Sports

There are all kinds of speculation as to what the Patriots will do with the No. 1 draft pick.

As the madness of the college football bowl season escalates toward the upcoming semifinal competition for the NCAA Division One National Championship, the University of Connecticut Huskies and Boston College Eagles concluded their seasons with bowl appearances at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.

When I received the news that longtime sportscaster Greg Gumbel, a former colleague of mine at ESPN, had passed away this week, a pain went through my heart. It was a pain of loss but so much more.

College football’s first round is complete: 12 down to eight. With the four higher-seeded teams receiving byes, the script played out pretty much to form in the first round of the NCAA Division One football playoff scenario.

There are so many great highlights of the 2024 sports year that there may be some omissions.  There is only so much space on the sports page to cram in all the events that transpired in the world of fun and games this past year.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder battle for the second NBA Commissioner’s Cup, now known as the Emirates Cup. This tournament is the dream child of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Silver’s thought process was to bring more meaning and excitement to the league’s regular season.

This year’s Heisman Trophy race was over midway through this college football season. Travis Hunter, the spectacular two-way player for the University of Colorado, a preseason favorite, took an early lead and distanced himself from the competition

When you first meet Dajuan Eubanks, current president of the Maine Celtics, you are startled by his 6-foot-9-inch stature and deep, Barry White-type voice. The man who runs the Boston Celtics minor league basketball franchise in the NBA G League is quite impressive.

As the world of college football braces itself for a 12-team playoff run to an NCAA Division One National Championship, the Banner wishes to take a moment to acknowledge two outstanding prep school players who look to make names for themselves in the next few years.

No monuments or streets will be named after the man, but there should be. When the news went out that he had passed away on Nov. 26, tears were shed by grown-ups who had the privilege of being taught the games of football, basketball, baseball and hockey by the man they affectionately called “Coach Al.” 

What is it about rivalries in sports that bring out the absolute worst behavior in fans?  Sociologists and psychiatrists have been wrestling with that question for centuries, and many of the most brilliant minds in those fields have yet to find answers. 

Not even a 22-point fourth quarter could lift the home team, Harvard Crimson, to a monumental win against archrival Yale as the Elis held on for a 34-29 victory before a crowd of 27,105 in the 140th playing of the game.