We all knew what was coming. We knew since February that he would come out and fire his way through six-plus innings, while K-ing up all those foolish enough to hold a bat 60 feet down his path. Was it exactly what we had pictured? Not completely. Nobody’s perfect, right? He may have allowed a concerning homerun to David DeJesus to open the sixth, but other than that he did a fantastic job of keeping guys from crossing the plate and completely controlling the game. He pitched a game as close to our dreamt masterpiece as he could get, cementing that collective confidence in a pitcher that Boston hasn’t seen since Pedro (ah, the good ol’ days).

Simply put, Dice-K is good. Really good. We’ve seen in seven innings what Japanese fans had seen for eight years, and finally understand the absolute man crush the Japanese media has on him. We saw it in Fort Myers, we saw it in Kansas City, and we even saw it in Boston when he took a darn physical. The signs flew high at Kauffman Stadium this afternoon, predominantly written with Japanese characters, with only a few in mere half Japanese. It’s unbelievable the way this man is followed and coveted by his hometown homeboys, and all of that anticipation has come together for a great day – and probably a great year – on the mound.

But with this great popularity and even better performance, a problem lies within. As huge as the numbers are that the Red Sox put up on the stat sheets, their egos seem to be consistently bigger. Dice-K’s presence most directly affects blog-master Curt Schilling, who enjoys being the showcase starter, and usually the showcase mouth, on the team – which isn’t always bad. He’s already let his ego take him to the front of the rotation, and his recent word-battles with the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy caused a small stir in Beantown. The rise of the Dice could hit his ego hard, and cause some problems within the clubhouse. But I just can’t see that happening. As highly as Schilling sees himself, he’s still a really good guy. There’s no way that he’d let himself become bigger than the team and cause trouble because of one guy. Who knows, this could even be good for him, as it provides some inspiration to excel. That’s the scenario I’m hoping for.

Curt isn’t the only guy who holds himself to high esteem, though. Two other guys, the stars at the plate, have egos bigger (and more enjoyable) than the Green Monster. I’m of course talking about Papi and Manny, the guys who provide us with both satisfaction and entertainment. On and off the field, they’re used to receiving all the attention, and seem to enjoy it as well. Yet it has been all Dice-K in the headlines, especially today. As much as this could anger the studs, Dice-K mania could be good for them as well. Like Curt, it can provide some needed inspiration to succeed and be talked about. But more importantly, the cold shoulder also averts attention from their struggles. Take today, for example, as Papi had an unheard of four-strikeout game. But no attention was given to his troubles at the plate, which should keep him happy. There’s also the annual trade rumors and dissatisfaction from Manny, which creates distractions within the organization. With Dice-K there, the media will be less focused on the perennial rumors and more concerned with the legend on the mound. Either good or bad can come from the new ace’s spot on the squad, and Boston is obviously hoping for the best.

Of course, there is the obvious problem for the main man himself. Dice-K is constantly being covered and followed, by both Japanese and American media. He has already seemed to handle it like the pro he is, and had also managed it well for eight years in Japan. Yet the constant attention, and the much tougher Boston media there to scrutinize his every bad move, can have a terrible effect on the star. As long as he can command the media the way he can a baseball game, he’ll be set for success.

With all these problems, Dice-K seems prime to be a legendary bust. Yet the positives within this man’s repertoire – the speed, the breaking balls, and dare I say it, the gyroball – outweigh the negatives by about 103 million to one. And as I watched him dominate and control the Royals today, I had only one thing to say: Thank God he’s not in pinstripes.

Written by Derek Bennett

Edited by Scott Penny