Suspensions: Herron...Kljestan?!

Major League Soccer (MLS) disciplined Columbus Crew forward Andy Herron this morning to the tune of a four-game suspension and a $3,000 fine. Seeing as I already wrote about this in another space, I'll send persons interested in reading about it to that space (short version: Herron got off light, but I'm still OK with it).

Seeing as a suspension of some sort was a given with Herron, that's done and dusted. But something in the same press release has me thinking a bit:

"The disciplinary committee also suspended Chivas USA defender Sacha Kljestan two games and fined him $1,000 for a serious foul play."

[SNIP]

"In the Kljestan incident, although the referee saw the incident and exercised his on-field judgment not to award a red card, a serious injury to Williams resulted. In this circumstance, the committee reviewed the play and concluded that the challenge was an unequivocal red card offense and egregious. Therefore, the committee decided to suspend Kljestan two MLS Regular Season games and fine him $1,000."

Those interested in a second look can find video to all of these incidents. My video feed is boned, so I'm currently unable to review the Kljestan "incident," but this still strikes me as harsh. I'm OK with the fine - I'd even be comfortable if they doubled it so long as they withdrew the suspension, or keep the fine and suspend him for one game, as if it had been a red card - but that's a pretty stiff punishment for a bad foul in the run of play. And it was a bad foul, no question. I like Andy Williams plenty and respect him more (especially how huge a mensch he is for even playing given everything) and this is definitely tragic. But I don't think the simple existence of the injury has a role in setting the punishment.


UPDATE I entirely accept the possibility that my take on the Kjlestan incident doesn't make sense - and if I find out Sacha didn't visit Andy in the hospital (barring accidents of travel, etc.) I'll rescind the statement entirely. In any case, a couple other people weighed in on this, so I thought I'd link to them: Ives Galarcep and Steve Goff, though with the latter, I'm pointing more toward the comments.

Herron's Elbow: Well...We're Waiting (+ Video)

One of the "great" talking points of Major League Soccer's (MLS) Week 3 was almost certainly the elbow Columbus forward Andy Herron planted on New England defender Jay Heaps' head. It turns out this shot left Heaps with a concussion plus a happy flutter of butterflies where his memory of the end of the first half, halftime, and the early parts of the second half should be.

That's an ugly scene, no doubt, but the questions central to this with the words "suspension" on nearly everyone's tongue (though nothing showing, as yet, on MLSnet.com's discipline report) are intent and self-defense - e.g. was Herron swinging "to kill" and was he retaliating? And some interesting answers to these points have shown up here and there as the week progresses.

USSoccerplayers.com scribe Ian Plenderleith opened the defense by noting something the Greek Chorus in the announcing booth might have missed:

"...as any viewer could see from the 15 or so replays of the incident, the not-so-angelic Heaps clearly does something in the back to Herron at below camera level as the ball is played, and that is what Herron responded to. Not that this mitigates Herron's disgraceful violent conduct, but it puts the incident in a context that the commentators for some reason ignored. Fortunately, Heaps was not badly injured."

I can't say I noticed the thing Heaps did; as I saw it, Herron looked to be checking over his shoulder to make sure it was indeed Heaps behind him. Then again, I've got a three-year-old distracting me through it all and am thus willing to admit I misread the thing.

Still, thank God for Youtube, right? Judge for yourself:



After watching that, I have to admit, Herron sure does look like he's reacting. But look at the man's face when he swings: there's a scowl brimming with intent. And that brings up another defense I came across today, this one straight from Herron himself, that appeared in the solid Hunt Park Insider. Even as the author, Steve Sirk, points out that "upon seeing the replay, Andy's explanation falls short on many levels", here's what he had to say:

"'I saw the ball coming, and I looked back, and I didn't see nobody,' [Herron] explained. 'So when I jumped up, you are gonna try to protect yourself in case someone comes in and tries to push you. It didn't feel like I hit someone, but everyone says I did. He's shorter than me, so he probably hit my elbow. They said it probably seems pretty bad. I talked to him at the end of the game and said "You scream at me and you kick me and I tell you everything, but I am not going to elbow you for dirty, man." It was just the motion of the play. I told him sorry, but then I was thinking "should I?" because I don't even remember hitting him. I am going to check out the replay, and they say it might cause me some problems, but hopefully the league will look at it and see it the right way.'"

I don't think that story will carry Herron's case very far either. But the bulk of Sirk's argument - and he in no way defends Herron's elbow, specifically or generally - is that the referee lost control of the game, creating an atmosphere where players take such things into their own hands.

For what it's worth, I think Herron is toast - hardly a bold prediction, but there it is. Put another way, there's a reason no one outright defends Herron; and it's possible he'll lose a person or two with his comments to Sirk, smacking as they do of dishonesty. But what of the mitigating factors - e.g. a "Wild West" environment and a series of missed calls? What kind of suspension would you hand down? Me? I'd go with six to eight weeks, with one of those awarded for talking crap to the media.

What irks me about the wait, though, is a sneaking impression that the league is waiting to hand down sentence for the same reason government bodies release bad news late on Friday: they're not comfortable with their decision and want the fewest possible people to notice. Still, it's not that there's nothing to consider.

Columbus Crew: 2007 Season Preview

He should be the mascot, eh?

Past
MLSnet.com: 2006 Season Wrap
MLSnet.com: Big Questions after '06
My Thoughts on Columbus' '06 (Know my biases)

Present
2006-07 Off-Season Changes
Soccer New England's Ins & Outs for most roster changes

Columbus Crew roster from MLSnet.com (by the way, the Crew has the best profile photos in the league; Eddie Gaven’s, in particular, is a gem)

And now, the Future...

Key Men
Eddie Gaven - Expectations have followed this wee lad of 20 courtesy of a breakout year he had back in his teens with the now-renamed MetroStars. He’s a wild-card player with potential to wreck havoc on the opposition’s game-plan - that, or completely vanish from a game in some anonymous up-field perch.

Andy Herron - With so many young players in the attack, Herron comes to the Crew as both of a wizened veteran and a (semi-)proven quantity. If he can reach 10 goals with the Crew, focus on him should open up confidence-building opportunities for the young line he’s leading.

Chad Marshall - I didn’t remember this, but all the season reviews listed at the top of the page (including mine - if only briefly) mention that the Crew defense had a decent 2006. Marshall anchored that line (for the most part) and he’ll have to do so again this year for the Crew to succeed. Assuming Frankie Hejduk and Ezra Hendrickson hold up all right, Marshall’s job will have pretty little to do.

Ned Grabavoy - Below*, you’ll see why I almost didn’t list Grabavoy in this section; and nearly every ’06 season review made a big deal out of Duncan Oughton’s return to the team last September. But Grabavoy looked pretty sharp in the Pioneer Cup, which got me thinking that ol’ Ned could bring some much-needed cohesion and pacing to the Crew offense. They’ll still have Oughton for the grit, though.

Additional Assets
Spider-Monkey Power - This is the Crew. They don’t have assets, only questions. If I had to choose something, though, I’d say this is a young team, which should translate to ample energy. Because young males over-flow with hormones, and because I equate hormones with sexuality, and because I, for some reason, think of spider-monkeys whacking off in zoos when I think of over-flowing sexuality, I refer to this as “spider-monkey power.” Hey...at least I explained it...

Real Depth - Last year’s injury bug seemed to produce at least one legacy: the Crew has bodies to burn at forward and midfield. What about quality? Well, that’s a wait-and-see thing, but I don’t think this team looks half bad.

Liabilities
Thin at ‘Keep - One can question the wisdom of waiving Jon Busch - Lord knows he did - especially with only two, relative unknowns left vying for the starting goalkeeper’s gloves. Bill Gaudette played fair amount last year, but 2007 will be only his third MLS season; his competition, Will Hesmer, is about to start his second. Maybe one of these guys will be the next Matt Pickens, but would you want to count on that?

Inexperience - Ah, the downside of youth, the spent spider monkey. Ezra Hendrickson is the oldest guy on this team and he’s 35; there’s also Frankie Hejduk who will turn 33 in August. There’s a smattering of 1970s birthdays after these two (Duncan Oughton), but it’s all 80s from there. As much as these guys will be able to run, they may run a bit aimlessly.

Unknowns
Scoring - There’s a decent amount, if not too much*, of offensive talent in the Crew midfield, even if some players haven’t quite established reputations of note. But the question marks get bigger and thicker as you move toward the opposition goal. Herron can hit devilish funks, Jason Garey, for all his promise, is only a second-year pro, some under-studies are first-year players, etc. etc. It’s not that the Crew will be the only “forward-light” team in MLS this season - there’s always Red Bull - but it’s also fair to say it’s not the regular model.

Injuries, Injuries, Injuries - Last year’s goal-keeping meltdown is only the most memorable symbol of the Crew’s injury woes, but they got beat up something awful last year - and all over the field. Unless it’s something in the water or the team physician subtly destroying the team from within, it seems unlikely that the Crew will struggle as badly this season. Then again, if the injury bugg bites again this year, especially a repeat plague on the 'keepers, what follows from here won’t hold for anything.

Prospects - Using Gambling Analogies
Think of the Pioneer Cup as the Wood Memorial, but, for the love of God, don’t think of Bellamy Road's routing of the field in 2005 or this analogy falls apart. At any rate, the Wood is one of the higher-profile “preps” for the Kentucky Derby and the point I’m making here is that I’m among those people who extrapolated a good season for the Crew out of the Pioneer Cup. It’s more than that game, of course; as in horse-racing, you’re looking at the sheen on the coat, that high, fine rump, that bit of moxie in the paddock. A straight bet to win might not pan out, but I’d certainly consider the Crew for your box bets.

Translation: Tough as the East should be, I like them for the playoffs.

Fluff: Herron, What SI Paid Conrad

Even if I can't for the life of me figure out how one finds individual articles on the Columbus Dispatch's website, I think enough of their "tale of woe" profile of Crew new-boy Andy Herron to pass it on (if the link takes you to an index page, hit the link about the earth shaking). For the record, I've always kind of liked Herron and wonder whether the Chicago Fire didn't screw up in letting him go; Herron, for his part, points to a "communication problem" with Dave Sarachan.

Elsewhere, there's plenty of good stuff in Steve Davis' freelancer* for MLSnet.com - whether it's Toronto FC's incredible season-ticket sales or word from Chivas USA's player pool - but the item that stuck with me was this:

"Conrad played briefly in Poland, where those European keyboards can be tricky, with goofy characters and letters in odd places. He got frustrated writing direct mails at the cyber cafes, which charged by the hour. So he vented all his angst in a rambling, clever 1,500-word e-mail sent to many recipients - which became the genesis of a freeform column he began penning for SI.com."

"'They weren't paying me, so I didn't feel bad about ... writing about whatever I wanted,' Conrad said."

Yeah, I know enough about how little money there is to be found in soccer writing, but, the cheap bastards! Anyway, I loved those columns.

(#########)