After a long summer spent thinking about baseball (among other, less important things), it’s only right to start off this year by talking about the first man that comes to mind when talking about baseball these days: Shohei Ohtani.
From “Black Panther” (2018) and “Creed” (2015) star Michael B. Jordan investing in A.F.C. Bournemouth to the sensational takeover of Wrexham A.F.C. by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney, American investments in English football have become increasingly common in the last decade.
Tufts is just one of the hallmarks of the journey of sailing coach Kenneth Legler’s historic career, but it will be the one where that coaching career comes to a close. As both a competitive sailor and a coach, he has made a dramatic impact on the sport as a whole.
On March 3, the Tufts men’s basketball team faced off against Widener University in Keene, N.H. It was the most significant game of the season to date; the tension was apparent and the Jumbos needed someone to step up. That someone was senior guard and captain Theo “Sarge” Henry. When the squad’s season was on the line, Henry took charge and lived up to his nickname, leading the team to the 78–66 victory with 19 points, including a 12–12 performance from the line. However, this leadership did not magically appear out of nowhere. Instead, it is a trait he has cultivated throughout his basketball career, starting from the very beginning.
The 127th Boston Marathon on April 17 featured a field of 30,000 runners ranging from those running their first marathon to Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder for the fastest marathon. One thing all of these runners have in common is their passion and love for the sport and their sheer determination to complete one of the toughest things that a human can do.
As the Jumbos wrapped up their final game on the hardwood this March, the team rallied one last time around senior co-captain Joelle Zelony.
Like his favorite player Trent-Alexander Arnold, who has gone from boyhood Liverpool fan to club icon in the last five years, former Tufts men’s soccer co-captain Ian Daly stands out for his work ethic and positive outlook. The recent graduate’s impact on the program has left a legacy grounded in humility, unity and hard work.
Tufts baseball traveled to Hartford, Conn. for the team’s first away NESCAC East Division series of the season on the back of a seven game winning streak dating back to April 8, when it won the second game of a doubleheader against Amherst. Two comeback wins followed by a comfortable series finale victory over Trinity meant that the Jumbos improved to 9–0 in NESCAC East play and extended their winning streak to 10 games while Trinity finished their 2023 NESCAC East regular season campaign with a record of 6–6. This weekend’s results also mean that the Jumbos will host a best-of-three series in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NESCAC Baseball Championship tournament.
It wasn’t a pretty game, but at the final horn, the No. 1 Tufts men’s lacrosse team continued their undefeated season on Saturday with a 22–12 Senior Day win over Hamilton. With the win, Tufts improved to 14–0 overall and 9–0 in the NESCAC, maintaining their No. 1 ranking nationally. Then, the Jumbos made history on Wednesday when they defeated the No. 7 Bowdoin Polar Bears 19–15, finishing the regular season undefeated.
A few famous pictures can sum up Marco Materrazi’s historic career: being headbutted by Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup Final, a teary embrace with Jose Mourinho after completing the treble in 2010 and lifting the World Cup alongside a legendary collection of Italian stars.One picture, however, stands out from the crowd, both in aesthetic and significance. It was taken in 2005, against the smokey red backdrop of an electric San Siro as flares lit up the capital city in a second leg of a Champions League quarter-final. The game was halted for safety reasons as security and firefighters scrambled pitchside. It was then that photographers captured a shot for the ages as Materrazi leaned on the shoulder of rival Rui Costa, together watching the chaos unfold.
Watching a close NBA playoff game is awesome. It is also a form of psychological warfare. I present to thee: The five stages of playoff-watching, currently waiting on peer review.
Unfazed by a 5–4 loss at No. 25 MIT on April 11, just their second loss of the season, No. 9 Tufts went 4–0 on this weekend’s road trip, improving to 26–2 on the season and a perfect 10–0 in NESCAC play to lead the conference. The Jumbos kept the momentum up during the week, beating the Babson Beavers 1–0 on Wednesday.
There is a common saying in sports that getting to the top is hard, but staying there is harder. The Tufts men's lacrosse team moved up to No. 1 in all three major polls last week despite tight wins against Williams and Connecticut College, and followed that up with a 20–7 victory on April 12 against a Bates side that sits toward the bottom of the NESCAC. Then, on Saturday the squad left Middletown, Conn. with a 25–16 statement win against Wesleyan to defend its rank as the nation’s top Division III side.
Women’s lacrosse split a pair of games over the weekend, falling 14–10 to Wesleyan on Saturday before picking up the slack a day later in a 7–6 victory against cross-state rival Williams.
A weak headed clearance from Thilo Kehrer fell to Gabriel Martinelli whose shot caught the outstretched arm of Mikel Antonio. Penalty to Arsenal. Whistles echoed across the London Stadium as Bukayo Saka was handed the ball. Yet to miss from the spot all season, the young forward spared a quick glance at Lukasz Fabianski’s goal before side-footing the ball wide of the post. Captain Martin Ødegaard consoled the Arsenal striker as West Ham’s prayers were answered. Still leading 2–1, the Gunners reorganized against an onslaught of West Ham attacks. A minute later, a clearance by Gabriel was redirected by Kehrer who managed to pick out the run of Jarrod Bowen who buried the ball in the back of the net. 2–2. David Moyes’ West Ham team dug deep and held on to the point, leaving Arsenal with back-to-back draws as title rivals Manchester City’s 3–1 win over Leicester City closed the gap to just four points with a game in hand for the defending champions.
This past weekend, the Tufts Jumbos baseball program traveled to Amherst for a three-game series. Though typically NESCAC rivals, the three-game series did not count towards either team’s conference record since NESCAC baseball is divided into two divisions with the Jumbos residing in the East Division and the Mammoths residing in the West Division. The Jumbos’ victory in Saturday’s rubber match meant that they won the series by a margin of two games to one.
Throughout the season — and to the surprise of very few — Rudy Gobert punched his ticket as the centerpiece of one of the worst trades in NBA history. And then he punched Kyle Anderson.
Although most teams would be satisfied with a 14–11 victory against Williams, an in-league opponent who sits in the top half of one of the best Division III lacrosse conferences in the country, the No. 1 Tufts men’s lacrosse team is not one of them. After all, the Jumbos have every right not to be, sporting an 11–0 record with an average margin of victory of 10.64 goals against some of the best squads in the nation. They are the only ranked team that is undefeated following previous No. 1 Christopher Newport’s loss to No. 2 Salisbury 16–7 on Saturday. After Wednesday’s Williams contest, the Jumbos faced off against an underappreciated Connecticut College on Saturday, and while the 15–14 victory was again closer than the team might have hoped for, perhaps it was the grit brewing from the discontent with the previous game’s result that allowed it to prevail.
Having lost just three games all season, Newcastle United is weeks away from returning to the pinnacle of European football. In a season where Liverpool and Chelsea have drifted astray from their usual title-challenging positions, mid-table sides have dared to dream of European qualification with one capitalizing more on this goal than any other. With every game, Eddie Howe’s men look more like a Champions League side destined to return to the big stage.
I’m going to level with you. Among the “Big Four” American sports, baseball is my least favorite. It’s both the slowest and least athletic, yet also the most confusing and time intensive. But I still went to the Red Sox-Pirates game on Monday night and remembered why I still love it.
