their chest. Ortiz, Dustin and Youk all seemed to have difficulty adjusting after playing in the WBC. It took David two months to start getting his swing down. Missing Spring training with the Sox could have set them back. Dice K also has the language problem and maybe He has not adjusted to living in the U. S. Whatever the reason He needs to suck it up and become a team player. The fact that He had just had a meeting with Tito and evidentally did not express these feelings is disturbing. Tito is a Players manager and relates to them as a former Player can do. I hope things turn around for Dice K, the Sox need him in the rotation.

What are we paying this guy?

hey guys, i think we're all over-reacting about this thing... for all we know, matsuzaka had a reason for going public! probably, beco'z he was sidelined for a slumping season start though he's feelin' good about himself... remember, he never complained that he's feelin' anything or whatsoever and it's management's decision to put him on the injured list.
i think the competitive athlete that he is, he just wants to play... i believe he deserves it... doesn't everyone remember his quite impressive first 2 seasons???
think about it!!!

"This is a cultural thing."
Posted by Chad July 28, 09 05:42 PM

As often as I've seen genuine misunderstandings with Japanese employees, I've also seen them using the "cultural difference" as an excuse to play petty games.

Lame.

BTW, I fail to see where the misunderstanding is in trying to publicly undermine your manager. Basically, you're also using the "cultural misunderstanding" excuse to protect Matsuzaka.

Lame.

First off as unproffesional as those comments were he will be in Boston for the remainder of his contract as he does have a full no trade clause. We've all had to deal with drama before, we dealt with Clemens, and Boggs, and Damon, and Pedro, and lets not forget the most notorious Manny!! We all need to suck it up, and hope for the best, trashing this guy is not going to work, and the more we do it the less big name starts will want to play for Boston. So let's just back this guy up like we did Lugo last year in his horrific slump. What makes us the best fans in the world is we support our team NO MATTER WHAT!!!

Time to part ways with this sub par pitcher. He has some nerve to make the statements that he did. Not only did the Red Sox invest just over $100 million in this guy, Dice-K had the audacity to have a personal masseuse and a new SUV thrown into the deal. I think that should've been a warning sign from the start, that this is just an import version of the overpaid primadonas that already saturate MLB rosters. I say put him on the block, see if any team offers anything good for him. Dice-K has never acted like a real part of the Sox team, so I dont feel guilty at all for saying he needs to go.