Here's a vote to keep the frustrating Dice-K here.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: Bill Ballou

COLUMN: BASEBALL

Playing the Name Game as the season's stretch drive unofficially begins:

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Raise your hand if, at some point since 2007, you have suggested that the Red Sox put him on the next plane to Japan and tell him never to return.

Yes, this hand is up, too.

Since he arrived and helped Boston win the World Series in 2007, the Sox have consistently had him, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield as four of their five starters. Their records since then are Beckett, 52-24; Lester, 46-21; Matsuzaka, 45-24; and Wakefield, 41-36.

Matsuzaka isn't so bad. He's just infuriating. He can stay here if he wants.

Ryan Kalish

Let's wait at least another couple of games before making the reservations for the Hall of Fame weekend in August 2035. It's supposed to rain that day anyway. But the kid can throw, can hit and plays the game like a bigger version of Dustin Pedroia.

Remember, 15 months ago he was playing in Class-A ball. By the way, Kalish was signed by Assumption College alum Ray Fagnant and lives in Shrewsbury, but the New Jersey variety.

Nolan Ryan

Ah, the beauty of the antitrust exemption. Baseball has its own set of rules, and there is no way commissioner Bud Selig was going to let someone like Mark Cuban into the ownership club. It's hard to argue with Nolan Ryan taking ownership of a Texas team, though, and wouldn't it be ironic if the Rangers' first World Series appearance came with him as the boss?

Tim Collins

The former Worcester Tech schoolboy standout is on his third organization of the season, which is generally not a good sign. In this case, Collins is the exception.

Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, who originally signed Collins, talked to both the Braves (who got him from Toronto) and the Royals (who got him from Atlanta) and said, "Everybody I talked to loved him. In Timmy's case, I think it was just that he was the last piece of the puzzle that made two different deals work.

"Right now, he's in a good place. The Royals are a midsize market team, getting younger, and he can be a smaller contract guy for the 'pen. It's a good fit. I think he'll be up with them next year, or maybe even sooner than that."

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

He's got issues and the Red Sox are his third organization. His issues are not the same ones Josh Hamilton had, but there are some parallels there. Both are talented but have had injury issues. Both have been given up on more than once. Boston could really, really...