Faith in Dice-K

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 1:23 PM EDT Comment 28 comments

I know that my last post was a little controversal but that was written to piss off the Halo fans who still believe we have some kind of rivalry with them. Duke v. North Carolina, Cowboy v. Redskins, Celtic v. Lakers, these are rivalries. There is no rivalry if you lose all the time.

Friday's game is a huge game for the Halos, but its bigger for Dice-K. Often Sox fans, myself included, forget that Dice pitches for 2 nations, the Red Sox Nation and Japan and the game on Friday is Dice-K's chance to show his homeland that he is still the big game pitcher they loved back in Japan.

As I said in my earlier post, this game of Friday sets up perfectly for Dice-K: he is on the road where he does better, the pressure is off (thanks to Lester and Bay), the Angels will be jumping out of their shoes to get something started so Dice-k can lull them to sleep with his style of pitching, Ervin Santana now has every Angel fan praying not to get swept again and Santana has no playoff experience whatsoever. Plus everyone in Japan has kind of gravitated to Yu Darvish as the best Japanese pitcher, and almost forgotten about Dice-K.

So, no more trash talking from me, all positive vibes for Dice-K, bc I believe Dice has another WBC type performance in him and I personally believe Friday everyone finally understands why $100 million was a steal for this guy.

P.S. Have I mentioned that the Angels dreams are pinned to Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders? LOL well a little trash talking never hurt anyone.

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Don't forget

It was $51.11 million to keep him off the Yankees. Excluding that, he’s signed for 6 years at $52 million, which is quite reasonable considering what he’s given us.

by 0157H7 on Oct 2, 2008 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Big Game Dice

It’s his shot, man. He better not waste it.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Oct 2, 2008 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Would you hold it against him if he did?

We probably wouldn’t be in the post season this year, or defending world champs if it wasn’t for Dice-K. I understand the point you’re trying to make, but you talk like it’s Dice-K’s first ever big game in the post season—it’s not. The 2007 post season was Dice-K’s “Big Shot” and he didn’t waste a bit of it. If he fails on Friday against the Halos it shouldn’t ruin his excellent reputation with Red Sox Nation. Don’t expect miracles every time. Having said that of course I wish him the best and hope he puts in another outstanding performance. But look:

ALCS 2007 Game 7: Matsuzaka (W, 5 IP, 2ER)
WS 2007 Game 3: Matsuzaka (W, 6IP, 0 ER)

He struggled early in the post season but he came through when it mattered most.

Forever Red Sox, screw all those pink-hatted babes, 'got no family, 'got no friends, 'got no life--RED SOX I LIVE FOR THIS.

by RedSoxUltras on Oct 2, 2008 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Devil's advocate:

5 IP and 2 ER isn’t a great start, especially in a big game. As for his WS start, he went 5.1 innings and gave up 2 ER. Here, check the box score. In Game 3 of the Series, Matsuzaka had a 6 run lead and couldn’t even go 6 innings.

Here are Dice-K’s numbers from last year’s post-season:

4 G 19.2 IP (4.92 IP/start) 5.03 ERA 1.53 WHIP.

In other words, he wasn’t very good in October last year. Beckett and Schilling carried the load.

Dice-K is better this year. But I won’t trust him in a big game until he shows me that he can rise to the occasion. (CC Sabathia sucked again in a big game: 3.2 IP 5 ER. I wouldn’t trust him either). If Dice-K pitches well and goes 6+ innings, the Sox should win.

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Oct 2, 2008 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Word

Dice-K is really the key in this second game. If he’s good, we’ll win. If he’s not, it’s a split.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Oct 2, 2008 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The best thing about CC failing in the postseason

is that the Sox will not spend money on him in the off season. CC is not a playoff pitcher. I give the guy a lot of credit, but he is not an option for the Sox in 09.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure he is

How many pitchers would fail if they had to throw repeatedly on three days rest over a stretch of two or three weeks? CC did better than anyone had a right to expect, and the Brewers don’t make the playoffs without him.

That said, I hope the Sox give Masterson a shot at a full year in the rotation instead of wasting $20M a year on CC.

by RSNexile on Oct 4, 2008 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lose all the time

Obviously these were regular season.

But our sweeping you two times this year begs to differ.

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Oct 2, 2008 4:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also

Santana’s Game 5 emergency victory against the Yanks says hi.

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Oct 2, 2008 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I stand corrected

See all positives, even with the Halo fans who come here looking for validation.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your are correct

The Celtics and Lakers probably keep track of their regular season matchups as well….

Good point…

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There is no real Red Sox-Angels Rivalry

I’ve watched every game they’ve played in many a year now and I never felt it was a real rivalry. I don’t agree that one team always losing means a matchup doesn’t qualify as a rivalry (mostly because that’s exactly what Yankee fans used to say to us), but in terms of passion and desire to win I never felt either side expressly wanted to beat the other because of who the other side was. The Red Sox-Angels “rivalry” is a mere statistical rivalry, not a fan rivalry.

Here’s what I think our top rivalries are:

1. Red Sox – Yankees
2. Red Sox – Devil Rays
3. Red Sox – Athletics (diluted in the last two years maybe, but far back as I remember, the A’s were on our case and we on their. Remember the amazing game 5 ALDS in 2003?

Who do you guys think are our worst rivals?

Forever Red Sox, screw all those pink-hatted babes, 'got no family, 'got no friends, 'got no life--RED SOX I LIVE FOR THIS.

by RedSoxUltras on Oct 2, 2008 6:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

To me, rivalries are divisional.

18-19 games against a team are important. But when you play a team only 6-10 games a year, that doesn’t mean as much to me. The more teams you include the less it’s a rivalry and the more it’s a general hatred of the world.

Going by the hatred voiced by some of the posters on Halos Heaven, it seems like the Angels have rivalries with:
1) The Red Sox
2) The Athletics
3) The Mariners
4) The Dodgers
5) The Yankees
6) The Kansas City Royals
7) The Pittsburgh Pirates
8) The Durham Bulls
9) Manchester United
10) The Jamaican Bobsled team

by 0157H7 on Oct 2, 2008 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lots of them seem to have big daddy issues

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Oct 2, 2008 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL awesome

but those damn Jamaican Bobsledders are an arrogant bunch of ********….

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You forgot

11) The Texas Rangers
12) Steve Physioc, they really hate that guy. (Angel’s play by play man)
13) Anyone who believes their team is better than the Angels.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Our worst rivals

are the Bluejays…they hate us, we could care less about them.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of the WBC

It’s coming up again in a couple of months, so we all have something to look forward to. Screw sour owners and managers, for me the WBC is big. It’s America’s opportunity to prove that we’re more than just talk and boy, we need to prove it, cause in 2006 we were ridiculous. But that’s beside the point, Red Sox first. Just adding this to remind everybody that next year there’ll be more and even better baseball!

Forever Red Sox, screw all those pink-hatted babes, 'got no family, 'got no friends, 'got no life--RED SOX I LIVE FOR THIS.

by RedSoxUltras on Oct 2, 2008 6:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

if everyone who is healthy plays for their respective countries, the WBC will be amazing.

How about a Lester, Beckett, Halladay, Peavy, Webb rotation?

by SoxAcumen on Oct 2, 2008 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm, I think I would give a full-strength US team

an edge over a full-strength DR team. Not sure I would have said that a couple of years ago.

"no1 has time to read your long comments, are you writing a book?"

by britsoxfan on Oct 3, 2008 3:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dont forget about ....

Japan: Dice-K, Darvish, Kuroda rotation – Ichiro, Akinori Iwamura, Fukudome, Matsui (MFY), Kaz Matsui, Jojhima.

and

Venezuela – Zambrano etc.

Puerto Rico and Cuba.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 3, 2008 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

before you laugh at everything being pinned on Santana and Saunders

i suggest to take a look at numbers, and not just names.

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Oct 3, 2008 12:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey, I might be wrong about both

But someone please post their playoff numbers?

Both pitchers had excellent years, but so did CC and he just got shelled in the Philly. Playoffs are different and even you Halo fans would have to admit the next two games have an insane amount of pressure put on your two young starters.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 3, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your biggest rivals , no doubt whatsoever, is the overpaid men in the Bronx

"Halos Heaven All Time Saves Record Holder Genius Prognasticator."

by vlad IS my man on Oct 3, 2008 10:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I hate to say it

There is no rivalry if you lose all the time.

That’s what the Yankee fans used to say back when the Red Sox crumbled time and time again. It’s arrogant to completely dismiss the Angels. We’ve thumped them every time in recent playoffs, but they do seem to repeatedly stand in our way. I can understand why the Sox drive Halo fans to fits.

I think that a rivalry can most assuredly be one-way, though the best rivalries are long-standing, drag-down, mutual beatings. Especially within a division.

Since the beatings are definitely not mutual between the Angels and the Red Sox, Sox fans don’t pay the Angels much mind.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Oct 3, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

bc

Heres how i view MLB as a Sox Fan.

1) Red Sox – Love em, my team
2) Yankees – Hate em, everything that is wrong with baseball.
3) Everyone else….

If that is arrogant or Halo fan feels disrespected, that is their problem.

by SoxAcumen on Oct 3, 2008 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just mean the “there’s not rivalry if you lose all the time” comment. That’s exactly what the Yankees fans used to say. More accurately, there’s no rivalry because Sox fans simply don’t care about the Angels.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Oct 3, 2008 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs