So Tim Wakefield flirted with a no-hitter, Mike Lowell and JD Drew homered and journeyman Nick Green (read: player that will be on the Nationals next year) contributed and the Red Sox defeated the Oakland Athletics 8-2. All in all, it should be a pretty good day for Boston fans.Nope. The Sox put Dice-K on the 15-day disabled list due to fatigue in his arm.
"He's got some... general soreness or fatigue. He came out of the WBC and I think all the things we harped on and worried about kinda came to fruition. He probably ramped up a little too quick and now we're paying the price for that. So we're going to have to check him out tomorrow and see where we stand." -- Terry Francona, Red Sox Manager
The WBC MVP has a bum arm? Perhaps he was overworked it? Hmmmmm.
Look, I love the event when it was going on, but what has happened to Boston illustrates why most people don't like the event. The good thing is the Red Sox have more solid pitchers than the Yankees have former great players using steroids, otherwise they'd be screwed over completely.
Still they're still paying the guy eight million dollars this year, and Bostondirtdogs.com already suggested that Japan pay that salary for damaging the Sox's pitcher in the World Baseball Classic. And lets not forget the injuries to Youkilis and Pedroia as well - that might have contributed to the Red Sox slow start.
And here's more info from Dirt Dogs concerning Matsuzaka...
Back on March 2, Team Japan manager Tatsunori Hara was in charge of our $103 million import: The Red Sox keep tabs on Matsuzaka in Japan through team massage therapist Takanori Maeda, whose access to Matsuzaka "has been limited," Francona said. Maeda gives updates to interpreter Masa Hoshino, who relays them to pitching coach John Farrell, who relays them to Francona.
"So there's a few channels," Francona said. "There's no other way to do it. We can't go over there and watch. And it's their team. I'll be glad when he's back and throwing the ball well. There's no other way to get around it."
If national teams are not going to take care of players and respect the money invested in them by their major league clubs, I think that any team should be able to limit their players from participating in the WBC this is ridiculous.
Boo Hoo Cry Me a River. Pedroia had a strain and to my knowledge he is currently in the lineup. In fact, so is Youkilis. This entire franchise is based on scapegoating the world for its shortcomings, so it is unsurprising that the red sox fan base would find such a dark, secret little pleasure in the WBC, a ready-made whipping boy for your team's shortcomings. At least preliminary season results make it look like we won't be in store for the millionth Red Sox-Yankee ALCSnoozefest this decade. Thank god for the WBC, may it prosper and grow for all eternity.
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