Dykstra: Time to Check the Box Score

The early returns on Dice-K are promising. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched three scoreless innings against the Florida Marlins in Jupiter, Fla., on Tuesday. Facing major-league hitters for the first time, Matsuzaka allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three. The Red Sox have to be encouraged with the Japanese sensation's command of the strike zone, as he threw 10 first-pitch strikes to the 12 batters he faced. Otherwise, there is no significant news emanating from the Grapefruit League.

Meanwhile, the NFL's free agency period began on March 2. While this is a relatively "weak year" in the quality of the free-agent pool, there has been some movement thus far. Jeff Garcia, who led the Eagles to the brink of the NFC Championship Game after Donovan McNabb's injury, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The circumstances surrounding Garcia's departure are in question; however, he will be given an opportunity to start in Tampa Bay.

Joey Porter, who was an all-pro linebacker during his eight years with the Steelers, signed a five-year deal with the Dolphins. Travis Henry, who has had a productive career with Buffalo and Tennessee, signed a five-year deal with Denver, whereby he can now run behind that Broncos offensive line that seemingly makes every running back a star. Speaking of running backs, Corey Dillon and Dominic Rhodes are still awaiting a destination. It will be interesting to see how things play out over the next several weeks.

In NCAA hoops, the Cinderella story of last year's tournament, the Patriots of George Mason, were defeated by Virginia Commonwealth University in the final of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. The defeat essentially ended the NCAA tournament hopes of George Mason, which captivated the country last year with its incredible run to the Final Four.

In addition to Virginia Commonwealth, the following teams have secured automatic bids to the Big Dance by virtue of winning their conference tournaments or their leagues: Belmont, Creighton, Davidson, Eastern Kentucky, Gonzaga, Niagara, North Texas, Oral Roberts, Penn and Wright State. These are not exactly household names, with the exception of Gonzaga, which has put mid-major conferences on the map over the past five years or so. Could one of these teams be this year's George Mason? Only time will give us that answer.