Since the National League was founded 1876, an incredible 22,534 players have suited up for a professional baseball team. Some of those players only got one at bat, while others changed the game as we knew it. And out of all those 22,534 players, here are my top 10 greatest baseball players of all time.
A large part of being a student at Tufts is making the effort to engage with the surrounding community. The Tufts student-athlete mission statement embodies these values and the athletics department instills them through community outreach. The statement reads: “Jumbo athletes strive for excellence on and off the field. They experience the joy and personal growth inherent in high-level competition while cultivating lifelong connections with teammates, the Tufts community and the world around us.”
In an offseason that began with a frustrated fanbase due to a lack of spending from ownership, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox have officially begun their addition phase. With the poor performance of the team in the 2022 season, fans are pleading to this ownership to spend the exorbitant amounts of money from John Henry’s bank account on valuable players that can vault the Red Sox back into postseason contention. Although naysayers believe this is easier said than done, the organization has been proving this fanbase wrong these past few weeks.
While the majority of the Tufts community was settling back in after Thanksgiving break, Tufts swimming and diving were hitting the pool. Over the course of three days, both the women’s and men’s teams competed at high levels, finally, with the men’s team winning the meet by a margin of 1010–937 over the host MIT and the women’s team coming in second overall. Additionally, swimmers from both teams broke various school records.
Steroids once were the secret sauce to hitting greatness but not if you ask the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Every nation has its golden generation. For some, an endless supply of young talent allows teams to transition and evolve between cycles of great teams while others spend years relying on a core. The most successful sides are a combination of both. A blend of experience and maturity alongside a touch of youth offers a spark of creativity and dynamism. For France in 2018, it was such a blend that made them world champions.
With the winter meetings underway, free agency is heating up. Here are some of the biggest free agents this offseason and some thoughts on where they’ll end up.
Tufts men’s hockey opened their season with five games over the past two weeks, two in-conference and three out-of-conference. They enter the next stretch of play with an overall record of 1–4 and a 0–2 NESCAC record.
On Nov. 18, on the snowy hills of Michigan State’s Forest Akers Golf Course, Tufts cross country competed in the NCAA Division III Championships. The men’s team qualified for the meet while, on the women’s side, senior Lauren Pollak was the only female runner to represent the team in Michigan.
Last year, the men’s basketball team held a 13–10 overall record but performed well in conference play, ending the regular season with an 8–2 record and giving them the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC tournament. However, after falling to Trinity in an upset, Tufts was eliminated and failed to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Following this disappointing end to the season, with the squad having to manage the challenges of a new coach and players being out for injuries and COVID-19, the team attacked the offseason with a chip on its shoulder, allowing it to get out to a 5–1 start to the season with its only loss to No. 3 St. Joseph. Senior guard and captain Theo Henry spoke about how strong the team has looked this season.
“The energy is about to shift”
The 2022 men’s soccer season ended on Sunday, Nov. 13, with a 2–0 loss in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament to regional host SUNY Oneonta. The day prior, the Jumbos were triumphant in their first round battle with UMass Boston, who they beat 1–0 courtesy of a brilliant free kick goal scored by first-year midfielder Daniel Yanez.
In a thrilling matchup on Friday, the Jumbos rallied for a 60–57 road victory against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, showcasing the team’s grit and perseverance. After a strong first quarter for Tufts led by sophomore guard Annika Decker’s eight points, the Engineers responded and took a five-point lead going into halftime. The Jumbos had a slow start in the second half, trailing by as many as 16 points, but junior forward Maggie Russell spearheaded the momentum shift, scoring 21 points in the last two quarters. A foul against Russell with less than a minute remaining gave her two free throw shots, which she made to bring Tufts' lead to three. Time and lockdown defense worked against WPI at the end of the contest, as none of the Engineers’ three final three-point opportunities were successful, and the Jumbos returned from Worcester victorious.
While most of the preseason favorites held serve and made the postseason in 2022, there were a few notable exceptions. These teams were the biggest disappointments of the 2022 MLB season.
It’s that time of year! The fantasy football regular season is approaching its stretch run, which means we’re also hurtling towards league trade deadlines. A brief guide to what you, as a manager, should be doing right now:
After a 12–6 season, Tufts field hockey picked up an NCAA bid and moved quickly into the Division III National Tournament. The Jumbos opened up their postseason weekend, Nov. 9 at home on Ounijan Field and emerged victorious from the first round, winning 4–1 over Castleton University.
From lifting the World Cup in Johannesburg 12 years ago, to his iconic ‘manita’ wave in the Camp Nou after a 5–0 humiliation of Real Madrid, to forming the bedrock of a Spanish defense in its greatest era, to playing with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerard Piqué has lived the dream. More importantly, he has lived his dream as he powerfully explained in his farewell video: “From a young age, I didn’t want to be a football player, I wanted to be a Barça player.”
Following a NESCAC tournament run that came to a close with a double overtime 1–0 loss to No. 8 Amherst in the semifinals, the women’s soccer team was excited to see just how well it could perform in the NCAA tournament. In Saturday’s first-round matchup, the No. 22 Jumbos took down Denison 1–0 in about as comfortable fashion as that score allows, but the squad fell to No. 6 William Smith 1–0 on Sunday despite a valiant effort. Since William Smith was the highest seed in the bracket region, the team hosted in Geneva, N.Y. at Cozzens Field. With the addition of this weekend’s performances, the Jumbos finished the year with an overall record of 11–6–2, a conference record of 4–4–2, a trip to the NESCAC semifinals and a run to the NCAA second round. Yet, the stories of success in the tournament and the season are not fully understood by those numbers.
In a year where the NFL is as unpredictable as the New England weather forecast, the New England Patriots continue to prove to this fanbase how a mediocre offense can’t win the “big games.” Sure, the Patriots currently occupy the final playoff spot heading into Week 11, which should shock many NFL pundits; they currently are ranked No. 26 in total yards per game, a statistic that should worry many fans. Although Matt Judon is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and this defense continues to dominate the gridiron, there remains multiple questions on the offensive side of the ball, particularly with quarterback play.
The Jumbo volleyball postseason campaign was cut short this past weekend in the Sweet Sixteen. After winning the NESCAC title and earning host privileges, the team took down Johnson & Wales on Thursday and Babson on Friday. On Saturday, however, the No. 18 ranked MIT Engineers prevailed in a hard fought, energetic Sweet Sixteen battle. The Jumbos end their season with an impressive 23–6 overall record, 9–1 conference record, a NESCAC title and a third round finish in the NCAA tournament. Junior setter Maddie Yu said she is proud of the team’s season.
