The Red Sox had one of the most productive offseasons in the league, as they traded for ace Garrett Crochet to boost their rotation and added veteran third baseman Alex Bregman to the lineup. Boston is also expecting three blue-chip prospects — Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer — to make their big-league debuts in 2025.
This week, Yang Fanyuwei successfully performed the full-twisting layout Jaeger on uneven bars at the 2025 Antalya World Cup qualifiers, making the skill officially named after her. Suni Lee had also attempted the skill at the Winter Cup but slipped off the bars and, due to not meeting international assignment criteria, focused on making the Olympic team instead. Now that the skill has been named after Yang Fanyuwei, Lee has indicated she may be officially retired.
This week was all about the international break, as players left their club teams to represent their countries. In North America, the CONCACAF Nations League took center stage. Panama stunned the U.S. in the semifinal with a 90+4’ strike from Cecilio Waterman. The whole Panamanian squad celebrated on the sidelines—right next to an unsuspecting Thierry Henry. Easily the coolest moment of the tournament. In the final, Panama faced Mexico and fell 2–1 after a class performance from Raúl Jiménez and the rest of the Mexican squad.
As the sun begins to peek out from behind the gray, wintry clouds, softball could not be more ready to take on the heat of the spring season. With their last NESCAC championship win in 2021 and two finals and one semifinal appearance since then, the team is eager to kick into high gear and prove their dominance in the conference. This spring break they took the opportunity to learn from their games, preparing to take on their NESCAC opponents in the coming weeks.
On the eve of the Lakers-Celtics game, I decided to go to TD Garden even though I had no tickets. I wore a yellow Lakers beanie and an army jacket with a private’s patch long since removed. As tip off approached, I decided to interact with some fans outside the arena, as I resisted intrusive thoughts to sneak into the game and watch. I wanted to experience the famed rivalry firsthand through the crowd — to witness the best rivalry in basketball.
Tufts men’s basketball entered the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship on Friday, facing Yeshiva University. After a quick basket made by Yeshiva, Tufts wasted no time in creating a substantial lead to work with. There was no catching them, and by the end of the game, the score was 83–66, moving the Jumbos into the second round of the tournament.
Coming off an opening day win against Brandeis, Tufts baseball split a windy doubleheader with Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday. In a six-hour face-off, the Jumbos came away with an 11-inning 14–13 win and a subsequent 8–1 loss.
Although buzzer-beaters and ads with Charles Barkley are great, my favorite aspect of March Madness is undoubtedly its ability to turn players into stars in the blink of an eye. While some of these sensations don’t end up succeeding at the next level (sorry, Sindarius Thornwell — I really thought you were the next big thing), others, like Steph Curry at Davidson, show their first flashes of greatness on the hardwood in March.
After taking home second place in the annual NESCAC tournament, falling to Trinity College, the men’s and women’s squash teams worked hard going into the final tournament of their season — nationals — which would be the ultimate test of their strength. The three days at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia, Pa. would define the Jumbos’ spot in the rankings. Only the top 12 teams in the country qualify for the best division of the national tournament, and this was the team’s second consecutive year making it there as the men came in ranked No. 12 and the women at No. 11. Both teams hoped to break the top 10 by beating some of the most competitive teams in the country, but they fell just shy and will have to work extra hard to come back next year to earn their place.
Tufts ice hockey battled through the conference tournament, beating Bowdoin in a thrilling overtime and routing Colby 6–2 to earn a spot in the NESCAC championship game against Hamilton in Clinton, N.Y. In the semifinal matchup against the Colby Mules, the Jumbos kicked things into high gear offensively, exploding for four goals in the third period to eliminate the No. 3 seed team and advance to the conference final. While the score may not make it evident, the Jumbos actually came from behind against the Mules, facing a 1–0 deficit early before tying the score about halfway through the first and taking a 2–1 lead before the first intermission. Though Colby responded in the second by evening things up at 2–2, Tufts put on a show in the game’s final frame, taking a 3–2 lead only 14 seconds into the third period that just kept expanding, topped off by junior forward Brendan Fennell’s empty-net goal. The 6–2 win sent Tufts to face the No. 1 seeded hosts Hamilton in the title game.
For the Tufts men’s tennis team, the goal has never been in question: Win the elusive NESCAC Championship and make a deep run at nationals. After reaching a quarterfinal — or better — finish in their last three NCAA Tournament appearances and climbing steadily in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, the Jumbos enter the 2025 spring season ranked No. 3 in the nation. With a talented roster, the Tufts men’s tennis team is looking to take the final step toward championship glory.
I’d like to start this week’s column by remembering FC Barcelona’s head club doctor, Carles Miñarro, who passed away suddenly this past Sunday, hours before Barcelona’s match against Osasuna. Barcelona president Joan Laporta paid tribute, stating, “A man very much loved by everyone passed away this afternoon during the team’s gathering at the hotel. As you can imagine, the players, coaching staff, the coach, everyone was very sad.” The match was postponed in his honor.
When people read my column, they often ask where they can learn more about gymnastics and its history. In honor of Jordan Chiles’ newly released book, which I haven’t had a chance to read yet, here are some of my top book recommendations!
It is not everyday that you see a 10-loss team in the NCAA tournament, but Tufts women’s basketball squeezed their way in with an at-large bid with a 15–10 overall record. After falling to Trinity College in double overtime in the NESCAC tournament, Tufts had almost two weeks to prepare for their share of March madness.
For many years, Indian Wells, Calif., has served as a stopping point for prospectors seeking gold. Currently, it happens to host a tennis tournament on the ATP Tour. Many dub the Indian Wells Open the “fifth Grand Slam” because of the tournament’s status as a Masters 1000 tournament (just one level below the grand slams) as well as the increased media attention that Indian Wells receives compared to other Masters 1000 tournaments. Indian Wells draws all of tennis’s current and rising stars, and with the whirlwind of entertaining and disappointing first-round upsets this year, it feels only right to talk about the current state of the sport in our country — and why it’s worth watching.
Overtime playoff hockey is about as exciting as sports can get, and No. 5 seeded Tufts continued to prove that with their 2–1 win over No. 4 seeded Bowdoin in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday.
When Coldplay took the stage at the halftime show of Super Bowl 50 in 2016, more than 115 million televisions were tuned in. For those who may not remember, the group kicked off with some of their own chart-toppers like “Yellow” and “Viva La Vida” before inviting guest appearances from Beyoncé and Bruno Mars in a tantalizing display of neon lighting and black leather jackets.
When a team that finished the 2024 season 16–4 –– making the Elite Eight for the fifth consecutive season –– returns many of its starters from the quarterfinal, the No. 2 ranking in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s poll seems appropriate. This weekend, the Jumbos more than proved their mettle by taking care of two opponents with double-digit victories to start their 2025 season.
Basketball, at its best, is about momentum. Build it, ride it, hold onto it for as long as possible. Lose it, and things unravel quickly. The Tufts men’s basketball team saw both ends of that equation in the NESCAC tournament. A strong second-half surge carried them past Williams in the quarterfinals, but against Trinity in the semifinals, they lost their grip. A dismal 32.8% shooting performance doomed the Jumbos in a 74–51 loss, cutting short their bid for a conference title. But the season isn’t over — far from it. The Jumbos are still dancing with the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship up next.
This column started as an attempt to compare New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge with St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols. But after a particularly long session of Baseball Reference scrolling, I decided I didn’t want to write about Judge at all. That’s because I discovered something that I’ve never heard discussed by any baseball journalists: There will never be another hitter like Albert Pujols.
