$100,000 for the promotion of a Broadway show in exchange for 86 years of absolute misery and despair. For outsiders, this transaction may mean nothing, but it’s a familiar equation that Boston Red Sox fans know all too well. In 1918, the Red Sox traded away arguably the most prolific hitter in Major League history for $100,000 in cash so the team owner could promote his upcoming show. The Red Sox then proceeded to not win another World Series for 86 years. The curse of the Bambino was real.
This past weekend, the now 12th-ranked Amherst men’s lacrosse team made program history, earning both their first NESCAC semifinals and finals appearances. In the conference semifinals on Saturday, the third-seeded Jeffs upset second-seeded Wesleyan 12-8 to advance to the championship finals the next day, where they would face top-seeded Tufts. Amherst ultimately lost to the Jumbos, but the team’s accomplishments this season earned them an at-large bid for the Div. III NCAA Tournament.
Just a couple weeks ago I wrote about the “New Look Yankees”, who feature a roster without the likes of Robinson Cano, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.
Just this week, Rivera released an autobiography, entitled The Closer, chronicling both his personal life and baseball career. In his book, Rivera supposedly makes some critical remarks about some of his former teammates, including Robinson Cano — questioning his work ethic and passion for baseball.
The fourth-ranked Amherst men’s tennis team came home NESCAC champions this past weekend for the sixth time in team history. After receiving a first round bye, the second-seeded Jeffs were set to face third-seeded Williams in the conference semifinals. Nationally speaking, the 11th-ranked and reigning national champion Ephs had dropped six spots in the recently announced ITA rankings, while Amherst fell one spot to fourth in the country after losing to Middlebury last weekend.
Amherst women’s tennis returned to the top of the NESCAC after a one-year hiatus with a convincing 5-1 win over defending champion Williams. The championship-clinching win followed a 5-3 semifinal victory over Middlebury for the second-ranked Jeffs, extending their winning streak to nine matches. The championship was Amherst’s ninth in program history — a NESCAC record.
Saturday’s semifinal clash, which featured the first-seeded Jeffs against the fourth-seeded Panthers, was a rematch of Amherst’s 9-0 regular season drubbing of Middlebury.
The Amherst women’s lacrosse team traveled to Hartford, Conn. this weekend for the NESCAC championship. The Jeffs beat archrival Williams 9-4 on Saturday in the semifinals to advance to their first conference championship since 2005, where they fell to top seeded Trinity College 10-7. The team’s only two losses this season have come from the Bantams.
Men
The Amherst men’s track and field team raced at the Div. III New England Championships this past weekend, finishing 12th out of 32 teams at the event. Led by senior captain Matt Melton, the Jeffs recorded 28 points.
Melton turned in the Jeffs’ best performance on the day, finishing runner-up in the 400 meters with a time of 48.86. He complemented this showing by placing fifth in the 200-meter dash.
