The Sox weren’t happy with Dice-K’s conditioning last year, but his offseason was good enough that I feel comfortable giving him the official BSOHL seal of approval:
Nice to hear he’s in shape, but the real questions surround his pride and candor. His struggles last year may have had a basis in a lack of conditioning, but they were exacerbated by his failure to disclose his injuries -- a groin pull, mostly -- and by allowing the Red Sox to pitch him when he wasn’t healthy. That led to ineffectiveness and shoulder problems.
The righthander arrived here Thursday and worked out at the team complex the last two days. After a winter that included several sessions at the Athletes’ Performance training center in Arizona, Matsuzaka appears to be in better condition than last season.
“He worked hard this winter, that’s evident,’' general manager Theo Epstein said. “He has lost weight.’'
Even guys who are in good shape get hurt. Hopefully Matsuzaka will let everyone know about it if it happens again.