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(02/21/19 10:58am)
Three months after the Red Sox’s World Series victory, the New England Patriots have pulled off their own version of ‘Beat LA.’ The Patriots took home a record-tying sixth Super Bowl title against the Los Angeles Rams in a fraught defensive battle that was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. The 13-3 victory was a defensive masterpiece for the Patriots, as a high-powered Rams offense that had scored the second-most points in the league that season was completely neutralized. Ironically, despite the low score, it was the Patriots’ largest margin of victory in a Super Bowl. The key moment from the slow-moving game was hard to pin down in comparison to the nail-biters of past Super Bowls, but Stephon Gilmore’s game-sealing interception, Jason McCourty’s incredible breakup of a possibly game-changing touchdown pass, Rob Gronkowski’s huge catch on the only Patriots’ touchdown drive, and Julian Edelman’s MVP performance will take their rightful places in New England lore.
In a season when many analysts and pundits believed that the Patriots’ reign was coming to an end, they defied the narrative to win it all again. In the aftermath, Patriots fans around the country and at Middlebury revelled in the triumph with exultation and vindication for their unflagging faith in the team. Omar Frometa Jr. ’21 was one of those feeling vindication, as he remarked, “It was nice just seeing everyone eat their own words. We were underdogs until we were champions.” There were plenty of words to be eaten, as the Chargers, Chiefs, and Rams, all of which were given a better chance to win the Super Bowl than the Patriots at the start of the playoffs, were dispatched.
Another fan, Corinne McGillicuddy ’19, found satisfaction in the reassertion of New England’s dominance after the Patriots’ loss to the Eagles last year. “I’m just proud,” she said. “I think that the team of Brady and Belichick is just like an empire, and everyone needs to be reminded of that, so another Super Bowl title is really helpful. Boston sports are just reigning on top.” Indeed, this gives the greater Boston area its 12th major sports title in the last 18 years. Some wait times at the mail center have lasted longer than Boston’s latest title ‘drought,’ which stretched from the end of the World Series in October to February 3.
However, the joy of Patriots fans is not the only post-LIII emotion to be found on campus. From other quarters come frustration and disgust. The unbelievable dominance of New England’s dynastic 18-year run — nine Super Bowl appearances, 16 division titles, and 13 AFC championship games — has left many from other parts of the country beyond weary. Nick Wagg ’22, a Chiefs fan, said, “I’m sick of Tom Brady winning championships, and I think it’s ruining the NFL.”
He believed that the Patriots dynasty would soon meet its end. “Don’t sleep on the Chiefs,” said Wagg. His words met with approving nods from the others around him, presumably fellow fans still waiting for the moment when their favored team could take the throne from New England. Asking this group of fans for their Super Bowl picks for next year yielded a variety of answers: Chiefs, Colts, Saints, Rams. Notably, there was no mention of the Patriots. Perhaps the next season will be when such fans are finally right about the Patriots’ decline. Perhaps not, and trying to push Tom Brady and Bill Belichick off the stage only makes them dig their heels in harder. But if there’s anything that those who can’t stand New England any longer should learn from this season, it’s that not believing in the Patriots is always a dangerous move.
(11/08/18 10:57am)
Boston has another sports title to add to its collection. On Oct. 28, Chris Sale blew a slider past a flailing Manny Machado to win the 2018 World Series for the Boston Red Sox. It was a fitting end to a dominant season, and many fans agree that this very well could be the best Red Sox team of all -ime. Of course, since Middlebury is located deep in Red Sox Nation, there was a palpable excitement running through campus as the playoffs progressed.
In the days following the victory, students wearing Red Sox gear (of whom there was no shortage) would sometimes let out a cheer and traded high-fives as they passed each other. The fact that this is the fourth title that Middlebury students can remember in their lifetimes has not lessened student fans’ joy. Rather, the dynastic run seems to enhance the spectacle. Corinne McGillicuddy ’19 recalled her memories of earlier teams fondly. “I was probably the biggest Red Sox fan in the world in 2007, which was when Alex Cora played for the Red Sox. And he’s now the manager and it was his first year. And I thought it was extremely cool that he was able to pull in a victory [in 2018] … it meant a lot to me,” she said. Indeed, Cora, once a utility player unknown by most Red Sox fans, has now earned the adoration of many Middlebury students with his brilliant managing.
However, Middlebury’s geographically diverse student body brings many opposing fans to campus as well, and many Yankees, Astros and Dodgers fans were disappointed as they watched the Red Sox knock their teams out with a balanced and relentless attack. Astros fans were especially shocked by their team’s defeat in five games, as most analysts picked them to beat the Red Sox handily due to their strong pitching staff and offense. Jenali Mehta ’22, a resident of Houston, knew the disappointment firsthand. “I was back home for [the ALCS] and as soon as they started my entire family was hooked to the TV. Lots of tears and screaming when they lost,” Mehta said.
Meanwhile, McGillicuddy had something to say for anyone who underestimated the Red Sox: “I don’t know why anyone was surprised that they won because they were around 20 games ahead of any other team.” The Red Sox’s 108 regular-season wins were the most by a team in 17 years, and they easily clinched the division and playoff home field advantage by mid-September. Even so, many were quick to doubt the strength of the bullpen, the bottom of the lineup, and the playoff abilities of the starting rotation. Every concern would prove unfounded as the Sox rolled to their ninth title in franchise history.
The pain for opposing fans wasn’t limited to those whose teams were eliminated in the playoffs, as the Red Sox’s success caused plenty of suffering amongst fans of AL East rivals. The Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles were mere afterthoughts, and any fans on campus could only watch the Red Sox with jealousy. Nash Goldman ’22, an Orioles fan, said after the series, “I’m happy for them, but I’m also sad that my team sucks.”
His suffering is understandable, as the Orioles finished 61 games behind the Red Sox, the largest distance between a first and last-place team since 1942, and his roommate is a vocal Red Sox fan. It seems that many others like Nash will be in a similar predicament as long as the Red Sox maintain their reign as champions.
(10/04/18 9:59am)
There is no better location for a game of Quidditch than Battell Beach, where the sport was introduced back in 2005 by a group of Middlebury College students who had no idea of the impact they would make. On Sunday Sept. 30, Quidditch came home in the form of the Middlebury Quidditch Classic Festival. The tournament was a fitting tribute to the origins of the sport that swept the nation. Two tournaments comprised of thirteen teams representing seven colleges and the five commons played, along with eight organizations and six food vendors to keep spectators more than occupied between matches. It was a perfect day for Quidditch, warm and sunny. The butterbeer was flowing, the taco and crepe stands had roaring business and the Quaffles were flying. Plenty of kids (and more than a few adults, too) were seen walking around decked in their finest Hogwarts robes.
Forty-six-year-old Phil Johnston and his 11-year-old daughter Sophia drove down from Vergennes, VT to watch the tournament. When asked to explain why she decided to come, Sophia replied, “Because I love Harry Potter.”
Kate, Harper and Freja, ages 39, 13 and 12, came from Shelburne, VT to watch. The three were in agreement that what they liked the most about the Classic was the atmosphere.
“[I loved] the fun of it,” Kate said. “No one worries about anything but Quidditch [at the tournament].”
In the round-robin Quidditch pools of the morning, the play was loose and fun, as nobody would be eliminated until later. The announcers were members of Middlebury’s various improv groups, providing commentary that, while not always relevant, was plenty entertaining. One highlight from the announcing booth: “Oh, he got the pants, but not the Snitch!”
In the competition to win the Commons Cup, it came down to Ross and Cook in the final after Ross defeated Wonnacott 120-50 and Cook beat Brainerd 130-120. It was a close match, and at one point Ross appeared to get the Snitch for an upset victory. However, the play was recalled and Cook’s strong offense was the deciding factor in their 170-90 acquisition of the Commons Cup.
In the college bracket play of the afternoon, the playful atmosphere of the morning was mostly forgotten. In the opening round, Middlebury beat Vassar 150-60, led by spectacular goaltending by Ian Scura ’19.5 which allowed the Panthers to increase their consistent lead. Meanwhile, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) knocked off the Dumbledore’s Army wing of the UVM team in a lopsided 130-10 match. While Tufts cruised to a 170-60 victory over Providence, Skidmore put up 170 points in a victory over UVM’s Fellowship team.
In the quarterfinals, Middlebury took on Skidmore. Within five seconds of the match starting, Skidmore had scored a goal. Not to be outdone, Middlebury came back with one of their own just moments later, kicking off a fast-paced duel that saw the Panthers and the Thoroughbreds exchange 5 goals in the first minute and a half. In the end, though Skidmore had some good breakaway goals, they struggled to field a cohesive offense, and excellent play by the Middlebury beaters and a relentless offense that gave them a 150-70 victory. Meanwhile, RPI proved to be too much for Tufts in a hard-fought game where they came away with a 130-50 victory.
So it was onto the finals, with the hosts facing the powerhouse from Rensselaer, who had yet to lose a game during the day. The game took off at a blistering pace, with RPI’s thunderous offense led by chaser Chris Lamonica keeping the heat on the Middlebury defense. Middlebury’s offense matched their opponents goal-for-goal in the early going, but as the match progressed, RPI pulled in front and slowly lengthened their lead. After a slight delay of game due to an injury to the Snitch, RPI caught the golden prize and it was over, 160-60.
At the closing ceremonies, as trophies were awarded and the teams gathered on the pitch for a group photo, there were no hard feelings anywhere. Rather, each player was only too happy to celebrate the thing that had brought them together one last time before heading home: good, old-fashioned Quidditch.
Click here to see more photos from the day.
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