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Tuesday, September 29, 2020
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Tufts Admissions to begin paying tour guides, seeks to increase representation by Alexander Janoff News Editor
ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY
Jumbo is pictured wearing a mask on Sept. 6.
Earlier this month, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions made the position of tour guide a paid position, in the midst of a transition to virtual programming and in an effort to foster greater representation. Previously, it was only considered a volunteer position. Jason Rathman, assistant director of admissions, explained that the change was made to eliminate barriers for students who had to choose between volunteering with the admissions office and acquiring a paid job elsewhere. He added that by making it a paid position, there would be increased access to the role and, in turn, a group that is more representative of the university’s student population. “With current students being one of the most cited reasons for prospective students applying and eventually enrolling at Tufts, we decided to start compensating our tour guides as a means to expand access to the position, and, in turn, who is represented,” Rathman wrote in an email to the Daily. Emily Lazorchak, chair of Tufts Tour Guides, stressed the
goal of increasing representation among the group. “The goal of changing tour guiding to a paid position is to make it a more accessible opportunity for students and help our program be more representative and inclusive of the many identities and backgrounds that make up the Tufts community,” Lazorchak, a senior, wrote in an email to the Daily. Curry Brinson, the diversity and recruitment co-chair of Tufts Tour Guides, spoke highly of the development. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, resulting travel restrictions and university policies, tour guides have shifted their tours to an online format. “It’s really nice that tour guides can be compensated for the invaluable work that they do for the University and I’m personally really happy that we’re getting compensated for our efforts,” Brinson, a junior, said. According to Rathman, the admissions office’s decision to begin compensating tour guides is not related to its shift to virtual programming. “While the shift to virtual programming coincided with the decision to start paying tour guides, the decisions were made
separately,” Rathman said. “We had decided to implement tour guiding as a paid program before we finalized our fall programming plans.” However, the move to an online format did lead to a reduction in active tour guides this semester, according to Rathman. “The need to decrease the amount of active tour guides was a logistical necessity in our virtual space,” Rathman said. “We are offering fewer tours than we would during a typical fall semester, with only two tours per day Monday through Saturday.” Lazorchak echoed Rathman’s statements, emphasizing that when tours were in person and on campus, it was necessary to have a large number of tour guides, in order to keep each tour group small. “When tours were given in-person, it was possible to have several tour guides giving a tour at each of those times, which helped keep groups small,” she said. “With virtual tours, we have a higher visitor-to-guide ratio … there are now only two tour guides assigned to each tour time.” see GUIDES, page 2
Focus on diversity, election season, influences Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series fall 2020 lineup by Alicia Zou Staff Writer
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life has selected a total of nine speakers to engage with the Tufts community this semester for its Distinguished Speaker Series, which has been shaped by an increased focus on diversity and the November U.S. presidential election. While former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, former U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and author Ijeoma Oluo already spoke at their respective events, upcoming speakers include activists, political reporters and U.S. representatives. In choosing speakers for the series, Jessica Byrnes, program administrator at Tisch College, explained how many factors are taken into consideration. “As much as possible, [we] try to pay attention to what’s happening in the news at the time and think about what types of
speakers and what types of topics will be interesting to the Tufts community,” Byrnes said. Byrnes emphasized the importance of having speakers who can bring diverse and relevant topics to the conversation, such as racial injustice. “I think [racial injustice is] a subject that is incredibly important for us to talk about in all of our circles, in all of our conversations,” she said. “We really wanted to … give thought to: Do we have diverse voices in this lineup? Are we explicitly talking about race with our events? What more can we be doing to do that?” Byrnes said. For this semester, in particular, Byrnes mentioned that the current election season also influenced the types of speakers in the series. “I think it’s very important to us to engage students and engage the entire Tufts community in topics that might be on the ballot come this November
NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Barnum Hall is pictured on Sept. 24. and … how we can be engaged in the election process as early as possible,” she said. JumboVote, a student-led organization that promotes civic engagement and voter
turnout, is co-sponsoring the series. Various resources from the group are presented at each event, according to Lidya Woldeyesus, student co-chair of JumboVote.
ARTS / page 4
FEATURES / page 3
SPORTS / back
In new book, De Leon tells story of Latinx Boston teenager
Faculty, students, discuss pros, cons of ranked-choice voting
While Liverpool, Chelsea perform in transfer window, Barcelona lags behind
At the start of each series, students can view a PowerPoint slide with several QR codes that are linked to different resourcsee SERIES, page 2 NEWS
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Tufts Admissions sees 80 fewer tour guides this semester GUIDES
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Lazorchak added that there were roughly 120 active tour guides last semester. This semester there are only 40. The admissions office is committed to continuing to pay tour guides through the return to on-campus tours and in-person visits, according to Rathman. “The program structure may change again once we are able to safely accommodate in-person campus visits, but we are committed to continue paying guides through that transition,” he said.
Rathman also explained that the admissions office selected tour guides this semester through a video application process. “These video applications featured each guide giving two tour stops, simulating an actual virtual tour,” Rathman said. “From there, the videos were reviewed by the admissions officers who oversee campus visits, and the strongest video applicants were invited to participate this fall.” Some tour guides opted not to return this semester due to the change to a virtual format. The admissions office, however,
plans to invite both tour guides who opted out of the semester and those who were not selected to participate in the virtual tour guide program, back, once in-person tours resume. “Many tour guides chose not to submit an application and instead opted to be invited back once in-person tours resume,” Rathman said. “The tour guides who were not invited to give virtual tours this semester will also be invited back if any virtual positions open or once it is safe to restart in-person tours.” In previous years, on-campus tours were typically led by
only one guide. Now, since they are conducted online, there are two guides assigned to each virtual tour. The times at which tours are held this semester have changed too, in an effort to accommodate those who are in different time zones. “Our tour times have changed to accommodate more visitors from varied time zones,” Rathman said. “Most in-person tours occurred in the morning and early afternoon. Now, many guides are assigned to late afternoon and even evening tours, expanding our access to visitors from other parts of the world.”
Despite virtual series, Tisch College seeks to maintain student engagement SERIES
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es, including a voter registration platform, JumboVote’s website and registration deadline and absentee ballot request dates, Woldeyesus said. She also said that JumboVote’s decision to co-sponsor the series with Tisch College helps further JumboVote’s mission. “There’s a whole number of speakers that [do] work on really pressing societal issues and so part of … JumboVote’s position is finding your civic identity,” Woldeyesus said. “I think the Speaker Series event is presenting you with all these number of options to … create change in all the communities that you’re a part of.”
Regardless of the Series’ format, Byrnes addressed the difficulties of confirming speakers and coordinating with their busy schedules. “[Confirmation] depends on their very complicated schedule … some speakers might have commitments to news outlets, and we have to work with their availability there,” Byrnes said. She also expressed the advantages of planning the series in a virtual format. “I think being virtual really helped us get other speakers that we’d really wanted to bring to campus for years but weren’t able to,” Byrnes said. Deborah Schildkraut, professor and chair of the political science department, an academic department co-sponsoring
several of the speaker events, echoed Byrnes’ sentiments that there is a potential to reach more people through a virtual format. “More people are coming to our events … we do have an opportunity this semester to broaden our reach, whereas before, we may have had more political science majors and civic studies majors coming to these events,” Schildkraut said. When discussing the impact of shared experiences these speaker events can bring, especially in person, Byrnes referenced a previous distinguished speaker, former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and congressman, Beto O’Rourke. “I think it can be a really moving experience, particularly if it’s
someone that students are really excited about. I’m thinking [of ] when we hosted former congressman Beto O’Rourke and students lined up hours in advance to meet him … and how much of a meaningful experience that was for folks,” Byrnes said. Due to the inability to meet or interact with the speakers in person, Byrnes hopes to maintain a similar level of student engagement. “Before we go live, I think as much as possible, we’re trying to keep the Q&A portion of our events as student-focused as possible,” Byrnes said. Tisch College also hosts more speakers at other events, including its Civic Life Lunch series, co-sponsored events and author talks, according to Byrnes.
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Features
3 Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Massachusetts Question 2: Ranked-choice voting
NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY
A Somerville ballot drop box is pictured on Powderhouse Boulevard on Sept. 28. by Katie Furey Contributing Writer
In 2018, Bruce Poliquin, a former Republican congressman from Maine, became the first incumbent in 100 years to lose Maine’s 2nd District. His loss came after Mainers voted to implement a system of ranked-choice voting. Two years later, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is asking voters if they would like to see a similar system implemented here. The second referendum question Massachusetts voters will see on their November 2020 ballots is whether they support using ranked-choice voting for state elections. Maine became the first state in the United States to implement ranked-choice voting after a similar referendum in 2016. Whereas in a typical election voters choose one candidate for each race, and the candidate with the most votes wins, ranked-choice voting allows voters to order all the candidates based on their preference. The winning candidate has to receive at least 50% of the vote. If no candidate receives 50% of firstplace votes in the initial round of ballot counting, the candidate in last place is eliminated. The second-place choices on those ballots are reallocated as first place choices. The process continues until one candidate reaches the 50% mark. In Maine’s 2018 election, Poliquin received a majority of
the first place votes but not quite a 50% majority. The rankedchoice method was triggered, reallocating votes and ultimately declaring Democratic challenger Jared Golden the winner. Later that year, Poliquin filed a lawsuit against the Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, claiming that rankedchoice voting was unconstitutional, but Poliquin ultimately dropped charges. Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Professor of Civic Life at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life Eitan Hersh is well informed about ranked-choice voting and offered an explanation of why Massachusetts officials are considering implementing this initiative. “Some people don’t like the fact that we have, right now, plurality winners. So, in a number of congressional districts in Massachusetts recently, we had primaries where nine people or 10 people are running, and then the person who wins gets 23% of the vote, and there’s some people who don’t like that the winners get so small a share of the vote,” Hersh said. Matt Tolbert, a senior from Nashville, Tenn. and a member of JumboVote, cited a similar point as to why ranked-choice voting, in general, could be beneficial. “On the whole — and I speak on the whole since I’m not very invested in Massachusetts politics — [I think] that ranked-
choice voting is a good thing. It gives voters more options, more visibility and it allows people to better reflect their views and preferences in the ballot box. And it’s not just this absolutist choice between one of two major parties,” Tolbert said. Unlike Tolbert, Hersh said he was not in favor of implementing ranked-choice voting, claiming the negatives outweigh the positives. One disadvantage of ranked-choice voting, according to Hersh, is that it makes voting more difficult. “It is confusing. It makes voting harder. It takes more time,” Hersh said. “So what is that going to do? First of all, it might create longer lines. Particularly right now in Massachusetts, the only places where we have long lines on Election Day — this is obviously pre-COVID-19 — are really in areas where a lot of minorities are living, in cities like Boston and Springfield. So you can imagine, with in-person voting, it takes a lot longer for people to fill out their ballots, and the lines will get longer, and people in these communities will suffer more.” Loss aversion, as displayed in the Maine election, was another concern of Hersh’s. “In psychology there’s this principle called loss aversion. It stinks if you don’t win something, but it hurts a lot more when you feel like you won something and it was taken away from you,” Hersh said. “One big concern of ranked-choice voting is that it
has that flavor where someone kind of wins and it’s taken away from them.” Hersh also expressed concerns about voter turnout. “There’s a debate about whether [ranked-choice voting] has a very negative impact on turnout or no impact, but no evidence suggests that this actually increases participation,” Hersh said. President of Tufts Democrats, Rhys Murphy, advocates for the implementation of rankedchoice voting and disagreed with Hersh about voter turnout. “I, generally speaking, have faith in voters to carry out their democratic and civic duty,” Murphy said. “We already have large-scale efforts to turn out the vote. We can also supplement by having large-scale efforts to help people figure out how voting might work and might be different under this system … I see that more as a hurdle to get over as opposed to a barrier that we can’t get through.” Murphy says he’s in favor of ranked-choice voting because he identifies politically as a progressive and believes ranked-choice voting could give his coalition more of a say in elections. “Ranked-choice gives more of a voice and more representation to people who are of my political alignment who are otherwise just sort of expected to be sort of quiet partners within the Democratic party,” Murphy said. Murphy cited the recent primary election for the
Massachusetts 4th District. Nine candidates contested the race, and Jake Auchincloss won with 23% of the vote. “A good example of this would actually be the Massachusetts 4th District. Their Democratic primary came down to a very centrist candidate and then a whole field of candidates to the left of that candidate … it’s obviously speculation, but I think it’d be fair to say that, in a rankedchoice system, that district and that election would have gone a lot differently,” Murphy said. Referring to the same race, Hersh once again expressed his fundamental concerns with ranked-choice voting. “People have different values, so some people really don’t like when the winner gets [23%] of the vote, and other people — and I’m in the second category — have a pretty hard rule that you don’t make voting harder for people,” Hersh said. At this point, the issue is in the hands of Massachusetts voters. Hersh explained the next step in the process of possibly implementing ranked-choice voting. “Voters in November on the presidential ballot are going to be able to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ about whether or not they want to adopt this. And if they vote yes, then it’s essentially going to be implemented, but there will be a ton of lawsuits. There’s a question about whether it’s a violation of the state constitution,” Hersh said.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2020
From METCO to code-switching, to life as a teenager, ‘Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From’ discusses bias in education
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The cover of Jennifer De Leon’s book ‘Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From’ (2020) is pictured. by Elizabeth Sander Arts Editor
The Boston Public Library (BPL) held a virtual book talk featuring one of its very own former Writers in Residence, Jennifer De Leon, on Sept. 22. An author and former public educator, De Leon released her debut young adult fiction (YA) novel titled “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” on Aug. 18. Centered around 15 year-old half-Guatemalan and half-Sal-
vadoran student and Boston resident, Liliana Cruz, “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” was the culmination of De Leon’s term as a Writer in Residence at the BPL. “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” deals with a variety of important subjects like code-switching, racism in education and the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), a long-standing program to aid in the desegregation of the Boston
Public Schools that has been both praised and criticized. Given these pertinent conversations, De Leon’s novel becomes both a work that young adults can love and learn from, but that adults and educators can read and learn from as well. “As a teacher, I really felt like this was a book I wanted,” De Leon said. She cited Toni Morrison’s famous words: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Working as a public school educator off and on for many years, De Leon saw that “there weren’t any YA [novels] about a Latinx girl in Boston.” So in an effort to write the book she would have wanted to read as an educator, “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” was created. Given this intention, moderator Chris Jacobs and De Leon both agreed that “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” is an important novel for educators to read. The book itself includes a variety of teachers who are both “woke,” and “not woke.” De Leon explained how it’s the little things, like gestures or one-off comments that can change how an educator is perceived by a student in a way that could be harmful to a student’s well-being. In a scene from the novel discussed during the talk, one of Liliana’s teachers glances at the clock during a conversation about race that frustrates and saddens Liliana. The most compelling part about this scene is that Liliana notices. “Kids pick up on the teacher’s discomfort, and that means to Liliana, ‘You’re uncomfortable with me,’” De Leon said. In this scene and many others, De Leon’s novel succeeds in illuminating the truth behind many instances of underlying biases against historically marginalized communities in education. Another important component of this novel is the attention it gives to the METCO program. METCO is one of the longest-running programs whose aim is to desegregate the Boston Public School system and has been lauded and critiqued over the years. In this program, students from public schools in Boston are bussed, sometimes one to one-and-a-half hours each way, to a neighboring suburb. De Leon explained that what many people don’t know about the program is that although it began over 50 years ago, it was really “meant to last only a couple years.” “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” expertly raises questions about this program and its advantages and disadvantages, without giving any kind of response. Readers are left on their own to decide if this program is advantageous. But what readers can agree upon, and what is shown in this novel, is
that the METCO program can be taxing for many of its participants. During the process of writing this novel, De Leon spoke to students who were at the time in the METCO program about their experiences. She found that there are plenty of students who succeed in this program, but that many students find the constant code-switching to be challenging. As De Leon explained, “many students don’t make it through the ‘trial’ of METCO.” Furthermore, De Leon saw that many students in fact returned to the Boston Public School system, leaving the METCO program entirely. Not only is this program intensive and time consuming, it also leaves students asking questions about their own school systems. “We have to look at why this program exists,” De Leon said, in order to truly understand its impacts. And then there’s code-switching, an inevitable part of the program. Code-switching, defined as “the modifying of one’s behavior, appearance, etc., to adapt to different sociocultural norms,” is a term dealt with heavily in the book, and one that has surfaced in other recent YA novels such as Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give” (2017). “We all code-switch, but for Liliana, she’s literally moving from one world to another” De Leon said. “There are some students for which the code-switching is too traumatizing, and it’s not their fault.” What shines through all of these examples is De Leon’s commitment to delivering an accurate depiction of the life of a teenager who really just wants to fit in. And in order to do so, protagonist Liliana finds, and doesn’t find, support along the way. “We need more support in communities of color and for other people who have to live between identities,” De Leon said. And although organization-wide support systems are certainly needed, there is also a kind of emotional support that novels such as this one can offer. And as one of the only YA novels featuring a Latinx heroine living in Boston, it’s the hope that many students in the area can relate to and perhaps even see themselves in De Leon’s words.
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Sufjan Stevens doesn’t peak with ‘The Ascension’ by Yas Salon Arts Editor
Content warning: This article discusses self-medication Even after a 20-year career, Sufjan Stevens isn’t slowing down. Since his first solo release in 1999, Stevens has dropped eight solo albums, 13 extended plays, three compilation albums and three collaborative albums. He’s gained nothing short of a cult following in the last two decades within the indie community, as well as briefly breaking into the mainstream following the release of “Call Me By Your Name” (2017). Stevens received Oscar and Grammy award nominations for his song “Mystery of Love” (2017), featured in the film’s soundtrack. With a mass of devoted fans and critical success behind him, his most recent album release, “The Ascension” (2020), has large shoes to fill. So, does the 15-track record live up to the expectations that Stevens’ past work has set? Not quite. That’s not to say that the album is severely lacking, or is objectively “bad” by any means. “The Ascension” is a heart-wrenching, complex, synth-pop collection of Stevens’ ruminations on human nature, love and watching the world burn around him. However, Stevens has already proven that he’s capable of much more than “enjoyable.” His album “The Age of Adz” (2010) proved that Stevens has an incredible mastery over balancing intimate poeticism with invigorating electronic beats to create an emotional, sonically pleasing masterpiece. “The Ascension” doesn’t quite reach the same caliber as “The Age of Adz.” Thus, it’s difficult to appreciate “The Ascension” for what it is. Regardless, there is much to be celebrated in Stevens’ newest release. “Ativan” is some of Stevens’ best work in years. The track begins with a melan-
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The album cover for ‘The Ascension’ (2020) by Sufjan Stevens is pictured. choly ambience. There is a hint of exhaustion in Stevens’ voice, apt for the tone of the song. His voice rises as he begs “Is it all for something? Is it all part of a plan?/ Tranquilize me, sanitize me, Ativan,” before delving into a manic electronic post-chorus. The melody and lyrics have a captivating grimness; his vocals are beautiful while he makes unnerving lyrical allusions to self-medication and Buffalo Bill from “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991). Another high point is “America,” the lead single off “The Ascension.” The song is a cerebral masterpiece. The track hauntingly crescendoes over the
span of seven minutes, before fading into another five minutes of ambient sound. It’s a critical musing on Stevens’ disillusionment with the United States. The song is a protest song in the conventional sense, but doesn’t make the mistake of posturing itself as something more revolutionary than it is. The lyrics of “America” are genuine and evocative, which help make the song a highlight of the album. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about “Video Game.” This synth-pop track laments the superficiality of social media, referring to social media as a “video game.” The idea of
social media being bad isn’t exactly a groundbreaking topic, nor is it addressed in a way that no one else has addressed it before. Stevens’ lack of nuance in the lyrics is frustrating; the chorus, “I don’t wanna play, I don’t wanna play (I don’t wanna play)/ I don’t wanna play your video game” leaves much to be desired, especially from a man who’s built a career on lyrics that comprise of poetic biblical allusions and emotional revelations. The song is redeemed in its simple but infectious beat; regardless of lyrical shallowness, it’s a fun, sonically pleasant track.
Despite the shortfalls of “Video Game,” there are no other notable “low” points on the album. Each song is well crafted and has some nugget of emotional wisdom to take from it. There is also a pleasant thematic cohesiveness that holds “The Ascension” together. The themes of loss of faith and disillusionment seen in “America,” “Video Game” and “Ativan” are maintained throughout the album. Some songs are hopeful, some are hopeless, some are desperate and some are all three at once. “Tell Me You Love Me,” the fifth track on the record, opens with the lyrics, “My love, I’ve lost my faith in everything/ Tell me love you me anyway,” sung over a slow drum beat with a gentle synth melody. Over the four minutes of the song, Stevens shifts from his sad pleading to bright, repeated cries of “I’m gonna love you every day,” while revelrous harmonies swell behind him. Since the album is so thematic (which is not abnormal for Stevens, as seen in his past fondness for concept albums), it is best listened to in full. Hearing Stevens’ shifting attitude about his loss of faith in the world and mankind between songs is one of the best features of the album. His meditations ride a roller coaster of different emotions, and one can best appreciate “The Ascension” when they ride that roller coaster alongside him. Again, the album itself is strong, and doesn’t fall flat in many areas, save for some disappointing lyrics. The melodies are well constructed and beautiful, and Stevens’ vocals are consistently enjoyable. However, it simply lacks the resounding greatness of his past work. The only fault of Stevens was making such good albums so early in his career; anything not up to par with these triumphs can’t help but fall a little flat.
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Elizabeth Buehl Sobremesa
We must do more to transform the criminal justice system
W
elcome to Sobremesa, a column where you’ll read fervent calls to action on myriad social justice issues. In Spanish, Sobremesa is a word that describes the time before and after a meal when people spend time catching up. While Sobremesa is a hallmark of Hispanic culture, this word has no direct English translation, illustrating
Opinion the tendency of American culture to skip over meaningful, casual discussion. Each week, Sobremesa will be a place to open your eyes to a social justice issue that you may want to bring to your own dining table. The summer before my senior year of high school, during my internship with a local criminal defense attorney, I was particularly moved when I had the opportunity to watch Patrick, an accomplished middle-aged man who had made a devastating mistake, deliver an eloquent oration to the presiding judge. As Patrick repented for his addiction-fueled mistakes as a drug trafficker, he pleaded for the judge to give him a second chance, to allow him to continue to live a sober life and to serve his community. The judge accepted Patrick’s appeal. I could talk endlessly about my views on the criminal justice system and its
lack of equality. But the truth is, alongside discussion, we desperately need action. It is time that we as Tufts students take a stand to influence the justice system. The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life currently sponsors the Tufts University Prison Initiative, a program that brings currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, corrections staff and scholars of criminal justice together to find solutions to mass incarceration. While helpful, this effort just scratches the surface of this deep-rooted issue. We as Tufts students have the power to advocate for the creation of policies that take a bottom-up approach. If we can reach the root of the problem, people at high risk for incarceration can have the chance to pursue lives free of bars. I care about this topic deeply. After learning about Patrick’s struggle, I
7 Tuesday, September 29, 2020 realized that the faults of our criminal justice system are correlated with a widespread pandemic of racism and mass incarceration in our country. This is a pandemic that, unlike COVID-19, isn’t getting the coverage it deserves. The longer we tolerate the alarming rate of incarceration of people behind bars, the further incarcerated individuals slip away from obtaining a successful future. Patrick’s story solidified my understanding that historically marginalized groups are being oppressed and individuals are being punished for actions they cannot control. Our system inherently punishes those who deserve help. As Tufts students, it is our duty to transform this system. Elizabeth Buehl is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.buehl@tufts.edu.
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Sports
8 Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Matt Goguen Keeping up with the 617
Evaluating the Future of the Boston Red Sox
T
he 2020 Boston Red Sox season was nothing short of a disappointment; the powerhouse offense that many analysts praised fell short of expectations and the pitching staff was a dumpster fire. Although the losses of Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez did hinder the pitching staff, the Red Sox were scraping the bottom of the barrel for pitching help. This team continued to break the hearts of Red Sox Nation, finishing last in the AL East standings. However, the future still looks bright for the Red Sox. Questions at manager: Prior to their season finale against the Atlanta Braves, the Red Sox fired Ron Roenicke, who was promoted in February to interim manager following the suspension and dismissal of Alex Cora. Although the team’s record never reflected Roenicke’s baseball IQ, he was the perfect manager for this disastrous season. He experimented with various lineups and pitching styles, developed young players and never exposed his ballplayers to the media. Now, as Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox organization look to move forward at the managerial position, they should look to sign a fresh, young face who understands the modern game of baseball. If not, Alex Cora is still available! Pitching staff shows promise This headline might seem contradictory; as a team in 2020, the Red Sox had the third-worst ERA at 5.58. They gave up the most home runs, at 98, and had a whopping 1.60 Walks Plus Hits per Innings Pitched — these are not numbers that the organization should be proud of. However, there were some bright spots toward the end of this season; Tanner Houck, the ninth-ranked prospect in the Red Sox system, was lights out in September. In three starts, he was 3–0 with a 0.53 ERA against three current playoff teams. As Sale and Rodriguez work their way back from their respective ailments, the Red Sox pitching depth has a more promising outlook for the 2021 season. Offense remains strong but needs more consistency Coming into the 2020 season, offense was not a problem for the Red Sox. This year, they ranked third in team batting average at .265 and had many bright spots in the lineup. One is Alex Verdugo, who came to the Red Sox as a part of the blockbuster Mookie Betts trade and exceeded expectations. Verdugo hit a .308 batting average and racked up 62 hits, leading the Red Sox in both categories. Prospects Bobby Dalbec and Yairo Munoz contributed down the stretch and showed promise for a weak farm system. The Red Sox need more consistency out of J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers, but this offense is in a good position to make some noise next season. As much as I believe that the Red Sox will have a better outcome in 2021, optimism can only go so far. Many questions remain regarding the strength of the bullpen, and the pitching staff could take yet another step back next season. If their new manager is able to squeeze the most out of their talented roster pool, this could be yet another year where the Red Sox surprise the baseball world and clinch a playoff spot, or they could break the hearts of Boston again and sputter toward a .500 finish. Let’s hope it’s the former this time around. Matt Goguen is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Matt can be reached at matthew.goguen@tufts.edu.
tuftsdaily.com
The good, the bad and the ugly of transfer window by Jeremy Goldstein Sports Editor
THE GOOD Liverpool: –£60 million net spend Thiago Alcantara, UEFA Champions League winner. He came on at halftime for his debut against Chelsea and promptly broke the modern Premier League record for most completed passes in a half, all for £27 million. Signing 29-year-olds is a double-edged sword. There’s limited future resale value, but if the player is guaranteed to improve the quality of a side, all is moot. If Liverpool can complete the cherry on top by shipping midfielder Gini Wijnaldum to Barcelona for a similar fee, consider it job done. Throw in 23-year-old Diogo Jota, a £41 million signing from the Wolverhampton Wanderers who’s not going to demand a spot in the first 11 but can certainly grow into the role in the future — that’s a coup. For a team thought to be penniless, they’ve emerged as serious threats to retain their Premier League crown. Chelsea: –£152.4 million net spend Kai Havertz. Timo Werner. Thiago Silva. Hakim Ziyech. Ben Chilwell. Édouard Mendy. Malang Sarr. Considering the influx of talent, the net spend seems like a robbery, but a closer inspection reveals the £59.2 million sale of Alvaro Morata (a similar fee to which he was bought for) and the £22 million signing of Mendy comes because £75 million Kepa Arrizabalaga was, well, the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League. Whether Frank Lampard and his tactical naivety can get the most out of this talented squad is the wild card. Will Ross Barkley and Mason Mount start over their more talented and more expensive international teammates? Will Werner be stuck on the wing? And will Andres Christensen continue to start at center-half? Stay tuned.
THE BAD Manchester United: –£34.7 million net spend That fee amounts to one signing: talented Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek from AFC Ajax. Despite clear holes on the wing, center-half and at deep-lying midfield, United signed a hybrid 6/8. Van de Beek is fine and will improve squad depth. But with this team stuck playing a 4–2–3–1 with Bruno Fernandes at the 10 and Paul Pogba sitting deep, you need a capable destroyer cleaning up. He didn’t come. The team will start starlet Mason Greenwood on the wing and have Daniel James and Juan Mata as depth. Jadon Sancho was deemed “too expensive.” Was he? This is United’s lowest summer spend in years. Sancho wanted to, but he too didn’t come. A center-back was needed, and he didn’t come either. Neither did cover at left-back for the oft-injured Luke Shaw, and he didn’t come (they are in talks with Porto left-back Alex Telles). True to form, United got outscored from a shot-based expected goals (XG) perspective 4.9–2.9 to relegation candidates Crystal Palace and Brighton. How much should the onus fall on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjear versus Ed Woodward and the board? THE UGLY FC BARCELONA: +£29.1 million net spend Barcelona is stumbling drunk at the bar. Heavily intoxicated, they rely on positive reassurance of those around them and claim responsibility for the past glory days. Well, the Barcelona board, at least. That’s because the one player responsible for more silverware than an oligarch’s safe was obligated to stay solely on the premise of legal gymnastics. Here’s the skinny: forward Lionel Messi recently added a clause in his contract that allows him to leave on a free every June — and then promptly expires. This gives the
diminutive forward a chance, in a normal season, to assess the composition of Europe’s elite in wake of the Champions League Final. COVID-19 threw a legal monkey wrench into this process: Despite getting walloped 8–2 to eventual champions Bayern Munich on Aug. 14, Barcelona’s board pulled out the COVID-19 loophole. The clause, technically, had expired by August. Thus, Messi is left with his £700 million transfer fee, an absurd tally that more than triples the current European record. Considering Messi is 33, this is simply a pill that clubs backed with the spending powers entire Gulf States (Manchester City) couldn’t even swallow. So Barcelona decides to tow the line: We’ll keep Messi for another season instead of selling for a cut-down fee now, and we’ll offload every other 30-plus player on the books. Talisman Luis Suarez was deemed surplus and went to Athletico for £5.5 million, midfielder Ivan Rakitic returned to Sevilla for £1.4 million and destroyer Arturo Vidal went to Inter Milan for under a million pounds. On the other end, they’ve brought in some talented youngsters: Pedri (17 years old) from Las Palmas, Francisco Trincão (20 years old) from Braga and Matheus Fernandes (22 years old) from Palmeries for under £40 million, which represents great business. But they’re not ready to contribute right away. Barcelona have completely ignored the Goldilocks zone for age ranges in recent seasons: Players are either too old and have little resale value (Suarez, Rakitic, Sergio Busquets) or too young (Ansu Fati, Trincão, Riqui Puig). The players supposedly in their prime (Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele) cost over €350 million combined and have 55 goals in 201 games between them. Not good enough. This is why Barcelona will finish outside of the top two in La Liga this season.