Can you say Matsuzaka? You’ll have at least six years to learn how if you’re a Red Sox (or Yankees or Devil Ray or Blue Jays or Orioles) fan. The Red Sox have signed the hottest thing to come out of Japan since the Sony Walkman or Godzilla (the remake that ate New York of course, which is a satisfying symbolic image) to a six year, $52 million deal. Yep, $52 million is a lot of money to pay a guy to throw a ball about, but at this point my outrage is pretty much spent. Call me when the first billion dollar deal is signed.
In the meantime Curt Schilling is learning Japanese, the better to impart the accumulated wisdom of the pitching guru to his new teammate. And Sox fans are salivating at the best starting pitching rotation since, well, there was the 2004 World Series season and before that…. It’s been a while. For the record, right now the rotation is Matsuzaka (it’ll take a while for my fingers to learn to type it), Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, and Tim Wakefield. Wait, is there a fifth yet?
Yeah, the Sox are still trying to find a closer and Manny Ramirez is still hanging around and the infield is a shaken up, but, man, I might be looking forward to this season with more hope than I have since ‘04.
Welcome Daisuke! I will eat much sushi and drink much sake to your honor. Just don’t take it personally when the boos rain down on your first bad outing. That’s just Boston.
Technorati Tags:baseball, Boston, Matsuzaka, pitcher, Red Sox
You forgot last years key aquisition. Josh Beckett. He’s the other starter. And don’t forget John Lester if he is able to fully recover from his cancer.
If you are a baseball fan, and it is hard to live without being one, this is what makes Boston the best. I remember as a kid looking forward to the Sunday Globe even in December and January just to read Peter Gammons articles on baseball, and his indepth insight on the Sox.
As much as I can’t stand Manny’s lack of effort sometimes, he can’t be replaced as a hitter, particularly in this line up. Without him, noone pitches to Big Papi, ever.
You could never get equal value for Manny. I just wish he tried as hard as Trot Nixon did. If Manny worked that hard, he’d be the “mayor” of Boston, and could put city hall whereever he wanted, and noone would gripe.
You’re right I did forget about Beckett until this morning. Shows you how much baseball I was able to watch this year, first because of the baby but then because they stunk so bad.
And there’s the other pitching wrinkle that’s being talked about: The return of Rocket Roger Clemens. Things could get very interesting this year.
I’m excited about next year’s possible rotation, with deep reservations. IF Matsusaka can hack it in American baseball, IF Josh Becket can hack it in American League baseball, IF Papelbon can make the transition from closer to starter, IF Jon Lester can recover from cancer, and IF Tim Wakefield can stay healthy in his old age and have a decent year, they may have a decent rotation. Those are all big ifs. Next year could just as easily be a disaster. They still don’t have a closer either, and their bullpen isn’t anything to rave about.