Dice-K Speaks!

This article might be the best thing I've read about the Sox all winter. Ok, that might be hyperbole; I'm sure if I had a gun to my head, I'd say that, given its timing, the Lackey signing was the best thing I heard this winter, but hearing that Matsuzaka is not only being up front with his employers about a potential injury but confessing to the media that this admission is a sign that he's turned a corner when it comes to talking about being hurt gives me a lot more confidence in his reliability for this season. Here's why:

Earlier this week, I was watching some late night TV when I came across a sports show on the prospects of the Mets. The show had one of NYC's sports journalists on as a guest expert, and he was in the process of running through the pitching staff when I tuned in. Not that this should surprise any of you, but the essence of his comments was: Santana is Santana. Everyone else is a question mark whose ultimate usefulness depends the cooperation of a few different factors and healthy sprinkling of fairy dust. Thankfully, Boston's staff isn't in nearly such tough shape, but without knowing how well Matsuzaka had learned the lesson of injury honesty, his presence made the fourth or fifth pitching slot as much a mystery as the ones facing the fans of the team in Flushing. Which is huge, huge news: no one wants to be like the Mets.