All of which makes yesterday’s events particularly annoy ing and deflating. Through his words and actions, Matsuzaka infuriated manager Terry Francona, pitching coach John Farrell, Boston’s owners, and a legion of Sox fans. One year after the Manny Ramirez debacle, Dice-K did his best to get his butt shipped out of town.
Matsuzaka, he of the 1-5 record and the 8.23 ERA, ripped the Red Sox organization. Rehabbing in Florida, speaking to a Japanese website during his shoulder rehab, he basically blamed his 2009 troubles on the Sox’ training regimen.
“If I’m forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan,’’ he told the website. “The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years 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.’’
At Fenway, the fallout was swift and unusually blunt.
“To hear him say that is disappointing,’’ said Francona, who would rather quit chewing tobacco than criticize a player. “At times, he’s been his own pitching coach. For $102 million, if [Red Sox owner John Henry] came down and asked ‘What’s going on?’ and we said, ‘We’re letting [Daisuke] do it his own way,’ he probably wouldn’t like that very much. I’ve talked to Dice and Masa [translator Masa Hoshino]. I’ve had enough. I think they’ve had enough of me.’’
Tim Wakefield, the senior member of the Sox clubhouse and a pitcher who knows a thing or two about Boston’s training and re-hab regimens, rolled his eyes and said, “My philosophy is, I’m an employee and I do what I’m told.’’
Farrell, ever the John Wayne presence in the coaches corner, said, “We have a responsibility for the size of the investment. It’s unfortunate that he feels that way. It’s disappointing. This is where two baseball worlds somewhat collide. But there has to be some accountability and responsibility on the part of the player. So the disappointment comes from [him] basically airing his dirty laundry.’’
