We’ve made it y’all. The leaves are turning, Halloween is in the air and NBA basketball is almost back. As we approach tip off on Oct. 24, here are my official awards picks, dark horses and NBA Finals picks. Let’s see how wrong I am in six months.
A squad as talented as the Tufts men’s soccer team naturally sets out to win its conference at the beginning of the season, and in the NESCAC, the best way to do that is to earn a high seed heading into the postseason. By doing this, a team optimizes its hopes of reaping a home field advantage during the playoffs since quarterfinals matches are hosted by the higher seed in each game and the semifinals and finals are hosted by the highest seed remaining in the tournament.
Walking into the Saturday game, both the Tufts Jumbos and the Williams Ephs held 1–1 records, looking to take a win home to move their win-loss record over .500. In the last two years, this has been a close matchup: Tufts walked away with a 35–28 win last year and fell in a 32–29 loss the year before.
The Bundesliga usually follows a set script. After a few matchdays, Bayern Munich leads the pack with its star-studded squad as Dortmund and Leipzig trail them. The league is wrapped up by the winter in contrast to other European leagues that go down to the wire. This summer, the Bavarian giants reinforced their frontline with Harry Kane, captain of England’s national team. The former Tottenham star, who was on track to break the Premier League’s all-time scoring record, has eight goals in the league and has combined well with Bayern’s attacking frontline. Despite aiming to win their 12th consecutive championship title and boasting a dazzling squad, Bayern’s invincibility is being tested by a new challenger this season.
The 2023 playoffs are here, and it’s time to rank all 12 teams that qualified, from the bluebloods to the pretenders. 12. Miami Marlins (84–77) The Marlins set a record this year — by having the worst run differential of any playoff team in MLB history at -56. Let’s face it, this team got stupidly lucky this year, and anything other than a first round exit would be a huge surprise.
Following their first loss of the season to the No. 2 ranked, Babson, Tufts field hockey rebounded with a 2–0 victory over Colby on Saturday, completing a quest for revenge sparked in the fall of 2022. In last October’s matchup against the Colby Mules, the Jumbos lost 2–1 on home turf at Ounjian Field, so they entered this past weekend’s contest hoping to set the record straight and remain undefeated in NESCAC play.
The Tufts’ women’s volleyball team lost to Hamilton 2–3 on Saturday, despite bringing strong energy to the court. Tufts’ second away game of the weekend began less than 24 hours after their loss against Middlebury on Friday night. Though they lost, the Jumbos still had a strong game, scoring 81 total points to the Continentals’ 73. Tufts also had a strong offensive showing, with 62 kills.
I don’t think it should be allowed for a team to trade their best player unless it is approved by a popular vote of all fans. I’m not kidding around.This idea came to me when the entire baseball world was discussing if the Los Angeles Angels should or shouldn’t trade Shohei Ohtani, potentially the greatest player of the generation and one of the most multi talented athletes in the history of humanity.
Going into what would be a rainy homecoming game, the focus for the Tufts football squad was to bounce back from the 44–19 Trinity loss with a win over Bates. As the game began, it became evidently clear that they were playing well, with a combination of a jumping catch by senior receiver Jaden Richardson and then a 61-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Michael Berluti putting the Jumbos up 7–0 after their first possession. The Jumbo herd was there to show their support. “All the alumni back, the parents, the students. It’s really cool. That was really fun. We had the Jumbo out. That was awesome,” Berluti said. Junior running back Chartellis Reece also noticed. “I loved the night game. It was definitely something different and I really liked it. It was way more energy than I’ve seen in the long time that I’ve been here,” Reece said.
For his career, Stephen Strasburg boasts a 3.24 ERA, 1.096 WHIP and a 4.37 strikeout to walk ratio. He became a Nationals hero in 2019 when he went 5–0 with a 1.98 ERA in the postseason, leading the Nats to their first championship in franchise history and earning World Series MVP honors along the way. And yet, Strasburg’s career is one of the most tragic stories in recent baseball memory.
The Tufts cross country program was victorious at the 55th annual Codfish Bowl, held Sept. 23 at Franklin Park in Boston. Both the men’s and women’s teams boasted strong performances to win their respective races and junior team captain Ivan Appleton received the NESCAC Performer of the Week award, finishing second overall in the men’s eight-kilometer race to lead Tufts to a commanding win.
Just like in every preseason, the speculation around which team could be raising the trophy in 2024 is non-stop. The University of Kansas, the consensus pick for the No. 1 team for 2023–24, took advantage of the transfer portal after winning the Big 12 title last year.
For a rainy Homecoming 2023 celebration, the Jumbos took to Bello Field to battle it out against the Hamilton Continentals. Much like the storm clouds creeping in, the game had a slow start with the scoreboard remaining blank over 30 minutes into the game.
On Sept. 24, 2022, almost exactly a year ago, the Tufts men’s soccer team suffered what many cited as their worst loss of the 2022 season, falling 1–0 to the Hamilton Continentals in a tense game that featured two red cards. On Saturday, Tufts was given an opportunity to avenge that defeat on home turf during the university’s Homecoming weekend. The Jumbos did not throw away their shot.
While many students spent the weekend celebrating Tufts’ homecoming football victory, the Tufts men’s golf team went to work at the Bowdoin College Invitational. The tournament was played at the Brunswick Golf Club, a long and challenging par 72 course. Tufts faced a diverse range of schools with various NESCAC schools sprinkled into the mix.
The 2023 NBA offseason featured many seismic headlines. However, there was perhaps none bigger than the ongoing James Harden-Philadelphia 76ers debacle. Harden, 34, requested a trade in July following a contract dispute with team management. I’m not going to outline the full saga and assume you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you can find more information on ESPN.
Do football teams have a responsibility to their fans? I think they probably do, but I had never thought about this much until I watched the New York Jets voluntarily start Zach Wilson at quarterback — someone who is incapable of winning NFL football games — for a second consecutive week. Should they be required by law to replace him?
Walking into the sunny but windy Saturday game, the Tufts men’s football team, led by head coach Jay Civetti, looked to start the season off strong, with Civetti ready to take on his alma mater. Notably, the Jumbos walked out of last year’s matchup with the Trinity Bantams with a 26–23 loss. The 2022 game featured a big second-half comeback for Tufts, even though they just fell short. Trinity, looking to repeat their undefeated NESCAC record from last year, came out strong.
From 2018–21, the Baltimore Orioles had acombined winning percentage of 34.6%. But after being ranked dead last in the 2022preseason power rankings by ESPN, Baltimore posted awinning record of 83–79 last season. The Orioles have taken another huge step forward in 2023, as they currently hold thebest record in the American League and have alreadyclinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2016.
After a 1-0 loss in overtime against Amherst in the NESCAC playoffs last year, the Tufts women’s soccer team continued their rivalry against the Mammoths with a 4-1 loss on Sunday Sep. 17. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday Sep. 16, but because of weather concerns, was rescheduled to a nicer, but still windy, Sunday.
