Mythbusters

The late great Marvin Gaye once sang, "...believe half of what you see, son, and none of what you hear."

That's a fine rule of thumb when reading the papers and listening to your favorite sports talk personalities giving their predictions for the season before a single game has been played.

The Red Sox, coming off a World Series championship, were under heavy scrutiny this past off-season, with several talking heads predicting that the first month of the season could ruin their chances to make the playoffs this year. Factor in David Ortiz's sluggish start, and even some Sox die-hards were left wondering if a punchless Papi could end the team's shot at a dynasty for good.

Don't count on it.

Myth #1: The Japan Trip Sports prognosticators around the country warned fans before the season started that the Sox could be off to a sub-.500 start this month due to a combination of the brutal schedule (Yankees, Tigers, Blue Jays, Indians, etc.) and the fallout from the opener in Japan. Consider the itinerary: Boston to Tokyo to Oakland to LA to Toronto and finally home to Boston. Time changes, jet-lag, endless interviews, culture shock, four openings days, three countries, two turtle doves and a ring ceremony were more than enough to think this team would be snoozing in the standings until early May. But 18 games into the season, the Sox find themselves with a narrow lead atop the AL East with the worst of the tough schedule behind them, emerging victorious in six of their last seven games. It would be foolish to think players weren't affected given the uneven play over the first ten days, but the predicted lingering fatigue appears to be a non-issue.

Myth #2: Dice-K's a #3 at Best Slipping Daisuke Matsuzaka into the third spot in the rotation last season made sense, given his unfamiliarity with the league and all the things associated with transitioning from Japan to America. His bumpy 15-12 start wasn't bad, but the 4.40 ERA was concerning as was his inability to escape from pressure situations. Moving him into the #2 slot behind Josh Beckett would be a mistake, said the sports media. Johan Santana would be the best fit for this team if the Yankees don't get him first. We all know what happened with Santana, but has anyone noticed that Dice-K has won his 4th straight decision, leading the American League in wins? The run support he'll get this year should mask some of his shortcomings, like high pitch counts and too many walks, but this guy can pick up 17 or more victories this season barring injury. So is Dice-K an ace? Nah. But he does recognize his problems, and he's always aiming to improve. He's also quick to admit he's had some luck this year, showing surprising humility for a Japanese icon: "For the past two games, even though the team has won, I feel bad that I've been a drag on the team," he said last night. How many other undefeated pitchers will admit to that?

Myth #3: The End of Ortiz Excuses/theories explaining David Ortiz's slow start to the season:

    • Botched knee surgery
    • The new batting stance due to the botched knee surgery
    • Reduced bat speed
    • Jet-lag from Japan
    • Too many endorsements
    • The buried Ortiz jersey backfired
    • We knew he was on the 'roids!
      (Last two suggestions from Yankees fans.)

Over the past week, Ortiz has shown some signs of breaking out of his slump and last night against Texas, Big Papi launched an opposite field grand slam and knocked in another run for good measure on his best offensive night of the year. Will he slip back into his funk after last night's performance at the plate? Possibly, but his track record says otherwise.