This will go over well.

IF he cant handle US baseball mayve he should return his salary and go back to Japan

How can this idiot complain about the Red Sox throwing program when he sucked the moment he returned from the WBC? The madness never ends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want my 101 million back.....

Wow, DiceK, sounds like a trip back to Japan sounds great.

100 Million total for this clown? Bye bye. If he pitched for the Sox the way he pitched in the WBC, he'd be great. I"m pretty sure your "shoulder savings" didn't cause you to nibble around the plate all game, against the best hitters in the world. Then he blames it on the Sox training program. JOKKKKKKKKKE.

Time to send Lice K somewhere else...

Dead to me.

Wow, it must be the throwing program Dice-K. Its obvious by the struggles of the rest of the pitchers and all the injuries they've developed. Oh wait, its just you. Dice-K seems very stubborn and unwilling to change anything for the team thats paying him millions. If he thinks the Japanese way, and screwing himself up while pitching for Japan in the WBC, are so much better maybe he should never have come over here. Buy yourself out of your contract and get lost. And take Smoltz with you.

What a self-serving face saving move. Dice K the first season you struggled with your command, the second season you struggled with your command, the third season your arm gave out. You know what a bad carpenter does? Blames his tools.

As a former pitcher myself, I will say that "Dice-K" is right on. Today, many great pitchers are driven into a sort of atrophy with the "wussy" type of babying that their trainers think is getting the job done. First off, this "Pitch Count Curse" needs to be gotten rid of. Remember when starters finished most of the games that they started? They kept pitching as long as they were effective. How many games have the Red Sox, and other teams blown after removing the starter who was still going strong after 100 pitches, only to have the bull pen take over and lose the game? Just look at Boston this year. For example, look at the great game Smoltz had going when they took him out and the bull pen were like a bunch of little leaguers

r u serious?

Matsuzaka complaining about a throwing program is ridiculous! His power has always been consistent! It has been his location and unwillingness to challenge batters when he needs to that has been a problem! Walking batters and leaving it over the middle of the plate are his biggest problems this year! That doesn't speak of arm strength as much as mind strength and stubbornness!

This is why MLB's guaranteed contracts are a joke. You cant cut fools like this loose without being on the hook.

I think they should let him do whatever he wants. The Red Sox program clearly is not working and the guy clearly can be a dominant pitcher. Why not let him try it his way?

How can you argue with him. He may be onto something. If given his own free reign to train his way, how much worse can he pitch? He made an interesting point about changing attitudes. He must make a push to have the opportunity to prove he is right. Thus making him a pioneer in pitcher's training and conditioning programs. I think it may be time for Theo, Tito, and John Farrell to give him a listen.

Dice K has a point. If he's used to a particular training program, then he should train the same way he did in Japan. What's so difficult about that? People study differently for tests: some study before going to bed, some sleep right away and wake up earlier to study, etc. If the front office tries out his training regimen and he still sucks after, then maybe he should go back to Japan and return his salary.

Honestly, the dude can't be any worse than he has already been, so let him use his Japanese training methods and see where that goes.

That said, there was obviously a miss between the two sides when he was signed. He should have known before he signed the deal that the Red Sox would be the governing party. If someone invests that kinda money in you, they should be able to tell you when to eat, drink, sleep, and throw. But now that we're past that, let him go to town using his own devices and see if he improves.

I too think he should return his salary and return to Japan. He is of no benefit to the Red Sox anyway.

The salary isn't the issue. The $50 million fee they paid the team in Japan for his contract rights is the problem. His salary is less than what Lugo was making.

The salary isn't the issue. The $50 million fee they paid the team in Japan for his contract rights is the problem. His salary is less than what Lugo was making.

He's complaining because the Sox regimen includes throwing over the plate.

"I know that there are Japanese starters who came to the United States before me only have two or three successful years,” Matsuzka said, according to the Globe’s translation. “I now believe that it is because of a difference in training and conditioning methods.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not for nothing, but maybe he is right? It is certainly not out of the question that the training method here wouldnt work for someone that comes from another culture.

Just my two cents.

If and when Daisuke cares half as much about pitching for the Boston Red Sox as he does pitching for Japan in the WBC, then - and only then - will he be a successful major league pitcher.

I didn't realize that Matsuzaka was this immature. He needs to take responsibility for his troubles this year. They are a result of him overthrowing for the WBC. He needs to learn humility, and he needs to have respect for his employer, the fans, and the game. He's making a lot of money- and he hasn't produced. As frustrated as he is, Boston fans are even more frustrated with Daisuke the Nibbler.

OMG he is an overpaid cry baby...he "used up his savings"...excuse me, WTF does that mean...did he use up any of it in the WBC...send him back and sue him for the money he stole from us...enough of these cry babies who make tons of money

If he's willing to blowout his own arm, why don't the Red Sox let him? I would think that he is doing it against their advice would protect them from lawsuits and what the hell, the team is wasting $8 million a year on him now already. Maybe it will work?

Wasn't the school of thought prior to this season that Dice-K did NOT stick to his prescribed training program this off-season? The WBC clearly accelerated his program to his detriment.

On the other hand, if says he's ready to go, why not throw him in a few Pawtucket games and see if he's got command of his pitches again. There's no hiding whether or not you can hit your spots. Either you do it consistently or you end up with an ERA over 8...

When I'm frustration I usually put on one of those movies and make sure I have fresh D batteries

I say we let him train the way he wants and in return, his contract is no longer guaranteed and specific "release" triggers are defined - I wonder what Boras would think of that?

I heard El Tiante comment one time that the reason these guys only throw 100 pitches in a game now, as opposed to the amount they threw when he was pitching, is because they just don't allow them to throw that much anymore. He said the only way to be able to throw 140 pitches in a game is to actually do it a bunch of times and build up the strength to do it. I've always said that was Dice-Ks game, throw a LOT of pitches, nibble nibble nibble, never give you anything to hit, and get you to swing at something you don't want to swing at. But you can't really do that in 100 pitches because you'll only get to the 4th inning. Let him throw!

Dice-K is right about not being successful in the Bigs...but it 's not because of the Sox' training program. It's because he can't pitch against Big League hitters. Just look at the WBC...he was lights out against the teams that were mostly non-MLB. When he faced teams with Big League hitters, he pitched like we see him in Fenway: LOUSY. They still gave him the MVP, but he didn't deserve it. He didn't win 18 games last year. The bullpen did. Trade him...trade him to a National League team where there is a pitcher hitting against him, and he can be #9 in the line-up. The silver lining in this is that we have Oki; fun to watch, and great results

That primadonna china doll better get with the program or he can forget about a pleasant working environment here in Boston. There are a multitude of factors which could have resulted in his performance decline. The greatest of which was his burnout as a result of the joke that is the WBC. Blaming it on Boston's pitching trainers is a real sleazy thing to do.

Add Dice K to the Julio Lugo bad signings by Theo list. Send him back to Japan if he thinks its better.

Hey Dice K , URUSAI

The situation looks pretty cut and dried. If his performance isn't going to improve with methods used in this country, then he will continue to be a liability to the team. Let him train his own way. Can't get any worse. At least his failure will then be on him, not us.
Not necessarily agreeing with him, but there always is the possibility that he is right!!??!!??

Excuses are like A-holes... everybody's got one...

I have a terrific solution for the Sox. Negotiate a new contract with Dicek which would create a deal to let him train and participate in Japan again. He is obviously unhappy in the US. Another alternative would be to trade him to a National League team. This guy is a big bust:; get rid of him.

yikes...ditto tinisoli. this will not go over well

I'm glad he's finally standing up for himself. If anyone has read up anything on his success in Japan you'll know that he pitches better on short rest and longer innings (ie. not every 5 days and more CG.) So what if he goes 100 pitches through 5 or 6? Keep him in there, he's more than proven in his career he can throw 130+ no problem. The Red Sox just need to back off a bit and let him do his thing. Yes, from a business standpoint its the organization's investment, but you can mingle too much with someone's routine. I don't see them messing with Beckett's "I need to pitch every 5 days" motto.

I say let the man train the way he wants. Different strokes for different folks.

Dice-K battles, he's a fighter and he drives. I think he'd prefer to power through the situation than preserve his arm.

Someone needs to explain to him what happened to Bobby Orr's knee when his love for his country and his stoic toughness made him ignore the severe pain when he was playing in an international hockey tournament. He really hurt his knee and was never the same.

In Boston we love the toughness, but it is a marathon not a sprint. I do, however think that the organization should be open to the idea that his regime may bear fruit for him and perhaps they could work with him to some degree. I'd rather have a Dice-K than someone who was a big wimp.

He's completely right. There was nothing wrong with the way he was training. You can see that by looking at his production in Japan.
Jozee, perhaps the reason he pitched so well in the WBC is because he went back to his old training regimen while he was with the Japan team.
I think the Sox should let him train the way he was used to training... their regimen obviously isn't a good fit for him.

Thanks, W.B.C.

1.I say we let him train the way he wants and in return, his contract is no longer guaranteed and specific "release" triggers are defined - I wonder what Boras would think of that?

The MLB Union would NEVER EVER permit that. Recall they wouldn't even let ARod restructure his then contract with Texas to back end payments.

Do we miss Julio Lugo already, or what?

Listen to you people talk about the money. Like any of it came out of your pocket. If you train a pitcher to throw every 4 days that is what he will grow accustomed to. This is what he was doing in Japan and it worked out well for him.

All this aside, WhenTF do we stop referring to him as "Dice-K"? I think we can all pronounce "Daiuske" by now... years of that bastardized nickname have at least given us that.

Let him train the way he wants to and hope he doesn't flame out. The Sox can't continue to do it their way since Dice K isn't on board. It's probably a dead loss at this point, and whether Mr. Matzusaka is correct or not his public pronouncements
reflect badly on him.

Hmmmm. Wasn't Ichiro making some similar criticisms of the way that the Sox handled Dice K recently?

Seems like the Sox regiment has worked pretty well for Okijima, granted he's a reliever.

Someone should tell Dice K that the reason the Sox don't wan't him on his own program is because they don't want him to plan on throwing 200 pitches per outing. His starts are plenty long enough already, and we can't play 8 hour games every 5 days.

I hear Nolan Ryan and Texas will let you throw till your arm falls off --
How about a trade ?
Maybe for Hank Blalock and Salty ?

If you trained Japanese style all winter and came from the WBC ready to go,, how did it hurt you to ease off for last 3 weeks of spring training ?

Yes maybe Scott will allow a renegotiation ?

Let him do what he wants. Just draw up an addendum to his contract that if he blows out his shoulder or can't get his ERA under 5.00 that his contract can be voided with no liability for the Red Sox.

Wambo, pitching in little league does not qualify you as an expert. The Sox bullpen is one of , if not the best in the league. There is too much money at stake for teams to let pitchers throw their arms out in 2 or 3 years. When you invest over 100 million on a guy like Sabathia GUARANTEED then you better make damn sure he is going to last. Look at the kid Stasburg who just got drafted by the Nationals. He is going to command a 50 miilion dollar signing bonus!! No team is going to let a guy throw 150 pitches anymore.

I do kind of agree with Dice and other posters on this board. Let me start by saying I'm not a Dice-K supporter in the least, but this is a very valid point. The guy learned how to pitch his way. He learned how to train his way. He was effective his way. Yes he nibbles at the plate and blah blah which leads to a high pitch count but he can handle it! Scenarios similar to this often present themselves in international business. A french conglomerate buys a Japanese company and forces the French way of business into the company and replaces the top Japanese executives with ex-pats. The company fails because the french culture doesn't translate to the japanese. Same thing with Dice.

The only shortcoming in Dice's analysis is that he pitched in a six man rotation in Japan. That allowed for the high pitch count and heavy throwing. Clearly that is not the case over here. An above poster stated it best: Let him do it. He can't get any worse...

As a Yankee Fan this makes me smile :)

I agree with those who say "let him do it his way, how much worse could he get?" I'm sure there is no medical, scientific evidence to support his theory, but 90% of this game is half mental. If he believes it enough, maybe he will pitch better?

Enough is enough with this guy. By the time Dice-K's ready to come back we'll have Junichi Tazawa, who's tearing it up in the minors, ready to make his major league debut with his 3.3 million dollar contract.

Maybe the reason Japanese pitchers only have 2 or 3 good years in the US is that they threw their arms out in Japan before they got here? Ever think of that, Daisuke?

Check who signs your paycheck, pal, and shut your mouth.

There's a lot of baseball experts on here today. Oh I mean, so many crybabies on the boards today. I love the lines that have been written so far. "Send him back to Japan, take back his salary, screw him, blah blah blah". The guy knows his body better than the staff, better than you, better than me, and better than anyone else here.

Let him switch to his preferred training method. See what happens. It can't be any worse than what's going on now currently?

Hello! Look at his stats. Do you want him to continue doing the same thing or try to change it up and make a positive change? Currently, the training schedule he's on has not been effective.

Maybe if Daisuke was something special his first year, I'd buy his excuse. Trade him for a bag of balls.

Dice K, Smoltz, Penny... maybe the Sox need a new pitching coach. No one seems to be listening to this guy anyway. Whoever said that this was a face saving commentary by Dice K is right on the money. The Japanese press is covering HIS REHAB for Pete's sake. He's got to explain why he has another month before he sees the Bigs again. If then!!!

I think it's time Dice-K took a little responsibility and stop blaming the Sox. He has never appeared to be in great shape and obviously the shoulder program has worked for others... Penny, Papelbon, Beckett and Lester. Even his first year here when he had done his own conditioning he struggled with his command and has never pitched deep into games!!

And I thought we were over this kind of garbage.

Dice-K being Dice-K...

Many of you are truly stuck in one way of thinking -- and most of you have never even played baseball. If this guy and his arm are used to thier own regimen, then he may very well be onto something. Just because US coaches have a certain method engrained in your head -- that doesn't mean it's correct. These guys have screwed up as many arms as they've protected. Everyone is different --- guess how often Tim Lincecum ices his arm? Try NEVER -- he doesn't believe in icing?! Works for him....

Ah, Boras - how long before he throws his two cents in here. I agree with the person that said pitch him in a couple of games at Pawtucket or Portland and see what he has - in a few weeks. How would he look in Yankee pinstrips if his relationship with the Red Sox (and their Nation as I sence from the above blogs) hits rock bottom. It will be soon that they will cut ties if he makes these feelings readily known to american audiences.

He's just not that good. His 18 wins last year were a high-wire act. It's only because the team scored runs behind him. How many does he walk in a game? How bad is his control? How much English has he taken the time to learn?

I say send him back, like a smelly piece of three day-old sushi.

i wonder if Boras was behind this outburst and whining?

Man, after moving away from the Northeast and coming back, it's really wierd how much Red Sox fans complain. Everyone complains about dice k, everyone complains about smoltz, ortiz, drew blah blah blah blah blah. The Red Sox are exciting and GOOD, baseball is a game of patience. Can you people be patient, and stop ripping dice k. It's amazing how quickly people turn on Red Sox players. And like 90% of public really doesn't know WHAT they are talking about, yet everyone thinks they are a know it all.

I am curious as to why many people, likely many on this board, talk about how pitchers of yore used to throw WAY more often, throw way more pitches (no pitch counts, three inning saves, etc.), yet had FEWER arm problems, more complete games, longer careers, and generally heathier arms. And yet when we get a guy who feels that his old way of training, IE throwing a lot and keeping the strength up, the way the likes of Bob Gibson et al used to do before the era of pampering pitchers began, that we claim he should go home and give his money back?! I think MORE pitchers should follow Dice-K's old program of developing and maintaining strength in their arm, as opposed to babying it and leading to injury, as we have seen so much more often in the modern era of micro-managing pitchers.

If you want a steer to pull a plow, you don't feed it beer and baby it like it's producing kobe beef - you make it work and build its strength. Same with pitchers - a frequently used arm, as we saw all through basebal history up unitl the LaRussa era, is a strong arm, is a healthy arm. Why take a pitcher who obviously has success with that program (2 lights-out WBCs) and change it to make it fit the current trend it pitcher management? Make more young pitchers throw more and let him do his thing. Otherwise you are all but ensuring failure. Ask Ichiro about how much success one can have with a "weird, Japanese approach" to the game.

The dude kind of sucks, but why not let him train his way. What do we got to loose.

We should've let the yankees pay him, he fits in perfectly for them, over payed crap with stupid issues

5 innings, 100 pitches and a burned bullpen pretty much every time out and he wants to complain? Before he complains about the Sox program, maybe he should think about throwing 100 pitches in the WBC in March when other MLB pitchers were throwing far fewer pitches in spring training.

Let's just hold off on our opinions until Curt Schilling touches on this. It's only a matter of minutes. He'll know what to do

THIS GUY IS CRAZY WHEN THESE GUYS START A SEASON THERE NOT QUITE UP TO SPEED AND FURTHER MORE TO BE IN PLAYOFF SHAPE HITTERS AS WELL A LOT ARENT READY NOW FOR THE PLAYOFFS THESE GUYS GO INTO THE WORLD HULLA BALLOU BARELY IN SHAPE SOX METHODS WHAT ABOUT HIS METHODS THIS GUYS EGO IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HIS JAP FANS THAN THE LEAGUE HE IS PAYED FOR TEAMS SHOULD BAN THESE CLOWNS FROM PLAYING IN THIS THING

I thought the recent report that Daisuke met with Francona for ninety-minutes before the game very curious.

It occurred to me then that, even setting aside time for translation, it was obvious they were not simply shooting the breeze.

"let him blow out his arm if he wants to". Really? Only if he's willing to sign a waiver indicating that if he does so, the Sox (i.e. fans) don't have to pay him. Include in the waiver that if his results do not improve significantly, he will quit the team without financial consequence. In other words, "put your money where your mouth is Dice K"! If you're as good as you think you are, you'll come out ahead in the end, right?

I love how it's the Red Sox's fault now that he's not where he should be. Nevermind his stint in the WBC to where he most likely pitched his heart out like it was our playoffs. Coming right off of that to the beginning of our season is most likely what threw him off. In this situation, the Red Sox are trying to protect his arm so he can be utilized towards the end of the season. I don't see what's so hard to understand. I love people who complain about getting MILLIONS of dollars for doing even less work than is expected of them....

Maybe he's right. If he's wrong then forcing him to train in a way he disagrees with won't work either. They need to let him do what he wants.

Let the baby have his way. If the sox try to stuff it down his throat he'll be no good to them anyway, it's the only solution.

Would the Sox tell one of their sluggers to lay off the weights? I say let the guy work out the way he wants to work out. The guy's been pitching his whole life, if he thinks that throwing more between starts will help, there's a good chance that he's right.
I wouldn't call this whining - he's saying that he wants to do more work in order to be prepared to do his job. The team is telling him to do less work.

I can understand eveyone's frustration with this idiot, but as of now he has it in his head that this is the reason that he sucks.
All professional baseball players have routines that they don't mess with.
Right now it is obvious that the Sox will get nothing from him until he feels he is training his way.
So let him do it and see what happens. If he still sucks then he can't say anything
I personally do not think that the Japanese players are very good, esp pichers

I can understand eveyone's frustration with this idiot, but as of now he has it in his head that this is the reason that he sucks.
All professional baseball players have routines that they don't mess with.
Right now it is obvious that the Sox will get nothing from him until he feels he is training his way.
So let him do it and see what happens. If he still sucks then he can't say anything
I personally do not think that the Japanese players are very good, esp pichers

Dice-k,
Maybe you pitched so great in Japan because you were facing sub-par hitters. Ever think of that? Matsui was a homerun-hitting god in Japan, but in the big leagues he is just a decent hitter. I have no doubt that you can dominate hitters in Pawtucket the way you did in Japan. Shut up and stop nibbling the corners of the strike zone.

I can understand eveyone's frustration with this idiot, but as of now he has it in his head that this is the reason that he sucks.
All professional baseball players have routines that they don't mess with.
Right now it is obvious that the Sox will get nothing from him until he feels he is training his way.
So let him do it and see what happens. If he still sucks then he can't say anything
I personally do not think that the Japanese players are very good, esp pichers

He seems to do well against batters that don't know him, and when he only has to perform for a short period of time (read WBC). Tell him the WBC got moved to September and October and the Sox are representing Japan. Let him train his way, gear himself up for the Fall, and hopefully he'll pitch like its March. Then shut him down for 6 months until its time to do it again.

Where is all this give your salary back crap coming from? Would you ask JD Drew for his $14M inapt bat? Or $12.5 for Lowell whose always on the DL? Dice K is making $8.3 and you need to stop factoring in the buyout portion because that money never went to him.

All we know the there could be lost in translation and/or taken out of context.

Just like Boston fans, always looking to find a scapegoat.

Daisuke!

Only 5 year olds need 'Dice-K' to achieve the proper pronunciation.

i'd have him sign a form that says this: I can train anyway i want to. if i do not perform better after that training period, i will allow the Sox to pull out of the original contract with no money owed to me.

what do they have to lose?

Number 57.. good comment..thats why I don't buy it either..plus he has looked like a tubby since being here..

Two thoughts:

Is it possible that the japanese leagues are just subpar to the Majors? Nomo fizzled. No japanese starters have come over and enjoyed consistent success in the majors. In the minor leagues, in college, in Japan, you can get away with bad pitches or just throwing fastballs. In the majors this doesn't work, therefore he struggles to find the strike zone.

Also, I think he has a little JD Drew in him. Pitches when he wants to. It baffles me when scouts drool over Japanese players (esp pitchers) and try to transfer their game to the pros. It almost never works out.

Dice was throwing 90-100 pitches and going 5 innings if he was not nibbling around the edges after getting batters 0-2 those 100 pitches might have gotten him to 7 inning and then they'd let him try and throw 120 for 9....
Watching this guy pitch on TV is like watching the paint dry on "Sell this House".

If they let him throw 120-130 pitches they'd hit midnight every time he pitches..
Hey wait that's extra beer sales... ownership might not mind that.

PS: This is the guy who recently revealed that he (apparently) believes there are physiological differences between the Japanese shoulder and the (American? European?) shoulder, so take whatever he says about his own training regimen with a grain of salt.

Hooray for malcontents.

bring him back, let him get a few wins under his belt (if possible) and trade him to the Dodgers in the offseason....

Did Daisuke ever consider the possibility that his lack of success here vs. Japan is due to the fact that in MLB he faces 9 professional hitters in every line-up. This isn't Japan where he faces two good hitters and 7 college kids.

i like the yankees fan chiming in. how did it work out with the guy from Japan that new york posted for, that same year? 20 or 30 million for a guy that i can't remember the name of. he had some sweet glasses, though. looked really good in triple A.

and i've been thinking for a while that it may not have been the best idea to radically change the training model of someone who had been doing things a certain way for 20 years, and had been successful. japan has a drastically different approach to things, i think, and it seems fairly narrow-minded to force a new system on someone, unless there had been issues resulting from the way they had been working. it could be like the bolted chair in the galaxy transport in Contact - trying to apply incongruant elements out of cultural bias.

Guess What? The Great Nolon Ryan HOFer agrees with Dice-K. I read where Nolon Ryan has said the exact same thing. Ryan has got all the pitchers in Texas and their AAA team strengthening their arms so that they can pitch a full 9 innings.
Like He used to do. Check Wambo's comment number 9 above. For all I know that is Nolon Ryan himself talking because that is exactly what Ryan has been preaching for years now. That's good enough for me. Let Dice-K do his own thing because he can't make things any worse. Can he?

Wow, a foreign player questions the difference in training methods and people act like he slept with their little sister. Bucholz has trouble after the Sox change his pitching mechanics, and everybody blames the Red Sox. Dice-K has trouble when the Red Sox change his training and it's Dice-K's fault. Hmmmm.

Dice-K was the best pitcher in Japan. Why wouldn't he want to continue to use the same methods of training here in the US that helped be the best pitcher in Japan? If he suceeds in the US, then it's on him. if he fails in the US, then it's on him. Wouldn't he want to suceed or fail on his own terms? Dice-K isn't a rookie right out of high school. He knows how to be successful. Dice-K is blaming his injury on the Red Sox. He's never had this problem in the past. If the only thing that is different is his training methods, then why wouldn't he think the training method caused the injury.

There's an old saying - if it aint broke, don't fix it.

Dice K should keep his trap shut, and take responsibility for his situation. He pitched way too much in the World Classic last spring, and that my friends is the problem here.

is he serious?... he calls his numbers a success?...wow.. well hes the only 18 game I have ever seen who averages 5 innings a start.. I think Dice K should be giving half his paycheck to the bullpen for saving him about 10 of those 18 wins last year.

Let him train the Japanese way and let the results speak for themselves. Anything would be an improvement over his performance to date.

Seems pretty simple. Dice K wants to build his arm and shoulder strength the old fashion way. By throwing a lot. Nolan Ryan is trying this in Texas with his staff. May not be a bad idea. I say let him throw.

The smart thing would be to let him train the way that works for him.

Japanese culture IS one of personal responsibility, rather than finger pointing. Japanese people do not like to make waves.

Those of you who think he's passing the buck (or yen) are wrong.

I can understand eveyone's frustration with this idiot, but as of now he has it in his head that this is the reason that he sucks.
All professional baseball players have routines that they don't mess with.
Right now it is obvious that the Sox will get nothing from him until he feels he is training his way.
So let him do it and see what happens. If he still sucks then he can't say anything
I personally do not think that the Japanese players are very good, esp pichers

Let him go back to his old training regimen which he is comfortable with. He may have a point as other pitchers from Japan fizzed out after their second to third year like Hideo Nomo, Hideki Irabu and Kazuhiro Sasaki to name a few. His salary is not the issue as he gets paid less than some Bosox players, i.e. Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew. We've won a championship with him is the past and he's won many games us. We need him to come back and win games here.
The WBC was important to him and his country since it represented something more than it does to many American players.

This is another example of the Theo trying to prove he's smarter than everyone else. Why not let Dice-K go back to doing what actually worked for him? Theo Epstein is an overrated joke. The guy's made more terrible moves than you can shake a stick at. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when he blew off the troops at Walter Reed Medical Center. The Ivy league elitist couldn't bear the thought of meeting President Bush, so he took his ball and went home. They ought to send Theo to Japan with Dice-K.....Good riddance.

I was at Fenway the first game this guy pitched there. He lost control of the game and the Sox lost. Since then, he always seems to be on the edge and struggling, even when he wins. He not only costs $$, but he also costs the bullpen since he needs them for almost half a game each game to come in and cover for his inability to go longer.

He's got to be a man and admit he blew his arm pitching for Japan in the WBC. Just man-up Matsuzaka, or how much more does that cost? To blame it on the Red Sox is ludicrous. The Sox have been nothing but gracious publicly about this train wreck. If the Japanese system is so amazing, wouldn't that be incorporated here? And if so, why is considered such an honor for a Japanese player to come to the MLB and a demotion for an American player to go the Japanese league?

“If I don't act, people in the Major League Baseball will never change their attitude toward it. I need them to understand this. It is more than just about myself but future Japanese pitchers who come over to the United States." Yah, way to make this a political discussion. What a tool. What happened to sportsmanship and accountability? They built you up at home, because that is what salespeople do. Then, they sold you. Turns out, you can't live up to what they built. You have issues, you should go back to those jerks who built your image into something you just aren't.

I'm in the "let him do it his way" camp. But only because he can't suck any worse than continuing to follow the Sox' routine. However, they should add a clause in to his contract that stipulates that if he doesn't improve by "doing it his way" the 50 million $$$ signing fee comes back. And we buy Halladay with it.

Hard to get a timetable on your return when your line is a 1-5 record and 8.23 ERA. Maybe he should come to terms with the fact he pitched himself off the roster and there is no firm date for a reason.
Do agree though that pitchers are pampered with pitch counts, but then I haven't invested millions in their arm. Who cuts the check kinda decides when you pitch, no? His problems started from the get go, so according to his logic, why didn't he start fast after the all additional throwing he did in the off season and the WBC?

How can anyone say he's wrong. He trained a certain way in Japan and that is what made ML Teams (Red Sox) Go after him so strongly. Then he comes here and isnt allowed to do the same thing? Its a mind set thing with him, he thinks he is a better pitcher when he has his regime. Let him go do what hes used and if he fails then try it the sox way. The sox chose to pay him all that money based on what he did in Japan and the way he trained there.

I think he's probably right. Let him get going on his own program and see what happens. If he can't get back to what he was at one time, then that's that.

" I heard El Tiante comment one time that the reason these guys only throw 100 pitches in a game now, as opposed to the amount they threw when he was pitching, is because they just don't allow them to throw that much anymore. He said the only way to be able to throw 140 pitches in a game is to actually do it a bunch of times and build up the strength to do it. I've always said that was Dice-Ks game, throw a LOT of pitches, nibble nibble nibble, never give you anything to hit, and get you to swing at something you don't want to swing at. But you can't really do that in 100 pitches because you'll only get to the 4th inning. Let him throw! ""

This Bears repeating.

HE CANT TRAIN THE SAME BECUASE IT IS A DIFFERENT GAME> IN JAPAN HE PITCHED ONCE EVERY 7 DAYS. HERE IT IS ONCE EVERY 5

WOW! Ignorant comments and morons are abound on this blog today! He's a crybaby, send him back to Japan, trade him for a bag of balls, he can't pitch to major leage hitters...What?? This guy has won the Red Sox 24 games in 2 1/4 seasons and helped win us a World Series. He has pitched in Japan under the same training regimen for most of his professional career and wants to train the same way he used to because he feels he will be more effective. What's wrong with that? I think this guy probably knows a lot more about his own body and how he can pitch better than half of you armchair managers. The Red Sox didn't want him to train the old way in fear that he would develop shoulder strains and tired arm. Since he's changed to the Red Sox regimen, he's had tired arm twice and developed a shoulder strain this year.

In college when we used to warm up throwing before practice, I used to throw harder and longer than anyone else, then the outfielders did a bit of extra throwing, then we did outfield throwing drills. Then I would switch gloves and do infield drills with the infielders throwing more again. I personally threw longer and harder than anyone on the team and had the least amount of arm pain/trouble/fatigue out of anyone on the team for 2 years....You have to throw until your arm gets tired and sore and then throw past that point longer to really strengthen your arm, so I absolutely agree with what Dice K is saying. He had a routine and a program that worked for him and the red sox stopped that and now we are seeing the results of that

there should be stipulations in contracts if a player injures himself during or has an injury as a result of the WBC, they should not be paid for their time on the DL.

And the house came tumbling down. Brick by Brick. Its the curse of Mannywood

Dice-K knows what's best for Dice-K....and that's the bottom line... Let him train how he wants, although the last few years results were from RUN SUPPORT, not built up strength...

To be part of a team you've got to be part of the program the team puts together. But, there also has to be room for some differences. Let him train the way he wants...but make him sign a statement that the Sox won't pay the medical bills or the overtime, or the extra staff work or facilities use. Let him pay for the extras if he wants it (he can do so out of his $$$$$$$$$$$$). Then, play him. If it works, the organization needs to look at, and incorporate, special programs. We can always learn from each other. If he doesn't want to go along, cut the cord now.

Dice-K's training regimen will not work here. Sure he can throw all he wants between starts in Japan, but the Japanese season is 40 games shorter than the MLB season. That's 8 fewer starts in Japan. With fewer starts and a longer offseason, throwing more makes sense. He's just not at all grasping the difference between MLB and Japan.

And for those of you saying "He pitched well in japan, let him go back to that routine," you do realize that the quality of baseball in Japan is about AA level, right? For $101 million, he'd better look good against AA hitting!

Dice-K, In case you have not noticed, only YOU are having this trouble. The American pitchers, the Dominican pitchers, and most importantly, your fellow Japanese pitchers on the Red Sox staff are not having these problems. Just you buddy, just you.

Send him away to the place for untalented whiners- New York.

time to trade up !!!!!!!!

Wow what a stand up guy, standing up for all Japanese pitchers - not. Just another whiner looking for excuses. His speed hasnt been off - his control has - so who is to blame for that?

And no offense to Japan, but maybe the reason Dice-K was "so effective" over there was that their hitters just arent as good as American league hitters. Frankly if they were, there would be a ton of them over here. Same reason he was "so effective" in the WBC - inferior competition. Oh and the author has written 2 Dice-K books - real unbiased opinion....

sdf

And keep in

Well... fair enough. Give Dice-K a chance to prove that his approach works. So far, nothing else seems to be helping. Having said that, though, he's going to have a tough sell ahead of him w/ Sox Management, as far as this WBC foolishness goes- if he wishes to participate again. We're paying him waaaay too much to have his skills wasted away on extra- curricular activities.

Let package Dice K, Smoltz, Penny trade with Toronto Roy Halladay:)

Stop this noise about Dice-K being a dominant pitcher. He went 18-3 last year, but almost didn't qualify for league leaders in certain stats because he only pitches 5 innings EVERY START. Maybe he should focus more on his approach to pitching, as in not trying to nibble on corners when you have a guy down in the count. Maybe he should try to not pitch away from contact. That might keep him from averaging 23 pitches an inning.

By the time this is all said and done, this will go down as one of the worst signings Theo ever made (but I don't blame him for doing it).

Trade him to Pittsburgh for a bag of batting practice baseballs. We will get more value than we are giving up, and he can trade up from an organization that doesn't know what it is doing to one that will wow him with its professionalism and winning spirit.

Hey, it's not HIS fault that opponents have had an OBP of about .700 off of him since the first day of spring training. He was a Hall of Famer on March 1, but immediately stunk from the first day of spring training because of the Red Sox incompetent management. Pittsburght, thy saving grace is calling.....

Dice K was not worth all that money from the start. He is a big disappointment. They should spend that kind of money on their own.
The team is much better without him - send him with Manny.

I thought he looked like an arrogant jerk...now I KNOW he is...

Ball is bigger here..

Training is different here....

Food is different here.....

Language is different here...

Alert!

Money is way better here....suggest you get with the program.

My qualm is this. You sign a multi, multi million dollar contract to WORK (which is what it is) for the Boston Red Sox. It really bothers me that there are other teams (World Baseball Classic) which our players go and play for injuring themselves in the process. In effect it's working for an opposing team. Sorry, but if you sign a contact with MLB the only games you should be playing are regular season/playoff/all-star games.

So, why not let the guy train the way he wants to freaking train? What the hell is the big deal? Let him do his thing...see how the results fare after 5-6 starts...then make judgments afterwards.
You'd think this was the end of the world, or something.

I agree with most. Return your salry and sionara!! is that how you spell, "bye-bye"

he's a 4th man rotation guy at BEST!!

This guy was a loser from day 1. How stupid can the Sox be to pay the money they did for this guy is beyond me!

"Whaa, whaa, whaa" - Dice K

I totally agree with the poster who said that the "pitch count curse" needs to go to Siberia. Are arms so frail that 125 pitches gets a starter pulled even if he is doing a good job in the game? Back in the days of Monboquette, Lonborg, etc. there was never such a "qualifier." Are pitchers just plain wusses that they go along with this count crap?

Another great signing by Theo. He has made so many mistakes it's not even funny.. He's very lucky he has the pay roll he does or he would have been fired... You can't make these mistakes when you are the GM for Tampa or the Twins.. Most overrated GM is all of sports...
Drew, Dice K, Lugo the list goes on and on.

How can you criticize this guy? He knows what works for him and knows his body. Let the guy train how he wants.
Mit - he is placing blame where it belongs . . with the Sox. They will not allow him to do what he needs to in order to be successful.
Shoulder program has worked for others? Yes, because they have been brought up training this way and they are much bigger than Dice-K is. If you turn your statement around, does it make sense? Put Beckett in Japan and have him train the way the Japanese do. Would he be the same? No, he would not be.

let him do his thing. we already are locked in to a guaranteed contract, and he looks terrible this year. let him try his way. i hate to say it, but if he gets hurt, what do we lose for this year anyways? nada!! he isnt contributing, so let him try his way or trade him to someone who will.

As an elite athlete, you form habits, exercises and routines. If you have been doing these same routines for X number of years and all of a sudden change, your timing will be off. Once your timing goes, so does your performance. The point is, he either needs to adjust to the new program, which could take a significant amount of time, or, go back to what has worked for him.

Timing is everything. Athletes are creatures of habit and so is your muscular and nervous systems. Try changing the way you walk. Not as easy as you think.

Love the personal biases coming out here. The fact is that the mighty Red Sox have gotten a grand total of one win out of him this year on their program. I don't see the logic in being stubborn about it. Matsuzaka came over here as a proven professional baseball pitcher, not a young kid with no experience. Let him do his own thing and get back here to take John 'Batting Practice' Smoltz's spot in the rotation before they find themselves in third place.

They need to get rid of him. How are you gonna sit here and down talk a team who brought you over here for so much money when he sucks to begin with....I hope they get rid of him, it would be the best move for the team. Time to strikeout Dice-K

Dice-K is right!
Ever notice how weak and inaccurate the arms of major league outfielders are compared to days gone by? the Red Sox haven't had a centerfielder who could break a pane of glass in years.
That's because they used to have infield and outfield practice before every game where arms were tested by throwing at least twice to every base including home plate. Today they mail it in.

Dic*K is on "clown" time.... This is a business and his employers invested $101MM, ask him if know how many yen that is!!!??? Like WTF!

Theo - purchase that one way ticket for him asap....

The problem here is that Dice-K seems to think that not throwing as much as he is used to is somehow hurting him. This doesn't make ANY sense. As a former college pitcher, I understand that if you don't throw for a few days, you aren't as liable to hit your spots - but give me a break on this one. He seems to be looking for excuses. Where is the guy that was pumping 96 when we signed him? You don't throw harder by throwing more pitches - and more often. That's backwards logic. What he needs to understand is that strikes are what we are looking for, not reinventing the wheel. When he figures out that strikes are the same here AND in Japan, he will understand what we are trying to get out of him.

Good ol' Team Japan brainwashing.... The hitters are much better in the major leagues than in Japan so that's a big part of the difference there Dice.... Its so obvious that he is coming to the defense of the WBC in a roundabout way because its so important to Japan. I think the leaders of Japanese baseball bear some of the responsibility for this as well. They want the exposure of their players going to MLB but then tax them with the meaningless WBC.....

I will NEVER miss Julio Lugo.

They should let him train the way he wants. If his arm gives out 1/2 way through the season, they can plug in Bucholz or Masterson or someone else, but at least they will get a dominant pitcher for 1/2 a year. In Japan they have a much longer rotation, and pitch less over a season. I would take 12 wins with a dominant pitcher over 1/2 a season.

I'm having some difficulty in understanding the fundamental differences between a Japanese and a North American or Latin American arm... why some things work fine for most pitchers, but not for Japanese pitchers? Sounds "dicey" to me...

Dice-K is 100% right. He achieved success with a certain training regimen. Then the Sox get him and all around expert on everything Epstein tinkers around with his comfort zone. The same thing happened to Buccholz last year when Epstein/Farrell tinkered with his "arm slot". Farrell is a bright guy but his baseball technical gobbledygoospeak is probably untranslatable for Dice-K. Epstein needs to butt out and be smart enough to leave talent alone. Virtually every pitcher prodigy that they bring in that is not establishes regresses under Epstein/ Farrell. When they are left alone they recover. ie, Beckett, Delcarmen, Lester, Bard etc etc. Epstein's slavish devotion to pitch counts and spreadsheet stats led us to Lugo, Drew, Smoltz, etc etc. Francona is the reason we won 2 WS in spite of Epstein.

Just trade him... back to Japan!

we thought he was good enough to invest in when he was on his own training program, then we tried to change it and got mad when it didn't work... seems like there's a good chance DiceK is right on this one. Let him train how he wants, thats what made him so good and so appealing to us in the first place.

Boras told him to say all this...

As I recall, I believe that Dice-K continued his old training techniques during the first year he pitched for the Sox, and he was toast by the end of the year. Then, last year the Sox got him to alter his training, and he had a very good year, although still throwing tons of pitches per inning, and he was still going strong through end of last season. His old training techniques were based on pitching once a week, until his arm fell off, but here he needs to pitch once every 5 days, so that's 1-2 more games a month than he's used to in Japan. Maybe that's why Japanese pitchers have problems after a couple of years pitching in USA. Maybe, they're just not used to pitching as many actual games as they do pitch here in USA.

Anything to try to validate why you are not producing what your salary expects! We want a refund and a life time supply of Soba noodles.

maybe they are already burnt out when they come here Dice

Does "arm fatigue" after the WBC ring a bell DK? Maybe that is why you were limited.
Other pitchers can maintain years of pitching without choking - Schilling, Johnson, Smoltz, Wakefiled to name a few.
Time to return your 101 million and go back to Japan.

He hasnt allowed for the fact that he is three years older- not an insignificant fact in the life of a pitcher whose training methods, while they were effective when he was younger, may well be exacerbating fatigue now. The same old dosnt usually work forever, especially in elite athlete's training regimens. He is too used to a sycophantic press in Japan and has too little accountability to the facts that as good as he was in Japan, its about the equivalent as rolling in AAA. He looked fat and threw out his arm in the WBC- the most obvious answer usually is the truth. He does care more about being the best Japanese pitcher than the best Red Sox pitcher. I love the idea of sending him to the Rangers for Salty and Blalock, whomever said that. He obviously has not and never will be the dominant force envisioned at his signing and we might as well get what we we can for him now.

Send him home!

and the truth behind Red Sox fans comes out...I bet you are all the same people that praised him when the Sox signed him. You are all a bunch of turncoats!!! Get a life....worry about the economy and your job. Not what some prissy ballplayer says....losers.

Hey...I don't like what this guy had to say but........for the money we are wasting on him...why not let him train in his own way? Hey...we let Pedro do his own thing and we let Manny do his own thing because they had huge salaries and helped the team in their own strange way of doing thin gs. Why not Dice-K?

Trade him, please!

Let him train the way he wants. When he burns out after 1/2 a season, at least he would be dominant for 1/2 a year. Then plug someone else in his spot. Kinda like they have been doing with Wakefield for a few years. I'll take a 10 game winner with dominant stuff for 1/2 a year. In Japan they throw more pitches per game, but they pitch much less often. Their training is designed for that, not a major league season. By the way, when they "travel" in Japan, it is like going from Boston, MA to Burlington, VT, not Boston to Anaheim. That's got to take its toll.

Hey...I don't like what this guy had to say but........for the money we are wasting on him...why not let him train in his own way? Hey...we let Pedro do his own thing and we let Manny do his own thing because they had huge salaries and helped the team in their own strange way of doing thin gs. Why not Dice-K?

and the truth behind Red Sox fans comes out...I bet you are all the same people that praised him when the Sox signed him. You are all a bunch of turncoats!!! Get a life....worry about the economy and your job. Not what some prissy ballplayer says....losers.

maybe he should just return the money and go-home. He has been a major disappointment for 101 million. Screw.

since he stunk as a pitcher while getting paid big buck$, I think he should shut his mouth.

Read Bill Russell's new book, Red & Me and relate it to DIce K. Russ talks about how his coaches always told him that he was doing it all wrong. They said that centers should always stay planted on their feet. Never leave the floor for a rebound or blocked shot. He won 2 NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal and his coachs still said that he played wrong. Russ knew better and so did Red and the results speak for themselves. Maybe it's the same for Dice K. It's better than what we have now.

I love you idiots who buy his excuses. I wish I had a boss like you. FOOLS!

He pitches himself ragged in the World Baseball tourney before the MLB season starts. What...........did the Red Sox point a gun at his head telling him to do that?

With a contract over $100 mil with the Sox, this guy better figure out where his next check is coming from!

He pitches himself ragged in the World Baseball tourney before the MLB season starts. What...........did the Red Sox point a gun at his head telling him to do that?

With a contract over $100 mil with the Sox, this guy better figure out where his next check is coming from!

Don't let the door hit you on the backside!

He may be right. Unfortunately, he's is required to do what the people who payed him beau coup yen want him to do. Personally, I would love pitchers to return to the training regimen that allowed them, years ago, to pitch 9+ innings if required to do so. A 100-120 pitch count does seem counter productive to building up stamina and shoulder strength. Many of the best pitchers who ever lived pitched complete game after complete game, and pitched into their 40s. It seems, also, that there are more shoulder and arm injuries today, than ever before.

Maybe he could just throw batting practice to the Red Sox instead of to the opposition.

Fat, lazy and out of shape. I want my money back

You Sox fans are all the same, a bunch of bandwagoneers.

Oh wow, there's a player that's winning fo us? Great, we love him! Oh, now he wants to leave, or has a problem, or is suffering an injury? Boo, we hate him!

Really, there's only one player out there just as crazy as you are, Curt Schilling. No wonder he loves it here.

Enjoy your very own (yet, much more expensive) Carl Pavano!

The guy needs to adapt to the Sox's training standards

The guy needs to adapt to the Sox's training standards

You pitched so well for Japan (WBC) but not here why because of overuse from a team that does not pay him I think Japan owes the red sox 1 year of his salary and the posting fee for the year. And if they can pay that back he can train anyway that he want because as we all know most asia's pitches in there leauge are done at 30 anyhow from overuse and that is in japan (good program by the way).So if he wants a short career let him he's going to be no use to anyone with attiude anyway.Nice dice-k shut up and do what your told and take 10 mil and run I know anyone posting making $50 thous would.

Just put my Dice-K t-shirt for sale on on craigslist. Darn thing cost me $$, shrunk in the wash, and now the pitcher is effectively bottomed out.

Yankeefan,
Irabu, Contreras and Pavano made me lmao. Kei Igawa however makes me smile :) Naah, lmao over that one too.

Though I question his logic, he should remember who is on the hook for his salary. However, if he truly thinks that his method is better, why doesn't he bite the bullet and give up some guaranteed money for the opportunity to take a chance on his training regimen? If he does well... then great... he will command a larger future salary. If he bombs, then the team is off the hook. So far this season, he has not earned his salary and he should stop complaining.

Sell him back to a Japanese team. Has he noticed his ERA this year? He has no personality and can't pitch to ML batters. This isn't Japan, it's the USA. Either get on board or get the hell out! Oh yeah, takes Smoltzasakason with you!

JR you are my hero, "If and when Daisuke cares half as much about pitching for the Boston Red Sox as he does pitching for Japan in the WBC, then - and only then - will he be a successful major league pitcher." EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT! He may want to care more about the team signing his paychecks & clearly he doesn't. Thanks for your intelligent response. He's protecting something no one really cares about - WBC is pointless.

Let him blow out his arm and then ship him back.

Make him sign an agreement that says he can use his training methods, but if he doesn't improve his results, the remainder of the contract will be voided and he can go back to Japan. Include a non-compete that says he cannot pitch for another MLB team for five years. Then we'll find out if he is willing to put his money where his mouth is, and whether the problem is the training methods, the WBC, or the fact that he refuses to throw strikes. The problem is not the training methods, the problem is the way he pitches, afraid to challenge hitters.

All these professional athletes amaze me. They have the world by the **** and they can never be happy. I mean, what a life they lead! Wish we could all be so lucky! Rule #1 as a pro-athlete should be "Shut your mouth!" Realize you are living a dream life and will be retired by your 30's. Only in America could Dice K earn this kind of change and he will live like a King in Japan. With that being said, we should let him practice the way he wants and then let him eat his own words when he can't perform. Down with Dice K!

SOOOO TYPICAL!
Years ago when I heard what we were going to pay this guy to throw a ball once every few games for a few months a year (YES, I know there is some "talent" here) I had to just roll my eyes again. WASTE of money, and still charge the FANS ridiculous amounts to even walk through the gate and rob them on the concessions too. Someone needs to take a walk over to Children's Hospital, and once HE does, I would love to hear him complaining after that. SICK, WASTEFUL MONEY TO ALL OF THESE SPORTS FIGURES. (and did I just see a quick blib that Vick will be reinstated - I hope he is playing for FREE)!!!

Next coming of Hideki Matsui

I'm glad the Yankeefan had something to smile about..He has not had alot to smile about the last couple of years..glad we could help out ..Anything to help out our inferior fans..LOL

It's easy to criticize Dice-K due to him signing on the Sox' terms, but it's clear their regimen isn't working. They have a notoriously rigid training system that is not open to change; it's the Sox' way or the highway. It works for most but not all. The Sox need to make an exception to the rule.

He may have a point. The Sox should let him try it his way. If he improves, great. He proved his point. If not, it should shut him up and the Sox will have a better understanding of how to sign a Japanese pitcher in the future and look at Dice-K's contract as tuition for the learning experience of what not to do next time. The guy has huge issues with locating his pitches properly, so I don't see what that has to do with arm strength or pitching longer. Bad location is bad location.

I know that Mostah Dick Radditz would be in Dice-K's corner. Too many pitchers are being babied these days. Like Pedro always assuming he should be done by the end of 7th innining. Radditz was hardly ever hurt and he put up tons of innings. Dice-K knows his body best, got to where he was in ability on his own and its time the Red Sox trust he oversee his own work-out program so he can feel at his strongest.

Athletic "science" is killing sports. How many times have we seen athletes have success in their field (in any sport) then come to the big leagues and they don't let him continue what helped him have successs?

If a man averages 200 yards rushing in college, and he credits eating ho hos before each game, then that NFL pregame meal has got to go out the window when it comes time for him to perform. And I agree that the pitch count needs to be abolished. It's almost an excuse to be lazy and not pay attention to performance, but just to numbers.

Two words...BUH BYE

I've never liked the way this guy pitches--nibbling around the plate, running up big counts, putting guys on base before buckling down, basically trying to finesse his way through huge pitch counts and lotsa baserunners. The fact he went 18-3 last year is truly statistical smoke and mirrors.

Enough is enough. Ship him out and pay half his salary for this year and next and get a couple good minor leaguers in return. Let some other pitching coach deal with this fiasco. Consider that an opportunity to excel.

Yeah, they should let him train his own way... so when he blows out his shoulder he can sit back and collect his guaranteed contract. putz.

well said YankeesFan!

do it the sox way dicek we want you to have the best shoulder in fort myers and have a pass with your wife in the back yard.we don't want you in boston pitching 150 pitches a game for say 5 years. we want you pitching 100 pitches a game for 4 innings and last 8years so we can blame you. if iwere you i would tell the sox to dry up and train your own way. it is your life and your career and the last i knew this is a free country. i think also the bluejays should stop that idiot halladay from throwing complete games and turn him into the babies most pitchers are these days and pitch 5 innings. imagine pitching 5 or 6 innings and then having 4 days off. WHAT A SHAME. baseball has become a game for faga except for a few players.

Why doesn't he just go hide somewhere near Ft Myers and throw all he wants ?

I agree with the #2 poster... if he can't handle MLB baseball, return your salary and go back to Japan. Since however that will never happen, the SOX should trade him even though they will have to eat most of his ridicuously high contract and all of the "Rights-to-Negotiate" $50 Mllion. One of the many blunders of Not-Einstein in aquiring pitchers in a pseudo form of Free Agency. But as long as fans are willing to shell-out for huge ticket prices, Not-Einstein can afford to make blunder after blunder with the hopes of landing a Jason Bay instead of a Lugo.

TRAINING?? What kind of training??
ARMy training sir...

Waaah!!!!!!!!!!!

There is certainly a lot of babying which now goes on in our culture and American athletes who are in their 20 and early 30s were certainly brought up differently than previous generations. The increase in material comforts, televisions, telephones, video games, etc. has definitely led to the fact that otherwise healthy children and young adults are far more sedentary and less fit. There may be more gym memberships for young adults, but there has been a dramatic drop in the amount of time spent "playing" outdoors during the course of a day or walking or riding a bike to get someplace. Kids are - and have been - driven by overprotective parents, of they've had access to cars in a way that no previous generation has ever had. My point is that the training methods used today might be intended to deal with today's new American athlete who might be far more fragile than an athlete from another culture. I've coached runners for years and the difference in pure strength between runners now and 20 years ago is unbelievable (even when comparing elite runners.)

Hey Dice-K - thanks for your feedback. Let me see if I can help you with a few things here:

1) You suck because you played in the WBC
2) Your training program sucks too. the only reason "it worked" for you before was because you were young and your body could handle that kind of abuse. Your getting a little older now which means you should look for a big boy training program.
3) Learn to accept responsibility for your past and future instead of looking for excuses. Excuses are like @$$ holes - everyone has one and they all stink.
4) Your time table for returning is when you stop sucking and start taking responsibility for your performance.
5) Take a lesson from the Manny era - Don't throw your team under the bus in a public forum. Makes you look like a real jerk

So Dice-K - I really hope this tips help you take your head out of your @$$. That smell your complaining about is not the Sox but the location of your head.

Best wishes on your successful return. You $100 Million dollar loser.

Sincerely - a Red Sox fan.

You always have to be wary of pitchers from the Far East. The Japanese league is quite weak, they are loaded with Tuffy Rhodes type players, and I believe they do not play nearly as many games. Above all, it is certainly not the AL East. He throws a dead fastball against a division of excellent fastball hitters. Positional players fare better (ie Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui etc) because they get a chance to redeem themselves everyday after a bad day at the plate, or the field. Pitchers have to wait 4 days whilst taking their requisite media and public beating. It does not help that he is stubborn either, long 3 years left for him if he keeps this up.

Well, nice move Guitar Boy.

When we look back at this fiasco a few years from now it will have to rank up there as one of the all-time stupid deals in baseball history. And, if the situation with this $100+ million, 5-inning walk machine wasn't bad enough, he came packaged with J.D. Drew at a smooth $75 million. What a deal. Two bums for the price of one.

Time for Epstein to take his "Moneyballers" and get the Hell out of town.

The great Atlanta pitchers of the 90's (Smoltz, Glavine,Maddux) threw EVERY DAY during their heyday under Leo Mazzone. Didn't seem to hurt their lonevity or stamina. Just sayin'.

Dice-K, did you ever consider that the talent of the hitters in Japan pales in comparison to the MLB. Just face it...you aren't as good as you were because you are facing the best talent in the world.

The proof is in the pudding... the Sox have tried to change him since day 1. Let him do his thing and see what happens.

Character issue. Sounds like a japanese T.O. He is so use to success in a poor league that when he meets with true competition he wilts and blames the throwing program. Go back to Japan and dominate he is an average pithcer here.

How disappointing for him to say this. Facing an image-destroying crisis back in Japan--WBC participation followed by collapse in American MLB-- he passes the buck. Never expected it from him. He seems to be saying that because of what American management has already forced on him, he may never reach top form again, regardless of what happens going forward. Nice out.

Cut him loose....!!!

then go back home an stay there ....an by the way give back the posting fee

Dice-K pitched well enough in Japan all these years that the Red Sox wanted him and were willing to pay 100 million dollars to get him. He must have been doing something right all those years. Let him return to what was succeeding for him. Is Sox management too pig headed to let him try what worked for him in the past? If so, they deserve to lose their money. Further, they won't be getting more players from Japan. Let's hope the Yankees are smart enough to let some Japanese pitcher try it his own way.

Poor guy; my heart goes out for him. Let him look for a job like so many of the unemployed folks out here. The reason that he won games his first two years is because his bullpen saved him. From day one, he could not go deep into games.
And now it is management's fault. Well, take your money and keep your mouth quiet or cancel your contract and return to a place where you will be content.
However, if I had a $50 million dollar contract, I just might kiss the ground. Spoiled brat.

Don't think he should have publicly criticized team, and think he's too stubborn. BUT, in his defense, the last two years he's been a very good pitcher pitching his way, which is to nibble around the plate. He didn't let in runs, and he would have gladly pitched deep into the game but kept getting yanked because in the US (as opposed to Japan) coaches are rigid about pitch counts.

Dice-K Sucks. His record last year was not indicative of how he pitched so much as it was indicative of how well the Sox offense aided him with early runs. He was and is an arrogant pitcher that will not listen to advice given. The Sox program seems to work fine for so many others, just not him and teh Sox have his first years performance as evidence that his methods were no better coming in.

Have the Dice-K waive his no-trade and let us rid ourselves of the overpaid malcontent.

Must be a slow news day in Boston...Boston.com is stirring the pot...I bet this article and backlash from fans will make him happier, thats for sure!!!

Leave him alone and just let him recuperate and get back out there.

Lets talk about getting Halladay instead.

"Listen to you people talk about the money. Like any of it came out of your pocket. If you train a pitcher to throw every 4 days that is what he will grow accustomed to. This is what he was doing in Japan and it worked out well for him. "

In Japan, starter pitch once a week, with 6 days rest - a huge factor in starters being able to throw so much between starts. It's 4 days rest in MLB, so there has to be some adjustment.

That said, why not try something new?

He's a true American now. Blaming others for one's problems is the USA way.

Try it his way, I always thought they should have from the beginning, there's a reason he was a great success over there, well besides the lack of superstar hitters, although Oh was incredible..

I know that all the Boston fans are all over someone once they are doing lousy, love them when they are winning, hate them the second they screw up....

Support your players in their time of troubles too !!

Simple answer to the problem;

Dice-K simply needs more sushi and sake in his diet and then all will be well.

Dice-K should stop nibbling around the plate. This would cut down on his pitch count. This has been suggested before. Also if he wants to represent Japan in the WBC, he should give back some of his salary to the Sox. The Sox have a very expensive employee who is unable to perform.

LOOK AT ALL THE "FANS" QUITTING ON DICE-K! JUST LIKE SARAH PALIN YOU QUIT WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH. LET DICE-K DO WHAT HE WANTS AND THEN SEE WHAT HAPPENS. FINALLY A PITCHER IS MAN ENOUGH TO SAY THAT HE WANTS TO THROW 200 PITCHES A GAME AND NOT BE BABIED LIKE THE WIMPY WHITE PITCHERS. FINALLY A MAN WHO WANTS TO EARN HIS MONEY AND NOT LET THE SYSTEM TELL HIM WHAT TO DO.

I would have to agree with Dice K. I pitched in highschool and college and in my Jr and Sr years of college they started this stupid program of babying the pitcher. Untill then I was able to go deep into games and still have the velocity. I was not sore and my recovery was much shorter. After the babying program begun I got weaker and my velocity fell off quicker. The more you work a muscle the stronger it gets, the stronger it gets the less injured your are. It is aweful funny that Dice K was lights out the first two years of his contract. You got Dice K for the stuff he already had so why in the world would you want to change that. If it ain't broke dont screw with it. I think the Sox have great programs but there are times when a player does not fit into a mold. And when he does not dont try and force it. Let Dice K do the work out that worked for him, and the program that made him a great pitcher. If it works leave it alone. If it does not then you can tweak it, why change somthing that is working. The paid 100 million for what Dice K already had, then we get mad and blame it on Dice K because the Sox go and change the routine and program he has been use to all his life that made him a good pitcher. If we wanted to mold a pitcher into the SOX image then we should have saved the 100 million and pitched Bard or Buckhotz. Those that blame it on Dice K are ignorant...

Reading these posts makes me not want to be a Red Sox fan. I don't want to be associated with morons any longer.

I also want to know which a-hole coined the Red Sox fan “most knowledgeable”. He deserves to be shot.

@Harrybosch,
I'm not a doctor, and I don't think that Japanese shoulders are physiologically different from white, black or hispanic shoulders. But, I can't say for sure that he's wrong. If you can, give us some back up.

I can tell you that there do seem to be some physiological differences with Japanese. One example: physical response to alcohol. Seriously, I lived there for a while and have drunk many a beer with many a Japanese guy. Generally speaking, their faces turn red after 2-3 beers, & they tend to be what we call 'lightweights' around here. Of course there are exceptions, I have one Japanese friend who might be to alcohol what Kobayashi is to hot dogs. Another example: most Japanese kids are born with a greenish-blue thing that looks like a bruise around their tailbone, that fades when they get to be around 5 or so. Physiological difference.

Also, why is it that all Kenyans dominate marathons? Perhaps some physiological disposition for endurance? I don't know the answer to that, I'm just posing the question. A Kenyan told me that the marathon champs all come from the same tribe.

I would guess that Matsuzaka's theory is probably wrong, but it's not as ridiculous as you make it out to be. Let the man get in his extra throwing!

How much is his employer paying him? Just shut up and pitch. Can't believe the Sox paid 51 million just to negotiate with the guy.

Let me get this straight - the WBC MVP had success because he pitched against weak hitters.

Batters are hitting 0 against Dice-K with the Bases loaded. Yeah, I guess that means he sucks.

He sucked this year because he was injurred. And according to Dice-K, the injury was due to the Red Sox training routine. And one other thing, he's saying the Red Sox training methods weren't hard enough. In other words, he wanted to work harder than the Red Sox allowed him to work.

Yeah, sounds like a real whiner.

He's crazy! Look at how well our training regimen worked for Smoltz!

Has anyone considered that he just might be right? What could it hurt by letting him train the way he's used to, and has had success in the past. After that, if there' sno improvement, then criticize.

Has anyone considered that he just might be right? What could it hurt by letting him train the way he's used to, and has had success in the past. After that, if there' sno improvement, then criticize.

Has Dice-K seen his own pitching stats from this year?? Has he really looked at his stats from last year?? Forget his win-loss record from last year.....he was only able to give us 5 or 6 innings, supported by more runs than he's ever had (in the US or Japan) and walked more people than anyone else on the staff.

Now to this year, his effort in the WBC ruined his preparation and he was horrific in his starts. He gave an interview intended for a Japanese audience and struggles to explain why he was once dominant and is not anymore. His frustration should be directed at himself, not the Red Sox.

He also claims to have figured out why Japanese pitchers have two or three good years then fall off. He blames the ‘soft’ throwing program. Has anyone out there ever trained for something (marathon, military basic training, whatever, fill in the blank _______) then cut down their training? It doesn’t take 2 or 3 years to lose that conditioning. It happens much quicker. Why is it that American pitchers, following an MLB throwing program can have 20+ seasons of dominance?

I think Dice-Gay should be ashamed of himself for accepting his paycheck without earning it. Forget about the $50 Million it cost just to talk to him. GO BACK TO JAPAN, WE DON’T NEED YOU!! WE NEED THE MONEY WE’RE PAYING YOU TO SIGN OR KEEP SOMEONE WHO IS ACTUALLY EARNING THEIR KEEP!

I’m tired of all the hype. I’m tired of the ‘gyro-ball’, the WBC talk, subtleties between American and Japanese pitchers…. JUST GO AWAY!! If he were a businessman and was this big of a failure in their corporate culture, he would have killed himself a few months ago!

While this FRAUD is at it, can he explain why Okajima is still having success, after all they showed up at the same time! Trade him to Kansas City, let him throw all he wants, and put this latest Theo failure behind us!!!!!!!!!!

Let him train the way he wants. If he blows out his arm, what have we lost? It's not like he's contributed anything this year. The Sox have nothing to lose because the Sox will pay him either way.

As far as him getting yanked after 100 pitches, I can see his point. But the flip side is that they're not going to let him throw 140 if he's getting racked for 7 runs when his pitch count is in the high 90's. More often than not, he has be DRIVEN from a game and not pulled because he's reaching 100 pitches.

There are two issues here, and they intertwine.

The first is that DK needs to remember that the Sox own him, lock, stock and barrel. And as an employee he's committed to doing what they tell him to do. Like it or not. Sorry, but it's a way of life.

The second, and potentially more damaging to DK (he of the $100MM cost and $50MM salary) is the fact that he's publicly criticizing the team in the media. This is something the Sox DO NOT tolerate, and probably won't tolerate from him.

DK has now put the team in a position where they either aquiesce to his training "suggestions" or they continue to have him train the way they've been having him do it all along. In other words, either lose face or potentially lose his ability. Sounds like he's put the team in a lose-lose situation, and my best guess is that it won't be tolerated.

I'd say look for him someplace else next year. Or maybe by the Trade Deadline. Anyone think he'd look good in a Toronto uniform? (and yeah, I know. No trade clause. I'm just spouting off! :-))

"The guy needs to adapt to the Sox's training standards."

Posted by Tasheo Bukkake July 28, 09 11:54 AM

Excellent point, Bukkake-san

Blaming his performance on the Sox is astonishing. He was wiped after the WBC and hadn't been with the Red Sox for spring training.
If he really thinks a different training method will help let him do that. He certainly pitches in a totally different way to other guys already.

Let Dice-K go home.....he cost too much money and seems not to like it here.

He may have a no-trade-clause, but they can certainly sit him out, a la Matt Clement for the duration of his contract. If he can't get it together, lets have him sit and rot somewhere.

I think Dice K is absolutely right on this. There are plenty of old-timers that will tell you that when they pitched a heck of a lot more innings years ago, you didn't see pitchers breaking down as much as you see now. I can't believe we are in the third year and we're only asking this question now. It makes all the sense in the world to me.

You know, you Sox fans giving up on a guy who has won 18 games two years in a row sound like yankee fans. Are we gonna start labeling guys "real" red sox or not? I hope they let Dice throw more.

I hope they

Maybe Dice Bust should concentrate of actually throwing 1st pitch strikes, avoid nibbling and not throw 212 pitches by the 4th inning.

The contract was unclear in the translation. Dice-K didn't know the Red Sox wanted him to throw strikes for all those millions...

You know, I can understand him being frustrated. If you've had great success doing things a certain way and are forced to change, coinciding with the worst results of your career (by far), you'd be suspicious of the new methods and be frustrated too.

Buccholz, Bowden, Lars Anderson and/or Josh Reddick and a PTBNL for Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. You heard it here first.

And I'm sick of players/organizations blaming the WBC for problems with players. If that's the case, wouldn't it affect EVERY player who participates? Clearly it does not.

The contract was unclear in the translation. Dice-K didn't know the Red Sox wanted him to throw strikes for all those millions...

give him the opportunity to put his money where his mouth is. let him train the way he wants to, if he doesn't become the dominant pitcher he thinks he is, we get our $$ back.

East is East and West is West. Now let me see, where were we?

tinisoli, i don't often "laugh out loud", but your comment made me laugh. I'm glad yours was the first comment posted. Very funny.

Change his contract to void it if he insures himself doing it HIS way and not the Red Sox. That's protection for everyone.

So the moral of the story is for MLB: DONT HIRE JAPANESE PITCHERS. The only reason they have stats that make them look attractive, is that the Japanese teams work them too hard...then they get visible, get their giant payday...and then it all falls apart. It's like when you find King Kong in the jungle, then you bring him back and put him on a stage and what happens? He goes berserk and kills everybody. OR he sits in a corner, mojoless and pathetic. Just because you see it work there does not mean it can work here. Save your money, MLB teams.

Well, considering that some little leaguers have a better command of the strikezone than Dice-BB, he might want to shut his pie-hole.

8.23 ERA
19.5 pitches per inning
15.2 Hits/9 innings

Awesome numbers!

What a crybaby! I don't want this to sound prejudiced but maybe Dice K could get another career going at a sushi restaurant in Japan. That wouldn't be too stressful on his shoulder. The Sox paid way too much for this average pitcher. Every game is an adventure for him. He stands out there not looking very confident. He had a winning record because of the offense. Pack your bags, Dice K, you ungrateful jerk and move back to Japan and pitch once a week. Pro athletes are the most spoiled group of people in our country. They are so lucky they can play a sport and reap millions of $$ doing it! Only in America as Don King would say!

Let him train the way he wants,
he is only making an excuse because he sucks in the MLB, this aint Japan anymore this is the best of the best and now he realizes that the best can beat him and he isnt facing 22 year old Japanese kids anymore that he can beat.
Dice-k grow up and man up and admit it your not that good anymore, if not get the F@*K out of the MLB and go back to Japan your a waste of money

why are we so sleazy and hateful?

It's clearly not working the Sox way. So when he goes back to his way and still stinks, he won't have any excuses left.

Let him train the way he wants,
he is only making an excuse because he sucks in the MLB, this aint Japan anymore this is the best of the best and now he realizes that the best can beat him and he isnt facing 22 year old Japanese kids anymore that he can beat.
Dice-k grow up and man up and admit it your not that good anymore, if not get the F@*K out of the MLB and go back to Japan your a waste of money

Simply put, the Sox probably feel like they need to protect their investment. The original idea behind having relievers and a bullpen was to simply spell the starter when he was gassed. As pitchers started making more money, injuries became more costly. So, teams started protecting their investments by relying on the bullpen to ease the pitcher’s burden on his arm. That has translated into the conditioning programs which are likely to mirror the in game philosophy. Is it absolutely necessary to have strict pitch counts? I don’t know, but if you blow $50,000,000 just to talk to a pitcher, I think the tendency will be to protect him if that’s the prevailing culture. I’ve never been to the far-east but by watching Dice-K, it appears that they don’t share our sentiments (The Sox went through the same kind of thing with Byung-Yung Kim a few years ago). What we have here is a clash of philosophies. I suspect our motivation for pitch counts is driven by the need to protect investments. If pitchers could throw 120-140 pitchers per game regularly, perhaps you’d see more of these animals. Either way, anyone who’s been watching Dice-K for a while knows that nibbling and getting people to chase is how he pitches. I know the Sox is probably also motivated to reign him in not only to “protect” him but also as an example to the rest of the organization, especially the up and comers. However, pitchers are creatures of habit and can be sensitive to certain pressures given mental and physical energy they exhaust. I feel if the Sox don’t acquiesce a bit and let him feel his way through this, both in game and in his conditioning, that $50,000,000 might be blowing in the wind. I say they should take a gamble and see what’s what. Nothing else seems to be working. They’re letting Smoltz go and Dice K has quite 32 more wins, an ALCS clincher, and one ring more than he does.

Go back to Japan!

Talk about scapegoating! Matsuzaka has never delivered on the promise that was created when he signed with the Red Sox. He was a back of the rotation pitcher then, and something less than that now. He has never shown a killer instinct for getting batters out. His appearances have always been an adventure with high pitch counts, a large numbers of walks, and a failure to win in pressure situations. Most importantly, he has never demonstrated any stamina. Getting to the 6th inning has usually been a stretch for him since arriving in Boston. And this nonsense of him being an l8 game winner last year should be put to rest. By Nolan Ryan standards, he won 10 games. About a million dollars a win.

winner for

Wow. Scary stuff in these comments.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that many of you are the same lemmings who:

A) fork over $15 to the Red Sox to have membership card to their fan club,
B) think that ‘Remdawg’ was the best reason to watch the games
C) can’t wait for an inning to end so that you can hear fun songs on the PA system
D) wear pink or camouflaged sox hats depending on your gender

“Everything the Boston Red Sox Incorporated does is correct. Every player who challenges or defies them is worthy of ridicule….”

It would be hilarious how many people are getting on Dice-K's case here if it were not sad. Dice-K is saying that he wants to work harder and throw more, but the Sox won't let him. That's really not a bad thing for a pitcher to say.

And yes, I think the main problem here is the WBC. I have no idea if he would be pitching better or not if he were training by his own schedule, but the way so many of the complaints are written, it sounds like people didn't read the article carefully, and thought that "Dice-K has problems with the Red Sox training program" meant "Dice-K doesn't like working hard".

Mannie needs a roommate.

confidence affects success. If an athlete believes he's not being trained properly, then he's going to be less confident.

Management should allow him to start throwing a bit more and see what impact it has.

As an American of Japanese ancestry who grew up both here and in Tokyo, I can attest to the unique training programs afforded Japanese atheletes. It is very important to understand that a player cannot change his program without considerable disruption to his performance.

Why not just let everyone train the way they choose...hope for the best, yeah? If they do not perform, I'm sure they'll find another excuse.

Honestly, I'd be packaging this 5-inning pitcher with a prospect to acquire another pitcher. Personally, DK makes me nervous in the playoffs...happy just to not be behind, when he exits in the 5th.

In Japan, they pitch once a week. Here, it's every 5 games or 5 days, depending on the team. In Japan, they aren't facing major leaguers, like ARoid, Miguel Cabrera, and Joe Mauer. The Red Sox program is all about strengthening the shoulder/arm. It's not like the pitchers aren't working. If Dice-K thinks only the act of throwing a ball strengthens his pitching muscles, he's mistaken. Comments like this are poison. Nobody in the clubhouse will have his back on this, not to mention the front office.

I would have to agree with Dice K. I pitched in highschool and college and in my Jr and Sr years of college they started this stupid program of babying the pitcher. Untill then I was able to go deep into games and still have the velocity. I was not sore and my recovery was much shorter. After the babying program begun I got weaker and my velocity fell off quicker. The more you work a muscle the stronger it gets, the stronger it gets the less injured your are. It is aweful funny that Dice K was lights out the first two years of his contract. You got Dice K for the stuff he already had so why in the world would you want to change that. If it ain't broke dont screw with it. I think the Sox have great programs but there are times when a player does not fit into a mold. And when he does not dont try and force it. Let Dice K do the work out that worked for him, and the program that made him a great pitcher. If it works leave it alone. If it does not then you can tweak it, why change somthing that is working. The paid 100 million for what Dice K already had, then we get mad and blame it on Dice K because the Sox go and change the routine and program he has been use to all his life that made him a good pitcher. If we wanted to mold a pitcher into the SOX image then we should have saved the 100 million and pitched Bard or Buckhotz. Those that blame it on Dice K are ignorant...

At this point what is the harm in letting him try it his way? He already isn't pitching for you and maybe he was nibbling and not challenging guys because he was uncomfortable with his own conditioning because of the Sox program. I personally don't think so but it can't hurt to let him try it. It really cannot get any worse than it is right now.

baseball players are superstitious folks. some eat chicken before games. some needs to throw a lot between games. there is a current theory that you prolong pitching longevity with pitch counts. so if the dude wants to keep his superstitions, the red sox loses nothing. maybe he will shorten his pitching longevity. i am sure you could not ask a hitter not to eat chicken before games. you know eating chicken have nothing to do with batting averages. there is something about mind set in this game, or for that matter in every sport.

maybe someone should tell Dice K the AL east isn't the place for a 4-5 walk average... that might have something to do with him gettin rocked.

I think the first poster nailed it perfectly!
233 posts and counting.

How about skipping the WBC next time around?

DFA him.

He's not a good pitcher and now he's being a crappy teammate too.

sing soo ha jal sox mai tia chop suey!!!!!!

He's still better than Smoltz.

beantownbob #83; I posted that if DiceK wants to train his own way that he should be willing to give up salary should he be wrong. Scapegoat? He's not the reason for the Sox recent slump and I've been on the boards since the off season lauding the Sox all the way.

Lowell is hurt; known fact. He's been on the DL because of it. Not his fault. Drew? Sure, he's not on my fantasy list and I'd love to see someone with some power in his spot. But, HE'S not the one claiming that his isse ues are due to "cultural differences" or poor training on account of the Sox. If anything, the Sox players not performing well tend to place the blame fully on their own shoulders. Dice K trying to blame anyone, anything other than himself is what stinks to me. I hope this (or any) regimen brings him back strong so that he can contribute to the team.

Can we stop buying into the nuttiness that Dice-K spews? Please? Japanese shoulders are the same as American or Dominican or Canadian shoulders. We are all human beings. Saying that Japanese pitchers need to train differently than everyone else is like saying that if you came from little-league you should train the way you did as a ten year old. There is no such thing as building up "savings" in your shoulder. The shoulder is built out of many muscles, bones, and connective tissues (ligaments, tendons). Training for a pitcher's shoulder is about doing the right exercises and throwing to make the muscles stronger, without wearing-out the connective tissue through over-work. There is a science involved here, and the Sox training program is pointed to as top-notch by many people who know a lot more about shoulder health and performance than me, you, and Dice-K put together. They can measure the strength of the muscles AND the stability of the joint structure and guess what: Dice-K has gotten stronger since the Sox put their foot down, not weaker, just like Papelbon did when he went on his team-designed shoulder program after breaking down himself. Grow up Dice, act like an employee who is being overpaid, not like a brat who didn't get his way. If you want to bring Japanese style work to the Sox, try bringing the Japanese tradition of putting your company/team before your own ego.

More than any other major sport, baseball is a game of individuals. Sure they have to work together and sometimes make sacrifices for the team, but a player's performance and stats are mostly his own doing. Unfortunately, the new Corporate Sox and a lot of their fans don't like to let their players be individuals--don't be Manny, don't be Dice-K, just behave the way we tell you--as one poster put it, we own you. We know better than you what you should think and how you should act.

Do I think Dice-K was ever going to be as good here as he was in Japan? Nope, but I think he'd be a lot better if he'd had more control over his own training.

Oh My,, blame the Sox..
Who allowed Dice-K to play in the Baseball Classic ?

By the way, the whole "more is more" school of thought on pitching has been discredited. There's a reason why relievers have ERA under 3, it is easier to pitch in smaller doses. After 75 pitches, the mechanics start to fail due to fatigue. Tom House's database proves that. When pitchers are throwing without proper mechanics they give up more runs AND run a much greater risk of getting hurt. It's not rocket science, and it ties with common sense. Just as boxers shouldn't fight 15 round bouts, pitchers shouldn't throw much more than 75 pitches. If you wanna win and keep your guys healthy. Pitchers should throw less. Not more. Baseball is crazy. If it were my money, it'd be 5innings (roughly 75 pitches) and out for starters on a four day rotation.. And, yeah, I pitched in HS and college, so I know a little about pitching- and elbow and shoulder pain. Theo needs to smarten up and change the game.

Give it a rest everyone. You were kissing his butt when he first arrived and now you are turning on him. It made me sick to hear people boo him at the Braves game. Why not boo Ortiz for the first 3 months of the season when he was stinking it up? Dice K will come back from this and be fine. Sox fans get spoiled winning championships and being at the top of the standings. It would be great to see how much of the fan base stuck around if they missed the playoffs for 2 or 3 years in a row.

Part of me thinks he may just be making excuses. Still, another part of me says when a person is used to something and it works, it's often diffcult to completely change the way one does things and remain as successful.

While the Red Sox program has worked for a lot of guys, we've seen plenty of pitchers come through and not be successful, then do better elsewhere for whatever reason. Different strokes for different folks, as the saying goes.

So, with all that said, and considering how much money the Sox have sunk into Daisuke's contract, they might as well give him a chance. He's down in Florida and not looking like he's going to return all that soon, anyway, so what do they have to lose? Either he proves them wrong and suddenly they get a decent return on their investment or he is proven wrong and has no choice but to do as they say and hopefully it will work out for the best for all parties involved.

It will be interesting to watch the pitchers who come out of the Rangers organization. I always thought pitchers should throw more. But as Dick Raditz (sp) used to say all the time, you need to do that from the beginning. The more you use your arm the stronger it will get.

NOMAAAHHHHHH...
I miss him.

Could it be Dice-K is only a good 4A pitcher like many others. He does not seem to have the command or the pitches to consistently control a game. Maybe the Red Sox should let him train as he requests provided he takes a 75% cut in his salary(I know the rules don't allow it.) and goes on incentive based bonus system, particularly focused on innings pitched per game, walks per inning, pitches needed per game,ERA, etc. for any bonuses. If he performs on his method of training, he will do well. If not, too bad. Let him put his money where his mouth is. Further, if he does not show some improvement on his method, he should pay back some of the posting fee to the Red Sox.

Do what Bill would do (laterize him).

He sucks

Hmmm...Could it be possible Scott Boras is trying to get him traded so he can negotiate a better contract?

The poster of #231 says Daisuke should be ashamed of himself. This is a poster who comes onto a baseball-related thread to air out his homophobic tendencies using several anti-gay references and eptithets to demean and insult Daisuke. He also demonstrates an amazing lack of sensitivity toward Japanese people with a disgusting screenname (no doubt made just for this occasion) that not only makes another underhanded negative gay reference, but also makes light of the hydrogen bombs dropped on innocent Japanese people. Talk about shameful.

Sure is funny that Okajima has NOT had a problem.

Here we go again - a disgruntled player blaming the management again. Can you say T-R-A-D-E??? Did he hang around with Manny too much???

I meant to say he won 34 games in 2 1/4 years here not 24.

How's that $50 million just to negotiate with this clown look now, Theo?

Why is Farrell always right in Boston "media-land". He should be fired NOW and the Diceman should be allowed to train the way he did in Japan, when he was the best pitcher in the Country for 5-7 years! Wake up Boston...we have a real failure here, but it's not Dice!

Dice K is full of BS. More or less he ripping pitching coach John Farrel. This is the same pitching coach who has gotten Beckett to pitch to his ability in 2 out of 3 seasons and same coach who has gotten Lester to be among the elite lefties in the game.

Let Dice-K train using his own condtioning program. He has proved he can pitch in the MLB. The WBC excuse for us is valid, but if he admits to it does he have to commit to Hari-Kari to save face. He has admitted he is frustrated by the Red Sox training methad. Let him do his and if he proves to be a successful pitcher-- Then Red Sox management and the Nation can go and committ Hari-Kari. Babe Ruth (whom my Dad shook hands with and talked to at a social occassion in the early 20') had his own training methods. Why does this generation have all the answers when they do NOT even know the question. Good grief Red Sox Nation, WAKE UP

Pitching and being successful in Japan has very little comparison to the hitters that pitchers have to face in MLB, especially the AL East. Okay, you say let him do it his way and throw 145 pitches a game every 4th day. Well based on what we have seen out of him for the past 2 years, is the Sox in a 20 run hole in every game that he pitches in. Not to mention the 5+ hour length of the game. It's the same thing with pitchers who are lights out in AAA ball and then come up to the AL East and find out what a nightmare it is getting outs at this level.

If you don't like the kitchen ...get out. His focus was the world baseball tournament not the MLB season....he is a member of the Red Sox not a team in Japan....

LET DICEK BUY OUT HIS CONTRACT AND GO BACK TO JAPAN AND TRAIN AND PITCH OVER THERE WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE MINOR B TEAM HERE IN THE STATES

Let Dice-K train using his own condtioning program. He has proved he can pitch in the MLB. The WBC excuse for us is valid, but if he admits to it does he have to commit to Hari-Kari to save face. He has admitted he is frustrated by the Red Sox training methad. Let him do his and if he proves to be a successful pitcher-- Then Red Sox management and the Nation can go and committ Hari-Kari. Babe Ruth (whom my Dad shook hands with and talked to at a social occassion in the early 20') had his own training methods. Why does this generation have all the answers when they do NOT even know the question. Good grief Red Sox Nation,

Let Dice-K train using his own condtioning program. He has proved he can pitch in the MLB. The WBC excuse for us is valid, but if he admits to it does he have to commit to Hari-Kari to save face. He has admitted he is frustrated by the Red Sox training methad. Let him do his and if he proves to be a successful pitcher-- Then Red Sox management and the Nation can go and committ Hari-Kari. Babe Ruth (whom my Dad shook hands with and talked to at a social occassion in the early 20') had his own training methods. Why does this generation have all the answers when they do NOT even know the question. Good grief Red Sox Nation,

People need to relax on Dice-K. How quickly fans forget that the guy won 33 games over the past two years. The guy's pride is hurt. He's failing for the first time in his life and he's reacting like anybody else would given the circumstances. Maybe he is overrated. Maybe he's nothing more than a mediocre major league pitcher. Maybe we got the best out of him already and there is no more. Regardless, let him do it his way and if it doesn't turn around then the Sox move on.

If his training methods work for him then I say, let him train the way he knows and what works for him.
The other side of the coin:
I have heard of pitchers who want to come to Boston, because of the pitching programs that help keep arms going stronger and longer.
So who is right? Who knows. Compromise is the answer, let Dice-K do it his way. It might work, can't be any worse than he is now.

Let the clown train the way he wants to. That way when he continues to suck maybe he can give some of that huge salary back!
This cry-baby has been a major disappointment. I hope we never see him on the mound for the Red Sox again.

DICE-K....GO AWAY!!!!

Lugo. Renteria. JD Drew. Coco Crisp. Wily MO pena. Matt Clement. Foulke. Kyle Snyder. David Wells. And there are plenty more. THis is just another name to the incredibly poor and overrated job done by Theo Epstein. Wake up Red Sox nation....Your GM stinks!!

He pitched very well in the WBC which is more like AAA than the majors. Send the baby home.

The sox got sucked into a ponzi scheme. They should cot their losses and get rid of the bum.

Last year the fly in the ointment was Manny, and this year's buzzing insect is Dice-K.

Trading deadline approaches---get a clue, Theo.

I am sure there is plenty of blame on both sides to go around. Put this aside and get in the same boat and row in the same direction, we have a title to win!

Unless Dice-K can hit, I don't really care what he says. We need our team to hit. Ps...as a Yankees fan, you're an idiot.

why is Okajima has SO MUCH SUCCESS and the cost of his service is SO DIRT CHEAP compare with Dice K?

i really think he should simply shut-up.. if he earns Okajima's salary.. then he has some rights to complain.

well, all hope is NOT lost... since Okajima is doing so well...

Dice-K straight up for Halladay? Oh, yeah.

why is Okajima has SO MUCH SUCCESS and the cost of his service is SO DIRT CHEAP compare with Dice K?

i really think he should simply shut-up.. if he earns Okajima's salary.. then he has some rights to complain.

well, all hope is NOT lost... since Okajima is doing so well...

Don't blame the Sox for your inadequacy. I hate this type of man: one who blames others for his problems. I hate it so much I dropped him from my fantasy team.

Let him walk.

I find this interesting in that he essentially screwed up his arm due to over use. Now the complaint is that he is not getting enough workout time. This guy just does not get it. He came in with huge expectations and has fallen short across the board. He will not pitch to contact and tries to finesse his way along. That only works so long at this level. He is not worth the money and certainly should not be publicly criticizing the team. He is the problem, no one else. Now even his trade value is falling.

Can we sell his rights back to the Japanese? The reason he is getting shelled now is that hitters have seen his stuff. More importantly they know he throws more balls than strikes, so are patient.

Never sign another player associated with Scott Bora$$, PLEASE!!!

Scott Boras once complained that the team was making Dice-K throw too many pitches per start. I remember Francona being quoted as saying that Boras should worry about the contracts and not about how to handle pitchers (something to that effect). Maybe the agent and the client should get together and get their story straight before they unleash their diatribes.

Personally, I think they should let him train the way he wants, so the team can get its' money's worth over the next three years. If that means that his arm is fatigued at the end of the contract, so be it. You know that his Red Sox career will be over by then anyway. Let the next team deal with these issues.

If it aint broke, dont fix it. He was fine before he got here, why are they messing with him

REALLY?! I am speechless...

He shouldn't be freakin complaining when he's sucked since he returned from the WBC ... and considering all the money he's getting paid either go with the flow or go back to Japan

This is a very sticky situation. I'd like people to take a hands' off approach to Dice-K's release.

Just another Borass client that sucks the life out of a team. I have an idea lets get rid of all Borass clients and never sign another failure. What a waste this guy is and to blame the team for your failures is cowardly. Way to endear yourself to the faithful. LOSER!

JuanDoe:

The human shoulder is the human shoulder. There is no difference between a Japanese shoulder and those of any other human. Glad I could clear that up for you.

(Enjoyed your response, though.)

No trade of Dice-K

Can't trade a player on the DL, numskull

In RE: to #45... It helps to know what you're talking about. The vowels can sometimes be virtually silent in Japanese, with "sukiyaki" being a good example in this case: The actual pronunciation is skee-yah-kee. It also helps to know how to spell "cheese" in your own language when it's part of your screen name and you're pretending to have a clue about pronouncing a foreign language. Might be time to take a Rosetta Stone refresher, buddy. And by refresher I mean English. Back to the topic... The Sox have to decide if he's two steps away from being a bust before doing anything drastic. If nothing else works let him try things his way, but let him do so at a competitive level similar to what he faced in Japan: Triple AAA. Then he can either prove his theory and climb the totem pole (Yes, I know that's a lot of money to pay a guy starting in Pawtucket... but they're on the hook for the money either way so why risk the losses?) or fail again, thereby losing face in Japan for blaming American training techniques and the Sox when it was simply his ego combined with cultural bias getting in the way.

Let the man do what got him to the point in his career where the Sox wanted to sign him. There's no magic formula to say what will make a great player perform at their best. Sure, the Sox have a great pitching program that clearly works for some of our pitching staff like Beckett, Papelbon and Lester but that shouldn't mean that the same program will work for Matsuzaka. The man knows his own arm and his own body better than anyone else. If pitching more often and at greater length is what works for him then the Red Sox would be silly not to let him at least experiment with this and see where it takes him. If he tries it and fails, he can have no other excuses but at this point, his performances can't really get much worse.

What bunch of crap!! Anybody with a brain knows this year's troubles can be absolutley laid at the door of the worthles wbc. IMHO the Sox should be able to recupe all money paid to this joker this year!! MLB has spring training for a reason.........that being you can't just go in at the beginning of the season and start hurling away like it's mid-season with no gradual buildup!! Duh!!

Get rid of this loser!!!!

It amazes me how unwilling so many people are to at least consider Dice K's perspective and also to so easily dismiss last season when he was 18-3 w/ a 2.90 ERA. How often have we heard of a guy who was forced to change his mechanics, did badly, and then re-emerged when he went back to his old mechanics? A guy has one good season, one great season, and then one disastrous season and he provides an explanation for why it happened. This makes him a problem child? I for one still like the guy and place a good portion fo the blame on the Sox for not listening to a guy who clearly knows his own body better than they do.

FOR ALL OF U FUCK HEADS WHO ARE CRAPPING ON DICE K SHUT THE FUCK UP. YES THE RED SOX DIDNT HANDLE THIS GUY CORRECTLY BUT ALSO THE WBC FUCKED HIM UP. HE IS WORTH IT (MAYBE NOT ALL OF WHAT HES MAKING BUT STILL) IF THE SOX JUST LET HIM DO HIS THING THE WAY HES ALWAYS DONE THINGS HE WOULD BE A LOT BETTER. ASLO BLAME VARITEK (WHO IS VERY FUCKIN OVERRATED!!!!!) FOR HIS MANAGEMENT OF DICE K IN GAME, THE WAY JAPAN DOES THINGS IS DIFFERENT THAN THE STATES. HE WOULD BE MORE EFFECITIVE IF TEK CHANGED JUST FOR DICE K'S STARTS

Interesting that a Boras client is using the same Manny tactic again this year. There must be a way to offset that tactic. Can we make him buy his way out to pitch again?

This is ridiculous.. DICE K has been an anomaly.. 18 wins last year with fewest innings pitched since Roy Face won 19 as a reliever in 1960?... this guy like all Japanese pitchers has an innate fear of coming at batters(Welcome to AL East) , always nibbling , always walking batters, always getting into high pitch counts, then he participates in WBC , which the Sox must have known abt b4 signing him and should have contract provisions regarding injury or overwork. So from that perspective its the Sox with mud on their face ... but as for DICE K to express displeasure about work regimens recommended by his employer ... whoa.. lets have a regular joe go into his boss and tell him he doesn't like the way things are organized or he doesnt like the way he is expected to contribute to the enterprise. This guy needs a wake up call.. BTW I am still waiting for the unhittable gyro.. what a joke... $100M for a guy who cant pitch and then complains .. keep this guy in FLA, we dont need any more issues with the big club , which obviously he isnt good enough to be part of

If he can't abide by the Red Sox rules then let him go back to Japan and pitch!!!

Another Boras mistake and the money so ridiculous. That one season he won he never went 9 innings!!

I think the Sox need to move Dice K elsewhere. He can bitch about the Sox training regiment all he wants, but they invested so much in him that if anything, they are being careful with him. I dont hear him crying that his shoulder is much stronger now on the Sox training regiment. Some of you said how he nibbles when he pitches, that is very true and so his 18-6 record last year was way over-rated. I say the Sox trade him and get some more bats.

Un coachable!

Hey Lax
I don't know where you were but don't come back here like some prima-dona and tell us how we need to discuss the Sox.
You are obviouly not a real fan if you think that they are a strong and exiting team.
Yea it sure is exiting watching them hit 229 since May.
If you think that all they need is time, then you do not know what you are talking about.
You should have stayed where you were

It is funny that people think that he ought to refund the money he'll be paid and yet there was no hue and cry for any refunds to be paid by Schilling last year who was paid about what Dice K is making this year when everyone knew it would be a stretch were #38 to even pick up a ball.

The stint with the WBC screwed him up. If anyone recalls, he was all done before it was over. What could Red Sox Nation expect from him when he had already been set down in the WBC, and then he had to show up late & hurting for the end of Spring Training & beginning of the MLB Season. Who couldn't see this coming? MLB Teams or the MLB as a whole must put an end to letting these players go off to play for the WBC just prior to the beginning of their own Training Season. Unless you are a DH, it just prolongs an already long season of aches & pains for everyone playing in it. The Sox invested $103mill. in this guy & have the experience & history on their side that proves they know how to handle pitcher's workout regimens.

LET THE MAN DO WHAT HE WANTS. Imagine training a certain way you're whole life to become the successful pitcher that you are and then have to come to the states and have to change all that. He's used to pitching a lot - that's what has made him strong and successful in the past. I bet his arm has atrophied with the way the Sox are training him now. I'm surprised he's even done decently these past two seasons with all the tweaking that's been done to him. Don't blame Daisuke. The Red Sox should have known what they were getting when they first signed him. He a guy that throws A LOT, trains hard and often went deep into games regardless of pitch count. He's asking the Sox to up his workload, showing that he's no wimp and simply does not want to be babied. Clearly this new regime he's been forced to do is ineffective for him. He's never had a tired arm in Japan despite all the throwing that he did but since the Sox have significantly cut down on his workload, his arm seems to have fallen off. The Sox need to recognize that all players are different and shouldn't be applying their one size fits all pitch count philosophy to every pitcher on their team. If they really wanted to tweak a pitcher, they should have looked to someone in the minor leagues, not Daisuke who was already proven effective doing what he did. I think it's great that he's speaking out and actually trying to change things. The idea of pitch counts is idiotic and so are all the comments bashing this poor guy.

I haven't read the whole e-mail trail on this so this might be a rehash of someone elses post but does anyone remember an old baseball story about Tom Selleck going over to Japan from the Detroit Tigers? He tried to do things the way they did them in the U.S. and failed miserably. Once he adopted the way the Japanese played ball in Japan- he became the big hero. Whadda ya say Dice-K, it couldn't hurt to try it the way we do it in the U.S

Definitely saw something like this coming down the pipeline... It really is too bad because when Dice-K is on, he's ON. Why can't the staff, team and Dice-K get together to figure out some sort of compromise on the workouts/training sessions and fix this before it reaches a point of no return?? If it doesn't work out, fix the contract in a respectful manner so both sides can still work together in the future. I think it would be wise for the Red Sox organization to maintain good communication with Japan, otherwise this could end up costing a lot more than $101 Million in the long term...

Trade him!!

Definitely saw something like this coming down the pipeline... It really is too bad because when Dice-K is on, he's ON. Why can't the staff, team and Dice-K get together to figure out some sort of compromise on the workouts/training sessions and fix this before it reaches a point of no return?? If it doesn't work out, fix the contract in a respectful manner so both sides can still work together in the future. I think it would be wise for the Red Sox organization to maintain good communication with Japan, otherwise this could end up costing a lot more than $101 Million in the long term...

Can't wait for Borass to get on the train with his whine to go along with Dice-K's cheese. He will be coming out from the woodwork REAL soon.

Maybe Dice-k should realize he is playing major league baseball; facing the best hitters in the game. If he is Japans "best" pitcher - clearly only a number 3 or 4 starter at best - than who cares about future Japanese pitchers who will only be worse. A trade back to Japan would surely benefit both parties.

obviously our way isn't working - so why not try it his way! what do we have to lose other than the 1 million already on the line

Let Dice-K follow his regimin, If it works more for the Red Sox. If not he can commit Hari-Kari. If it does the the Red Sox and the Nation can commit Hari-Kari. You have someone making $ 50 million that you can do nothing about. Maybe someone will learn something about dealing with Boraas. The cure is worth more than the bite. Let the Red Sox Nation get a life. They ypung have all the answers, do not know the question. My Dad shook hands with Babe Ruth in the very early 20's at social occassion. What were Babe's training conditions?

This was just a matter of time. I could see this coming three years ago.

I wondered how long it would take the Red Sox to change his routine and thereby educe his performance, his normal level of pitching specific fitness and his level of pitching skills by being required to follow the belief based philosophy and practice routines of major league baseball.

Matsuzaka, like most Japanese pitchers, understands that pitching requires two things - a high level of skill and pitching specific fitness that can only be acquired by pitching a high volume of pitches from the mound more often than is currently believed by professional baseball. That's the way it used to be done prior to the 80's when pitchers were throwing far more pitches and many more innings with less risk of injury...not more.

Baseball said Tim Lincecum did not have the stamina to be a top starting pitcher. Thus why he got drafted as the 10th pick instead of the first. Did they learn anything?
Probably not.

Maybe it's time for baseball to re-evalutate their overall training methods and let pitchers provide the feedback necessary to decide how they feel.

Have they missed the boat by not promoting the Japanese way of developing more skilled and more fit pitchers who have less risk of injury...not more?

Dick Mills Red Sox 1970 www.pitching.com

The problem is a difference in Baseball culture between the US and Japan. They have a whole different way of doing things over there. I've heard it said by Lou Merloni on EEI that they are about 40 to 50 years behind as far as the culture is concerned. Their pitchers are like our pitchers of old.....they figure to pitch the whole game. They don't care about pitch counts. We have a more scientific approach to the game than they do. But, the fact is: The Sox went out of their way to get this guy. And they are paying him a whole lot of $$. He also has a no-trade clause. So, they are going to have to work something out. I don't understand all the Dice-K bashing going on. It is not his fault. The Sox are to blame if anyone is. They should have known all this before making the deal.....

I am torn. I agree with others saying that he should be allowed to train the way he wants. Pitchers should be able to throw longer than 6 innings. But Farrell said it in his interview. The Sox program was put in place because Daisuke was fatigued in the 2nd half of his first season. For the record his best year with the Sox was while he was on their program in his second year. He was not on it in year one and he went off of it for year 3 to play in the WBC. I also disagree with everyone about his style. Look how he pitched in the WBC. He got ahead early and then nibbled. With the Sox he nibbles from the first pitch. That is what he needs to change most.

He wants to do it his way - get him to sign an addendum to the contract saying if HIS training regimen doesn't work, he has to give half the money back for the season. Then if he's wrong, HE has to pay, not the Sox.

Sorry to have to babysit your inaccuracies again, but if Dice-K is going to Tampa he will not meet with Red Sox representatives because they will be in St. Petersburg playing the Rays. Are you guys just lazy? Or do you think your readers are so stupid that if you say St. Petersburg they won't know what country you're referring to? It's like saying I'm going up to Providence to see a Red Sox game. Duh!

I am so sick of Dice-K and his rhetoric. He does what he wants to. the way he wants and when he wants. He is egotistical and concerns himself with self-glorification. when he pitched in the WBC, the only thought in my mind was WHY doesn't he pitch like that for the team that has laid out $103M! He never listens to Tek, shrugs off his pitches like no other. Even Curt Shilling, when he had a no-hitter going into the 9th inning, 2 outs, cites the fact that he shrugged off
Tek's pitch sign and pitched a ball he wanted to throw. End of the no hitter quest.
Tell Dice-K to shut up! Follow the guidelines of those signing the paycheck!

Guys get off the crack pipe! We should not send Dice K packing, that is utterly ridiculous! These are probably the same guys that were carving Beckett up when he was stinking up the joint a few years ago. Have patience people, this is not a 40 yard dash, it is a marathon.
As proven by the WBC, Dice K can be a dominant pitcher. Let him train HIS way for a specified time period, and watch the results. If it is not working, you have proven your point and you go back to the Red Sox regimen. If he thrives on the Japanese regimen, don't fix something that is not broken. They have 103 million reasons to want Dice K to succeed, let him have a chance to prove he can.

@ scott (#325)....

Actually, I'd go the other way and say anyone with a brain knows Daisuke's problem cannot be blamed solely on the WBC. I don't think a short tournament like that is enough to cause all the problems we've seen with Daisuke. Also, one with a brain might also consider that because he played in the WBC, Daisuke didn't just come in and start hurling away without any buildup. He went through a training program prior to the WBC, and then pitched lights out in the WBC. Incidentally, the pre-WBC program was in....Japan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying if he goes back to his old training routine all his problems will disappear. However, to say this is all because of the WBC is kind of silly. And before someone points out to me that the Red Sox have blamed the WBC, also, just remember everyone, including our beloved Red Sox, has their own interests and motives to look out for. Just because they say it, doesn't make it true. And if the WBC does have this kind of insidious lasting effect, why aren't we hearing about all the other guys who are having awful seasons all because they played in the WBC?

Hey Peter, is that the loser who helped the Soxs win a WS ? Yeah why don't we just keep him until his contract is over and see what happens. And whoever said don't sign players with Boras, your an idiot. Also let's look at this from a $$ point of view. Did Dice K bring in a $100 million from sales in Japan? I will bet he did, remember this is a business people and global markets are the next conquest for all major sports in America.

Make a deal with DIce-K: our way this year and your way next year. If next year he gets "shoulder fatigue" or doesn't pitch the way he says he can with the Japanese regimen then the Red Sox get to void his contract and doesn't waste any more money. Asfor the WBC,it will be his choice if he chooses the Japanese program, if he wants to gamble that it is a contributing factor to his problems.

How about DiceK hand over the $ we paid him and he can join another team? What a dope....

Lost in translation.
How many of you guys actually read/understand Japanese. I went back to the original website. But it was taken out of context. The translated version If I'm forced..." was way stronger than the original version in Japanese.
I am sick of the Globe/WEEI trying to create a controversy out of nothing. Just because you don't like Daisuke does not mean you have to portray him much worse than he actually is.

#287 GET OVER IT!!!!

Going outside to the public/media was the wrong way to handle this. Bad move. It makes Dice K look like a primadonna...which I guess he is.

In summary:
-Could Andrew and the rest of you please stop telling us how you used to be pitchers in T Ball somewhere so we should listen to your expertise?
-Would the morons who choose to take this opportunity to Bash Theo please explain to me why I should dislike the kid that has won 2 more WS Championships here than at any other time in my life?
-While we are at it, as annoyed as I am at Matsuzaka and Drew's expense, I still belive this does does not finish first or win the WS in 2007 without either of them. For that, I thank them.
-As sleazy, self-serving and distasteful as blaming the Sox for his troubles are, I have to agree that the Sox simply have nothing to lose at this point in letting him hang himself for the rest of the contract, including his training "methods."
-And what do Sarah Palin and Curt Schilling have to do with this, you Left Wing Psychos?

We'll see how well superagent Scott Boras handles his client's situation here.

We know how much he helped Varitek during the last negotiations.

The damage control for this should be easy... the comment was taken out of context and you have to understand the cultural difference- Daisuke wanted to show the Red Sox he wants to give 100% for them, etc.

We'll see if Boras can do his job here.

A waste of talent and a huge waste of Red Sox financial capital. Whine on Dice-K.

Dishonor!

Gee I thought sending a "bomb" of a player back on the Enola Gay had some comedic value! Guess there's no room for humor when the members of Red Sox Nation get upset! In the words of the immortal Artie Lange

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH"

A big part of the problem is that in The Japanese Professional League, pitchers only pitch once a week and the season is shorter. Here we expect a starter to pitch every fifth day. If Dice-K did not stick to his workout regimen this past off season there is no way he could pitch in the WBC and MLB and be successful, whatever workout was used, his or the Red Sox.

Japanese atheletes have special training programs

You Sox fans calling for Dice-K's head are just pathetic. Did he not rip it up last year for you guys (18-3, 2.90 ERA) and help you win a championship 2 yrs ago? If you sad, insatiable dolts don't want em, plenty of the rest of the league would happily take your "disaster" off your hands. Give my Jays Buchholz and Dice-K, and you can have Doc. All Dice K did was call into question his training methods--he had stuff that worked for 8 crazy successful years in Japan, which is a legitimate gripe. How does that merit calling him some sort of ingrate? If any of you guys were ever athletes, you'd know that one training regimen doesn't always work for everyone.

I think they should let him throw like he did in Japan.
Then, (and only then), if it's a bust....so be it.

This isn't a difficult topic.

Just another arrogant, ignorant, and spoiled man-child athlete. Japanese or American, he's just a baby.

Gimme a Dominican any day... tough as nails.

There isn't much need to care one way or the other. This is just another report which doesn't matter right now because we have done without him all year and pitching is not the problem. HITTING IS!!

Love the veiled racism in here. Good old Boston. Dear junior economists, #1, it was never your money, so don't sweat it. #2, Daisuke has probably made back the Sox corporation's $101 mill many times over, with all the Japanese endorsements, international fandom, and the Dice-K jersey on your back. So enough with the "give the money back and go back to Japan" false outrage.

Just another arrogant, ignorant, and spoiled man-child athlete. Japanese or American, he's just a baby.

Gimme a Dominican any day... tough as nails.

Time to package him up to whoever will take him and cut your loses Theo. These guys from Japan are overhyped and can't handle the long schedule. Can you say Irabu all world turned out to be a bum. I'd take a bucket of balls at this point. Finally
look what all our Red Sox high priced duds have in common? Their agent. Drew, Tek, Dice K all represented by Boras. Theo stop doing business with this Turd and you will be better off. Let Cashman get taken like he did with A-Fraud and Tex two selfish greedy non October winning wanna be's.

Good ol fashion bigotry abounds on this thread. Keeping it classy Boston like you always do. No wonder the rest of the country thinks we're a bunch of masshole racists.

Schilling became injured and wanted to have surgery. Sox docs opted for a strengthening program that did not work. So, to the poster that wants to know why nobody called for him to return his money, that's why.

My opinion (which is admittedly worthless as is the rest of y'all, since none of us really know what's happening) is that DiceK is a decent pitcher that got a ton of run support last year, thus the 18-3 season. Yes, he is loved by the Japanese and generates revenue. But, many American Red Sox fans loathe watching games in which he pitches, because they are 4 hour plus marathons and VERY difficult to watch.

This year's problems are very likely due to the rapid startup that the WBC pushed. Just like last year when the Sox played in Japan, their timing was off. Same for DiceK. After the WBC, the Sox management tried to work his mechanics and get him to stop "nibbling" and try for strikes. That's when he got pounded. I think there is a comination of issues including lack of strength and not a little bit of "lost in translation". I don't think the Sox tried to mess w/DiceK's approach much before this year, but they only did so because he was pitching so poorly.

If you are working for an organization, you follow their rules. If Dice K does not follow the Sox rules, then it's incumbent upon Theo to inform Dice K that the Sox have the right to establish rules for not just Dice K's rehab, but every player's rehab following injury then act accordingly.
I have to follow my employer's rules with regard to rehab following an unintentional injury. The Workers Compensation Boards in 50 of 50 states all give employers the right to dictate certain rules on their people. Baseball players are mere employees that should follow their employer's rules.

How the heck can he complain about the Sox regimen not working if he doesn't follow it?

I mean through out history Boston Redsox "management" have driven away their STARS Manny Ramirez, Ted Williams, NOOOMAHHH etc...and you clowns, followers always fall for the same broken record...All these stars wanted out of boston for a good reason...YOU DUMM ASSESS...and the media, specially YOU DUMM ASSESS

If I were getting paid $1 million, never mind, $100+ million to pitch, and I performed as bad him, the only thing I would be saying is, "yes sir."

I mean through out history Boston Redsox "management" have driven away their STARS Manny Ramirez, Ted Williams, NOOOMAHHH etc...and you clowns, followers always fall for the same broken record...All these stars wanted out of boston for a good reason...YOU DUMM ASSESS...and the media, specially YOU DUMM ASSESS

Love it. Red Sucks pathos...
They do not deserve Dice-K.
The Red Sucks Nation consists only of sore fair-weather fans.

I'd rather watch re-runs of NCIS than watch Dice-K pitch.

OshawaBill, my friend, those numbers don't tell the story. Innings pitched, and run support had a lot to do with his record. If you'd like Dice-K in a package for Doc, we'll do that!! To be fair, we should throw in a couple cases of baseballs and maybe a few wooden bats!!

I actually think that DiceK has a point. Well, he gave the Red Sox regimen a shot and didn't work well. Why not let him try his way - what is there to lose?
I heard that cellular compositions that define muscle tone have to do with brown vs. white fiber ratios. One relates to sprinting ability, and the other relates do endurance. And the ratio differs a lot amongst indivuduals. So, depending on that, the same training regimen that works for one perosn may not work for another. The Red Sox shoud realize that while their training program generally works well for many players, that doesn't mean that it is suited for every player.

He should remember who is employer is . . . . if he doesn't like it, he's welcome to pursue his interests elsewhere.

Wambo I think your right on I'm not a pitcher never was I throw like Obama, but ask that question all the time why are they taking him out he's killing them. I don't get it the next time out he may suck and need to come out.

What a bunch of fools you guys are. How well was Dice-K by the end of every year he has pitched? Was it the Sox that trained him this year or did he do it on his own with the WBC? Dice-K has had tired arm every year so how does working more improve that? From what i heard from the Sox, they left him alone in the first years and he still ended the system with issues of fatigue.

dice-K is not pitching like he did in japan because the players are different. The WBC classic was a perfect example of how he altered his pitching for the WBC vs. US Baseball. During the WBC he attacked and by Game 1 he was the old dice-K.

The Japanese play baseball like it is a man's game. 110 pitches and 5 or 6 innings is considered relief work not a starter.

Well, Manny got his way in the end. Daisuke might be happier with a team like the Dodgers, where he could train the way he did in Japan. If he improves here, trade him while he still has some trade value and we can get someone like Jason Bay in return.

I can't believe the votes on dice k and if he should do own regimen. He should follow the Red Sox program because he is paid by them. He did his own for the WBC and look what it got him. Dice K wants to do his own thing then get rid of him. He is overpaid and overated.

Well spent money Sox!!! Just like JD Drew.

Apparently this is the new "angle" to play when a hyped-up player doesn't perform as expected, blame the team & trainers & medical staff. Next they'll start suing ownership for "actions detrimental to their careers".

Sorry DiceK, when the boss pays $100M to bring you here, you do what he wants & keep your mouth shut. If you don't like it, offer to return your salary & ask to be traded. The Red Sox paid a lot of money for you ... they OWN you.

Are all you readers on Sox payroll? You guys believe blindly in everthing that Sox management says and does? Geez....

Hey, Boston. We'll take him in Seattle. Send him over.

Look, it's all my fault. I drafted him for my Strat-O-Matic league. That means he was cursed. But maybe when I cut him next year, he'll bounce back. So there's hope.

DIce K shows no repsect for America and its beliefs that all races are created equal.If an Amercan player said as much in Japan he would be dihonoring the team. I wonder if he would have to committ suicied. What a baby. ANother overhyped overrated player from Japan- a country that has produced exactly one great MLB player in Ichiro.

It is very important to be sensitive to the plight of Japanese ballplayers in America. The adjustment period is lengthy.

Given that next week is the anniversary of the unfortunate events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we ought to be careful not to overly criticize Japanese ballplayers.

It is very important to be sensitive to the plight of Japanese ballplayers in America. The adjustment period is lengthy.

Given that next week is the anniversary of the unfortunate events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we ought to be careful not to overly criticize Japanese ballplayers.

THIS JUST IN!!! THE RED SOX HAVE TRADED DICE-K!!!!

DICE-K IS GOING TO THE HOWARD STERN SHOW IN EXCHANGE FOR BA-BA-BOOEY!

I'VE SEEN DICE-K AND BA-BA-BOOEY THROW.....I'D RATHER HAVE BA-BA-BOOEY!!!!!

I agree with let him do it his way but make sure the World is aware that he is doing it his way. However there has to be some risk reward $$$$ for the Red Sox if he fails.

Here whats really funny about dice-k comments. Im half japanese from boston and i was on vacation visiting family in Japan. The media over their wont admit it, but fans over their say dice-k looks more and more sloppy! Cousins even commenting he looked FAT, not sharp and not as attcking as he used to be...Go figure! Media will always try and save face over their, but when it comes to fans of baseball they will tell you like it is.

No comment. Why bother.

HEY FATSUSAKA:
Get with it, or give John Henry back his money, you fat, ungrateful toad.
Tell us that winning the WBC is better than winning a World Series
you imported, selfish, whiny brat.
Quit whining and start pitching or go back home to Mommy.
I thought we got rid of the team's problem child last July.
Now, we have yet another one.
Good luck, Theo and Tito -- you've got another ingrate on your hands.
Don't let the ingrate pitch again this year. Spare us all the 200 pitches
it takes him to get through 5 innings.

Red Sox fans are such losers.
Judging by their comments here, they deserve the self-flagellation.

The simple answer is John Farrell does not likeJapanese people.. Obama plans on mentioning it during the next press conference...

People, what this means is that Dice-K is now healthy, and Theo doesn't want him back in the rotation. Read between the lines!

Very insensitive comments. Very disappointed in the stupid Boston sportsfans.

Bukkake-san

Very insensitive comments. Very disappointed in the stupid Boston sportsfans.

Bukkake-san

"If I'm forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan. The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years [in the United States] 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."

Well, if that’s the problem, one might ask why, after spending months training with Team Japan, did Dice-K arrive at spring training unable to get anyone out?

An athlete making excuses is nothing new. The great Christy Mathewson even went so far as to suggest that excuse-making was a necessary component in maintaining a positive mindset in professional sports (although he also suggested that one keep one’s excuses to oneself).

It's understandable that Matsuzaka is frustrated, having gone from being a superstar in Japan to an underachiever in the United States while ostensibly playing the same game. It’s also understandable that there’s perhaps a disconnect in inter-cultural communications. The Red Sox are very unhappy with Daisuke’s whining in the Japanese press and I suspect they will tell him so, but they've taken the high road thus far, expressing only "disappointment."

There is one other thing they need to tell him: our house, our rules.

When gaijin players are signed by Nipponese Professional Baseball, they usually receive certain concessions that enable them to overcome cultural shock, much as Dice-K has. Historically, however, they’ve also received a healthy dose of the Japanese philosophy that “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” Gaijin players are expected to conform to Japanese ways, ways that may seem to defy the logic of their culture’s conventions. Some gaijin have been so incapable of adjusting that they bolted back home before their contractual obligations were fulfilled. Others played out the term of their agreement and departed. Still others, like Warren Cromartie, Clete Boyer, Leron and Leon Lee, and Don Blasingame adapted themselves to the culture of the country and the game as it is played there, and had long careers in the Land of the Rising Sun. No gaijin, however, ever went to Japan and said “I’ll do it my way” and achieved more than fleeting success.

Are you getting the picture, Dice-K? Your house, your rules—our house, our rules. You can either play as the people paying you expect you to play or you can forfeit your salary (if not more once the corporate lawyers get through with you) and go off to find success elsewhere. Nipponese baseball received a huge amount of money—$52 million—just for the privilege of trying to sign you to the nine-figure contract you currently have. And rather than take personal responsibility for your professional failures, you have the audacity to not only blame American training regimens but to set yourself up as some sort of crusader speaking for all Japanese starting pitchers, saying

"I know that there are Japanese starters who came to the United States before me only have two or three successful years. I now believe that it is because of a difference in training and conditioning methods. If I don't act, people in the Major League Baseball will never change their attitude toward it. I need them to understand this. It is more than just about myself but future Japanese pitchers who come over to the United States."

Grow up, young man, or go home.

How much is Dice-K willing to gamble?
All the financial risk is on the Red Sox.
If he takes over his own training and he gets worse, what's he owe for ruining the Red Sox' investment?
If he improves, then he earns the contract he signed and has been collecting.

nobody cares

The thing that concerns me is the sheer stupidity of what Daisuke seems to be arguing. He did well in Japan for many years, and now he's doing badly in his third year with the Sox, therefore whatever has changed in his training regimen since coming to the U.S. must be the problem. It's so incredibly simpleminded, as though there aren't other possible explanations for his godawful start to this season. He doesn't seem to realize that maybe all the pitches he's thrown in his first dozen years of serious pitching have worn out his shoulder rather than perfected it. Instead of wondering if Asian pitchers are being too limited by their U.S. clubs, perhaps he should wonder if Asian pitchers are being overused in Asia before they arrive here.

The reason why the Japanese pitchers do poorly in the U.S is because they suck against Major League hitters. Dice-K needs to own up to the fact that he cares more about pitching for Japan in the WBC than for the team paying him MILLIONS to be a failure! Again.... you SUCK! Sayonara!!

This is why I am starting to not give a sh!t about any pro sports anymore.
Big babies with big contracts,big heads and to much time crying over how much they should be making.WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Who cares,let them do all the drugs they want and train the way they want,the owners get what they deserve when you deal with guarantied contracts.
Football players who take more punishment then these premodonna babies don't even have full guaranteied contracts.
If the sox are willing to pay puko his contract while he plays for St. Louise,then they should use and abuse this P.Poo.S as much as they want,I hope the Fenway will give him a cheering ovation when comes back fom his vacation.

This is why I am starting to not give a sh!t about any pro sports anymore.
Big babies with big contracts,big heads and to much time crying over how much they should be making.WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Who cares,let them do all the drugs they want and train the way they want,the owners get what they deserve when you deal with guarantied contracts.
Football players who take more punishment then these premodonna babies don't even have full guaranteied contracts.
If the sox are willing to pay puko his contract while he plays for St. Louise,then they should use and abuse this P.Poo.S as much as they want,I hope the Fenway will give him a cheering ovation when comes back fom his vacation.

DiceK may have a point about his training...Although I have a feeling he (DiceK) is a bit of a of a prima donna...I say let him train his way and if he still can't go more then 5 innings then trade him...

Am I the only one who wants to scream when someone "who once pitched in high school and college" think they are experts on pitching. Please people...we're talking the Majors here, not one step above Little League.

All you have to do is look back in history. Guys has long, illustrious careers throwing tons of pitches and complete games. However, now baseball is a multi-million dollar business. Sure, it makes some sense that if a guy throws less pitches, then he will be able to last longer. The problem is that now these guys don't throw as much and their arms are not as strong. This makes them more susceptible to injury and fatigue. I have no hard evidence, but I am willing to bet there are more arm injuries now then back in the day.

Stop coddling these guys and treating them like million dollar babies and then you'll finally see some great results. There need to be more guys like Dice-k.

This is garbage. Look, the Red Sox have on their staff: Jonathan Papelbon (who had a subluxed shoulder that they oversaw); they protected very well, and are reaping benefits of Jon Lester; they resisted the temptation to put Clay Buchholz on the postseason roster in '07 (and won the WS despite everyone screaming, and by his hideous '08 performance they were clearly correct); and they've managed Beckett along the way. Bottom line is: they give pitchers chances to succeed. That's why their staff is in the top for team ERA each year. Can Dice-K explain that? How did they win the WS with Pedro not being "Pedro" in '04 and Schilling not being able to throw well in the postseason? How did they win it in '07 with one proven starter (Beckett)?

And Dice-K's assertion that he was only able to because of his "stored strength" in the first two years is a load. He was terrible in the first year. He pitched to contact and got hammered. Then last year he decided he wasn't going to pitch to contact and he could never make it through the sixth, but had a good ERA.

Wouldn't it appear that as a rookie with "Japanese training" he got hammered, and in his second year, after the Sox got their hooks in him, he actually could be effective?

And here's another possibility for the "third year blues" of Japanese pitchers: the novelty has worn off. Hitters see them, know them, and the Japanese pitchers can't adjust. It's not Robot Baseball like it is in Japan. Hitters here think. They swing at 3-0 fatties. They expect 1-2 curves in the dirt and don't swing to protect the plate. They don't get themselves out. Maybe over here, hitters adjust and Japanese pitchers don't.

I think that's just as fair as what Dice-K is saying.

Or does he think he's better than Beckett, Santana, Halladay, etc??

BEFORE THE RED SOX SPENT ALL THAT MONEY I THINK THAT THEY WOULD HAVE LAID OUT WHAT WAS EXSPECTED OF DICE K IN THE FIRST PLACE. IF THEY DID THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE PUT A CAUSE IN HIS CONTRACT TO GIVE THEM AN OUT IF DICE K DID NOT DO HIS JOB. THE MONEY THEY SPENT IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS STUPID. PLEASE TELL ME AT THE TIME THAT THERE WAS NO AMERICAN LEAGUE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME? I THINK THE SOX COULD HAVE LEARNED FROM MANNY OR MAYBE DICE K IS TAKING A PAGE OUT OF MANNY'S PLAY BOOK?

Umm, the guy's ERA speaks for itself. I don't like his lack of focus on the team either, why is it all about him? Back to Japan & stay there - we can pay someone else a fraction of his salary to throw MLB batting practice like he did this year. See ya, enjoy.

The Sox signed this guy knowing he throws 150+ pitches a game in Japan because he doesnt ever locate pitches and falls behind batters. That's just how he pitches. No wonder he only goes 4-5 innings now because you're not letting him throw as many pitches as he used to. When the guy complains you're not letting him throw more, which is what he's done his ENTIRE life...you let him do what got him here and why you wanted to sign him in the first place. It obviously worked in Japan and that's why you signed him- based on what he did in Japan. Suck it up and let him do his thing.

Does anyone have a translation of the full article? I'd like to get a sense of the context it appeared in.

Dice-k and Buckholtz to Toronto for Halliday. The Dice man did good last year, but was obviously worn out by the end of the year. He had great potential, and still could do rather well, but he needs to get off his high horse and learn how to pitch in the majors. It is different, from the ball to the amount of games played.
I cheered for Dice, but he obviously has to go. Let's get rid of him now while we can get something for him. I think a perennial all star pitcher, 3 time Cy Young winner Halliday would be a good trade for Dice and Buck.

Toronto could use a new starter .....

Dice-K sucks.......Red Sox suck.......Boston sucks.......You get what you paid for.....

You guys should read some of the articles online right now about the whole pitch count controversy, and the way Americans train pitchers now, compared to40 years ago. Baseball is OLD. The human arm is the same as it always was-- this line about "stronger athletes" forgets that America was agricultural, and farm boys worked, every day. Tell Walter Johnson he needed to rest. Tom Seaver is quoted in one article as saying his pitc count was 135, and he was the low man-- Nolan Ryan's was 150. And Nolan pitched one or two no-hitters after 40? Dice-K is right-- we are not only ruining Japanese pitchers-- we are ruining all of them. Six innings and 3 runs isn't a quality start-- its a 4.50 ERA!

American sports journalists sucks.....
Why did they start reporting this without Dice-K's comments, only quoting Red Sox management comments? It isn't fair at all. Why didn't they question about the accuracy of WEEI.com's translation and investigate if he actually said those words? All columnists reporting about this news after WEEI.com are dumb.
They didn't do their jobs.

AND sorry for all readers, they were misled and fooled by those journalists who didn't confirm what was actually said and done.....

I am a lifelong Sox fan - the only time I cried harder than 1986 was in 2004. I have also spent 14 of that last 16 years in Japan, and watched Daisuke pitch a 250 pitch full game followed by a relief appearance the next day to win the national high school championship for his team. Yes, that was high school, but the point is, as others have pointed out, is that his arm is a like a shark that needs to keep swimming or drown. After all, if Japan can win two WBCs in a row, they must be doing something right.
Matsuzaka's exhaustion has nothing to do with pitch counts and shoulder stress, and has everything to do with the long schedule, travel, time zone differences, etc that he did not have to deal with in Japan. The Sox need to figure out how to keep the schedule from wearing Daisuke down but should pay more attention to how he feels about his training regimen, as it obviously worked for him before. If his participation in the WBC truly wore him out early, then his "shoulder fatigue" shouldn't set in until mid to late August, not May.

Overpaid. Overhyped. Over and out! I'm a Yankees fan and I've got more respect for Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester (love to have that kid on my team) and Clay Buchholz than I do Dice-K. Just as with Joe Torre and his tell all book I don't like it when baseball personnel talks out of school. You've got a problem you go to the team and explain why the training program isn't working. You don't mouth off in the press. I hate to say it, but the Red Sox have a lot of good things going for it. They don't need somebody who is making a boatload of money crying in the press. Get your big girl pants on and deal with it. It's tougher here than in Japan. The AL East rules! Best division in baseball. Bar none!!