Matsuzaka Mania Heats Up

Monday, we found out who would start the season on Boston's inactive list, helping the Red Sox get under the roster limits. We also found learned that Josh Beckett continues to take strides toward a speedy return, and that David Aardsma really may fit into the Sox relief plans as the season goes along.

Oh, and Daisuke Matsuzaka again avoided being trampled to death by crazed fans.

It's really been that crazy for the Dice-man back in his native Japan, where Dice-K mania never goes out of style. The obsequious paraphanalia and results-free fandom that accompanied the ace's much-heralded arrival in the Hub last year rages on in Japan, where he and countryman Hideki Okajima are celebrities for their accomplishments as part of a team, as they evidently won the World Series as much for Japan as they did for the Red Sox.

After all, that's the cost of being a baseball superstar in Japan: Accomplishments are made not only for oneself, but also for the cultural progression of Japanese baseball as a whole. The collective chip on Japan's shoulder can add additional weight stateside, but the additional hype and general fan insanity that engulfs the likes of Matsuzaka, Okajima, Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui and Mariners superstar Ichiro (his last name is Suzuki, in case you forgot because of his unique first name jersey) is far heavier.

Still, you wouldn't know it from Matsuzaka's actions since returning to Japan. There's one terrific photo of Matsuzaka signing autographs for fans along the outfield wall of the Tokyo Dome during Red Sox warmups two days ago (WMYM searched all over the interwebs for it but came up empty. Sorry). That in itself isn't so shocking.  What IS amazing, is that Matsuzaka was alternating between catching balls thrown to him from fans, and autographing items dropped to him on strings. That's right, Japanese fans are so desperate for Matsuzaka's John Hancock that they come prepared with twine and pins. Not pens, pins.

It's a dizzying spectacle, one which would leave even the more patient of players - think Mike Lowell or the Mayor Sean Casey - a bit craggy on occasion. Still, Matsuzaka is so used to the treatment that he doesn't flinch, or stop smiling. Okajima's return has been similarly celebrated, with his appearance against his former team, the Yomiuri Giants - combining the feel of a baseball game, soccer match (funny thing about fan chants, plastic sticks and massive flags) and a Lions Club career achievement award dinner. To call it unique is an understatement.

In fact, that's pretty much been the feel in Japan throughout the trip, a celebratory homecoming for two favorite sons interrupted by sporadic outbursts of competitive baseball. Of course, MLB and the front office have promoted the trip as a sort of American Ambassadorship aimed at increasing marketing flows, but that was hardly needed for the Red Sox after adding Dice-K and Okie last year, and then using both en route to a world title.

Not that there's anything wrong with a long - ok, marathonic - celebratory road trip to a player's hometown. Or home country. Or home dome. Whatever. It'll all be hunky dory and great if the Sox knock off the A's and use it as a leveraging stepping stone to a strong season start.

But if the start is rockier, for one reason or another, all these procedural fireworks in Japan will seem awful unsavory to fans back at the Fens ... and it'll happen awful quick.

Just something for Theo Epstein, Larry Lucchino and co. to think about while grinning behind the backstop as Dice-K and Okie wear out their wrists signing autographs over the next couple of days.

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