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PAST ISSUES

     Don't get me wrong, I think the guy is a rare talent and I'm glad the Sox owners were willing to reach deeper into their wallets than "that guy" in the Bronx, but at the same time I believe the media is just setting him up for disaster by starting all this "Matsuzaka Mania," as it has been dubbed. They are setting the bar way too high, building up all this hype, and putting him under all this pressure, that at the first sign of failure he could come crashing down.

     When shopping for a car don't most people take it for a test drive first, especially if it was one that cost $51 million just to sit behind the wheel? Just because this guy was so good in Japan, doesn't mean his success will carry over to the Major Leagues. I can't help but think of another Japanese import that was surrounded by so much hype and media attention, only to produce mediocre stats and be back pitching in Japan seven years later. When Hideki Irabu came state-side, he arrogantly claimed that he would only play for the Yankees. Ironically, due to his poor stats and high salary, many Yankees fans didn't hesitate to christen him with the nickname "Hideki I Rob You."

     Now I hope it doesn't have to come down to that, where Red Sox fans will be coming up with witty nicknames to express their unhappiness with a player's lack of performance. However, just because he is a national hero in Japan, doesn't mean he can walk around like he's God's gift to the Major Leagues, or at least to Scott Boras, and give him the nerve to seek $51 million just to negotiate with him.    

     If there's one thing that I've learned in my 22 years being a Red Sox fan, I've learned to guard my emotions because at least up until the magical 2004 season, more times than not, they would get your hopes up, only to have someone else tear them down. So forgive me for being so skeptical and not signing a petition to have him inducted to Cooperstown while he's still playing, just yet.

     As I mentioned, he is a national hero in Japan. I'm not sold on making him a hero of Red Sox Nation just yet though. He clearly dominated in Japan but the Japanese game is noticeably different than Major League Baseball (i.e. skill levels, strategy, dedication, overall organization of leagues and teams, etc.). The differences are so apparent that the Japanese even collectively refer to Major League Baseball as dai-riigu --- The Big Leagues. If that is the case, then Matsuzaka has basically dominated on a minor-league stage and now awaits his shot at the big time. Many players have made smooth transitions from the Japanese game to find success in the Major Leagues, most recently Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners and Hideki Matsui of the Yankees. I only hope that he can be added to this list of names as well.

     His "coming out" party was last year's inaugural World Baseball Classic, where he pitched his way to a Japanese Championship over Cuba in the Final and also picked up Tournament MVP with a 3-0 record and 1.38 ERA. So he was pretty much "lights out" during the three-week tourney, but he only pitched a total of 13 innings in the three games that he started. This leads me to wonder if he will be in the same boat as Jonathon Papelbon this year, as the big righty vacates his closer role and joins the rotation. I say this because Johnny Paps was "lights out" as a closer, when he pitched 2-3 innings max last year as a rookie. So I'm interested to see if both Papelbon and Matsuzaka can continue to put up those numbers over the course of a complete game (9 innings) as they make their transitions to starter and Major League Baseball, respectively.         

     All I'm saying about this "Matsuzaka Mania" is to just let the guy be and leave him alone. Let him get adjusted to a new country and culture, a new team and league --- a new life. But most of all, just let the guy pitch --- something I need to see before I go and accept him as a hero of Red Sox Nation. Hero status has to be earned and so far the only thing he's earned is a spot near the top of my overpaid athletes list.