Dice-K gets start in Japan

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will be the opening day starter for the Boston Red Sox when they take Oakland Athletic's in their season opener in Japan.

Dice-K starting is a wonderful thing for MLB and it's image overseas. Obviously, baseball is a huge thing in Japan, but allowing Matsuzaka to start the first game played their this season is awesome. Major League Baseball is getting the publicity that the NFL only dreams about when it goes overseas.

It is very important that American sports leagues get ample recognition outside of the United States. We are world leaders in just about every sport (except, of course, for soccer) and we need to set positive examples.

Personally, I cannot wait to catch some of this game. The fans are going to be going nuts no matter how Dice-K does. It will definitely be a lot of fun to watch.

Classic case of one-upmanship

Though I really don’t like either team, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees sure make for good entertainment during the offseason. Every year it seems both teams are fighting for the top free agents.

What I find particularly amusing is that neither team really needs most of the players. If the Yankees show interest in a player, so do the Red Sox, and vice-versa. It’s all about keeping the good players from your enemy.

Currently, both teams are in the running for Twins star pitcher Johan Santana. As trade talks stand currently, the Sox would send four players to the Twins including the awesomely-named Coco Crisp and pitcher Jon Lester. The Yankees have made no real offer as of yet.

The funny thing is the Red Sox really do not need Santana. True, they would be much better with him, however they already won the World Series without him. The Yankees, on the other hand, desperately need Santana. A young Cy Young caliber pitcher would tremendously help their aging starting rotation.

Whoever does get Santana must also sign him to a new contract. It is expected that Santana will ask for six years and $150 million from his new club. Personally, I think Santana is worth every penny.

In the end, I would expect the Yankees to end up with Santana. They simply have endless pockets and also are not scared of trading top prospects for established talent.

Frankly, that’s the best case scenario for the Red Sox. Successfully scare the Yankees into trading away top talent and overpaying for someone the Red Sox really do not need.

My World Series Preview

Being that I really am into the whole sports analysis thing, I could get way too far into detail about how this year’s World Series could play out. However, I think the more appropriate way is to remark just how great baseball is.

Take the Boston Red Sox for example. For years and years (and decades and decades), they simply could not win a World Series. Curse of the Bambino or not, they just did not have much luck. And yet, in the past 5 years they have managed to reverse years of bad fortune and turn themselves into a legit contender. Only in baseball could you reverse years and years of poor play.

The Colorado Rockies are a great example of just how funny of a sport baseball is. The Rockies were a long ways out heading into the last weeks of the season, and yet, here they are in the World Series. Their winning streak was spectacular and the Mets’ collapse was even more so.

I think this year’s series is going to hinge on the unknown. I don’t think it will come down to a David Ortiz or Todd Helton, but rather a Troy Tulowitzki or Jacoby Ellsbury. Baseball has a way of playing out like that.

All things considered, the Red Sox appear to be the stronger team on paper. Despite this, I think the Rockies take the series in 6. Their magical season will not stop without a win.