With the media showering reports of praise to Boston’s prized offseason acquisition Daisuke Matsuzaka and his dazzling debut, I had to wonder if everyone was watching the same game as I was. Show me a line that reads: 7 innings pitched, 6 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts and ordinarily I would show some respect, but come on, for as good as he is tauted by everyone on the planet, would you expect anything less from an opponent like the Kansas City Royals, a team that lost a 100 games less than a year ago? I watched pitch for pitch and was marginally impressed, especially since the Royals had Matsuzaka on the ropes in the sixth, until a blown call by second base umpire Tim Tschida allowed Dice-K to escape the inning without the Royals tying up the game. Yes, somehow, the Royals managed to be fooled by Dice-K’s unique ability to throw different pitches without changing his motion or arm angle. His fastball was consistently hitting 92mph and he was changing speeds better than drivers approaching a speed radar monitor, but as impressive as that sounds, watching him was about as exciting as attending a funeral.

So now that the hype of his first appearance in the Major Leagues has passed what can we expect from the rest of the season? First, I would like to see how Matsuzaka performs against a contending team before I make any predictions. I mean it took a couple of seasons before hitters caught on to Hideo Nomo and his unique motion, but with today’s technology, hours of video footage and the introduction of Sony HD Super Slow-Motion (a YES Network exclusive affiliate), you can bet hitters will be bringing Boston fans back down to earth sooner than you think.

(5 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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