BASEBALL

Red Sox upset by Dice-K going public with comments

Wednesday 29th July, 06:15 AM JST

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14 Comments

iraira at 09:45 AM JST - 29th July

Dice-K's comments were related to the "ethnic, racial, and physiological" differences between US & Japanese ball players and the training methods they undergo....looks like Dice-K is starting up the excuse mill for when he is sent packing at the end of the season. Ichiro doesn't seem to be suffering too badly under the "ethnically, racially, and physiologically"-biased US baseball training system.
timorborder at 10:17 AM JST - 29th July

If D-Mat (as in door) wants to start pointing the finger, he should look at himself in the mirror. Anybody else see those beer ads he did during the off season? The guy looks like the second coming of Hideki Irabu. Geez, if you record these ads to video and play them back slowly, you can see that D-Mat has at least 3 chins.

Furthermore, this WBC drama is turning out to be everything that the MLB feared. How many players were injured this time around? Even Ichiro had to go on the DL after the WBC due to stress. Must have been all those members of the Japanese mass media who fancied themselves as proctology specialists. Of course, Matsuzaka did a decent job at the WBC, but the Bosox cannot be happy with the fact that he peaked in March.

Then again, Matsuzaka's use-by date has at least another year to run. Either he picks up his game or he ends up being a non-person like Kei Igawa at the Yankees.
mrmiyagi at 11:20 AM JST - 29th July

predictable... Koshien is finally catching up to Dice-K... his over-use in Japan is starting to show... happened with Nomo, happened with Irabu... but, Nomo never complained, he adjusted... ditto the comments on the WBC...
pawatan at 12:26 PM JST - 29th July

his over-use in Japan is starting to show

It's his under-use in the US. If you go your entire life working very hard and then shift to a culture where the athletes don't work hard at all, you're going to have problems. The US teams need to improve their training regimens.

Irabu's problem was he was fat and over-rated, but why complain about Nomo? He won 16 games in LA at age 35, which is way better than most MLB pitchers will do.
GJDailleult at 12:29 PM JST - 29th July

The difference between Matsuzaka and Ichiro is obviously that Ichiro is not a pitcher. The Red Sox have about $100 million sunk into Matsuzaka between his contract and the upfront fee they had to pay to sign him. With that kind of money involved, they've definitely got the right to tell him how to train. As it is now, his "Japanese training methods" have resulted in a guy who is maybe already washed up, and that is what Boston is afraid of. It is also going to make major league teams hesitate more to pay big money for Japanese pitchers in the future, as they are more worried now about paying for damaged goods due to Japanese baseball's continued disregard for basic sports medicine and training.
spudman at 12:32 PM JST - 29th July

Pawatan That is too funny! You think all those lazy non Japanese in the majors are better than the J guys cause they are just naturally gifted? So why doesn't the hard working J guy work himself harder to keep peak condition? Must be the Japanese players are lazy as well.
sydenham at 12:39 PM JST - 29th July

more details:

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/07/daisukematsuzakabostonreds.html

he's embarrassed and is making an ass of himself. sounds to me like he is a winner, but a whiner, too. He also needs to lose some weight. He is an embarrassed ass of a weighty winning whiner.
pawatan at 01:59 PM JST - 29th July

You think all those lazy non Japanese in the majors are better than the J guys cause they are just naturally gifted?

Yes. Of course that's the case. The best and most talented in the world play in MLB, no matter their country of origin.

So why doesn't the hard working J guy work himself harder to keep peak condition?

I'm sure Ichiro does - he sure looks like he does, especially at his age. Other looks like they spend too much time at Dunkin Donuts once the J coaches stop yelling at them.

Must be the Japanese players are lazy as well.

I bet they are once they aren't forced to work out 5 hours a day all year.
combinibento at 02:12 PM JST - 29th July

It's his under-use in the US. If you go your entire life working very hard and then shift to a culture where the athletes don't work hard at all, you're going to have problems.

Patawan are you kidding? Ichiro has said in the past that going to the majors was an incredibly difficult transition because they worked him so much harder in the MLB. And Shinjo said the same thing. He blamed his hamstring injury on the fact that his Japanese warm-up techniques were not good enough for what the MLB schedule demanded.
pawatan at 03:09 PM JST - 29th July

Ichiro has said in the past that going to the majors was an incredibly difficult transition because they worked him so much harder in the MLB. And Shinjo said the same thing. He blamed his hamstring injury on the fact that his Japanese warm-up techniques were not good enough for what the MLB schedule demanded.

I think you need to read up on Japanese baseball and the workout schedules used by teams here. They are far more aggressive than MLB workouts. There really isn't an offseason. There's winter practice. There's pitchers throwing huge amounts of pitches between starts.

Maybe the training isn't as effective, but there's sure a whole lot more of it. Haven't you heard the term "work ball" in reference to Japanese baseball?
stirfry at 05:26 PM JST - 29th July

There's pitchers throwing huge amounts of pitches between starts.

and that, in a nutshell, is Fatboy's problem...pitchers arm's need REST between starts, not ENTIRE GAMES worth of pitches thrown. Plus, yeah, he's obviously spending his salary at Krispy Kreme.
Prostarstripes at 11:11 PM JST - 29th July

Dice is mice. Even in Japan he was not seen in very high regard. Spending his salary at Krispy Kreme is a good analogy. Man, this Dice is fatter and undisciplined like spoiled brat. I won't necessarily blame the MLB lax training methods, but basically on his own discipline and his overrated skills.
mrmiyagi at 11:44 PM JST - 29th July

It's his under-use in the US. If you go your entire life working very hard and then shift to a culture where the athletes don't work hard at all, you're going to have problems. The US teams need to improve their training regimens.<

oic... then explain Suguru Egawa and his retirement at age 32... or Kazuhiro Sasaki retiring shortly after playing in the MLB... Sasaki was given his freedom to use his own regimen as well, and he did...
sfjp330 at 02:40 AM JST - 30th July

The Red Sox have about $100 million sunk into Matsuzaka between his contract and the upfront fee they had to pay to sign him. With that kind of money involved, they've definitely got the right to tell him how to train.

This is a huge investment for five year contract & fee. If Matsuzaka wants to leave Boston, void the remainder of the contract. Boston will gladly tear the contact. Matsuzaka has 40 years old arm on a 28 years old body. He does not have much left.