Waiting for Dice

Daisuke Matsuzaka might come back in mid-May? Mid-May is in two weeks!

Exciting, right?

Right?

We don't know. If it's 2008 Dice-K, it's damn good news. If he's the pitcher of any other time in his Sox tenure, it's not as good news.

He's pitching in AA right now, in theory a notch below AAA, and he's not overwhelming the hitters. If he wasn't such a high-profile pitcher and international phenomenon, would we even be talking about him coming back? We might be hearing trade rumors.

It was suggested, in the spring, that Bobby Valentine might consider a six-man rotation when Dice-K comes back. I think that's a great idea, and could be a huge advantage for the Sox down the stretch.

But he has to win games. I hope he takes his time and comes back in top form.