What He Said

Globe:

One member of Red Sox Nation who's fluent in Japanese translated Matsuzaka's comments directly, and some weren't exactly as his translator relayed. Thanks to former Newton resident and Columbia University grad student Taka Tanaka for passing along this information, which includes some translated questions as well as Matsuzaka's newly translated answers.

Enjoy.

Snip:

Q: Congratulations on finalizing the contract. During the month-long negotiating period, media in both Japan and the US covered you very closely. This month-long period, did it feel long? Did it feel short? What was going through your mind during this time?

DM: It felt extremely long. Maybe over here, it's the norm to keep negotiating all the way to the deadline. But I have an impatient personality, so I wanted things to be decided either way much sooner. I would have liked to decide sooner. ...

Q: Matsuzaka-san, which matchup are you most looking forward to? Any player in particular you'd like to face? ...

DM: As I said before, the person I want to face most is Ichiro-san. We faced each other for two years in the Pacific League, and we haven't since.

That matchup could come at the very beginning of the Fenway home opener, April 10.