Dice-K Blasts Sox' Pitching Program

Daisuke Matsuzaka, speaking to the Japanese media, was recently very critical of the Red Sox' pitching program. He claimed that his success of the past two years was in spite of the program, which he blamed for his struggles this year. Red Sox manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell both said the public criticism (backstabbing?) by their own player was "disappointing." Farrell claimed the Dice-K's personalized program was developed jointly and conducted openly at all times. He thought Dice-K and the team were on the same page. Many have blamed the World Baseball Classic for Dice-K's struggles, but Farrell seemed to place more emphasis on the fact that Dice-K reported to spring training in horrible shape, meaning his struggles are largely his own fault. Dice-K does look rather chubby, so Farrell's claim is not so hard to believe. Still, Dice-K is frustrated with his performance so far this season, so his comments may have been an attempt to deflect criticism away from himself and onto the Red Sox.