6. Daisuke and Okajima: Still strangers in a strange land or broken-in homeys?
By any reasonable measure -- not that there was anything remotely reasonable about the hype on both sides of the Pond -- Daisuke Matsuzaka had a successful first season in the big leagues, winning 15 games, pitching over 200 innings, striking out 201 and winning games in the ALCS and World Series. Hideki Okajima, meanwhile, was the surprise of the season, indispensable as Jonathan Papelbon's setup man. Matsuzaka already has made some noise this winter about doing things more his way, especially in his practice regimen, throwing more on the side than he did last spring. Okajima, meanwhile, showed serious signs of wearing down last season, and the surprise element is gone. But both of them should feel more at ease with their surroundings this season; the Sox dumped their Japanese media liaison in the offseason, though both players will still have translators.