No Media Circus Surrounding Dice-K This Spring

Last year, every pitch thrown by Dice-K in Spring Training was dissected by the media. It's hard to imagine how hard it must have been for him to get ready for the season with the flock of reporters constantly around him.

This year is different. After a season in the majors where he was overshadowed by Josh Beckett, the bright lights have faded. While there is still media attention, it's nothing like last year, and that's a good thing.

"Most of the things that were a source of stress for me last season have disappeared," Dice-K told the AP"and now I'm just able to practice."

The Nashua Telegraph reports that he's off to a good stard, "Dice-K made a very positive move forward today," pitching coach John Farrell said. "He threw the ball again in the bottom of the strike zone. His fastball command was solid."Matsuzaka also made a slight adjustment on the release of his changeup, which makes it "a much more useable pitch. I think hitters will have to respect it. They won't be able to detect it so early upon it's release," Farrell said.

Progress on the changeup, however, began late last season."I was able to grasp a few points on my changeup that were really going to make a difference," Matsuzaka said. "I just hope that I can apply those right away early on in the season."