Dice-K May Routinely Hurl Commemoratives

After witnessing his stellar 6 2/3 inning performance in Oakland last night, sources tell Boston Dust Mites that the Red Sox are considering making Dice-K hurl commemorative baseballs into the upper reaches of Fenway before every start—as he did on Sunday.

This gesture is seen as an olive branch to Matsuzaka after the contentious battles over warm-up and training regimens for the Japanese star. Sources say that the long tosses of "600th Sellout" balls into the EMC and State Street Pavilion levels on Sunday may have been the missing link in unlocking the right-hander's effectiveness.

Contingencies have already been made to reserve private jets to wing Dice-K back to Fenway for the activity if the Red Sox are in the midst of a road trip.

The source went on, "Luckily, the timing just happened to work out great this time, since the ceremony was on the final day of the home stand and he was pitching the next game on the road. It could get dicey in the future—oh, honest, I didn't mean that pun."