The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the winners of its annual awards over the course of this week, starting tonight. Here are the finalists and my thoughts on who should win each award.
The Tufts men’s soccer team has rarely entered the NESCAC Tournament as underdogs. They were NESCAC champions in2017, 2019 and 2021, winning every championship game they participated in. However, following a 2–1 victory over Bowdoin in the quarterfinals, the Jumbos were considered heavy underdogs entering the semifinals, as they faced the undefeated Middlebury Panthers, the third-ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Now, we shift our focus to the Western Conference. The Arizona Coyotes are continuing with their rebuild, but for the first time in many years, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Arizona has a plethora of young talent in forwards such as Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton and others. For the time being, the Coyotes are not ready to compete for a playoff spot due to below-average defense and goaltending. However, with the young talent the Coyotes have brought in, the future is bright in the desert, but the club will have to wait another year or two before they are ready to compete for a playoff berth.
The Houston Texans aren’t exactly a historically successful franchise. They’ve only made the playoffs six times out of their 21 full seasons of existence, and are the only franchise to have never played in a conference championship game. As a result, when there’s finally a hope for the future, it’s a big deal.
It was Senior Day at the Ellis Oval, and the Jumbos were fired up and ready to roll. The Jumbos, led by senior quarterback Matt Crowley, started with the ball. A three-and-out by the Jumbos and a third-down fumble by the Mules gave the game a slow start. Junior quarterback Michael Berluti came onto the field and got the squad rolling, putting a 12-yard pass in the hands of senior wide receiver Robbie Moret.
In a strong start to the NESCAC tournament, the Tufts women’s volleyball team won against Trinity College for a home victory on Saturday. The Jumbos won three out of four sets to secure their position in the semifinals next weekend.
There is nothing elegant about Atlético Madrid. In an era in which coaches and teams have crafted tactics around efficient possession and inch-perfect passing, Atleti remains a product of the past. Their coach, Diego Simeone, epitomizes this. The Argentine coach famously tripped David Beckham in a World Cup quarter final in 1998, sparking a rash kick from the English star, a topic of conversation in his latest documentary. But, at the core of Atleti’s chaos lies a delicate gem, crafted in France and polished in La Liga, former world champion Antoine Griezmann.
On Saturday night, with 7:47 to go in the fourth quarter, Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. nailed a three-pointer to cut his team’s deficit to only one point. Boston Celtics fans had seen this story before; unable to put a game away in crunch time, it seemed inevitable they would fall back into old habits, wasting possessions with fruitless isolation attempts before choking away a winnable game.
We all love a good underdog story, and both the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks had one this year. But we also love to witness greatness — teams that dominate, break records and win awards. These teams, the five greatest of the 21st century, did just that.
The months of waiting have finally paid off. It’s officially time for the first tip-offs of the 2023–24 college basketball season. With many fascinating storylines and loads of new talent to be displayed, here are my favorite games for each day this week in college hoops.
“Are we seriously putting them in a World Series conversation right now? I’m sorry, I feel like that’s kind of a joke.”I uttered those fateful words when asked about the Texas Rangers on April 3rd of this year.
Coming off a disappointing playoff exit last spring, the New York Rangers feel they can win it all this season, and rightfully so. Their well-balanced and talented roster starts in the net, where elite goaltender Igor Shesterkin resides and consistently dominates.
The Tufts cross country program competed in NESCAC championships held in Amherst, Mass. this weekend. In a field of 11 teams, the women’s team finished sixth and the men were third in the best finish for the men’s team since 2016.
Nobody beats the Denver Broncos 17 times in a row. Certainly not after the Broncos ended a 16-game losing streak in a 24–9 victory against their division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. The victory also ended Patrick Mahomes’ NFL record 16 straight divisional away victories.
On Oct. 29, 2022, the men’s soccer team had a date with Williams in the NESCAC quarterfinals and held a 1–0 lead in the final 25 seconds of the 90 minutes. Then, on an Ephs long throw-in, the game turned upside down: The referee called a penalty kick on an off-ball push, which was converted into a goal, sending the game into overtime. However, the two full overtimes were not enough to settle it, and the game headed to penalty kicks. The Jumbos ultimately fell to the Ephs in the shootout 4–3. The upsetting final image of the game was one of then-senior outside back and All-American Ian Daly staring in disbelief at the trajectory of his shot, which sailed over the crossbar.
In their last games of the regular season, the Tufts women's volleyball team won two back-to-back games against Bowdoin College on Friday and Connecticut College on Saturday. The two victories were decisive, with the Jumbos winning all three sets against both Conn. College and Bowdoin. The team came into last weekend’s games with both excitement and determination. Senior libero Megan Harrison explained that Bowdoin and Conn. College were both strong competitors, so she was excited about the games.
The Jumbos were confident walking into their first overnight travel game of the season for a game against the Hamilton Continentals in upstate New York on Saturday. The game started with a solid drive for Tufts, as senior wide receiver Jaden Richardson and junior running back Chartellis Reece grabbed first downs. Reece ran left into the endzone to cap off the 75 yard drive, making the score 6–0. Sophomore kicker Vaughn Seelicke made it 7–0. Continentals’ first-year quarterback Luke Kurzum then stepped onto the field, throwing to first-year wide receiver Chester Boynton for a 36 yard gain. A tackle in the backfield by Javier Rios, Tufts senior defensive lineman, stopped any momentum on the Hamilton drive. With the ball back in Tufts’ hands, Reece rushed for a 37 yard gain to get to the Hamilton 22 yard line. A seven yard throw to junior wide receiver Cade Moore put the team in field goal range, but Seelicke sent it wide left, keeping the score 7–0. He went one for three on field goal attempts on Saturday, his first two misses of the season.
Many view the Columbus Blue Jackets as a last place, bottom-tier team. However, I expect the Blue Jackets to surprise doubters this season, as they have a nice balance of young, talented players and established veterans. The team is led by star experienced forwards Johnny Guadreau and Patrik Laine, as well as talented and up-and-coming players like rookie forward Adam Fantilli and defenseman Zach Werenski who will have the opportunity to develop their games. Columbus won’t be a playoff team this season, but expect the squad to make many strides with their nice balance of skilled youth and veterans.
We are roughly a third of the way through the NFL season, and narratives are beginning to take hold of teams. Contenders are separating from pretenders, and jobs are being won … or lost. By week 10 of last season, two coaches had already been fired and three more would be on the way out by the end of the season. Now, this season’s most vulnerable coaches are beginning to face the pressure to either perform or be ousted. With that in mind, let’s look at who is most vulnerable, and who may be showing up in headlines in the coming weeks.
For any Tufts team, playing away games at Middlebury is a challenge. In addition to the general quality of its teams, the three or four-hour bus ride to the Western side of Vermont is quite a journey. On Saturday, when the women’s soccer team traveled north to take on Middlebury, they not only dealt with these obstacles but also the wet, rainy conditions.
