This past Friday, the 2010 World Cup draw took place in South Africa, setting the stage for sports' greatest spectacle. And given the United States' relatively easy draw, they should be a part of the festivities for a while, even if its team is not a top contender to make it to the final.
It might still be warm down in Texas, but after the Dallas Cowboys' 31-24 loss to the New York Giants, the reality of December's arrival has dawned upon owner Jerry Jones and company once again.
We can all admit it. For all the niceties that are exhibited between the United States and Great Britain, we still kind of resent the English -- at least a little bit. Maybe it is the way they lord Oasis over us or how they claim that their version of "The Office" is better than ours (which, given the latest episodes, might be true), but those pesky former oppressors across the pond always seem to be flaunting their greatness.
For the fourth time in its first five matches, the Tufts women's squash team fell victim to the strength of some of the toughest teams in the nation without winning even a single of the nine matches played.
Monday night in Norton, Mass., the women's basketball team put together perhaps its most productive offensive performance to date. Facing a Wheaton squad they met in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the Jumbos crossed the 80-point mark for the first time this year, shot a season-best 50 percent from the floor and saw all five starters hit double figures in scoring.
63 Number of saves by goalie Scott Barchard against Saint Anselm last Saturday, which set the program's single-game record. The Jumbos were outshot 66-29 on the day, but Barchard made the difference, helping Tufts to a 4-3 overtime victory. Barchard's mark broke the previous record of 60, set by James Kalec in 2005. Last year, Barchard's .927 save percentage set Tufts' single-season record, and the sophomore's current mark stands at a NESCAC-leading .953.
After a tough start to its fall schedule, the men's squash team finally found its rhythm on the court, taking two out of three matches in a marathon day of squash action this past Saturday.
The men's swimming and diving team had another impressive performance last weekend at the MIT Invitational, where the Jumbos finished second out of seven teams. Despite not touching the wall first in any individual swimming event, the Jumbos' depth allowed them to score a total of 750.5 points in the meet, good enough to best NESCAC foes Colby and Bowdoin as well as non−conference competitor NYU for the runner−up spot.
As preseason-ranking hoopla has given way to a slew of solid non-conference matchups, a few teams appear to be better than advertised. In Madison, Wis., it's clear that Bo still knows best, regardless of what the pundits may say. And at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim's club has looked unbeatable after a shaky start in the preseason.
The men's track and field team needed only one representative at the Carisella Invitational at Northeastern to set a school record on Saturday. Senior Jesse Faller - who placed fourth in the race - broke the Tufts 5,000-meter record, formerly held by Nate Brigham (LA '05). Faller finished the course in just 14:30.47, three seconds better than Brigham's pace. The women's track and field team sent three throwers to the meet - senior Julia Feltus, sophomore Ronke Oyekunle, and first-year Kelly Allen. Allen finished seventh out of 42 participants in the shotput, while Feltus took 13th and Oyekunle was 15th.
After winning two games in a row, the men's basketball team felt a turn−around was beginning in a season which started out 0−4. The Jumbos headed into the championship game of the inaugural New England Big Four Challenge yesterday on the heels of an easy win over the Babson Beavers 66−45 Saturday afternoon. But the D3Hoops.com No. 23 Brandeis Judges dashed the team's hopes of winning the tournament and keeping its streak alive by defeating the Jumbos in a low−scoring battle 54−41.
Two weeks removed from announcing his retirement from the NBA, Allen Iverson signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, the same team that drafted him 13 years ago. Since entering the NBA after playing two years under John Thompson at Georgetown, Iverson has been in the headlines, both on and off the court, as much as any other player. Despite his age (34) and relentless criticism from the media, the 76ers are willing to take a chance on the man who brought them to their last NBA finals in 2001.
Sophomore Scott Barchard has been a stalwart in net for the ice hockey team ever since earning the starting job as a freshman last season. So even his record−setting weekend, which featured 52− and 63−save performances, should not have come as too much of a surprise to opposing teams.
When Michael Jordan retired in 1999 (his second retirement out of three), everyone in the game was asking one question: When are we going to see the next MJ?
For the third straight season, the Tufts women's basketball team defeated the Colby−Sawyer Chargers by over 20 points, this time with a final score of 74−48 on Saturday. Despite a season−opening loss, the Jumbos have raised the bar for themselves and have beaten four consecutive opponents by double digit margins, with Saturday's 26 point win being the largest of the season.
The Tufts men's basketball team knew it was only a matter of time. After an 0-4 start to the 2009 campaign, with its latest loss a two-point heartbreaker to Lesley on Tuesday night, Tufts finally tasted success against feisty Keene State. The Jumbos led nearly the entire first half, built a 19-point lead early in the second half, and held on to earn their first victory of the season, 91-79.
After losing in its first NESCAC tri-meet of the season to Connecticut College and Middlebury College, the Tufts women's swimming and diving team rebounded by defeating Wellesley College 166-123, evening its record at 2-2.
Fenway Park, which opened in 1912, is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use today. Since 2003, every Boston Red Sox home game has filled capacity, shattering the MLB all-time record for consecutive sold-out games. With nearly a century of history and renowned features like the Green Monster in left field and the only manual scoreboard in the game, the world-famous Fenway Park is the perfect place for the 2010 NHL Winter Classic. The Classic will feature the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers and is sure to be an exciting event for players and fans alike.
I kind of feel responsible for Tiger Woods' recent scandal. Was I just setting him up to fail by singing his praises in a column from September? What other sorts of vast powers do I have that I have no knowledge of? And how much of a chump do I feel like for buying into the "Tiger Woods, all-American family man" illusion just like everyone else?
