The curtain was drawn on the University of Maine Black Bears men’s basketball team’s winningest season in over 10 years on Saturday, as they lost to the University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks 85-54 at the Costello Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.

After a long and grueling regular season for the Black Bears, a first-round playoff exit was not a surprise to most who follow America East basketball. Maine has yet to win the conference championship in the America East, and typically is not a contender for that title.

Despite this being their most successful regular season in over a decade, the Black Bears still weren’t much to write home about, as they finished 13-17 overall, 7-9 in conference, to place seventh in the conference out of nine teams.

Conversely, UMass Lowell, who have also never won the America East conference, finished at 25-7 overall with an 11-5 in-conference record.

Despite the mismatch in seeding, Black Bear fans kept some optimism going into this game, as Maine split the regular-season series with the Riverhawks after a five-point victory in Bangor on Jan. 25.

The game itself was mostly a lull as far as competitive basketball was concerned. The Riverhawks slowly piled onto an ever-growing points margin and had an 18-point lead by halftime. They did not take their foot off the gas from there.

By the end of the contest, everyone was ready to go home, as UMass Lowell put the finishing touches on a dominant 31-point opening-round victory.

The Riverhawks dominated in all aspects, with a 57% field goal percentage and 33 rebounds, 10 more than the Black Bears.

Maine also shot an absolutely dreadful 19% from three-point range, only managing to shoot 41% overall through a stifling Riverhawks defense. 

One bright spot for the Black Bears was Kellen Tynes, who picked up three more steals to finish the season with 98 total. This breaks a program record at UMaine, and comes just four steals shy of an America East conference victory.

Time will tell if Tynes will finish ahead of the rest of NCAA Division I basketball players in both steals per game and raw steals. He has led in those categories for nearly the entire season. 

A blowout loss in the first round of the playoffs will never feel good, but head coach Chris Markwood and the fans should be optimistic about the seasons to come for Maine men’s basketball.

Maine will only graduate three players this offseason: leading scorer and transfer student Gedi Juozapaitis, three-point threat Ja’Shonté Wright-McLeish and rotation player LeChaun DuHart. 

Maine will retain most of their roster for next year, and Markwood has his work cut out for him as he looks to build upon a promising campaign this year that fell just short of its potential. 

Young players like Tynes, Kristians Feierbergs and Maine Mr. Basketball recipient John Shea will look to carry this program to the promised land after countless years of struggle in the mid-major environment.

The latest chapter of the Border Battle unfolded this past weekend at the Whittemore Center, as the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team endured two tough shootout losses at the hands of their archrival, the University of New Hampshire.

Each game counts as a tie per NCAA regulations, however, UNH takes home two extra conference points, as each shootout win awards the winner an extra point in the conference standings. 

Coming out of this weekend series, Maine now sits at No. 8 in the Hockey East Association standings with 26 points, just ahead of New Hampshire who have 23 and just behind Boston College who have 27. 

Game one of this year’s Border Battle was skated to a 2-2 tie as each squad played hard-nosed hockey until the final whistle. Second-year forward Nolan Renwick started the scoring action for the Black Bears on a power play goal late in the first frame. Fourth-year forward Ben Poisson and first-year defenseman Grayson Arnott were credited with the assists. 

Poisson has 16 assists on the season, the most of any Black Bear.

New Hampshire answered with a power play goal of their own not long into the second period, when first-year forward Kristaps Skrastins scored off of assists from fourth-year forward Ryan Black and first-year forward Stiven Sardarian. 

The game remained tied up until late in the third period, when fourth-year forward Didrik Henbrandt scored the go-ahead goal. Poisson picked up his second assist of the contest, and first-year defenseman Luke Antonacci was credited with an assist as well. 

Unfortunately for UMaine, the wind was not taken out of New Hampshire’s sails after the late goal by the Black Bears. Fourth-year forward and captain Chase Stevenson scored on a deflection with two minutes left in regulation. The goal was reviewed due to the possibility of a high stick, but ultimately stood, tying the game at two goals apiece. 

Both sides headed into overtime exhausted and motivated to score. Maine had a splendid chance to put the game away late in the overtime period, but New Hampshire’s fourth-year goaltender David Fessended made an outlandish sprawling glove save across the crease to save the game for the Wildcats. 

In the end, the contest ended in a rather anticlimactic 1-0 victory in the shootout for New Hampshire, who once again bested the Black Bears on home ice.

Saturday’s affair was much less eventful. The teams skated to a tense but frustrating 0-0 tie after three periods and overtime, only for another 1-0 shootout victory for the Wildcats. Fans of college hockey have for a long time called into doubt the merit of the shootout, as it decides games in a seemingly arbitrary way compared to the way hockey is traditionally played.

Many fans on social media seemed to share the sentiment that it was a shame to watch such a historic rivalry end twice in a shootout. 

As for the games themselves, these two results come as a heat check to a Maine team that had been streaking since December. They look to finish their season strong with two home series against Boston College and the University of Massachusetts.

On Feb. 16 and 17, 2020, NASCAR’s 62nd annual Daytona 500 was held. Considered a crown jewel of the NASCAR circuit, this race is one of the most anticipated year in and year out.

The 2020 Daytona 500 began on Feb. 16, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leading the pack as the green flag waved. Unfortunately for the 40 race entrants and millions watching at home, the race was suspended due to rain showers after a mere 20 laps out of 200. 

The race resumed the following day at 4 p.m. and few issues arose until lap 185, when the perennial “Big One” struck at Daytona International Speedway.

For those who are unfamiliar with NASCAR, The Big One is a term commonly used by fans and racers to describe the inevitable multi-car wreck that happens late in a superspeedway event. At superspeedways like Daytona, cars are often racing bumper-to-bumper at 200 mph. 

The odds of a crash increase exponentially at the end of superspeedway events, which usually have very high stakes attached. Drivers often push the limits in order to gain a slight edge, and even one misplaced bump can send dozens of cars spinning, crashing into walls and even flipping over. 

At this particular Daytona 500, The Big One resulted in an over 20–car collision on the backstretch of the track, resulting in a red flag. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and both Kurt and Kyle Busch suffered damages to their car that ended their night. 

As is customary at events like the Daytona 500, late–race excitement culminated into plenty of wrecks in the waning moments of the race. Late caution flags forced a double overtime finish, leading to the longest Daytona 500 in history at 209 laps. 

After the green flag waved for the final overtime, three drivers separated themselves from the field on the penultimate lap of the event. Up-and-comer Ryan Blaney, underdog veteran Ryan Newman and two-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin. 

Hamlin jumped out to the lead on the final lap before Blaney gave Newman a boost into first place. The cutdown on wind resistance enabled Blaney to move into second, putting Hamlin in third place. 

Hamlin then pushed Blaney in an attempt to execute the same maneuver used against him. Blaney tried to disengage from the push in an attempt to swing around Newman, but caught his rear bumper during the move. This sent Newman spinning out. The car flipped over itself repeatedly and was hit by other cars in the field before coming to a rest in flames. 

Meanwhile, Hamlin had used the contact between Blaney and Newman to pull even with Blaney and crossed the finish line 0.014 seconds before his opponent to take home his third Daytona 500 trophy. It was the second–closest finish in the history of the event, bested only by Hamlin’s first Daytona 500 win in 2016 over Martin Truex Jr. 

Following the race, Newman was rushed to a local hospital. Two hours later, it was reported that his injuries were serious, but not life-threatening. He made a full recovery and returned to NASCAR on May 17.

This stood as a landmark moment in racing history, as many in the NASCAR community credited advancements in safety technology for saving Newman’s life. Safety in NASCAR has been a focal point since the death of the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. at the 2001 Daytona 500, 19 years earlier.

It was a tough day to be a Black Bears fan at The Pit on Saturday night, as the women’s basketball team opened their homestand with a frustrating loss to the Yale University Bulldogs 55-46.

Picked second in the America East preseason poll, expectations were high for the Black Bears squad rolling into the season. They were looking to defend their regular season title streak of two years and get revenge after falling in the conference championship last year at home against University at Albany. 

Unfortunately for the University of Maine and their four-time America East coach of the year Amy Vachon, it’s been a slow start to a season where UMaine’s conference championship window is very much still open. After stealing a tense win on the road versus James Madison University, the Black Bears have now lost two in a row, dropping consecutive games to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and now Yale. 

It was a tough start out of the gate for UMaine, as they went two of 12 from the field in the first quarter and were outscored 13-7. UMaine opened the scoring with an early layup by third-year forward Caroline Bornemann, before Yale scored 11 unanswered points and didn’t surrender the lead for the rest of the game. 

Things did not improve for the Black Bears, as Yale started the second quarter on a nine-point run to stretch their lead. By halftime, the Bulldogs led 30-10, with UMaine scoring a lackluster three points in the second quarter. 

After opening up a 20-point lead, the Bulldogs became a little complacent, as they allowed UMaine to roar back by scoring a 22-point third quarter that helped reduce the deficit to eight points. Unfortunately for the Black Bears, Yale held on to their lead in the fourth quarter without much trouble, as the early hole proved too deep for UMaine to escape. 

The Black Bears were their own worst enemy, as they turned the ball over 21 times and allowed 20 points off turnovers while only scoring five of their own.

Most of UMaine’s top scorers were silent throughout the night, giving way for second-year guard Sera Hodgson to step up for a career-high 15-point night.

It was a notably tough game for first-year guard Jaycie Christopher. She finished with no points in 11 minutes as a starting guard. In her third start of the season, Christopher has only managed eight points while shooting 20% from the field. Hopes are still high for the defending Maine Gatorade player of the year as she adjusts to Division I play. 

While it’s been a disappointing start to a promising season, the Black Bears have been dealt a tough hand. This season they’ll be without the help of two of last year’s top three scorers. Star forward Maeve Carroll graduated, and high-scoring guard Alba Orois returned to Europe to pursue a professional career. Injury has also taken out fourth-year guard Anna Kahelin for the season. Kahelin chipped in as a spot-starter during her first season before being sidelined for most of her second year with an injury. Unfortunately, she missed her entire third season as she did not fit into a loaded lineup. 

The Black Bears will look ahead to Monday’s matchup versus Northeastern University at home in The Pit, where they will look to rebound from a head-scratching loss.

The 2022 Fall Classic is finally here. The heavyweight Houston Astros from the American League take on an unexpected challenger in the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies. 

This will be the third time since 2017 that the Astros have represented the AL in the World Series: winning in 2017 against the Dodgers, losing in 2019 to the Nationals, and losing again last year against the Braves. The Phillies have not appeared in a World Series since 2009 and have not won one since 2008. In fact the Phillies had not appeared in the postseason since 2011. This is in heavy contrast to Houston’s recent playoff success as they have made it to the postseason every year since 2017.

Statistically, there is a bit of a disparity between the underdogs and the favorites. The Phillies were a strong-hitting team finishing eighth in OPS (.739) and sixth in team home runs with 205. The Astros hit at an even more impressive clip finishing seventh in OPS (.743) and fourth in home runs with 214. When it comes to pitching the gap becomes more clear. The Astros held opponents to a measly .212 batting average against: an outlandish stat, which was good for second-best in the MLB. Alternatively, the Phillies allowed a .245 batting average against which was just barely in the bottom half of teams. The Astros also managed an otherworldly team ERA of 2.90 to the Phillies pedestrian 3.97. 

Despite these statistical differences this World Series should provide some intrigue. Regular season statistics don’t count when you reach the big stage. Just ask the Dodgers, who finished first in most major statistical categories including wins before an early postseason exit this year. 

For Philadelphia, their starting pitcher Zach Wheeler has been absolutely lights-out during the postseason. Across 25.1 innings including four starts Wheeler has allowed an ERA of 1.78. Opposing batters have only managed an average of .118 against him and draw very few walks. Wheeler has an absolutely ridiculous postseason WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.51 and has been the main reason why Philadelphia was able to lock down a dangerous Cardinals lineup, the defending champion Braves and the electric San Diego Padres. Wheeler has stepped up big while the rest of the Phillies pitching staff has found mixed success. 

Houston’s success has come in part from the dazzling young shortstop from the University of Maine Jeremy Peña. During the ALCS against the Yankees Peña was the backbone of the Houston offense as they easily swept New York. Peña slashed a monster stat line of .353/.353/.824, hitting three home runs and collecting four total RBI. Peña was easily awarded the ALCS MVP award for his hitting performance and has gained national recognition for not only himself but also for UMaine baseball as a whole.

While on paper the 2022 World Series doesn’t look to be a very close matchup, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security Astros fans. The Phillies are the hottest team in baseball right now and sometimes that’s all it takes to shock the world. The World Series will resume tonight at 8:03 as the Astros travel to Philadelphia for the first of three games to close out the playoffs.

UMaine field hockey continued their stretch of dominance in the America East conference with a 4-2 win over the Stanford Cardinal at home on Friday. This marked the Black Bears’ seventh victory in-conference during the 2022 season and mathematically clinched the Black Bears’ third straight regular-season title. 

Stanford entered the contest with a 3-3 in-conference record with a couple of razor-thin results including a 1-0 shootout loss to the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears in their last America East matchup. UMaine came into the game undefeated in the conference at 6-0 and nationally ranked No. 23. 

UMaine certainly knew what was at stake on Friday afternoon as fifth-year forward Sydney Meader scored just nine minutes into the game. Third-year back and leading points-scorer Poppy Lambert was credited with her sixth assist on the season to put the Black Bears up early.

It only took another nine minutes for Stanford to strike back. Early into the second quarter fourth-year forward Lynn Vandersitchele scored unassisted to knot up the contest at one goal apiece. Vandersitchele is Stanford’s second leading points scorer, thanks in part to that goal and another assist she picked up later in the afternoon to total a three-point performance. 

The Black Bears continued the back-and-forth scoring pattern when fifth-year forward Chloe Walton scored her 10th goal of the season just 17 seconds into the second half. Meader was given the assist after a beautiful lead pass into the low circle that gave Walton possession of the ball with only the goalie to beat. Meader’s three-point performance left her with 23 total on the season, good enough for fourth-highest on UMaine’s roster. 

UMaine struck again six minutes later when phenomenal first-year forward Mallory Mackesy scored her 11th goal of the season after scooping up a loose rebound generated by a Walton shot. Mackesy and Walton have been stars on a high-powered offense as they are ranked fifth and sixth respectively in total points in the America East conference.

Stanford kept it interesting when third-year forward Haley Mossamer scored one minute and 23 seconds into the fourth quarter on a rebound from a Vandersitchele shot. Mossamer recorded her team-leading 15th point, which is the 16th-highest individual total in the conference. On the other hand, four Black Bears have a higher points total. 

UMaine quickly put the comeback to bed three minutes later when Lambert scored on a neatly executed penalty corner with assists from fourth-year midfielder Madisyn Hartley and third-year midfielder Tereza Holubcova. This was Hartley’s 16th assist in 2022, which is easily the most in the conference. 

The goal counted as Lambert’s conference-leading 18th of the season. She is scoring at an absolutely ridiculous clip of 1.059 goals per game, the only player in the America East to surpass an average of one goal per game. 

Mia Borely was once again very solid between the pipes, picking up another eight saves to add to her conference-leading total of 91, which is 18 more than the second-highest record. 

With the victory UMaine advanced to an overall record of 13-4. Their final regular season game will be played against UC Davis at home on Oct. 30 for senior day.

The MLB postseason is marching right along, and the 2022 World Series matchup is all but set. If you’ve been peripherally following the MLB playoffs and want to get caught up in the action, now’s your last chance before the World Series gets underway. Here’s a brief look at all four remaining teams. 

NEW YORK YANKEES

This year was supposed to be different for the Yankees, who had higher levels of postseason optimism surrounding the team than in most years. The Bronx Bombers’ especially high expectations may have come as a result of their early domination of the American League, and Aaron Judge’s historic slugging season. Unfortunately for Yankee fans, the team has stalled out in the ALCS and are currently losing three games to none to the Houston Astros. 

The Yankees bats have gone from quiet to silent throughout the series, as they laid an egg on Saturday, scoring no runs on just three hits. It would take a miracle to propel New York to the World Series at this point, especially with the lethal Lance McCullers Jr. starting on the mound for the Astros in game four. 

Nestor Cortes will oppose him for the Yankees. Cortes was strong in his one postseason start this year, and will surely need to pull out all the stops against a high-powered Astros lineup if the Yankees even want a chance of sniffing the World Series. 

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Like the Yankees, the Padres have their backs up against the wall, and currently sit at the brink of elimination. Unlike the Yankees, the Padres’ postseason ascent seemed to take people by surprise. 

Expectations were low to begin with for southern California’s little brother team after they lost their young star, Fernando Tatis Jr., for the season due to an injury and a PED suspension. To compensate, San Diego’s platoon kept up the slack until the trade deadline, when the front office decided to go all-in. The Padres acquired big bat Josh Bell, breakout player Brandon Drury, star reliever Josh Hader and most notably, young dynamo Juan Soto.

Unfortunately for the Padres, their meteoric rise late in the regular season and subsequent postseason series victories over the Mets and Dodgers may feel less sweet as they have sort of rolled over against Philadelphia, and are trailing three games to one. Crazier things have happened, but a comeback seems unlikely. It has been a memorable postseason for San Diego fans, as the Padres took out two World Series favorites within two weeks, and looked pretty cohesive as a unit the whole time. 

HOUSTON ASTROS

Baseball’s famous Houston Astros seem to be headed back to the World Series, provided they can complete the series victory over New York, who they lead three games to none. 

Recent years have seen no shortage of Astros postseason success, made possible in part by 2017’s infamous trash can sign-stealing scandal. However, a roster overhaul including the loss of Carlos Correa and George Springer gave people in the baseball world doubts about Houston’s ability to go far this season. 

Surprising very few, Houston has been able to make it work regardless, and are careening towards what may become their fourth World Series appearance in the last six seasons. Justin Verlander’s ridiculous resurgence at 39 and UMaine alum Jeremy Peña’s postseason heroics have lifted the Astros to this position with relative ease, as they look to add another trophy to the shelf. 

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The current favorites to reach the World Series in the NL, the Phillies were not the team that people expected to see here. Most predicted the Mets or defending champion Braves to have gone the distance, but instead, Philadelphia has outlasted them all. 

Questions have surrounded this team all year, as they are seeing their first postseason action since 2011. The holes in their rotation are often covered by their high-powered lineup, featuring stars like Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Schwarber. Philly fans must feel pretty good about where they stand, on the precipice of their first World Series appearance since 2009.

The MLB regular season is drawing to a close, and the Boston Red Sox will not be playing deep into October. It has been a year to forget for fans, as the nine-time world champions will finish last in the American League East for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season and before that, 2015. On top of that, Boston’s faithful have been forced to watch their team sputter in the second half of the season while their archrival the New York Yankees have soared to the second seed in the AL.

A season riddled with injuries and contract drama has left Red Sox fans confused and disappointed. Big offseason acquisition Trevor Story has been a letdown, hitting 19 home runs with an OPS of just .737 over 94 games. Injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale have crippled the pitching staff, resulting in a lowly 4.54 team ERA good for third worst in the AL. The brightest spots on the team are of course franchise staples Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts, who are the only qualified players with an OPS over .800 on the Red Sox roster. However, both of these fan favorites are poised to be free agents in 2023 with Bogaerts planning to opt out of the player option on his contract. Most fans are hoping that controversial Red Sox president Chaim Bloom will be willing to fork over the cash to keep the lifeblood of this roster alive lest the Red Sox enter a rebuild and wait for new talent to appear period. 

Speaking of Bloom many in the baseball world were perplexed by his approach to this year’s trade deadline. Going into the deadline the Red Sox sat in last place in the AL East with plenty of high-value veterans to sell. However, they were also only three games out of a wild-card spot if Bloom wanted to add to the roster in hopes of making a playoff push. Bloom, interestingly, decided to walk the line. Longtime Red Sox catcher Christian Vasquez was dealt to the Astros for prospects, indicating that Bloom was looking to sell now and gear up for a more competitive season in 2023. However, rather than selling other veterans like JD Martinez or Nathan Eovaldi, Bloom chose to acquire some more experienced bats in Tommy Pham and Eric Hosmer to bolster an underperforming offense.

Obviously these trades did not work out. The Red Sox have since been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and currently sit 10.5 games out of a wild card spot. 

Fans are waiting with bated breath to see what will come of this offseason. The principal concern is whether or not Bogaerts and Devers will get the expensive contract extensions they’ll need to stay in Boston. Red Sox fans are not eager to watch another generational talent like Mookie Betts get swept away by a bigger buyer. If the Red Sox decide to let one or both of these players go the clear next step would be to sell off the rest of the veteran core. Martinez and Eovaldi likely have diminished in value since the trade deadline but the Red Sox could certainly score some serviceable prospects in return for them. 

It’s a turbulent time for Boston’s loyal supporters but with plenty of money to spend and some brilliant young talent on the horizon in the form of Triston Casas and Cedanne Rafaela it looks like better days could be coming sooner rather than later for the Red Sox.

We’re less than a week away from the start of the new NHL season, and Boston Bruins fans are feeling uncertain about the long road ahead.

To put it simply, the championship window is closing for the Bruins and many aren’t convinced that they’re built to go the distance this year. The Bruins have made the playoffs for six consecutive seasons in a competitive Atlantic Division but have found mixed success in their playoff runs. They have made the Cup Finals only one time in that span, in 2019, where they lost in dramatic fashion to the St. Louis Blues. At the helm for the Bruins for this stretch of years was Bruce Cassidy, who was fired this past offseason, which was a move that took many by surprise. 

Cassidy’s replacement on the bench for the new campaign is Jim Montgomery. A University of Maine alumnus and member of the Black Bears’ national champion ice hockey team in 1993, Montgomery’s number 19 is one of three retired numbers here at UMaine. Montgomery is an experienced and popular head coach with New England roots but many Bruins fans feel as though replacing Cassidy to begin with was the wrong approach. They see Cassidy as a scapegoat for the front office’s failure to put together a deep and durable team. 

Depth has been the biggest issue for the Bruins in recent years, especially when it comes to deep playoff runs. Boston has arguably the best top line in the NHL with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak but lacks consistent and reliable talent beyond the second line. Defensively, young star Charlie McAvoy leads the way but also does not have many backup options. The Bruins don’t possess the physical durability, emotional tenacity and fighting spirit to persist through long playoff runs, and many fans feel a change of head coach does not address that issue.

Fortunately for Boston, goaltending has not been a major issue in the wake of Tuukka Rask’s retirement. Former Black Bear Jeremy Swayman split time with free agent acquisition Linus Ullmark during last year’s campaign, playing to a nearly identical stat line. In 41 games each, Ullmark had a save percentage of .917 to Swayman’s .914. The two netminders also seem to have formed a good bond, which is a good sign in a locker room in desperate need of identity and camaraderie. 

Independent of the coaching change, the Bruins long-term depth woes and the fact that their top goal-scorers are aging out of their primes, Boston will start the new season with an early handicap. Marchand and McAvoy will not see the rink until December with injuries. Also, top-four defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will be sidelined until November. All three of these players are integral to Boston’s performance, most notably their penalty kill. Boston’s PK was No. 9 in the NHL last season so these new injuries will likely put some added pressure on Swayman and Ullmark, who are still young and inexperienced. 

However, not all is doom and gloom at TD Garden. The silver lining of early-season injuries is that the Bruins will be able to give some new prospects a shot before the starters recover, and the team’s veterans will be good resources for young stars to consult. Plus, with a new coach at the controls the Bruins might finally be able to find the elusive missing piece which has kept them from Lord Stanley’s hardware. Montgomery may be a controversial signing, but oftentimes all it takes is a change in leadership to turn everyone’s attitudes around.

On Oct. 1, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, Wrigley Field was packed to the gills with mesmerized spectators, journalists, and players. It is game three of the 1932 World Series. The New York Yankees, the titans of the sport already, hold a 2-0 series lead. After dropping the first two games on the road, player-manager Rogers Hornsby’s Cubs are in desperate need of a win. In the third inning, the score is tied at four. The count is 0-2 when George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. hits a run that becomes immortalized in baseball history. He and fellow Yankee superstar Lou Gehrig have been ruthlessly heckled all day by Cubs players who are looking to rattle the Bronx Bombers. So far, it hasn’t worked. Each of them have already hit a home run. 

As Ruth trotted to the plate, he was faced with jeers from the Cubs bench, which was full of energy after they had tied the game just moments before. Ruth took strike one from Root and was faced with more taunts. Ruth’s only response was to raise his left arm slowly and steadily toward the center field flagpole with his index finger extended. Root delivered a second pitch, and Ruth again took it for a called strike. More jeers and heckling came from the dugout. Calmly, Ruth extended his left hand once more, gesturing at the flagpole in centerfield. Just as he lowered his arm, Root wound up. It was a curveball. Ruth swung, the ball soared and the rest is history.

Ruth hit Charlie Root’s curveball 490 feet away from home plate at Wrigley Field. What immortalized this home run in the annals of baseball history is not only the distance, nor simply the gravity of the situation in which it was hit. This moment is remarkable because Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, just called his shot.

While there is controversy as to whether Ruth was pointing at center field, the pitcher, or the Cubs dugout, the story lives on today. Journalists at the time focused their accounts on the Bambino’s called shot, rather than the Yankees’ 7-5 win. When approached about the called shot, Ruth responded ambiguously at first, but later embraced the story. Both he and Gehrig went on to retell the story with an embellished dramatic flair. 

The fact that this piece of baseball legend is still told to young fans of the game today is fascinating. Ruth does not resemble the modern power hitter. Let’s compare Ruth to current Yankee slugger, Aaron Judge, who has just tied Ruth’s best mark for single-season home runs at 60. Ruth was stout and burly; he had a blue-collar visage, and hardly looked graceful in the baggy uniform of the time. Judge is trim and muscular, wears gold chains and has one of the most polished looks in the game. Each of these players are generational talents. One could only imagine an interaction between these Yankee greats. 

Just as the Bambino went down in history for his supposed clairvoyance, maybe 100 years from now people will talk about Judge with a similar awe. However, I find that hard to believe. If game three of the 1932 World Series was nationally televised, maybe the mystery of the called shot would have dissipated, like broadcast waves drifting out into space.