Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports


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Covering My Bases

It has been far too long since I last wrote about sports. School has been getting increasingly busy and extracurricular activities are piling up such that I rarely have the hours necessary to sit down and watch a game – much less write about it. But I wanted to take this brief window I have before Halloween festivities to touch on a bunch of sports topics.

I’ll start with the Red Sox. I definitely wanted the Sox to bring Koji Uehara back as opposed to gambling on a young pitcher or an Edward Mujica-type, but when I saw the 2-year/$18 million contract he signed, my immediate reaction was that is a lot to invest on a forty-year-old pitcher who broke down at the end of this year. Based on market value, and the pitching talent teams would get for that sort of deal, it would seem to be a good contract for the Red Sox. But I’m just not sure how effective he’s going to be in 2016. The two year deal will force John Farrell to look long-term next year with Uehara, and I would not be at all surprised if he tries to limit how often Uehara goes two days in a row. This deal was made with an eye towards immediate contention though, which I’m happy about.

Everybody wants Andrew Miller and Jon Lester back, myself included. But the prices for those two pitchers will be absurd. If the Red Sox splurge on the two of them, there won’t be a ton left to spend. And if they are back, then you are left with a 2015 Red Sox team that looks very similar to the 2014 team. I don’t think the brass will want that. So realistically, I don’t see either coming back. My guess is there will be one minor free agent signing in the rotation and the rest of the changes will come through trades.

To the Celtics. I was able to watch most of Wednesday’s opener and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that game very well might be the best the Celtics will play all year. Beyond Rajon Rondo being back to his assist-happy ways, and an improved Kelly Olynyk, my favorite part about this team is the bench. Too often, recent Celtics teams have lacked second-units that look to score. Marcus Thornton and Evan Turner sure take care of that problem. Add in Marcus Smart’s defense and that second-unit may start to dominate the second quarter. I still think this team will be bad. But they will be able to win games against teams that aren’t 100% focused that night. Teams won’t like playing in Boston this year.

More than anything though, I’m just happy basketball season is upon us. Davidson basketball starts up too in a couple weeks, which I’m pumped for. It’ll be an interesting year for the ‘Cats. There is more talent on our squad than pundits and coaches are giving us credit for – I know the A-10 is good, but there is no way a Bob McKillop coached team finishes 12th out of 14 in the conference. We’re going to have a fantastic backcourt, with Brian Sullivan, Jack Gibbs and Tyler Kalinoski returning to form one of the best guard trios in the conference. And Jake Belford’s 3-point ability will stretch defenses enough to open the drive up. However, the lack of experience and size at the 4 is frankly alarming. I’ve been hearing good things about the freshmen, but they can’t be expected to come in and find their footing right away.

Regardless of how successful we’ll be, I am really excited for the move to the A-10. It’s a necessary step up for a program that had found sustained success in the SoCon. From a fan’s perspective, I’m looking forward to having quality team come to Belk Arena and hopefully the students section can get fired up for some games this year. And as we’re going to rely heavily on the 3-ball, there might be a few upsets over the course of the year. I’ll be posting anything I write about the team on here, so there will be some Davidson basketball coverage on here for sure.

Now to Arkansas. I’m feeling a lot more confident about the Mississippi State game tomorrow than I should be. The pressure is off Arkansas this weekend. The monkey that’s been on our backs all year will feel lighter on the road against the nation’s top team. The Hogs know they can play with anyone, and with all the pressure on State, I’m hopeful Arkansas comes out firing tomorrow. It’s very much a trap game for the Bulldogs and Arkansas should be able to take advantage of that. With Brooks Ellis coming back, I think the defense is up to the challenge of stopping Dak Prescott. Give Jonathan Williams the ball and let the offensive line do the rest. At this point in the season, the Hogs have nothing to lose in this game. It’s time for some Razorback magic.

Lastly, to Arsenal. In theory, tomorrow’s game against Burnley at The Emirates should be a walk in the park. This is the type of fixture that Arsene Wenger should be able to win even with significant squad rotation. He should rest his injury-depleted squad for the midweek Champions League tie. And Arsenal should still be able to win 3-0. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that Wenger will not rotate the squad at all, Arsenal will labor for much of the match against the parked bus that is Burnley, and the match will be decided by a single goal.

I would like to see Joel Campbell get a start ahead of Santi Cazorla. Cazorla hasn’t looked right recently, and Campbell deserves a real chance. He has looked lively in short bursts so it’s time to see if he can provide the energy needed to break down Burnley. I also think Danny Welbeck could use a break, so maybe Campbell could even be given a chance up top. I wouldn’t be opposed to Yaya Sanogo either. But most importantly, Nacho Monreal should not be playing center back, whether Kieran Gibbs is fit or not. Slide Calum Chambers into the middle and let Hector Bellerin loose, especially in a game like this.

Hopefully, Arsenal will be far enough ahead that Theo Walcott will be able to make a substitute cameo in the second half. His return is vital to Arsenal’s success in the next two months. Before reinforcements are brought in during the January transfer window and before Mesut Özil and Olivier Giroud get healthy, Arsenal need to find their form. The Premier League can’t be won in the first half of the year – yes, Chelsea is still beatable – but it can be lost. The way the Gunners are playing, I don’t think they’ll make it to January within 15 points of Chelsea unless Walcott gets going quickly.

My predictions for tomorrow are a 3-1 win for the Gunners and a 27-26 loss for Arkansas.

What are you excited for this weekend? Basketball? Football? Soccer? Please comment below.


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A Harsh Reminder That the Grass Is Still Not Green At The Emirates

The sun was shining. The grass was pristine. And Arsenal were back. Within a quarter of an hour, Alexis Sanchez had the Gunners ahead. The first day back from international break could have been going any better. But soon, in typical Arsenal fashion, they allowed Hull to level with their first sniff of goal. And not a minute after halftime, Hull scored again to take the lead. The Gunners grabbed a late equalizer and pushed on for the winner in stoppage-time, but this match came as a harsh reminder that Arsenal are a squad filled with issues right now.

The start of the game saw Arsenal dominate in the final third. Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were taking turns dropping deep to receive the ball. They’d look up, and somebody would be making the run. Sanchez’s opening goal came from a brilliant solo effort down the right. But on the whole, Arsenal created a lot of chances in the early going with intricate moves through the midfield. But then it all changed.

The issues start at the back. Yes, Mathieu Flamini was pulled back on Mohammed Diame’s goal after getting goalside. It was 100% a foul. But what was Nacho Monreal doing? He ran up the Diame and whiffed on both the ball and the man. He didn’t even come close to stopping a man that was running directly at him. Some would say he even got out of the way. And this wasn’t the only time Monreal failed miserably at center back. The message is clear. Nacho Monreal is not a center back. Do not play him there. The fact that there aren’t any other senior options does not make Monreal starting there permissible.

Then at the start of the second half, Per Mertesacker, the experienced defender, fell asleep on Abel Hernandez’s run in front of him. Monreal probably should have read the first ball and not allowed the cross to be played in. But it was horrible defending from Mertesacker.

Once Hull went ahead, they were always going to be hard to break down. Their defense was organized, and Arsenal decided the best way through was to dribble straight through them. It didn’t work. Finally, after a full half of doing this, Alexis Sanchez played in Danny Welbeck in the first minute of stoppage time for the equalizer. Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal had chances to get all three points in the closing minutes, but the game ended 2-2.

When Arsenal were down, Wilshere was the one demanding the ball. But as has happened far too often this often, he went down with what looked to be a fairly serious knee injury. We can only hope it’s a three-week injury and not three months.

I guess it continues to be a positive that Arsenal continue to save points at home with late goals, but at some point, they need to stop going behind. It is one thing to give up 2 goals to Manchester City at the Emirates. It is entirely different against Hull. Right now, Arsenal are not playing well at home. That is a problem that must be fixed.

I thought Joel Campbell made a strong case for more playing time today. He was confident on the ball and was always in the right place. On another day, he might have done better with Cazorla’s rebounded shot, but on the whole, I thought Campbell made a much bigger impact on the game than Aaron Ramsey did off the bench. Ramsey still doesn’t look quite fit. And generally, I was pleased with Hector Bellerin. He looks to a be a real talent.

Things are not going to be easy for the next couple months. Arsenal are woefully short in certain areas of the field. They will have to grind out results week after week. They will need wins, not draws, from this point forward. It will test character and commitment. Is this Arsenal side good enough to compete with anyone? Absolutely. But are they willing to battle in the trenches while the injuries mount and with all the pressure in the world squarely upon them? I wish I knew.

Unfortunately, because I lost my feed for an extended stretch in the second half, I can’t provide player ratings for today’s game. Who did you think did well? Please comment below.


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One Year Ago Today: Looking Back on Game 2

The Red Sox season is long over. I have gone through my “It doesn’t feel right watching October baseball without the Red Sox” phase and have emerged in time to watch two thoroughly entertaining Championship Series. I think at this point, I’m rooting for a Cardinals-Orioles World Series, but I don’t have a huge rooting interest. The best and simultaneously strangest part of this postseason is watching our boys John Lackey, Jake Peavy and Andrew Miller play starring roles for other teams. I love those guys to death, but it still always feels weird seeing World Series-winning, former Red Sox have another run in the postseason in other colors.

But today, I am looking back. Because today marks one year to the day that David Ortiz saved the Red Sox’s 2013 season. I doubt anyone could ever forget it, but here’s the video:

It’s easy when looking back on 2013 to remember it as simple. But lest you forget, the Red Sox nearly lost the first two games of the ALCS against the Tigers at home. In Game 1, Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers bullpen carried a no-hitter into the 9th. Only a Daniel Nava bloop single to left saved the Red Sox from an embarrassing start. And then in Game 2, Max Scherzer also had a no-hitter going with the Tigers up 5-0. Shane Victorino broke it up in the sixth and Papi tied it in the 8th. But through the first 14 innings of the series – all at Fenway Park – the Red Sox had one hit. And Justin Verlander had not yet pitched. Things weren’t looking good.

But all that has been forgotten because of one swing. One beautiful, incredible swing. If we weren’t expecting it, we should have been. Because nobody has proven to be more clutch than David Ortiz when it comes to playoff baseball. That grand slam will forever rank among the best moments in Red Sox history. The accompanying photo will also go down as one of the best sports photos ever taken.

That night now seems a distant memory. So much has changed on the Red Sox front in the last year. But we will always have the memory of this night to make us believe anything can happen in sports. Never count yourself out.

Here are some other fun notes about Game 2:

Max Scherzer’s line – 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 R, 2 BB, 13 K – I don’t know about you, but I’d be up for shelling out some serious cash to bring him to the front of the 2015 Red Sox rotation.

The Red Sox were aided by a Jose Iglesias error in the 9th, one of two big defensive miscues the former Red Sox wizard made that series at shortstop. As bad a year as Xander Bogaerts had both at the plate and on the field, there weren’t too many cries that Iglesias should have been playing. Jake Peavy may be gone from Boston, but at this point, it’s safe to say the Red Sox won that deal in the short term. I wish Iglesias the best of luck in his recovery from his shin injuries this offseason. I always liked him.

Brandon Workman and Felix Doubront were the Red Sox relievers who kept the game close, combining for 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. The two of them didn’t give up a hit. Only a year later, both of those pitchers have seen their careers implode. Doubront got shipped out of town and Workman played himself out of a job. I bet 2013 seems even longer ago for the two of them.

In the 2 and 3 holes, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia combined for 3 hits and 2 runs. Don’t sleep on the two of them after subpar, forgettable 2014 campaigns. They’ll be driven all offseason by everyone counting them out, and I predict both to have bounce back years. Right now, my 2015 Red Sox outfield is Yoenis Cespedes, Rusney Castillo, Shane Victorino with Jackie Bradley Jr. the fourth outfielder.


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If You Give Up on Özil, I’ll Give Up on You

International Breaks serve to do two things: 1. Get every Arsenal player injured. 2. Make every Arsenal fan believe the sky if falling. With no Arsenal action to speak of for two weeks, only bad things can happen. And only bad things have happened. After a full fortnight of negativity, starting with the loss to Chelsea, everyone has forgotten how well Arsenal played on October 1st. Saturday’s came cannot come soon enough

Obviously, there are a ton of concerns defensively right now. Depending on the severity of Laurent Koscielny’s lingering achilles problems, Arsenal could be giving full Premier League debuts to both Hector Bellerin (Calum Chambers is suspended for a match) and Isaac Hayden against Hull on Saturday. I have more trust in those two than most I suspect, but we’d all feel more confident were than another defender in the squad. Alas, there isn’t. But against the likes of Hull and Anderlecht, one would hope Arsenal has the firepower to outscore a team if they can’t keep a clean sheet.

But the story this break has revolved around Mesut Özil. Early last week, the German soccer federation announced the Arsenal playmaker had injured his knee and would be out 10-12 weeks. When I saw the news, I was heartbroken. Özil had finally been stringing together some great performances and was noticeably forming a great understanding with new striker Danny Welbeck. But looking at the fixture list, I reasoned that if Arsenal could survive any three month stretch without their best player, it was now. Sure, there are a few tough tests mixed in, but for the most part, the schedule looks nothing like what it was in September.

In Özil’s three month absence, Arsenal has no lack of players capable of filling his role. I’ve been reading that Jack Wilshere has been having an excellent run with England, so maybe he should get the nod in the number 10 role. Santi Cazorla could also slide over, or Tomas Rosicky could return to the lineup. Should Cazorla move inside, that might give Lukas Podolski or Joel Campbell a run on the left, if only until Theo Walcott returns. If Wilshere gets moved forward, Abou Diaby or Francis Coquelin will need to come into the side alongside the holding midfielder. The only option I’d be worried about is putting Aaron Ramsey in the number 10 role when he comes back.

Speaking of Walcott, the images of he and Serge Gnabry back in full training brightened my otherwise gloomy international break state this morning. I feel like many people have forgotten about Walcott, but he could absolutely be a game-changer. Couple his pace with Welbeck and with Alexis Sanchez and suddenly Arsenal becomes lethal in the final third. I cannot wait for Walcott to get back on the field. Just imagine what it will be like when Walcott, Sanchez and Özil can play together.

But the story didn’t end with the injury for Özil. The media has used this injury as an excuse to write about how Wenger is fed up with Özil, how he wants to sell him in January, how Özil is fed up with Arsenal and how he also wants to leave. All of a sudden, every step that Özil took in the right direction in September has been forgotten. The media has used an unfortunate injury (a knee injury is unlucky, not the product of a lazy player or poor coaching) to return to their relentless Özil hatred. Frankly, it’s appalling. While I don’t believe a lick of what’s being written, in the international break, it’s hard not to pay attention to it.

Why would Arsene Wenger give up on his record signing now – a record signing who started brightly at Arsenal only to be derailed by an injury, proceeded to win a World Cup, and has steadily grown more influential this year? Özil is the answer to Arsenal’s problems, not the cause of them. Surround him with players that complement him and he becomes one of the game’s very best players. Watch some tape of Real Madrid from only two years ago and tell me you’d sell him. I dare you.

That the rumored price of a deal to Bayern Munich is 30 million pounds is an absolute joke. Arsenal bought him for 42, and despite what the media would have you believe, he has not lost more than 25% of his skills. Big teams like Bayern have the funds to overpay, so why Arsenal would ever accept a low-balling bid like that for Özil I don’t know. Would I sell him for 45? Maybe. Only if Wenger brought back a Javi Martinez type in the deal. But other than that, absolutely not.

So please, Mr. Wenger, from the bottom of my heart, I implore you not to give up on Özil. He is your best player and your key to success. You lose when he plays poorly and win when he plays well. If that doesn’t tell you he’s important to the squad, nothing will. Change your tactics to work with Özil, don’t try to change him. If you do give up on our number 11, I will have no choice but to give up on you.


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Almost There Is Not Good Enough

I am a firm believer in what Bret Bielema is doing at Arkansas. There is no denying that today’s 14-13 loss to Alabama marks a dramatic improvement from the 52-0 thrashings Alabama has doled out each of the last two years. But despite the improvement, Arkansas is still a long way away from an SEC win. The conference schedule the rest of the way includes both Mississippi teams – we all know how good they are – a Georgia team that won 34-0 on the road today,  the always tough LSU and a trip to Missouri. All of those will be similarly challenging.

There were certainly a lot of positives against Alabama today, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Arkansas held Alabama to only 66 rushing yards, only 2.1 per carry. To this point, Arkansas’s defense has been shaky at best. But today, they shut down one of the very best receivers in the country – Amari Cooper was held to 2 catches for 22 yards and a carry for -6 yards – and made a vaunted Alabama offense look incredibly pedestrian. Trey Flowers and Darius Philon dominated up front and caused Blake Sims to appear lost and disoriented all game. Any defense that can make Alabama look well below average has done a spectacular job.

Aside from not catching two sure-interceptions, the secondary also had an outstanding game. I don’t think I’ve said that about an Arkansas secondary in years. They shut down Cooper, and didn’t allow anything over the top. Not one corner got burned one-on-one today. And they also played the run as well as I’ve seen them play. As soon as an Alabama running back got to the edge, there were always four or five Arkansas players swarming to the ball.

The other positive for me was the play of A.J. Derby. His transformation into a legitimate SEC tight end has thoroughly amazed me. Just a year ago, he was one of the worst backup quarterbacks I’ve seen. When he took over against Rutgers, he looked slow, unathletic and he lacked poise under center. But as he’s done all year, he proved today with a long touchdown catch that he is among the best athletes on the Razorback team. The stiff-arm and burst up the sideline was almost McFadden-esque. Who would have thought the player with the best hands on the team would have been Derby?

But despite those positives, this was an extremely disheartening loss. I got a few texts saying I should be proud of how close we’ve played all the good teams. But news flash. In the SEC West, everyone is good. You need to win games – not be close. And for the second game in a row, Arkansas found ways to lose the game when they on the whole outplayed their high-profile opponent. Against A&M it was penalties, today it was turnovers and the inability to capitalize on turnover opportunities on the other side of the ball.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Brandon Allen will not win a football game for you. He’s a much better quarterback than he was a year ago, and he’s an absolute fighter – I point to the 14 yard scramble he had on 3rd and 15. But he’s not somebody that can lead you 86 yards downfield when everybody knows he has to pass the ball. He needs to learn when to get rid of the ball so he doesn’t take so many hits. And he needs to be more accurate with his passes – too many passes today were thrown either a foot high or a foot low. His game-sealing interception came from a throw everyone knows never to make.

So with that in mind, I question the decision of the Arkansas coaching staff to abandon the run in the fourth quarter. I know they hadn’t been successful, but when you pound the ball all game, you should have an easier time running against tired defenders in the fourth quarter. Yet for the second straight game, Arkansas has abandoned the run game late. Why? Allen has consistently proved he can’t lead the team to a win in the fourth quarter.

Also, I would like to personally challenge Alex Collins to be better. He is one of the best backs in the league. But he hardly was involved today because of a fumble and general ineffectiveness. If he considers himself to be a Heisman-quality running back, he needs to step up in big games. Not hide. At Arkansas, it doesn’t matter if you can run for hundreds of yards against Texas Tech. It matters that you can pick up yards against the Alabamas and LSUs of the world. Collins must prove he can do that.

So here we are again. Arkansas is now looking at a 4-12 season if they can’t close games. Frankly, I don’t know how Arkansas will respond against a Georgia team riding a high next week. Hopefully, an appearance in Little Rock can inspire the Hogs, but I’m not sure. Today’s crowd was pretty awesome. Nothing is going to come easy this year. To win with this schedule, Arkansas needs to play an almost perfect game. But they can do that. I will not accept the notion that they can’t succeed. Being in the SEC West is not an excuse. Watch this team play and it’s clear they are among the best teams in the country. But they will not succeed unless they start treating the fourth quarter like the first. They have to believe.