One Nickname That Must Go

D-Mat.

I hate it. It must be retired. Eliminated. Wiped from our vernacular. Now. ... Please?

Theo calls Brendan Donnelly "a very interesting piece of the [bullpen] puzzle". And "We see [J.C. Romero] as a buy-low guy, someone who's a couple of adjustments away from being a very valuable addition to our bullpen."

Donnelly, to the LA Times:

It stinks that I'm leaving the Angels, because they were the only team that gave me a chance ... The flip side is, I'm going to Boston, and the fans there embrace baseball like no other. I'm excited about getting a fresh start, being with a team that's going to win. I'm leaving a good rivalry with the Angels and Oakland and going to the biggest rivalry of all, Boston-New York.

Curt Schilling says he is "ecstatic about the [Matsuzaka] move ... The potential for this rotation is pretty impressive." ... Are there problems with the results of J.D. Drew's physical?

Johnny Damon, on the Sox spending money:

That's water under the bridge. I got a great offer and a great contract from the Yankees and I'm happy. ... Maybe [Boston] learned a lot from what happened last year. They finished in third place ... [We] brought back Andy Pettitte - a guy who knows how to play in New York, knows how to deal with pressure and how to work big games, especially in the postseason.

(Not always, Noodle-Arm.)

BDD is already hinting at the special treatment Matsuzaka will get:

Special-K's Not Going to Be One of the Guys ... Reports Persist That Roger Clemens May Have to Carry His Luggage ... Wait Until Pedro Hears About This

Sigh. I guess it's never too early to annoint a new "diva".

Wanna know how to say "Yankees Suck" in Japanese?