Five Days......And Counting, For Daisuke.....

Yes, we are in the final stretch run for the sevices of Daisuke Matsuzaka. And I've finally mastered the spelling of his name without having to look it up somewhere. But the Boras/Red Sox talks have until the end of Thursday, December 14th. If Boras and the Sox are still worlds apart in their thinking, and from what I hear, they are, I think it's time for those worlds to collide dramatically, dangerously. The result of that collision would be a compromise-a higher figure than the Sox are thinking of, and a lower one for Mr. Boras.
It crossed the wires this morning that Curt Schilling and pitching coach John Farrell are learning Japanese so that they can better communicate with Daisuke, who is a maybe Sox, and Hedeki Okajima, who now wears the uniform proudly. Said Schill, "He is literally a national symbol. I didn't realize what we had coming our way......." Well Curt, we know Hedeki is in the fold, and now we are counting the hours for Daisuke to become a prominent member of the rotation and a possibility to be our number one starter for many years to come. I hope Theo, Larry, Tom and John get this done. We're looking at a possible 18 game winner and a number two starter. How big is that? Answer....HUGE. And that, my friends, my readers, is number one on the Sox "must do" list. The closer and the veteran needed in the bullpen? We have time. And that's what we DON'T HAVE with Daisuke Matsuzaka. As the Nike ads say, "JUST DO IT!." For the team, and us, the people that love them.
Everyone, enjoy your Sunday December 10th. I was born on this date, so I guess I can truthfully say that it's my birthday. A nice dinner is in store for me and my brother, his wife (my sister-in-law), their son Skip, my so great nephew, and his Jersey girl girlfriend Lauren. She is equally amazing! We're going to a wonderful place in West Hartford Center, home of so many great eateries and hopping night spots. It's called Grants, and the owner and chef is a good friend of my brother Bob. His name is Billy Grant. And I am excited. I have already chosen my meal....To start? Shrimp Cocktail (they have the best cocktail sauce, with plenty of lemon and horseradish combined with a wonderful tomato base), Caesar Salad, with a nice slice of lemon for me to drizzle over the salad right before the fresh cracked pepper and a tad of salt. Sound good so far? My mouth is watering, and I JUST had breakfast. For the entree, a New York Strip, medium rare (or, in other words, pink. Not red, but pink!) Served with that will be pomme frittes (french fries, fresh cut, flash fried, with a touch of kosher salt and a smattering of parmesion cheese, served in a cone of paper inside an upright metal "vase"). Maybe a Miller Light, to taste. Maybe two. Hey, it's my birthday! Desert is one thing I have to forgo, what with my Type One Diabetes. But I think, no, I KNOW, that I'll be full after such a great meal with my loved ones. And I have an unnamed friend, call her X, who because of her location can not be there. But her seat will be saved, and in my heart she'll be there in spirit. Hi X!!!!
Enough about that. Hope I made some of you hungry. Let's see, it's 8:30, reservations are for 6:30, so I have 10 hours or so. I'll make it! And I already received a happy birthday call this morning, the longest distance birthday call in all my years! It was from Japan. Daisuke called and said, with his tranlator, happy birthday. No no, the call WAS from Japan, and it WAS this morning, night there, but it was from a friend of mine. How nice is that.
And now I leave you. Again, the best birthday present, and belated would be perfectly OK, would be to hear that the signing of DMat is complete, successful, AND DONE. Enjoy your Sunday. As always, I love it that you manage to find time to stop by and read what I have to say. That's the best birthday present of all!!! A full post-birthday dinner report, with celebrity sightings, will be up tomorrow, unless of course there is breaking Red Sox news. I hope so.