Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports


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My Thoughts on Evan Turner, James Rodriguez and Jake Peavy

I’ll get back to my Arsenal player previews tomorrow, but today I’d like to address a few topics from the rest of the sports world.

The news broke in the last few days that the Celtics have signed former number two overall pick Evan Turner. At first glance, this seems an especially strange free agent pickup considering what the Celtics are trying to do with their roster right now. With an already crowded backcourt, adding an easily disgruntled me-first shooting guard seems risky for a number of reasons. The Celtics need their young players to get playing time and they need them to feel comfortable shooting the ball. Turner, it would seem, could only hinder their progress. And with the team a long way away from competing, why would you pay someone relatively big bucks to block the team’s development?

However, I’ve learned to trust Danny Ainge’s judgement for the most part. Aside from Brian Scalabrine’s long-term deal, Ainge has generally done well in getting something out of players that have lost their way. Jordan Crawford was the prime example of such a player. Crawford took his lumps on a losing team, but rediscovered his game and earned himself a way out of town via trade, getting the Celtics a few more draft picks. Turner can be a similar type of project. If he plays, he’ll be able to get off a lot of shots on this team, as few players will take them from him. Then, he can reestablish his market value and the Celtics might be able to sell high on him in February. If he doesn’t play well, he can sit on the bench and watch James Young and Marcus Smart battle in front of him.

At the very least, Turner is someone who wants to score. Last year’s team was a little too pass-heavy at times, and the offense became rather predictable. On his day, Turner can contribute a triple-double. And players like that can attract fans to the TD Garden in a down year. Overall, I’m not quite sure what I think about the signing. It doesn’t seem to fit with the team’s philosophy on the court, but yet it seems strangely right up Ainge’s alley.

Moving to soccer, yesterday’s big news was the confirmation of Colombian World Cup star James Rodriguez’s big money move from Monaco to Real Madrid. By now we’re all quite familiar with the left-footed number 10, and his talent level is off the charts. He certainly is good enough to play for the biggest club in the world, and he’ll immediately form an incredible front 4 alongside Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Add in Toni Kroos and Xabi Alonso/Luka Modric in midfield and that lineup is simply unbelievable. The scary part is that the players and their styles of play complement each other, unlike whatever Barcelona is trying to do with Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi.

This move would also seem to indicate the imminent exit of Angel di Maria and/or Isco. Both of these players are world-class, and it’s astounding that players such as these two who have proven themselves more than worthy of places in the side won’t be able to get on the field. Any team will be lucky to sign any of the unwanted Real Madrid castoffs, as they are all sensational talents. But for Madrid, however good they are, they are expendable now. In order to form super-teams, you need to be ruthless to improve great teams. And Carlo Ancelloti have certainly wielded the axe ruthlessly. I won’t want to face Real Madrid any time soon.

However, this move does call into question what FIFA’s Fair Play regulations actually do. How is it that Real Madrid can keep spending absurd sums to their heart’s content? I know they have sold a couple players, but the numbers don’t come close to matching.

Lastly, while I didn’t get to watch last night’s Red Sox game, I wanted to share a few thoughts regarding Jake Peavy. The former Cy Young winner contributed to last year’s World Series championship by bringing a winner’s mojo into the clubhouse upon his arrival at the trading deadline. Even if he didn’t win every time out, he was still bringing positive vibes to the mound. Now, a year after his arrival, everything has flipped. Whenever he pitches, there is bad karma everywhere. He hasn’t pitched well by any means, but it’s no coincidence that he has the worst run support and worst record in the league.

It’s time to get rid of that bad karma. Brandon Workman can fill his role in the rotation, so the Red Sox should take whatever they can get for Jake Peavy, even if it’s a quarter on the dollar. I’m not saying this because I dislike Peavy or think he is as bad as his 1-9 record. I just think the Sox can’t afford to lose their belief every fifth day. We’ll always have the championship with Peavy. And he’ll always have the duckboat. But the Red Sox don’t need to always have Jake Peavy losing games. It’s time for a change.

That’s all for today. Hope it’s a good one.


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Don’t Give Up On Lukas Podolski Yet, Mr. Wenger

Leading up to Arsenal’s first game of the 2013/2014 campaign, I will do a series of posts profiling certain players. In these posts, I will assess their place in the squad and outline my expectations for them in the upcoming season. I might also have a few suggestions about how they should be utilized tactically. The first of these posts is about recent World Cup winner Lukas Podolski.

Everybody loves Lukas Podolski. It’s impossible not to. Few players in the game are as affectionate and openly passionate on and off the field as the German forward is. For many casual Arsenal fans, he is the first name they think of on the team. And not only is he personable, he is also lethal with the ball on his left foot. His shooting ability led to him becoming the youngest European player to ever reach 100 caps for an international team in 2012. Yet despite all that, many seem to think having Podolski on the field is a liability.

Having been at Arsenal two full seasons now, you would have thought Podolski would have earned a clear-cut role in the squad given his ability and goal-scoring prowess. However, Wenger has not found a spot he feels comfortable playing him in. Given Podolski’s strike rate (28 goals in the last two years in limited playing time) and obvious talent, it’s downright strange that Wenger hasn’t figured out how to utilize him. He’s not a center forward capable of holding up play like Oliver Giroud. He’s not a speedy winger that will offer support for the fullbacks behind him. And he’s not a number 10. But he’s someone who can score from anywhere, even against the run of play, and I think that’s pretty valuable.

There has been talk in recent days about Podolski looking to move elsewhere in the coming weeks. And frankly, I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to leave. His club has not loved him as much as he has loved the club. But I think it would be a huge mistake to sell the German forward this summer for a couple of reasons.

The first reason not to sell Podolski now is that I think the signing of Alexis Sanchez will help Podolski find his best form. Sanchez is the type of player that Podolski could thrive next to, and here’s why. In December of 2012, Arsenal played two of their best offensive games in recent years against Reading (a 5-2 win) and Newcastle (a 7-3 win). In those games, Theo Walcott played as a center forward, with Podolski on the left, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right and Santi Cazorla behind Walcott. As evidenced by those scorelines, this quartet played some amazing soccer together. The pace of Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain created spaces for Podolski and Cazorla on late runs into the box that Giroud never could create. Those four put on a show that December, but unfortunately, that lineup didn’t last long.

Last season, when Podolski got his run in the team in the final two months or so, he was playing alongside a rather static Arsenal side. Instead of the pacey Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski was playing with Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky and Giroud. None of them were opening up areas for Podolski at the top of the box by going in behind, and he couldn’t find any space to shoot in the crowded middle of the park. Only when Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Özil returned did Podolski start finding his form.

Players like Walcott bring out the best in Podolski, as defenders can’t hang so tightly on his left foot when the threat of Walcott running in behind is in their heads. The German only needs an inch of space to get his shot off, and when he does, it usually goes in. His shot to goal ratio is off the charts. But Walcott as a center forward had its faults against more physical teams. However, Sanchez might not have such problems. He would be able to make the same runs Walcott could, which would help Podolski out. Coupling Sanchez and Walcott with Podolski could also be an intriguing option. A front-four of Podolski, Sanchez, Walcott and Mesut Özil would be incredible offensively.

If a new defensive midfielder is signed that possesses a little more range and athleticism than Mikel Arteta does at this stage in his career, playing such an attacking minded lineup up front might be a possibility. I wouldn’t suggest using that lineup against every team, but when at The Emirates, most opponents wouldn’t stand a chance. And against the bigger teams, this could be the lineup used at the end of games when defenses are tiring. Put Podolski on in the final twenty-five minutes to run at defenders, with Sanchez and Walcott making those runs in behind, and good things will happen.

The other reason to keep Podolski around at least another year is that he is a proven winner, coming back with the confidence of a World Cup winner. Not only will that confidence manifest itself on the field, but it can also be a massive boost in the dressing room. Especially given his popularity among his teammates, another player that has tasted success could be key to this team believing they can actually win the league this year.

Yes, his defensive cover is rather troubling at times, but he does track back. He’s usually willing to run back when he loses the ball, and he does well in the air when Arsenal is defending corners. So I don’t think he’s as harmful to the team as he is sometimes made out to be. But there are a lot of players that are probably ahead of him in the squad right now. Especially considering that he’s arriving at preseason late due to his post-World Cup break, he’ll have his work cut out to earn a starting spot.

I implore Arsene Wenger to give Podolski a chance to play alongside Sanchez and Walcott this year. Think of all the goals he has scored over the last two years, and then think about him potentially having more space and time to shoot. It’s a mouth-watering prospect, one that could spark a twenty goal season should he be given a run in the team. Even if he’s not starting every game, he’s an incredibly valuable player in the squad. I would hate to see everybody’s favorite player sold before he’s given a proper chance to thrive.

I will leave you with a video of Podolski’s top 10 career goals, and you tell me if his finishing ability deserves a spot in the team.


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Where Has This Team Been All Year?

Good morning, everyone. I was planning on just having one Arsenal post today, but after watching the Red Sox-Blue Jays game last night, I decided I needed to say a little bit about the best Red Sox performance of the entire year. I’ll have the Arsenal post up in a few hours as well.

Wow. I guess the Red Sox really don’t want to see any of their teammates traded away. Where has this team been all year? Just about everybody in the lineup was effective at the plate last night in a 14-1 rout of the Blue Jays, as the offense scored more runs than they had in any game all year. A daunting road trip could have derailed the Sox’s momentum, but the reigning champs kept up the pressure on the rest of the AL East with another win, their eighth in the last nine games. Suddenly, the Trading Deadline doesn’t feel so imminent.

As I wrote yesterday morning, the bats were coming around everywhere except the middle of the lineup this past weekend. Last night, Stephen Drew, Daniel Nava and everybody else who has been struggling all year continued their impressive start to the second half. Every player except for two had multiple hits by the start of the sixth inning. But the difference last night that set off the huge offensive night was that David Ortiz started hitting again. After taking an extra session of early batting practice before the game to rediscover his stroke, Ortiz found success immediately. He had to work for his two home runs, as neither pitch was right in his wheelhouse, and it was evident that the extra work helped him stay balanced in the box. And behind him, Mike Napoli also continued to heat up, hitting another home run himself.

Along with the boost that Ortiz’s night provided, that Drew’s bat is starting to come around is nearly as exciting for a couple reasons. It gives the lineup an extra dimension when he adds some pop. And frankly, I’ve been tired of hearing so many people hate on the guy on talk radio in recent weeks. His defense has always been superb if not spectacular, but his steadiness is more valuable than the flare Jose Iglesias provided. Pitchers love having Drew behind them, and that’s worth a lot.

He’s also capable of hitting more than your average shortstop can. Just a couple years ago, he was considered an elite hitter, and while the glimpses of that player have been rare in his time in Boston, he can still be a threat offensively. Drew could have a lot of say in whether the Sox keep digging themselves out of their hole.

I’ve been expecting Brock Holt to come down to earth for a long time but the longer this goes on, the more it looks like he’s here to stay. Last night was yet another engaging chapter in the Legend of Brock Holt. Three months ago, who would have thought that we be a thing people would be writing? He collected two hits – he’s still leading the league in hits since his call-up in May – including one off yet another lefty, and scored a couple runs.

But it was his catch in right field that stood out for me. It’s amazing how quickly he’s adapted to playing the outfield, and this particular catch showcased all the skills he’s developed in the last month. He read the ball off the bat, sprinted to the right spot, timed his jump perfectly and held onto the ball when he hit the wall. It takes years for the best outfielders to learn how to do that, but Holt has done it in a month. There’s no telling what’s coming next from the little man.

It seems strange that David Ortiz passing Carl Yastrzemski wasn’t mentioned on NESN by Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy, or at least not in any way I picked up on, but that milestone home run was hardly the story last night. Not even John Lackey’s stellar start deserved the bulk of the headlines either. It was a night about the whole team putting things together. And in that way, it felt a lot like last year.

Suddenly, things are looking up for the Red Sox. It seems like Jake Peavy might be taking the mound tonight in Toronto after all, even after an entire month of trade talks. With the rest of the team’s fortunes rapidly changing, maybe it’s time for Peavy to earn that elusive second win of the season. After the last few days, I expect nothing less.


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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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Liebster Award

A few days ago, somebody commented on a post of mine telling me that he had nominated me for a Liebster Award. Naturally, I assumed it was spam. But I went to his blog and read the post where he accepted his award and nominated myself and another blogger for whatever this award was. There were a bunch of rules that went along with it which he posted that made the award seem like one of those awful email chains, but unlike those, there were no bogus consequences listed if I didn’t accept the award. At the very least, it seemed a genuine compliment that he thought my blog was worthy of any award at all.

So I looked up the Liebster Award on Google and found a ton of interesting results – look it up yourself if you don’t believe me. It turns out that this award is an unofficial welcome from the blogosphere to new bloggers. It’s been around since 2007 and while the rules have slowly changed over the years, it’s pretty legitimate. The award is meant to help bring attention to the “best new blogs” and is meant to help them earn new followers and readers by linking them to other blogs. So in other words, the chain is only meant to help the bloggers out, opening up their readership. Even if only a few people click on the links to the other blogs, it’s worth it if it brings in new faces to the site.

Despite all this, I wasn’t planning on accepting this award because I didn’t want to answer the ten questions asked by my nominator. However, over the last few days I have reconsidered. With my viewership going into a post-World Cup slump recently, before picking up a bit yesterday, I decided I needed to thank him for representing all those reading my blog and appreciating it. I owe it to all my readers to respond to this gesture. So I accept the Liebster Award, and thank James Bromley for nominating me. (The link to his blog is here: jamesbromleyblog.com)

So without further ado, I plan on following the rules of this award, continuing the tradition of welcoming new writers to the blogosphere.

The rules of this award are as follows:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.
2. You must answer the 10 questions given to you by the nominee before you.
3. You must nominate your favourite blogs with fewer than 200 followers and notify them of their nomination.
4. You must come up with 10 questions for your nominees to answer.

James Bromley has given me the same questions he was asked, so I will now answer those.

1) Where is your favorite place?

I’d be inclined to say Fenway Park, home of my beloved Boston Red Sox. It’s a beautiful ballpark and some of my favorite memories have happened there.

2) Who is the best Bond?

I can’t say I’m the biggest James Bond fan, but I have liked Daniel Craig in the role in the two Bond movies I’ve seen. I’ll go with him.

3) Name three things that you are proud of.

I am proud of my sports writing achievements, both with this blog and at my college newspaper. I am proud of my ability to continue to stay motivated every day as I write multiple posts for this site. It’s tiring at times, but I couldn’t imagine stopping unless I absolutely have to. And I’m also proud of being from the Boston area and going to the One True School.

4) What was the last thing that made you laugh?

I laugh often. Some would probably say I laugh too easily. But I enjoy being happy. I certainly laughed last night when I was out golfing with my friend. I remember one instance when he pointed out how I instinctively put tees behind my ear after I tee off. I laughed at that one.

5) Do you do any regular exercise/sport?

I play pick-up soccer and basketball pretty often, and I have played a lot of tennis over the years.

6) Do you have any pets?

Nope. Never have, never will.

7) What would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse?

I really have no idea. I’d probably surrender pretty quickly. I don’t do well with zombies.

8) What was the last book that you read and enjoyed?

I typically do more writing than reading, but in my English classes last year, I particularly enjoyed reading Ernest Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying.

9) What annoys or irritates you?

Sports wise, it annoys me when players don’t take accountability for any transgressions. It’s okay to make a mistake, but you have to be able to own up for it.

10) If there was a movie of your life, what would it be called and who would play you?

I don’t think my life would make for a very interesting movie. But it could be about living with many severe food allergies. So I guess it would be called 100,000 Lightly Salted Rice Cakes. I was once told that the late Gregory Peck would play me in a movie. I don’t know why, but I’ll go with a young version of him to play me in this hypothetical situation.

Now comes the time for me to nominate three other blogs for this award. Obviously, they don’t need to accept this by making a similar post on their blogs, but they should feel free to continue the tradition. I hope that they at least appreciate the gesture. These are three of my favorite blogs to read, and I would like to get them a few extra readers if nothing else. If they want to accept, they should comment on this post and I’ll tell them what their questions will be.

Play the Advantage – This was my favorite blog to read every day during the World Cup. It’s a commentary on referees, but taken to a level I never knew possible. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Observation Blogger – There’s a lot of great sports content on here both about baseball and soccer. Definitely worth checking out.

Heart Beats Football – This is a wonderful blog about a wide variety of soccer stories, but specifically about France and French players across the globe. I really like the writing style of this one.

I’ll let them know I have nominated them, and hopefully they’ll accept. But overall, this award is about recognizing other great blogs and these are three deserving of attention. So please check them out.

I will get back to regular sports content before the day is over. But I felt I had to acknowledge this award, because I really appreciate my readers welcoming me to the blogosphere.