LIVE from Brunswick: No. 4 Tufts at No. 1 Bowdoin

10/30/08 5:50 PM

UPDATE, Saturday, 8:22 a.m.: What Halloween it was for Tufts Athletics yesterday. Besides the field hockey team's historic 4-3 win at Bowdoin, the volleyball team picked up a 3-1 victory over Wesleyan to clinch first place in the NESCAC for the first time in its history. As a result, the Hill will be home to two conference tournaments this season, one in field hockey and the other in volleyball. Meanwhile, women's soccer came from behind to defeat Bowdoin yesterday 2-1, which, coupled with Amherst's 3-0 win over Trinity, gives the Jumbos the fourth seed and home field advantage for the first round of the NESCAC Tournament -- incredible given how many injuries Tufts has sustained this season. Later, men's soccer scored a 3-1 victory over Bowdoin and punched its ticket to the NESCAC... 0 comment

Carlotto | History's unwelcome surprise

10/21/08 8:45 AM

What’s that expression about the past?  You know, the one about history repeating itself?  Well basically it told me and the rest of Red Sox Nation that our beloved team wasn’t supposed to lose to the Rays in the ALCS after being down three games to one.  After all, the last three times they found themselves in such a situation, the Sox made remarkable comebacks to win three games in a row and steal each of the series.  They did so in ’86 against the Angels, in ’04 against the Yankees (not sure if you baseball fans heard but they were actually down 0-3 in that one), and in ’07 against the Indians. So when the Sox found themselves down 3 games to 1, history was supposed to repeat itself, right?  Fans boldly stated, “We’ve... 1 comment

Carlotto | I was there: A Sox game for the ages

10/17/08 10:20 AM

“Go ahead.  Just ask them.  Put aside whatever negative perceptions of Red Sox fans you have and ask them why their team lost.  ‘Easy’, they’ll say.  ‘The Rays were just better.’” As I sat freezing in my seat in Conigliaro's Corner and the Sox were down 7-0 in the top of the seventh, those were the opening lines that I had decided upon for my blog post.  Fast forward a few hours.  Now I’m sitting at my computer desk at 4:30 in the morning with my vocal chords shot and poking myself in the head just to make sure that that game really just happened. Let’s get something straight.  I was at the July 31, 2006 game when Papi hit a three-run walk-off homer against Carmona, I’ve sat in a front row... 7 comments

Friday Afternoon Quarterback 10.10.08

10/10/08 4:16 PM

With a pair of Massachusetts schools falling from grace in Week 3, it didn't take long for Trinity to lay claim to sole possession of first place in the NESCAC. Another test awaits the Bantams this week -- it won't be easy for them to keep things rolling. Bowdoin at Hamilton Given the difficulty of the Bears' first three games, not starting off 0-3 is in itself a victory. Bowdoin notched its first win last week in impressive fashion, piling up four touchdowns on a usually stingy Tufts defense for a 28-26 win, and suddenly the Bears have four eminently winnable games in their last five; a winning season in Brunswick is not out of the question. Oliver Kell and the Bears' passing game have been strong; if the running game can pick things up and the defense improves, expect good things...

Friday Afternoon Quarterback, week 3

10/3/08 12:35 PM

With a comeback win over Williams, Trinity has asserted itself as the team to beat. But keep an eye on Tufts, which scored a 34-7 victor over a Bates team that held its own against Trinity in Week 1. Meanwhile Amherst is a quiet 2-0, awaiting a big test tomorrow as the Jeffs visit the league champs. Some thoughts: Trinity at Hamilton The Continentals proved themselves with a 10-point win on the road at Wesleyan and should be solid contenders for a four- or five-win season this year. But after last week, there's no picking against the Bantams. Trinity stunned Williams on the road by holding the Ephs scoreless in the second half and winning 20-17 to improve to 2-0. The Bants have one of the league's best defenses, especially against the run, which doesn't bode well for Hamilton's...

Carlotto | Welcome to October, Day 2

10/2/08 8:54 AM

Day one of the baseball playoffs has come to a close, and, like on most days in the postseason, the teams that ended up on top were the beneficiaries of some stellar starting pitching. Cole Hamels, Derek Lowe, and Jon Lester all turned in clutch performances to lead their teams to victory, with Lowe and Lester stealing home-field advantage for their teams by stepping up on the road.  Yet going in to the day, these performances were somewhat expected: Lowe put up gaudy stats in September and Hamels and Lester have been consistently good for their respective teams all season long. Playoff baseball is incredibly unpredictable, but whichever team’s bullpen and starting rotation can get on a roll generally ends up reaching the Promised Land.  We’ll see which team can... 0 comment