Repeat after me: Dice-Kay. Not Die-Soo-kee. Not Dae-suk. Dice-Kay Mat-soo-zah-kah. Daisuke Matsuzaka. No D-Mat; No fancy nicknames, please. He has one already: The Monster. Sorry, Wally, sorry Dick Raditz, the Sox have a new Monster in town.
Remember that energy when Pedro Martinez first arrived in Boston with that 97MPH fastball, the change-up, the Flash Gordon curveball, and that nasty slider he threw before his shoulder went? Yeah, those were surreal days. A game being pitched by Pedro of his Prime was not to be missed because you never knew if he would pitch a perfect game or strike out 25 batters. The possibility existed in the late 90s/early 00s that you would see a pitching performance like one you had never seen before: history was being made on the mound everytime the ball was in his hands.
Well, it is going to be back in 2007.
Daisuke the Monster Matsuzaka will, eventually, be in a Red Sox uniform making the original Nomomania; Irabu-irritability; Ichiro-media-madness; and Matsui-mania look like small potatoes. This could be Fernandomania! This kid is the real deal.
I wanted to hold back on this until the Sox signed him, but since I cannot wait another two weeks, I am writing it now. Besides, having been on vacation, I am overdue to post something somewhat relevant (Celtics get blown out by the Knicks? Slit my wrists for me now, please!). As to why the Monster signing is not going to be official until right up until the deadline? Two words: Scott Boras. Boras will wring every penny from the Sox Triumvirate, but in an off-season where Alfonso Soriano gets $136 million over 8 years, whatever the Sox pay Matsuzaka will be a deal. $51.1 million posting fee and $45 million over 5 years? A bargain.
Schilling, Beckett, Papelbon, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield. That starting five could/would/should rack-up close to 1,000 strikeouts over the course of a season. Heck, while I am still giddy with joy, howzabout the Sox bring in Roger Clemens for the stretch run?
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Remember that energy when Pedro Martinez first arrived in Boston with that 97MPH fastball, the change-up, the Flash Gordon curveball, and that nasty slider he threw before his shoulder went? Yeah, those were surreal days. A game being pitched by Pedro of his Prime was not to be missed because you never knew if he would pitch a perfect game or strike out 25 batters. The possibility existed in the late 90s/early 00s that you would see a pitching performance like one you had never seen before: history was being made on the mound everytime the ball was in his hands.
Well, it is going to be back in 2007.
Daisuke the Monster Matsuzaka will, eventually, be in a Red Sox uniform making the original Nomomania; Irabu-irritability; Ichiro-media-madness; and Matsui-mania look like small potatoes. This could be Fernandomania! This kid is the real deal.
I wanted to hold back on this until the Sox signed him, but since I cannot wait another two weeks, I am writing it now. Besides, having been on vacation, I am overdue to post something somewhat relevant (Celtics get blown out by the Knicks? Slit my wrists for me now, please!). As to why the Monster signing is not going to be official until right up until the deadline? Two words: Scott Boras. Boras will wring every penny from the Sox Triumvirate, but in an off-season where Alfonso Soriano gets $136 million over 8 years, whatever the Sox pay Matsuzaka will be a deal. $51.1 million posting fee and $45 million over 5 years? A bargain.
Schilling, Beckett, Papelbon, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield. That starting five could/would/should rack-up close to 1,000 strikeouts over the course of a season. Heck, while I am still giddy with joy, howzabout the Sox bring in Roger Clemens for the stretch run?
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