Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports

Category Archives: Baseball


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The Red Sox Are Making This Complicated

All this recent winning is going to give General Manager Ben Cherington a huge headache over the next ten days. If the Red Sox keep winning in the next couple days, how will he possibly be able to justify selling off assets if there’s any hope of making the postseason? And yet, will he really be able to justify mortgaging the team’s future on trying to improve a sub-.500 team if three weeks from now this team is still at the bottom of the American League East?

The Red Sox kept things rolling with a sweep of the Royals this weekend coming off of the All-Star break. Now winners of seven of the last eight, they are finally putting things together in all aspects of the game. In yesterday’s 6-0 win, there was balanced hitting, with Shane Victorino and Brock Holt leading the way. There was excellent defense, marked by Holt and Stephen Drew on the left side of the infield. And of course there was yet another fantastic performance from Jon Lester on the mound. This looked like a team that could contend.

Things were bound to turn around for the reigning champions, as so many players had been underperforming all at once. They had also lost more one-run games than anyone in the league, suggesting that they were only a few plays from winning more games. And with the pitching staff turning in quality start after quality start, the Sox were a few hits away from getting the train back on the backs.

There has been a ton of talk about the youth movement in recent weeks, with Christian Vazquez and Mookie Betts leading the charge. But Betts has now returned to Pawtucket, and it has been the veterans that have turned things around. Victorino has provided the spark in right field that this team has been missing in his return from the DL. He gives the team an extra bat in the lineup that hasn’t been there all year, and he’s a real outfielder unlike Holt or Betts. Daniel Nava and Jonny Gomes are also slowly returning to their 2013 ways in left field. And with Jackie Bradley Jr. starting to hit a little, the worst outfield in the game could be getting a little bit better.

But the biggest reason this team might be in position to make a second half run lies in the rotation. Between Lester, John Lackey and Clay Buchholz, there are three pitchers on the staff capable of being aces. With Buchholz putting together two solid starts in a row, they could get on a role. Rubby de la Rosa also has been nothing less than stellar at Fenway Park. Even Jake Peavy has pitched well. And in the bullpen, Andrew Miller is quietly putting together a career year. He would be the man to get the game to Koji Uehara come October should the team make a run.

It’s notable that the Red Sox swept a decent Kansas City team this weekend without David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia having much of an impact. The two stars of the Red Sox were a combined 2-25 in the series, and continue to struggle. They are usually the ones picking up their teammates, but it has been the other way around recently. You have to believe they are likely to get hot sometime soon, and should everyone else keep playing well, this could be a scary team to face in August.

There are a lot of reasons to like this team right now. But then you remember that it’s July 21 and they are 46-52. Just two weeks ago, almost everyone but the players were throwing in the towel. So what can Ben Cherington do to prepare for the Trading Deadline now?

I think he needs to wait at least a week. If the team wins 5 of the next 7, or 4 of the next 5, he simply can’t sell at the deadline. There’s no way he could explain trading away a postseason hero such as Jonny Gomes to a team that still believes it has a chance. But should they lose 3 of the next 5, he needs to do what’s best for the future. However, it’s worth remembering that Cherington could still trade players away in August.

On the other hand, I don’t think this team need to be buyers at the trading deadline. What do they really need to buy? A third-baseman? An eighth outfielder? Costs skyrocket at this time of the year, and it wouldn’t be worth trading away any of the prized youngsters for a mediocre filler piece in the lineup. I think all the talent the team needs is on the roster already – they just need to all play well together.

So I suggest Cherington holds his cards at least until the 28th. If things are still looking up, try to ride the wave, then re-evaluate in mid-August. We can always sell then. But if the Sox have trouble on this upcoming road trip, I wouldn’t be opposed to selling.

What do you think the Red Sox should do these next 10 days? Would you be upset if they became sellers? Please comment below.


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And It Begins, Sort Of

Good morning, everyone. Today is a great day, for the 2014/2015 Arsenal campaign unofficially kicks off with the first friendly of the summer. The wait between the World Cup and the start of the Premier League will feel like an eternity, but games like these ones help help make the waiting a little easier.

Before I get to Arsenal though, I want to say something about the Red Sox. Don Orsillo has been the team’s outstanding play-by-play commentator since 2001. He is so good at the job that you take him for granted sometimes. He is rumored to be in a contract dispute with NESN, the Red Sox’s TV station, and his forced in-season vacation right now makes it seem like NESN might be nudging him out. I can’t stress enough how big a mistake that would be for the network. Watching the last few games without Orsillo in the booth have been painful on multiple levels. Jerry Remy’s color commentary is replaceable, but Orsillo’s play-by-play is not.

Now to the Gunners. I know very little about Boreham Wood, Arsenal’s opponent today, but it’s not the opponent that matters in the first game of the year. It’s about the players slowly regaining their form and fitness, and it’s about giving youngsters a chance to prove they belong in the first team. Even if Arsenal were playing a high school team, it would still be a valuable exercise for the preseason’s first game.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoy watching these games. It’s not that I want to see the starting 11 on the field though. I prefer watching the youngsters, and it’s usually my only chance to do so. Players like Thomas Eisfeld, Kris Olsson and Chuba Akpom excite me tremendously, and I love getting a look a their development. And beyond that, there is usually an abundance of goals in this first friendly against the inferior competition. While the goals might not be the prettiest at this stage, it’s nice to see Arsenal players hit the back of the net in any situation.

I don’t have many expectations for today’s game, because Arsenal haven’t said much about the squad they are planning on playing. They’ve suggested many of the first team players who weren’t in Brazil will be on the field, but I’d imagine there will a number of new faces mixed in. And I would guess as many as 22 or 23 players will see the field. Beyond saying that they’ll be wearing the new yellow Puma strip, Arsenal have offered very little about the preparation for this game other than a series of pictures yesterday.

The first thing I noticed in those pictures was the presence of Francis Coquelin. Remember him? Wearing yet another different number this year, Coquelin has seemingly returned from a season-long loan in the German Bundesliga. I don’t know how long he’ll stay around, but it was a pleasant surprise to see his face again. I’d almost entirely forgotten about him, and a quick internet search suggests most Arsenal fans are in the same boat. It wasn’t that long ago that the versatile young player was starting Premier League matches at the Emirates.

Obviously, this match and the rest of the preseason will be vitally important for Coquelin’s chances at Arsenal. Should he put in a series of impressive displays, Arsene Wenger might have to give him another shot. But if he doesn’t, a transfer arrival at the defensive midfield position could send Coquelin on his way out the door for good. For his sake, I hope he gets a chance to see the field today.

The other first-team player I think preseason will be important for is Yaya Sanogo. I’m sure I’ll have much more to say on him in the coming weeks, but Sanogo has been somewhat of an enigma in his year at Arsenal. I’d be inclined to say he impressed me last year, especially in the biggest matches of the year – remember that his two best displays were against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and off the bench against Hull in the FA Cup Final. However, he never scored a goal. And for a striker, that’s not a good statistic. He simply must score this summer to show everyone he is physically capable of putting the ball in the net.

Carl Jenkinson could also use a huge performance today, as this might be his last shot at convincing the Arsenal brass that they don’t need further cover at right back. Jenkinson should get the start today, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be the most dangerous player today. With Mathieu Debuchy coming in as the starter, I would like to see Jenkinson go out on loan to another Premier League club. He needs playing time to keep improving, and it would be a shame to see his growth as a player stunted by a lack of time on the field. Remember that not long ago, he earned an England call-up.

I am way too excited for this match for what it is. But it’ll be great to see the Gunners back in action. I’m sure I’ll have lots to say post-game, so check back later today. COYG!


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A Tip of the Cap to Derek Jeter and Now a Needed Sports Respite

There was a time in the not so distant past when the All-Star Game was one of the highlights of my summer. I would look forward to it for weeks, devoting hours and hours to following vote totals, roster predictions and of course all the roster announcements and replacements. But as I sat on my couch watching the game last night, I realized I had done none of that this summer. Two days removed from the World Cup, it was finally time to move on to other sporting events. The next four years of sports before Russia 2018 officially began last night in Minnesota.

But of course the All-Star Game was much more about Derek Jeter than it was about the baseball. If there’s someone out there who doesn’t respect the retiring Yankee shortstop, I don’t want to meet them. Growing up a Red Sox fan, I was always taught to hate every Yankees player but Jeter and Mariano Rivera. They were different. And after saying goodbye to Rivera last year, we got to do it again this time with Jeter. There isn’t much to be said about the shortstop that hasn’t been said already, but he is something special. He was the face of baseball when I became a fan around the year 2000, and he remains that today. What Jeter has accomplished on the diamond is incredible, and he has done it in style. I wish him only the best in his final two and a half months in baseball.

The Air Jordan Jeter commercial that I’m sure you’ve all seen by now is incredibly well done and encapsulates how everybody feels. There is nothing but respect for the captain. Forgetting the fact that the now former Red Sox A.J. Pierzynski never caught Jon Lester, the commercial was an appropriate tribute to the Yankee shortstop by the footware company. It was fitting that yesterday’s in-game tributes began with Jeter tipping his batting helmet to everyone as he stepped to the plate. And of course he went 2-2 at the plate.

I thought he was taken out of the game too early though. That it was still light out when Jeter was called back to the dugout will make the moment less memorable than Mariano Rivera’s farewell last year. While it’s unfair to compare the two All-Star Game goodbyes, it’s inevitable to do so. And in my opinion, Rivera’s was done much better. Jeter’s All-Star Game suddenly wasn’t his any longer in the top of the fourth. I would have liked to have seen more of him.

As such, I wish there was less pressure on the managers to get every player in the game, as I really would have liked to have seen some of these pitchers go more than an inning. The game used to be decided by the superstars, but now it’s decided by the fringe all-stars in the later innings. Something has to be done so that we can have more star power playing in the important moments. Wouldn’t we all have preferred to see more from Clayton Kershaw for example?

On a different note, today is probably the slowest sports day of the year. But at least we get the ESPY’s tonight. The ESPN equivalent of the Oscars for the past twelve months in sports is always a favorite of mine. However, I don’t think Drake will do a particularly good job hosting the show. My all-time favorite ESPY’s moment was after the World Cup four years ago when Seth Meyers was the host. His German accent making fun of Paul the Octopus was too funny. Somehow I don’t think Drake will be quite as hilarious as the great Seth Meyers. But at least we’ll get a night full of highlight videos and celebrations of the great moments in the sports world. I wouldn’t dare miss it.

This week of rest from the sports world comes as a refreshing break after the World Cup. But after few light days, the sports world will begin to go back to normal by the end of the week, with baseball soon taking over the spotlight from the World Cup and NBA free agency. The Red Sox will then have an interesting week or two as they try and sort out whether they will be buyers or sellers at the trading deadline. And Arsenal have their first preseason match this Saturday. So while this might be the only three days in the year we get somewhat of a break from the sports world, it’ll be nice to recharge the batteries.

 


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The Calm Before the Storm

Good morning all. Today is the calm before the storm World Cup wise. We get the third place match tomorrow and the final Sunday, but today we have to wait. I don’t have much time today so that suits me just fine. But all day, I’ll be thinking about this weekend. It’s going to be fun.

Yesterday was quite a day for Arsenal supporters, and frankly I still can hardly believe that happened. We signed Alexis Sanchez… It’ll take a while for that to sink in. It seems strange that he took number 17, given that Nacho Monreal was currently wearing it. The options weren’t great for numbers, with 13 and 18 being the two best available, so you can see why Sanchez wanted something better. But what does it say to Monreal about his importance that his number was just given away? I guess there’s no way of knowing if he gave it up willingly, but it can’t be a good sign for the Spanish left back. Hopefully this doesn’t signal the end of Monreal’s time in an Arsenal shirt.

Hopefully there will be more good Arsenal transfer news to come in the immediate future, and now that Arsene Wenger has proved he can buy someone before the end of the window, everyone will be expecting big things. There is still a need at right back, center back, defensive midfield and goalkeeper, so this shouldn’t be the end of Arsenal’s spending. If Wenger plays his cards right, Arsenal could be a feared side come late August.

On a different front, the Red Sox won their second straight game in walkoff fashion yesterday, beating the White Sox in extra innings after Koji Uehara had blown a save. These last two games have been ones the Red Sox wouldn’t have won earlier in the season, but it would seem naive to consider everything fixed after two games. There are still lots of issues offensively – Jose Quintana had a perfect game into the sixth for the White Sox – and there’s a rapidly rising concern about the bullpen. Two walkoffs could help change the momentum and improve the vibe in the clubhouse, but in order to make a second half run, they’ll need to start hitting. Three hits in 10 innings won’t get you too many wins.

However, it is a good sign that the team hasn’t given up after the A.J. Pierzynski dismissal seemingly signaled that the front office was throwing in the towel on the season. That the players still have each others’ backs says a lot about the character of this team. We knew it was strong last year, but nobody seemed to be stepping up this year. It would be wise to try and ride this momentum out for as long as possible, but I don’t see it lasting much beyond the all-star break. However, if the Red Sox can make a legitimate push in the A.L. East in the next few weeks, maybe they can be buyers at the deadline after all. There’s no telling what will push the players’ buttons in times like these, but maybe the fear of getting traded or released could be the needed motivation.

It isn’t always pretty, but at least the Red Sox games have been more watchable in recent days. If there’s any more Arsenal news today, I’ll have some analysis, but otherwise, it’ll be a pretty quiet day. Thanks for reading.


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My Thoughts on the Celtics Trade and the Pierzynski DFA

Good morning, everyone. I write this knowing there’s a strong likelihood I’ll have a lot more to say later today about a certain Arsenal transfer story. If that is announced, expect my thoughts and analysis on it in the late afternoon.

Yesterday in Boston saw a couple moves from our hometown teams. The Red Sox took step one towards 2015 by designating A.J. Pierrzynski for assignment in order to make room for rookie catcher Christian Vazquez. The young backstop is major league ready defensively, but his bat will take time. I’m a fan of giving him time to adjust in the major leagues for the next few months, as he could struggle now rather than in April and May of next year. Hopefully given some at-bats, he’ll find his stroke at this level. At worst, he’ll be another sub-.200 hitter for the rest of the year, but if he can throw out some runners and get comfortable with the pitching staff, it’ll be a good investment in the future. Being around the veteran David Ross could also do wonders for Vazquez. Last night’s walkoff win was an exciting start to the Vazquez era, and who knows, maybe this team still has some life in them this year.

As far as Pierzynski, I feel for the man. Clearly he thought that coming to Boston would be his best opportunity at another championship late in his career, but instead he got three months on an uninspired team. He struggled at the plate, devoid of the power that once made him a valuable bat in the lineup, and his swing-at-the-first-pitch style never was going to sit well with Boston fans if he wasn’t producing. At his age and with his short-term contract, keeping him in the lineup was doing nobody any good at this point. Hopefully he can catch on as a backup on a contender for these next couple months, but I think getting rid of him was a solid first step towards next year.

The other trade in Boston yesterday saw Danny Ainge and the Celtics collect three assets for essentially nothing. Ainge’s track record on trades gets better by the minute. With the trade exception from the Paul Pierce departure (when did everyone decide that trade was the Pierce trade as opposed to the Garnett trade?) set to expire this week, Ainge had a lot of incentive to make a move. And with lots of teams trying to shed cap space in the LeBron James hunt, it was the perfect opportunity for the Celtics to improve. In addition to acquiring another first-round pick, which can never be a bad thing, Ainge also added an intriguing expiring contract in Marcus Thornton and a young center in Tyler Zeller.

Marcus Thornton could help this team in a number of ways, even if he never puts on a Celtics jersey. His expiring deal will be attractive to many teams looking to shed cap space in 2015, and he could be a valuable trade chip. He might even be a piece the Celtics could use in the hunt for Kevin Love. I doubt he ever plays in Boston, but Thornton could help accelerate the rebuilding process in other ways than his play on the court. Zeller, on the other hand, will be a true center on a team that lacks one. I’m sure many Celtics fans will remember Zeller having a couple good games against us in the last two years, and he’s somebody who could play alongside Jared Sullinger or Kelly Olynyk. There won’t be much pressure on the UNC product, but he could prove useful, even if he’s no superstar.

That’s all for now, but hopefully there will be big news today on the Arsenal front. Check back later.