"It has happened several times already, and spring training is only a few days old. A Red Sox player is asked about the rotation and he forgets to mention Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Jon Lester did it yesterday, talking about how much he enjoys working with Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and John Lackey. Matsuzaka's name never came up.

The Red Sox spent $103.1 million in 2006 to land Matsuzaka, a star in Japan. But as his fifth season with the team commences, the 30-year-old righthander is largely an afterthought. Even the large group of reporters representing media outlets in Japan has dwindled to a diehard dozen. New Twins infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka is a bigger story."