A few questions:
How does one say "
We stopped eating and sleeping when Daisuke Matsuzaka flew to Boston to sign his contract back in December. We tracked his flight online. Then our world stood still again when Dice-K arrived at the Red Sox workout complex in Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday. It was breathlessly reported that he drove himself to the complex. Drove himself. Then he played catch. Played catch.
Yesterday, the $103 million man sat for his first full-blown spring training press conference and NESN (the same network that gave us the Matsuzaka Marathon on signing day) provided live coverage. New England Cable News also cut into regular programming under the banner "Breaking News."
Seated to the left of translator Sachiyo Sekiguchi, in front of a banner that simultaneously promoted the Red Sox and Funai TV & DVD, Matsuzaka took questions for 40 minutes. Once again he was unfailingly polite, poised, relaxed, and confident.
Sox fans have plenty about which to be excited. Ownership rewarded the Nation by bagging the planet's prize free agent pitching prospect. Matsuzaka is in his athletic prime (26), and given good health and the Sox' lineup, he should win 16-18 games if he makes 34 starts.
All that said, it's a little embarrassing the way we're reacting to the introduction of this Japanese hurler. Are we not staid old Boston? Have we not been the professional sports home of Bill Russell, Ted Williams, Larry Bird, Bobby Orr, and Tom Brady? Didn't we already go through the process of acquiring the best pitcher in the world -- a guy from a foreign land -- named Pedro Martínez? Didn't we watch the Red Sox trade for Curt Schilling, who had already been a World Series MVP? Didn't Roger Clemens win 192 games here? Same as Cy Young?
So why is Dice-K, who arrived in Florida the week of the 43d anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," touted as the soon-to-be Fenway Elvis?
Why is this so much bigger than the arrival of any other ballplayer in the professional sports history of New England?
