Columns

Columns

Confessions of a College Shopaholic: Why the ‘perfect’ anything doesn’t exist

By Ryan Fairfield | April 7

You’ve probably heard it before — innewsletters, ads, Instagram captions — it’s“The Perfect Tee,” “The Only Pair of Jeans You’ll Ever Need”or“We Finally Found the Perfect Pants.” And every time I read something like that, I roll my eyes. Not because I hate a staple — I love a good staple. But because there’s no such thing as a universal “perfect” anything in fashion. Not the perfect tee, not the perfect jeans, not even the perfect white sneaker.

---

Columns

Full Court Press: In praise of losers

By Noah Goldstein | April 4

Sixty-eight teams made it to March Madness this year. After the championship game on Monday, there will only be one left standing. That team will not be Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans, and maybe that’s okay.

---

Columns

Coffee with Creatives: Spaghetti, meatballs and Fat Morgan

By Ava Dettling | April 4

Every band interview starts the same way. The movies “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984) and “Almost Famous” (2000) captured this dynamic, often casting the journalist as “the enemy.” Fortunately, this band was gracious enough to welcome their so-called adversary to an Italian dinner before their gig — providing a chance to learn about their origins, creative process and what lies ahead.

---

Columns

A Jumbo’s Journey: Nike edition (not sponsored)

By Ben Rachel | April 4

Wow, I am so excited to be writing this edition of my column sporting my Nike Killshot 2 Leather shoes, comfortably lounging in my Nike Sportswear Tech Fleece sweatpants and bundled in my Nike Club Men’s Fleece Pullover Hoodie. What a day to be completely covered in Nike merchandise, sitting in the Nike library, writing this column on my NikeBook Pro using Nike Docs. I just love using Nike (not sponsored)!

---

Columns

The Round-off Roundup: My kingdom for a hold

By Sarah Firth | April 4

There has recently been a lot of talk in men’s gymnastics about the new ‘scale’ requirement on floor exercise. This was an old requirement that has been brought back to increase the level of artistry in men’s gymnastics and make the exercise more fluid. Essentially, this means that the gymnasts have to show their range of movement and ‘lines’ through a standing balance. Jacob Harmon of Ohio State is currently winning best scale in my book, really demonstrating the qualities the scale requirement is meant to exemplify in men’s gymnastics.

---

Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘The Light We Lost’ and ‘The Love We Found’ by Jill Santopolo

By Merry Jiao | April 3

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for “The Light We Lost” and “The Love We Found” by Jill Santopolo. This past week has been rough, so hopefully, here’s a little bit of light to help brighten your guys’ day. “The Light We Lost” was (metaphorically) chucked in my face by ...

---

---

Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Indigenous invisibility is once again the norm

By Sorsha Khitikian | April 3

President Donald Trump has been on a DEI purge since taking office — removing almost any content that remotely resembles support for diversity from government websites. Many aspects of life, from science to performing arts, have been affected. Now, to be sure, I expected a lot of vital data to disappear under the DEI banner. I did not expect the removal of data concerning murder and missing persons.

---

Columns

QB Q&A: Nick Saban's best NFL quarterback

By Max Sharf | April 3

After his 17 seasons coaching the Alabama Crimson Tide, there’s no doubt that Nick Saban is the greatest coach of the century, if not of all time. With seven NCAA titles, Saban’s teams have been loaded with premier talent, including four Heisman Trophy winners. But which of his quarterbacks were truly worthy of being Saban disciples? Below, I’ve ranked each quarterback from worst to best.

---

Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Birds

By Max Turnacioglu | April 2

I suffer from ornithophobia — the fear of birds. It is my daily affliction and eternal curse. Every time a pigeon or goose lunges towards me, I cower away from their dastardly attacks. I imagine that I can see the unbridled malice in their little, beady eyes. This fear does not stem from lived experience — although I believe that some seagulls were very close to murdering me for a sandwich in Dublin if I hadn’t fled and saved myself — but rather a propensity to fear that which is different. Birds, to me, are uncomfortably different.

---

Columns

Lay of the Leagues: The sports analytics machine

By Brian Becker | March 31

Expected goals, player efficiency, ERA, slugging percentage, exit velocity, exit velo, exit velo. All these terms are very familiar to the sports analytics community and are terms that a small portion of fans within this community obsess over. Sports analytics have optimized and homogenized all major leagues in this country, especially the MLB. The rise of the information era has been synonymous with the rise of sports analytics. Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” tactics amazed baseball organizations by using statistics to build a cost-efficient organization after typing a few queries from a computer.

---

Columns

The Daily Drip: Hot Karl

By Dylan Fee | March 31

Need a distraction this week? I know I do. Take a break for a sweet treat with me as I review this week’s Sink-nature drink: the Hot Karl. The name “Hot Karl” brings to mind a small-time rapper who recorded an album titled “Your Housekeeper Hates You.” The rapper only kept the stage name Hot Karl for so long, which makes sense, as the other euphemism that comes to mind with this drink title is something I’d rather not have published with my name attached (If you know, you know, and if you don’t know, you don’t have to know).

---

Columns

Confessions of a College Shopaholic: Influenced

By Ryan Fairfield | March 31

No one likes to admit they’ve fallen for influencer marketing, but let’s be honest — we all have. We see a product pop up on our feeds enough times, hear a celebrity talk about it in just the right way — and suddenly, we’re buying it. While some of these purchases end up being forgettable disappointments, every now and then, something actually delivers. As someone who is shamefully very easily influenced, here are a few things I was “influenced” to buy and thankfully do not regret.

---

Columns

The Intangibles: Distortions of March Madness

By Jonah Cowan | March 31

March Madness asks each and every player: In the most important games you will ever play, who are you? What are you made of when your name and future are on the line? Often, the tournament is an indicator of success at the next level, and the bright lights singularly reveal the deepest psychology of these talented players.

---

Columns

Full Court Press: Alexander Ovechkin and the weight of greatness

By Noah Goldstein | March 28

Mikhail Gorbachev was elected as the eighth general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on March 11, 1985. This was a pivotal moment for the USSR, as the new leader set his sights on reform and strengthening ties with the United States. In just six years, the Soviet Union collapsed. But perhaps just as significant is what happened on Sept. 17, 1985. Somewhere in Moscow, Alexander “Ovi” Ovechkin was born. Nobody knew it yet, but he would go on to become one of hockey’s all-time greats.

---

Columns

Boston Book Crawl: Seven Stars

By Emily Sullivan | March 27

Spring break is over. A new moon is approaching. Mercury is in retrograde. All signs that a new cycle is about to begin again — and it won’t be a good one. I think. Maybe? I’m a novice when it comes to spirituality and astrology. I enjoy a good tarot reading, and I can be extremely superstitious at times. Yet, I’ve never read up on any of these topics — or even realized I could purchase a book to explain why you can’t trust a Gemini rising — until I wandered into Seven Stars in Central Square. The store is just a short walk from the MBTA stop; it offers books, crystals and everything one could ever want to know about New Age movements.

---

Columns

Extra Innings: MLB preseason power rankings

By Henry Blickenstaff | March 27

The Red Sox had one of the most productive offseasons in the league, as they traded for ace Garrett Crochet to boost their rotation and added veteran third baseman Alex Bregman to the lineup. Boston is also expecting three blue-chip prospects — Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer — to make their big-league debuts in 2025.

---

Columns

Perú Publicado: Taquile Island, St. Patrick’s Day

By Chrystal Coleman | March 26

¡Punchao! Esa es otra manera de decir ‘hola’ en quechua que aprendí recientemente. Como ya saben, he estado aprendiendo quechua en mi programa de intercambio al extranjero, y para ponernos a prueba final, nos enviaron a un viaje académico a la isla de Taquile donde la mayoría de la población sólo habla quechua. Surgieron dos problemas: yo solo sabía como decir hola, adiós y los números cero a 10, y eso era todo en quechua cuzqueño, no quechua taquileño.

---

Column

The Conversation: To paint or not to paint

By Evan Wang and Sadie Roraback-Meagher | March 26

Sadie Roraback-Meagher: Heya Evan! How was your spring break? Evan Wang: Hey Sadie! Mine was good, I went to D.C. and saw a major protest on the National Mall. Sadie: Wow, a protest? In D.C.? Never heard of that happening. Wonder what they’re all riled up over. Evan: I ...

---

Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: Ticket sales are out of control

By Odessa Gaines | March 25

This past Sunday I had plans to finally see Ayo Edebiri in the new film “Opus” (2025) at my local AMC. In preparation for this venture, I made sure to stop by the convenience store to spend my last pennies on my favorite sour snacks, hop on the Green Line extra early and queue up a great playlist for the roughly half-hour journey. Half an hour later, my train was frozen between the East Somerville and Lechmere stops.

---

Columns

Escape the Library: Sip Café Boston

By Olivia Bye | March 25

Spring has arrived! The days are longer, the grass is greener, the slush is slowly melting away. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been anxiously awaiting the sun’s arrival and the idea of studying while cooped up in a library seems less appealing than ever. My solution: Sip Cafe Boston!

---