[新聞] Sox feel betrayed by DiceK's criticisms
http://tinyurl.com/kknmo8
Farrell calls Matsuzaka comments 'disappointing'
In a radio interview with sports radio WEEI's "Dale and Holley Show" today
(listen to it here), Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said the critical
comments recently made by Daisuke Matsuzaka regarding the Red Sox throwing
program are "disappointing" and that the club has always had Matsuzaka's best
interests in mind.
"We have the utmost respect for the baseball norms and cultures that the
Japanese baseball league has," Farrell said. "We not only respect them but we
acknowledged them at the time of signing Daisuke. When he came over, no
changes were recommended. No changes were mandated by any means. The
adjustments in throwing have been in response to the challenges that
Daisuke's faced here.
"I think we look back at '07, and let's face it, he's been a very successful
pitcher in the two years he's been here. We know that there was a pretty
substantial amount of fatigue in the second half of '07 that we had to give
him a breather at the time, in large part because of the differences in
travel, differences in competition, differences in strike zone, a number of
the on-field challenges that he faced. So any of the adjustments that we've
encountered have been in response to how he's adapted to the rigors of the
schedule and the competition here.
"As we all know, he came into spring training prior to the '08 season with
what we intended to be the same approach that we took in '07, but at the same
time, we monitor every one of our pitchers in terms of their overall
conditioning, their shoulder strength, and provide the specific needs that
each guy has. In May again, he was shut down, I think in large part because
he came into spring training a little bit behind other pitchers on our staff.
So, whether that was a carryover effect of pitching into late
October/November 1 from the year before, and a short offseason, having to
crank it up like every other pitcher did, we saw some effects last year with
Josh Beckett, guys that had heavy workloads in the '07 season, so the
challenges that Daisuke faced are no different than any other pitcher here,
and we have to use our best judgment to put pitchers in a situation where
they're not only going to be productive, but where we feel they're going to
be healthy, not in the short run, but in the long run as well.
"I know Daisuke's transition here, and the challenges that he's faced, he's
been obviously on record now with saying that he has vast differences with
the throwing program but we've got a $103 million investment in a guy that
we've got to, what we feel, not only protect him, but put him in a best
situation to have that success we just outlined."
More from Farrell on Matsuzaka:
．On any concerns with Matsuzaka's physical conditioning when he came into camp
this past spring: "There was concern from the standpoint of the WBC. Now I
want to be clear that we're not pointing our finger at the WBC as the culprit
here, that needs to be documented here first and foremost, but we had six
players who participated in that tournament, all but Daisuke were in spring
training with us at the outset. We granted that freedom to Daisuke knowing
that there would be a huge time zone difference, changes that he would face
physically from a lot of travel to turn back around in a week or 10 days and
go back to Japan to join Seibu for additional training or join Team Japan to
prepare for the WBC. But because we thought it was in his best interest to
keep some stability in that time zone to stay there, we did send a
representative over to monitor Daisuke's workouts, to provide us feedback,
because that was the same feedback that our other five players in the WBC
were getting while they were in our camp. I think that's just prudent
business.
"Again, you think about the investment we have in him, the care that we give
all of our players. It was no different than what any other player in the Red
Sox had gone through, so in hindsight, there might not have been the work
that he needed to put in on his own time during the offseason to build the
foundation that every pitcher requires to withstand the workloads that a
major league starting pitcher is going to go through here in the states."
．Has any communication been lost in translation?: "For the amount of sit-down
conversations, the amount of communication that we've had with Daisuke, like
all of our players, to ensure that there's nothing lost in translation, even
to the point of basically an open forum. This is a two-way situation. We're
not dictating or mandating items directly to Daisuke. The opportunity to
provide his feedback has always been allowed and welcomed. So for this to
come out as it has, and we recognize there are differences, and we've worked
diligently and thoroughly to try to bridge that gap, for them to come out as
they have now is, in a word, disappointing."
．On strength and conditioning: "I want to be clear again that that freedom and
the lengthy bullpen have been provided and allowed for as long as the
strength and the test results that we put all of our pitchers through meet a
minimum standard. It doesn't mean he's got to be pristine in terms of his
overall shoulder condition, overall shoulder strength, but when you allow a
pitcher to ramp up volume when he's in an area that is somewhat of a red
flag, that's just being negligent on our part. ... We are going to have
specific work plans for every pitcher, and Daisuke is no different.
．On throwing as a means of getting in shape: "Now, his theory might be that
'I'm going to get my arm in shape just by throwing.' Well we feel that
there's a support structure, the rest of the body, or that needs to be, in a
condition of core strength, flexibility, and endurance to support the
stresses that the throwing motion or the arm is going to be put through. To
us, it doesn't matter if you're from Japan, the Dominican, or the States. We
feel that the human body has movements that it goes through, that you've got
to support it with overall conditioning and strength in addition to throwing.
But if you just take it from just a throwing standpoint, I think you're
getting to the point of diminishing returns and putting your arm in jeopardy
of further injury and that's what we've felt all along, that's what we've
tried to educate him on, and we've gone to extreme lengths because he is that
valuable, he is that talented, and he deserves that."
．On Matsuzaka's return to the Red Sox rotation: "We are hopeful that he comes
back in September, because right now, the long toss program or the throwing
program his is on, which is outlined week-to-week, with his input, based on
how he feels with the stresses and the intensity level that is outlined in a
given week. The thing that we have not done is put a target date as a marker
in the near future to say this is the game that we're hoping you're back in
Boston for, and being attached to the calendar, sometimes it causes the
pitcher or the player to neglect how his body's feeling and what his body is
telling him. So in a sense, we're not letting Daisuke completely direct this,
but he is certainly included in our planning and the progression of the
throwing going forward."
========
http://tinyurl.com/nggrkf
Francona 'disappointed' by Matsuzaka's 'unfortunate' comments
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said this afternoon he was “disappointed” in
Daisuke Matsuzaka for comments he made in a Japanese media report brought to
light this morning.
“We had made huge strides [in communicating] during our meetings,” said
Francona. “So to hear him say that -- to have him air it out publicly --
I'm disappointed.”
Francona said that he had talked to Matsuzaka within the last two days and
thought he and the pitcher had left the meeting with an agreement to follow
the team's regimen. Matsuzaka's statements, made after the meeting, imply
that he wants to be able to work his shoulder back into shape on his own
training schedule.
“For $102 million, if [Red Sox owner John Henry] came down and asked, ‘What's
going on?’ and we said, ‘We're letting [Daisuke] do it his own way,'
he probably wouldn't like that very much,” said Francona.
“I know there's frustration, but it's unfortunate for [Matsuzaka] to say
that,” Francona said. “I thought everybody was on board with what we were
doing.”
Francona said that the disappointment stems mostly from the fact that
communication between Matsuzaka and the organization had seemingly
strengthened recently. In the past, the Red Sox manager has said that the
lines of communication are often muddled because meetings with the pitcher
last twice as long due to the amount of time it takes to translate Matsuzaka's
thoughts.
“I thought we'd opened the lines of communication better. I even had him
put in writing some of the things he had to say to make things clearer,”
said Francona. “We've had a lot of meetings. There have been some cultural
differences. There were a lot of things that could cause him anxiety. I didn't
want to be one of those things.”
====
http://tinyurl.com/kkmb2a
Farrell: 'There's no openness'
Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell tersely shot back at Daisuke Matsuzaka's
public disagreement with the Red Sox' shoulder conditionining program for the
second time today.
"Do I think he's more open? No. This couldn't be any further from it," said
Farrell. "There is no openness.
"There's been a lot of conversation back and forth. Thoughts have been
exchanged. The disappointment comes from him airing his dirty laundry," said
Farrell.
Farrell also disagreed that Matsuzaka's suggestion of throwing more pitches
would have any positive effect on his shoulder.
"The rigors of this schedule presents energy and taxation regardless of where
you're from," said Farrell. "The body needs a recovery and recuperation
period. It comes to a point of diminishing returns when you pile on volume.
"If you're going to throw 115 pitches, you've got to go out and be effective.
At some point there's got to be some accountability and responsibility from
the player," said Farrell."
====
http://tinyurl.com/lxnfqx
Sox feel betrayed by Dice-K's criticisms
Injured righty airs grievances after meeting with training staff
By Ian Browne / MLB.com / 07/28/09 8:45 PM ET
BOSTON -- The Red Sox were equal parts stunned and disappointed to see
rehabbing right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka publicly criticize the team's
training program.
Matsuzaka, in an article published in Japan on Monday, seemed to point a
finger at the Red Sox for both the ineffectiveness and lack of health he has
had this season.
"If I'm forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be
able to pitch like I did in Japan," Matsuzaka said to Japanese writer Taeko
Yoshii. "The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and
second years [with the Red Sox] was because I used the savings of the
shoulder I built up in Japan. Since I came to the Major Leagues, I couldn't
train in my own way, so now I've lost all those savings."
Red Sox manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell both spoke
with Matsuzaka -- who remains in Florida on a strengthening program -- by
phone after hearing about his comments.
Matsuzaka -- who likely won't rejoin the rotation until September -- came
back to Boston on Friday to check in with Francona, Farrell and the medical
staff. At that point, there was a meeting that lasted roughly 90 minutes.
From the Red Sox's standpoint, it was a productive meeting, in which both
sides got to express their opinions about where the pitcher is at and where
they will go moving forward to get him back on the mound.
That only made it more surprising for the Red Sox to read his public
complaints a few days later.
"I've actually thought we've made huge strides in communicating through some
of his frustrations and then maybe some of ours," said Francona. "So to hear
him say that is disappointing. [It's] not disappointing that he has an
opinion, because that's very welcome; disappointing that we took a meeting
that was confidential, and he decided to air it publicly. Yeah, we're very
disappointed."
Farrell, who has worked with Matsuzaka every step of the way since the Red
Sox made a $103.1 million investment in the righty in December 2006, seemed
even more disappointed at the turn of events.
"The fact that it comes out the way it does -- there were many opportunities,
routine opportunities, to express things that caused him greater stress,
things that he had to deal with," Farrell said, "and yet when some of those
things weren't brought out in those meetings and to be put out in the form
that they were, I think we all share, in a word, that it's disappointing."
The other thing Farrell wanted to make clear is that the Red Sox have tried
to work with Matsuzaka on the best approach. In his mind, they've never
forced anything down the pitcher's throat.
"They certainly were not mandated. That is to be clearly stated," said
Farrell. "Changes that he has gone through have not been mandated. Now, as a
result of two years of pitching here, the challenges that he did face, there
was a lot of communication back and forth -- educating and learning and
living, the new environment and pitching in the States here, along with very
much different lineups, a different strike zone, a different intensity to
every pitch that he threw that has a greater taxing effect on the shoulder.
"And as a result, over time, there's been a decrease in shoulder strength.
Now, that can't be attributed to any one thing. There's a lot of contributing
factors here."
Matsuzaka's biggest complaints have centered on being confined to a pitch
count and being restricted in how much he can throw between starts.
The Red Sox think that Matsuzaka's shoulder would have held up better this
year if his overall conditioning was better.
"The fact remains, though, that while there's been a lot of freedom provided,
particularly in the offseason in preparation for Spring Training, there falls
a lot of accountability on the individual pitcher," said Farrell. "Much like
[Josh] Beckett, [Jon] Lester, [Tim] Wakefield and any other starter that we
have here, there's a program that's outlined that takes into account the
specific needs of the individual.
"You can't just look at the shoulder. Certainly, that is a main point for our
strength and shoulder program. But when the overall body is not in the top
condition that it needs to be to support that, there has to be some
responsibility taken, not just finger-pointing. And I strongly believe that.
"The shoulder program is one thing. The amount of throwing and his training
routine or what is common in Japan as we've come to know from Daisuke, is a
high volume of throwing to get the shoulder in shape. We are not opposed to
what would be considered a high volume of throwing, provided everything is in
shape to support it. When any pitcher falls into what we would call a 'red
category,' we've got to take a time out and say there are some strengthening
issues that need to be addressed."
Entering this season, Matsuzaka had to ramp up his arm faster because of the
World Baseball Classic. All along, the Red Sox feared it would lead to
problems this season. Thus far, the pitcher has been on the disabled list
twice since returning from his Most Valuable Player performance in the
Classic. In eight starts this season -- the last of which was on June 19 --
Matsuzaka is 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA.
"Last year, giving him the freedom to come into Spring Training, we had to
shut [him] down at the end of May," Farrell said. "This year, the same
freedom was provided during the offseason, and yet he had a shortened
offseason because of the [Classic]. This is not to point the finger at the
[Classic].
"But because we had six total players at the [Classic], all but one reported
to Spring Training to give us an idea of where they stood conditioning wise,
what was needed as our Opening Day approached. That freedom was provided, and
reasonably so. We didn't feel like, for Dice-K to come back to the States for
five to seven days and then have to report back to Team Japan, that was a lot
of unnecessary travel.
"So we did assign someone to monitor the work. If that is perceived as being
restrictive, we have a responsibility for the size of investment that is in
him, and it's out of care and monitoring, not out of restriction and holding
him back in any way. It's unfortunate that he feels that way."
The Red Sox are hopeful Matsuzaka will return to their rotation at some point
in September. Perhaps, by that time, the sides will be more on the same page.
"We came out of that meeting feeling very good and actually just visited with
him two days ago and felt like everybody was on board with exactly what we
were doing -- himself included," Francona said. "I don't know that we felt
like there was an issue there. I still don't think there is. I think there
were some things said out of frustration that was poor judgment on his part."
The Red Sox made a blind bid of $51.1 million to win the rights to Matsuzaka
and then signed the pitcher to a six-year, $52 million contract. Matsuzaka is
signed through the end of the 2012 season.
"We have been very upfront with him that as long as his shoulder can handle
the amount of throwing that he wants to do, he is more than welcome to do
that," said Francona. "But not when his shoulder cannot handle that. And
that's just, I think, common sense.
"In the past, Dice has somewhat been his own coach, and we understand that.
There's been some cultural differences. We've actually tried to explain to
him also that for [$103.1 million], if he were to go out there and do it his
own way with no coach and then had a difficult time and then [principal
owner] Mr. [John W.] Henry came down and said to me or John Farrell, 'What's
going on?' and we said, 'I don't know, we just let Dice do it his own way,'
that wouldn't be a very good answer."
The next time Matsuzaka has complaints about the program the team outlines
for him, the Red Sox are hopeful he will air them in a more professional
fashion.
"And as these situations have arisen, there have been many sit-down meetings
where thoughts have been exchanged back and forth," Farrell said. "So the
disappointment comes from basically airing his laundry [in public]."
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