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Saturday, March 8 brought an end to a rollercoaster season for the Brandeis men’s basketball team. The Judges ended with an overall record of 7-18 and 3-11 in the University Athletic Association. The team record declined from the 2016-17 season, during which the Judges concluded their season 8-16, overall.
With the NCAA championships approaching quickly, the Brandeis men’s and women’s track teams sent a small group of athletes to Tufts University for their last chance to prove that they belong among the nation’s Division III elite. This meant top 15 in the nation for the men, top 17 for women and top 12 in relays. This was the penultimate meet of the indoor season and as the weather continues to get warmer, the outdoor season will begin.
After months of speculation, the Boston Red Sox finalized the signing of slugging outfielder JD Martinez to a front loaded five year deal worth around $110 million. Even before free agency started, the consensus in the industry was that the Red Sox needed to put forth their best possible effort when it came to courting Martinez. Much of that speculation stemmed from two numbers: 241 and 168. Those represent that amount of homeruns hit by the rival New York Yankees and the Red Sox, respectively. The Yankees paced the league in home runs last season, yet went out and added Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning MVP and MLB home run champ. Meanwhile on the other side of the rivalry, the Red Sox finished 27th in the league in home runs and while their counterparts in the Bronx added even more firepower, the Red Sox were stagnant until last week. The signing of Martinez adds a much needed influx of power to the Sox lineup, as Martinez led the league in slugging percentage over the second half of the season, finishing with 45 home runs.
The men’s basketball team split its University Athletic Association home stand this past weekend. On Sunday afternoon, the team defeated the University of Chicago 70-66, and on Friday it fell to Washington University in St. Louis 87-75.
The women’s basketball team struggled mightily this past week with a pair of losses to University Athletic Association conference opponents. The squad lost by 36 points on Friday at home against Washington University in St. Louis and by 25 on Sunday at home against the University of Chicago.
The Brandeis men’s and women’s track teams had an impressive weekend. Both competed at two meets over the course of the weekend, and both meets were marked by dominant individual performances in both groups. These meets continue what have already been impressive seasons for both the men and the women.
SPARDI GRAS: A Brandeis fencer stares down his opponent during a bout in the Eric Sollee Invitational on Feb. 3.
DRAWING FOULS: Guard Eric D’Aguanno ’20 draws a blocking foul during the game against the University of Chicago on Feb. 11.
HART DRIVE: Guard Eva Hart ’18 splits the Chicago defenders on her way to the basket during the game on Feb. 11.
Riding the momentum of their dominance at the Northeast Fencing Conference Meet in late January, the Brandeis men’s and women’s fencing teams entered the month of February ready to continue their winning ways. However, the Judges have faced stiff, sometimes nationally ranked competition through their first two meets of the month. The teams persevered nonetheless and posted respectable records despite their formidable opponents. The men’s team went a combined 4-5 while the women went 3-6.
This past week, the Cleveland Cavaliers threw caution to the wind and made a series of surprising roster moves that have at once reshaped their team and the National Basketball Association as a whole. Months after acquiring star point guard Isaiah Thomas from the Boston Celtics, it had become clear that Cleveland’s revamp project was faltering in irresolvable ways. Many are wondering if Cleveland’s moves — sending out guards Iman Shumpert, Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade, along with forwards Jae Crowder and Channing Frye, and bringing back a young group of long and athletic players made up of forward Larry Nance Jr. and guards George Hill, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson — will be enough to get them out of the East and over the hump against the Golden State Warriors, who most believe will have an easy path to a fourth consecutive Finals appearance. Though it is impossible to predict how the rest of Cleveland’s season will unfold with any degree of certainty, one does not need to dig deep to conclude that this move has made the Cavaliers younger, more defensively adept and overall, significantly better.
The Brandeis men’s and women’s track teams had a strong showing at the Tufts Cupid Invitational last weekend. Although, similarly to last week, the meet was non scoring, the teams still had many noteworthy individual performances from their athletes.
Will we have professional baseball this summer? For the first time since 1994, that threat is looming. Back then the issue revolved around the owners proposed implementation of a salary cap, thus limiting the ability for players to demand higher and higher salaries. Owners believed that small market teams would be left in the dust without local revenue sharing, and a salary cap. After owners withheld a required a payment to players pension and benefit plans, and an antitrust legislation failed to be passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the players and the players association saw no other option, but to strike. Players walked out for 232 days, 948 cancelled games, and the first cancelled world series since 1904. This go around, the focus is again on player salaries but under a different lense. Never in the history of the famed MLB Hot Stove has an MLB offseason been so slow. Nearly every single marquee free agent remains on the market, with few signings imminent. Only Lorenzo Cain’s 5-year, $80 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers can be pointed to as a big time signing, but even then the $100 million threshold seems to be a blip on the horizon. Salaries increased 23 percent in 2017 coming off the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as all seemed good between owners and players. So what’s happening now that threatens the all important relationship between owners and players? On the heels of an era marked by massive sums of money being committed to players for longer, and longer periods of time. Case in point: Reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million monstrosity. Teams have seen these immense investments turn out poorly too many times, and it seems teams may have had their fill, but is that the whole story? In the last few days, high powered agents have released statements tip-toeing around one of the most feared word in sports, collusion. Collusion is why Pete Rose and the Black Sox were banned for life. In this case, collusion is referring to the possibility of owners colluding together to collectively holdout from signing free agents with the possible gain of reduced salaries. Understandably, the notion of ownership collusion is seen as fighting words in the eyes of players and the players association. Those in baseball operations are frustrated by the lack of funds granted by ownership to sign the scores of free agents on the market, and as some agents have suggested, all it takes is a spark before the pot boils over. Brodie van Wagenen, who represents Robinson Cano, Ryan Zimmerman and Yoenis Cespedes among others, as well as super agent Scott Boras, who represents some of the biggest names available this offseason including Eric Hosmer, J.D. Martinez and Jake Arrieta, have both spoken out against the perceived injustices they feel the owners have placed on players. Ironically, it seems the molasses-slow offseason has had an effect on ticket sales, as some teams are seeing slight declines from this point last year, but that could all be explained by other phenomena. The players association has been coy regarding perceived plans for a spring training boycott so far, but the growing sense from players and agents points in a different direction. Recently at the Dodgers Fan Fest, All-Star closer Kenley Jansen offered a stark point of view: “Maybe we need to go on strike, to be honest with you.” The threat of a strike looms, and while it is highly unlikely any regular season games are cancelled, there is growing sentiment that a strike to begin Spring Training may be in play. As the days go on and players remain unsigned, that sentiment grows.
The Brandeis women’s basketball team left the University campus this weekend, travelling to Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University. A less successful weekend than the last one, the Judges won one game and lost one, resulting in an updated record of 12-7, 4-5 in the University Athletic Association. The team looks ahead to next weekend when they return home to play Washington University in St. Louis on Friday, and the University of Chicago on Sunday.
The men’s basketball team had another tough week, dropping both of its games within the University Athletic Association conference. The team is now 5-15 on the season with a 2-9 away record and a 1-8 conference record.
LIKE THE WIND: Kyra Shreeve ’18 rounds the corner and accelerates during the Reggie Poyau Invitational on Jan. 16, 2016.
FLOATING ON BY: Forward Joelle MarkAnthony ’19 throws up a floater against the Salem State defender in a win on Nov. 28, 2017.
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both came away with big victories this past Saturday at home against Clark University. On Senior Day, the men won by a score of 132-95, while the women were victorious 139-74.
The Judges split their conference games this week, going 1-1 in the process. On Sunday the team defeated Carnegie Mellon University in a close victory, while two days before on Friday night it fell in a blowout to Case Western Reserve University.