The Past And Pending

It's not often that you see Youtube clips of defenders, especially here, but now is a good time for such a post. Kolo Toure has left Arsenal for the greener ($$$) pitch of Man City. In my short time following Arsenal in a more than casual fashion, Toure has been a stud in central defense. And in learning more about Arsenal's recent history, it's apparent that he is one of the Arsenal greats, at least during the Wenger Era anyway. On more than a handful of occasions, I've seen him save goals, score goals, lead the team as Captain, inspire the players on the field and impress fans watching around the world. While he had his ups and downs last season, and a few shaky, missteps in the previous couple seasons, the cons are vastly outweighed by the pros.

Toure was the last starting member of the Invincibles at Arsenal and the last "real" tie to that team. From a symbolic standpoint, it may be a good thing for him, and Arsenal, to move on. I don't think there was ever any conscious effort to top or even match the Invincibles' standards but still... That season is just near enough to remember the glory and just far enough away for everyone to spout that Arsenal haven't won anything since. The players have been constantly reminded of how they have not won league since that historic team, and not won any trophy since the 2005 FA Cup. For this current team, not being connected to the Invincibles might be a good thing. They will know of the stories but they will want to achieve their own success so they can experience it for themselves. Sure, players like Fabregas and Clichy were on the team in 2003-04 but I think they will want to know what it feels like to win as starters and leaders as opposed to substitutes.

Anyway, I'm not saying that Toure leaving is good; I have mixed feelings about it. His departure does weaken the squad on the defensive side, a side which few would argue as Arsenal's strength in the first place. While it wasn't clear whether or not Arsene Wenger considered him a starter anymore, the depth at center-back and right back is now more of an issue without Toure. As I mentioned above, we're not only losing a strong player but we're losing a leader as well. Fans were clamoring for another center-back signing before he left and now they might just want more than one. And on top of that, in an era where Arsenal seems to be losing all of their top players in the transfer market, some disgruntled fans may be even more frustrated with this loss.

On the flip-side, I think Toure had to leave now because he was going to leave sooner or later. He's not getting any younger and while he still has good seasons left in him, I don't think he's getting better by any means. He went through a rough patch last season, to the point where he requested a transfer. I have always thought that players should be sold if they don't want to play for a certain team. (I guess on the same note, I have always wondered what contracts were for, if players just get to leave whenever they want.) Why should Arsenal bother to keep Toure if he wants to leave. Who's to say he will train and play with his heart, which is a big part of what makes Toure a good player. From a financial standpoint, I doubt Arsenal would be able to sell him for this much in the future. What's better: the money now, from a Real Madrid/Man City-inflated market or one more season with Toure and significantly less money in the future? The money Wenger received now can be put to good use strengthening the center midfield, or even reinvesting it in another center-back.

As much as I hate to see him go, I think the timing is right. He'll get to be a starter for sure; he'll feel more at home considering Adebayor (who I don't even want to talk about other than to say it's good he left and took his drama with him) is there too. Anyway, Toure definitely strengthens Man City's squad, so good luck to him but bad luck to them. Now, let's just hope Arsenal can sign one or two solid players and hit the ground running come August 15th.

What It Takes

I enjoy Woods' relatively new album. I also enjoy doodling, and crosswords too.

Oh O-Oh Oh Oh

Kid Cudi + Kanye West + Common + Lady GaGa sample = Make Her Say

My Swag

I decided to check out jj based on Pitchfork's album and track reviews and let me tell you, I'm not disappointed. Hardly breaking any new ground, the enigmatic Swedish band touches on electro-pop, ambient, straight forward acoustic pop and even hip hop (practically covering T.I. on "my swag, my life" and using Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" on "ecstacy"). The lush, simple melodies and layered, echoey vocals result in a surprisingly fresh and enjoyable sound. I've been listening to "jj n° 2" and "jj n° 1" for the past hour (at least) and while there aren't any obvious standout tracks, there isn't a dud in the bunch. Typically, I shy away from using music as strictly background noise -- I definitely avoid advertising music as such -- but in this case jj has provided the perfect backdrop for taking care of some things around the house. For that reason, I can't fully comment on the lyrics but at this point, I doubt the words can bring down the music even if they're terrible. Maybe, I'll write a more complete review when I give it a better listen, but you should check out jj in the meantime.

Ain't Hard To Tell

Anthony Randolph messed around and got 42 points last night in the arguably pointless Summer League. I've been saying this kid needs to get more playing time but it only happened last year when injuries hit the Warriors. It's not hard to see that Coach Nelson just isn't good with young players; there have been stories all over the place addressing that very issue. With regard to Randolph, the Sports Guy touched on it last year and Kawakami wrote about it in relation to last night's performance. For a couple years now, I've been saying the Warriors need to get rid of Nelson in order to really build the team into a contender. In all honesty, the Warriors need a near-complete overhaul on the management and coaching side of things, but I think replacing Nelson is essential. They're clearly a few years away from becoming a legitimate threat for the title and I don't see that ever happening with a coach who can't develop young players and who runs a style of basketball that, while being fun to watch, won't succeed in playoff basketball.

Wolf At The Door

I guess if you wanted to recreate a scene from a summer blockbuster for a wedding speech, you may as well choose one that is really funny and awesome. Sure, swiping lines from movies for your best man's speech is a little lame, but quoting Zach Galifianakis' toast from The Hangover is not even remotely close to walking around screaming "yeeeeah!," Chappelle/Lil Jon-style or butchering lines from Old School.

Vivrant Thing

I came across this image on Flickr. People in the comments section complain about the HDR but I think the image has a very cartoon-y, dream-like appeal. (I'm not sure blogger exactly captures all of the vibrance so you should check out the Flickr page.) I don't know anything about the photographer, Andertho, but some of his other photos are equally amazing.

You The Best?

Am I the only one who thinks this song is overrated? I doubt it, because there are always haters when something or someone gets this much hype. I'm not hating but I just don't find him to be a particularly good rapper or singer, and he isn't particularly clever or creative either. I suppose Drake's mixtape is kind of okay; it's not terrible but I feel like the standout tracks only stand out because there are a lot of lackluster songs in there. Give me Cudi or Wale any day. Anyway, Drake and his Canadian television actor background does have the backing of famous rappers and teeny boppers so I guess that is all he needs. Kanye did this video, which is like Baywatch meets Hang Time meets um, any stereotypical rap video. Enjoy???

Stay

Yes, with Real Madrid's signing of French striker Karim Benzema, it looks a slight bit more likely that David Villa will remain at Valencia for next season. Well, he may still get swooped up by another team, but at least he isn't going to Madrid who were thought to have been the front-runners in the Villa saga. I don't know why, but I was never keen on him going to Real. It has nothing to do with the spending (if they have the money, let them use it) but more to do with the fact that they aren't building a team so much as collecting big players and that I am becoming less and less a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo each time I watch him. I would much rather have Villa join Barca over Real Madrid, so if he must go it's good to hear rumors that he's meeting with them. With Eto'o likely on his way to Man City, David Villa would fit right into the front-line with ex-Gunner Thierry Henry (my other favorite striker, although he's more of a winger now) and the real best player in the world (sorry, CR7), Lionel Messi. Throw in a few other guys I like (Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Pique, Toure) and yeah, I guess I'm kind of a Barca fan, after Arsenal and Valencia of course. So, here's to hoping David Villa stays and Valencia can keep a few of their young up and coming players...

To speak on the Benzema signing, I think it will benefit both the player and the team. Based on last season and after their two big signings this summer, I thought Madrid needed a striker more than a winger/midfielder. This move makes so much more sense than them bringing in Ribery (another player I'd rather not see at Madrid... Although Madrid sounds much better than ManU). Now, I don't have a great idea of just how good Benzema will be but I do know he is a good. Playing in top league (no offense, Ligue 1 fans) where he can play against better competition at a high profile club is the next logical step for him. It'll be interesting to see how he performs and handles the pressure.

Also, in related but old news, I'm kind of bummed that Raul Albiol is out. This doesn't have that much to do with Madrid as it does with the fact that Albiol is one of the most promising young center backs in the world and he didn't want to leave Valencia (touch up on your Spanish). Good signing for Madrid, I guess. At least they aren't completely ignoring the defense.