I have a friend who goes to Georgetown, a still-great school with a once-great basketball program. Aside from weekly Celtics mental health check-ins, an ever-increasing proportion of our conversations consist of three words, unmatched in history in their titanic importance:
The Boston Bruins continue their path to a record-breaking season as they’ve notched 47 wins through 60 games. With their incredible season, hockey pundits are beginning to wonder if the elusive 62-game regular season win record would be shattered. Currently, the Bruins are on pace for 64 wins, as well as 135 points, which would also break the previous record held by the Montreal Canadiens (132). Putting the gaudy statistics aside, this Bruins season is special due to the resurgence of older veterans and an infusion of talent (looking at you, David Pastrňák). With the Friday trade deadline rapidly approaching, many fans wanted to see Don Sweeney trade for either Patrick Kane or Jakob Chychrun. Personally, I was in the minority of fans, since a trade for a high-profile player would greatly disrupt the team’s robust chemistry; to my surprise, Sweeney wasn’t tempted by the beckoning calls of the fanbase and made arguably the most efficient trade of his tenure.
A magical weekend at Cousens Gymnasium saw the Jumbos crowned NESCAC champions for the first time since 2019, adding a fourth title in conference history. An incredible defensive effort powered Tufts past both Middlebury and Trinity College, extending their overall record to 21–6 as they head into the NCAA tournament where they will host the United States Merchant Marine Academy on March 3.
There’s nothing like NHL trade deadline week. General managers talk on two phones at once, hockey insiders attempt to leak any scoops they can get their hands on and we fans get to enjoy watching the deals come to fruition. This season, the deadline has been busier than ever with over 25 (and counting!) trades being made in the 14 days prior to March 2.
After the NESCAC No. 5 Tufts Jumbos took down national No. 3 and NESCAC No. 4 Middlebury Panthers in a very impressive performance that ended in an 89–80 double-overtime victory, the players took a collective sigh of relief. Whether through self-evaluation, Drew Pasteur’s Bracketology, the ‘expert’ takes from anonymous writers on Division III message boards or any number of other sources, the squad felt very confident — rightly so — that this win would earn them an NCAA tournament bid. Yet, a NESCAC title was still on the table for the team. As Tufts entered Saturday’s semifinals matchup against the NESCAC No. 2 Hamilton Continentals, perhaps it was this confidence in having future games that hurt them, leading to a 71–48 loss.
The Tufts men’s hockey team lost a hard-fought battle 3–2 in overtime to the Amherst College Mammoths in the NESCAC quarterfinal match on Saturday evening. Entering the game, Tufts was ranked as the No. 6 seed in the conference, while Amherst was ranked No. 3. The Jumbos’ record stood at 10–13–1 overall and 7–9–1 in conference. The Mammoths had a very strong season, winning a majority of their conference games with a 12–3–2 conference record.
It’s been six years since we last had a World Baseball Classic, but it’s finally back. The MLB’s attempt to make the baseball equivalent of the World Cup will fall well short of the most popular sporting event in the world in terms of viewership, but I still believe the WBC is an amazing showcase of just how far a humble game that began in the United States has grown. And, as I’ve said before, the MLB should be doing everything it can to promote it.
Junior forward Maggie Russell cemented herself as one of the all-time greats of Tufts women’s basketball, scoring 40 points in the team’s 75–61 victory over Bowdoin in the first round of NESCAC tournament play. The Jumbos faced off against the Polar Bears in Cousens Gymnasium for their second matchup of the year, and after a tight first half, the Tufts offense stepped on the gas pedal and never let up. Russell’s 40-piece topped her previous career high of 33 points, which she set against Bates earlier this season, and she now stands in second place in school history for most points in a single game, a record set by Ellie Strobel’s 44 points in 1994.
It was the perfect start. A slight hesitation allowed Mohamed Salah to pounce on Thibaut Courtois’ poorly controlled attempted clearance, burying the ball beyond the Belgian goalkeeper. 2–0 Liverpool. White shirts stood in disbelief as Anfield erupted in euphoria. Perhaps the catalyst for a much-needed resurrection for what has been a poor season for the Reds. Darwin Núñez’s first, a cheeky flick, had given Liverpool an early lead, and for a moment it seemed like Anfield’s magic was at work again. But if there’s anything stronger than Liverpool’s historic record at home it is Real Madrid’s ability to recover from a deficit.
In their last meet before the Division III New England Championships, both the men’s and women’s indoor track teams had a strong showing at the 2023 Springfield College Triangle Classic in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday.
While the rest of Red Sox nation struggles to grapple with a tumultuous offseason that left more questions than answers, a few prospects within the system are flying under the radar. Specifically, starting pitcher Brayan Bello isn’t garnering enough attention, considering his second-half breakthrough in 2022. While Bello’s debut displayed signs of rookie growing pains, he quickly recovered and pitched a formidable second half. With throwing tools that mirror Red Sox great Pedro Martinez, Bello has an All-Star selection ceiling coming into 2023.
The Tufts men’s ice hockey team had a stellar weekend, capping off the regular season with two wins at home. It extended its win streak to four games in a row heading into postseason play. Entering the Friday matchup, the Jumbos’ record sat at 8–13–1 overall and they held a conference record of 5–10–1. With a win in the first game, Tufts clinched a playoff spot.
In what might be the most exciting game of the season so far, Tufts traveled to nationally ranked Middlebury College for the second time with one thing on its mind: revenge. With the 72–56 January loss to the Panthers still fresh in their minds, the Jumbos came out and played one of their best games of the season, getting their revenge on the Panthers with a gritty 89–80 double-overtime win in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs.
Sports are about money. Nobody understands that better than owners, whose money is the principal currency of competitiveness. Two of them, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, recently gave interviews to The Athletic about funding their respective enterprises, the former approaching dynastic status and the second in panic mode. Let’s see what they had to say.
Coming off of a three-game win streak that culminated with a dominant 37-point victory over Colby-Sawyer, Tufts entered the weekend with confidence but awareness of the challenges ahead. A win in Friday’s away game at Wesleyan would’ve guaranteed the Jumbos a home game in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs and likely a more favorable matchup — if such a thing exists in the tough, hard-fought conference. Meanwhile, Saturday’s matchup against Trinity held the potential to serve as a momentum builder going into the postseason as well as an opportunity to secure the best seed possible in the NESCAC tournament.
In 2022, Tufts won their first-ever NESCAC Women’s Swimming and Diving title, which ended Williams’ streak of seven consecutive titles. Tufts capped off their best-ever season in 2021–22 by winning their first-ever NCAA titles in women’s swimming — won by Claire Brennan taking first in the 200-yard freestyle and by a team of Mary Hufziger (LA’22), Abby Claus (EG’22) and current seniors Brennan and Katelin Isakoff in the 800-yard freestyle relay. However, a question remained: Was 2021–22 a small bump in the road for Williams, or was Tufts an emerging superpower that toppled a NESCAC dynasty?
Refereeing is literally impossible. That makes no sense, so I’m going to explain it with my favorite overly-complex comedy bit: responding to an imaginary heckler. Action.
Entering the competition seeded No. 2, Tufts women’s squash emerged from the NESCAC Championship this past weekend as the runners-up to Trinity College in their second straight final. After a hard-fought battle, the No. 1 seed and now 16th consecutive league title holders, the Bantams, were able to secure the win with a 9–0 performance over the Jumbos.
Given that I was disappointed when a new collective bargaining agreement in 2022 forced the National League to adopt the designated hitter, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m not the biggest fan of the rule changes that the MLB is introducing for 2023. And yet, like the universal DH, I understand why the league is making them.
