Sockers Lost Karic, Found Themselves : MISL: Giving up a prolific scorer in exchange for 20-year-old Paul Wright might have seemed a risk, but it created an atmosphere that led the defending champions back to the finals.

From the looks on their faces, it wasn’t hard to tell something was up.

It was Feb. 24, and minutes earlier, the St. Louis Storm had clobbered the Sockers, 6-1, in the San Diego Sports Arena. The previous night, also in front of their own fans, the Sockers had been beaten up by the Baltimore Blast, 8-1.

The three Rons--Coach Ron Newman, President Ron Cady and owner Ron Fowler--huddled together behind a closed door in the locker room as people peared through the window. A smile wasn’t to be found. Their faces were taut. After a short time, the meeting broke up. In the Arena Club later, Fowler would say simply: “We’ve decided we’re not going to stand pat.”

The Sockers dressed quietly that night and walked to their cars with a 14-20 record flashing in their heads as if it were police-car lights. This was no way to defend a championship.

To nobody’s surprise, a trade was made 10 days later. Forward Zoran Karic, the Sockers’ most productive goal-scorer the previous season, was sent to the Cleveland Crunch for Paul Wright, a forward selected by the Crunch in the free-agent draft after he played his rookie season with the Sockers.

At the time, it looked promising but risky. Most certainly, it would eliminate a bit of tension, largely the result of friction between Newman and Karic. But could the Sockers really compensate for the loss of Karic’s magnificent shooting skills with a player who was still learning the finer points of the game?

“I didn’t think there was any question,” Newman says. “We don’t make trades unless we see logic in it.”

Newman would be the first to admit, though, that being logical doesn’t always breed success in the MISL, particularly when you’re dealing with the ever unpredictable Sockers. But if Newman has a hunch, he usually goes with it. He trusts his judgment.

“I’m a hell of a lot more experienced than the guy on the street,” Newman says, laughing. “There’s a lot of guess work involved no matter what you do. If you continue to make the right guesses, you must be doing something right.”

And this was something Wright . It is possible the Sockers would be on vacation now if the trade had never been made.

Since Wright’s return, the Sockers won nine of their last 15 regular-season games and then eliminated St. Louis, 3-1, in the Western Division semifinals and Dallas, 4-2, in the division finals. Tuesday, the Sockers will begin the best-of-seven championship series at Baltimore.

Against Dallas, Wright had three two-point games: two goals in a 4-2 victory in Game 1, two assists in a 4-2 victory in Game 4 and two goals in a 3-1 victory in Game 6.

But his offensive capabilities might not be Wright’s biggest contribution. When Karic was a Socker, he could never be counted on to run back and play defense. Wright gets back in a blur and allows the Sockers to open up their game. Wright is one player you won’t find gasping to catch his breath.

What does he think he did for the team?

“I don’t know what I added,” Wright says. “Just hard work. That’s what Zoran was lacking, I guess.”

Unlike with Karic, Newman doesn’t have to worry about an argument when he tells Wright to do something.

“He knows when he says something to me, I don’t talk back,” Wright says. “What the coach says is the final word. He’ll get exactly what he asks for.”

Wright, 20, is also a good morale booster. His youthful enthusiasm can’t help but rub off on his teammates, and he enjoys having a good time.

Wright is attached to his Walkman head phones the way Maggie Simpson is attached to her pacifier. On airplanes, he can often be found strolling the aisles, looking for a pretty woman to flirt with.

“He’s a fun kid to have around,” Newman says. “The youth is so exciting. It blows your mind to think what he could be in a few years.”

His accomplishments on the field don’t match Karic’s statistically. In his 15 games with Cleveland, Karic had 12 goals and 14 assists. Wright had nine and four in the last 15 regular season games.

But Cleveland went just 6-9 with Karic. In this sport, there are many variables other than goals and assists.

“You put a team together like a jigsaw puzzle,” midfielder Brian Quinn said. “(Wright) fits in well. Zoran is a quality player, but I think Paul Wright has shown that he’s better for this team.”

If the Sockers were given a boost with Wright’s arrival, so was Wright. Being back in San Diego meant going to the playoffs. Cleveland wound up finishing last in the Eastern Division.

“When I came back to San Diego, I got new life,” Wright says. “I saw I had a chance to win another championship.”

Whether or not he’ll be sticking around remains to be seen. Wright is currently making just $25,000. Scott Simpson, Wright’s agent, said he will be looking for between $40,000 and $45,000 next season.

Wright wants it to be known that he’s no longer a rookie.

“I don’t want to hear from the owners ‘You’re not proven,’ ” he says. “Obviously I’m going to do better than what I’ve done this season.

“It’s definitely going to be a money issue. I’m sure Ron Fowler knows what I want, and I’m sure (Crunch majority owner George) Hoffman knows what I want. It’s just a matter of who’s going to give it to me.”

Paul Wright to the highest bidder? Quite possibly. San Diego may be where he grew up, where he was a star at Grossmont High School and for the San Diego Nomads, but you know what? He kind of liked it in Cleveland. Yeah, the weather was brutal. But other than that, he had a good time. So if it comes right down to it, he’ll got back to Cleveland for the right chunk of change.

Wherever he ends up, he is sure to have an impact. Ask Quinn, and he’ll say the only thing that could get in the path of Wright’s success is Wright himself. It’s up to him to develop his talent and polish the areas in which he is still rough, such as shooting.

“He’s got a lot of qualities that could put him in the upper echelon of players in this league,” Quinn says. “If he wants to be a star, he’ll be a star.”