2018-2019

Issue 1: Oct - Nov 

The Best Team in Baseball Wins it All

Jack Shuster 

Red Sox win the World Series!” is what Fox’s Joe Buck shouted into his microphone when Chris Sale Struck out Manny Machado at Dodger stadium to win the 2018 Fall Classic for the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox magical season started in Fort Myers, Florida when Red Sox skipper Alex Cora made it very clear what kind of team he was going to manage. Cora made it clear that the team was going to be about winning and having immaculate team chemistry. A team really can’t get very far if the players do not like playing with and being around each other. The winning aspect of the team was proved at the end of the season when the Red Sox finished with a total of 119 wins including the postseason. 

After the Red Sox beat the Yankees 3 games to 1 on the ALDS, it was on to the defending champion Houston Astros. The Astros finished the regular season 103-59, first in the AL West. Although the Astros gave the Sox a scare in game one of the league championship series, the Red Sox stormed back from the slight deficit winning the next 4 games to advance to the World Series. In game 2 when the series was tied at 1 game apiece and the Red Sox were leading 4-2 in the bottom of the eight, the bases were loaded for Jackie Bradley Jr. Bradley Jr. hit an absolute bomb into the left-field bleachers at Minute Maid Park to extend his teams lead to 8-2. The Red Sox ended up winning that game and the game the following night advancing to the World series.

The Sox picked up game 1 right where they left off. Andrew Benintendi started the scoring off when he drove in Mookie Betts in the bottom of the first. The next batter was J.D. Martinez who drove Benintendi in within minutes. The Red Sox went on to win game 1 8-4. Game 2 was another victory for the Sox as David Price and Clayton Kershaw faced off in Price’s first World Series Start. Although Price gave up a few walks and a sacrifice fly early on, he battles playing a huge role in helping his team go up 2 games to 0 in the World Series.

As the series shifted to L.A., the Red Sox were looking to keep their feet on the gas. In a game that lasted an astounding 7 hours and 20 minutes, Max Muncy, one of the Dodgers 2nd baseman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning lifting his team over the Red Sox claiming a game 3 victory. Nathan Eovaldi pitched the last 6 innings of the game and he was unconscious. Eovaldi struck out 5 giving up just 3 hits. The third hit was the blast given up to Max Muncy to lose the game.

Game 4 was another very close contest. The Dodgers took the lead in the bottom of the 6th when Yasiel Puig hit a three-run off of Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez. The very next half inning, Red Sox pinch hitter Mitch Moreland hit a 3 run home run to bring the Red Sox within 1 run. In the top of the 8th, World Series MVP Steve Pierce hit a solo shot to left field tying the game at 4. In the top of the 9th, the Sox third baseman Rafael Devers delivered with an RBI single driving in Brock Hold putting the Red Sox ahead 5-4. The Red Sox would get four more runs in that inning with a Steve Pierce bases-clearing double and an RBI single by J.D. Martinez. The Red Sox won the game by a score of 9-6 and went three games to one going into game 5 with a chance to clinch in Los Angeles.

Game 5 went exactly the way the Red Sox hoped it would. World Series MVP Steve Pierce started the fun with a 2 run blast in the top of the first. Aside from David Price’s first pitch of his outing giving up a solo home run to David Freese, he was lights out. Price went 7 innings giving up just three hits and 1 run. He had 5 strikeouts and only 2 walks that did not cost him. In the top of the 6th with one out and a 2-2 count, Mookie Betts hit a solo home run into left field to extend his teams lead to 3-1. Betts’s first career World Series home run. The very next inning, J.D. Martinez got involved in the fun and hit a solo home run of his own extending the lead to 4-1. If two home runs in the World Series wasn’t enough, Steve Pierce eliminated that thought. In the top of the 8th off of Pedro Baez, Pierce hit a moon shot over the left field wall solidifying the Red Sox fate. In the bottom of the 9th, Chris Sale was brought in to face Dodgers SS Manny Machado. On a 1-2 count, Chris Sale threw a nasty slider that broke Machado’s ankles and gave the Red Sox their 9th World Series Championship.

On Wednesday, November 28th, Judge Maynard Kirpalani ruled that part of the Natick School Committee’s “public speak” policy unconstitutional. The decision marks the end of Karin Sutter and Corey Spaulding’s a long battle against the committee’s policy

On January 8, 2018, Corey Spaulding entered the Natick Town Hall and was granted time during the School Committee’s preliminary public speak portion of the meeting. Spaulding opened her speech by stating “I am the mother of a child who was mercilessly bullied into suicide here in Natick”. Immediately after hearing Spaulding’s beginning statements, former Natick Superindent Sanchioni claimed that her statement was “unfettered lies”. Following the exchange, committee Chairwoman Lisa Tabenkin suspended the meeting and Spaulding’s comments were marked as “out of order and not within the responsibilities of the School Committee” in the Meeting Minutes. 

Nearly a month later, on the 5th of February, Karin Sutter was granted time during Public Speak. Again, the committee ordered Sutter to stop after she stated that her family “needed to move out due to the retaliation and retribution… [they] received at the hands of the Natick Public Schools”. Before suspending the meeting Tabenkin explained her reasoning for halting Sutter’s comments, “ you cannot speak defamatory [sic]… this is Open Meeting Laws… you are out of order”. 

A third incident occurred on March 12, when Sutter attempted to express her concern about the “hostile and unsupportive climate of fear that still exists in the Natick Public Schools”. Tabenkin then warned her not to use defamatory language as it’s prohibited in the committee’s policies on public comments.

Sutter and Spaulding’s lawsuit against the Natick School Committee was filed in April 2018 with the support of the ACLU. In June, Thomas Billings, an associate judge for the Massachusetts Superior Court, ordered the School Committee to stop enforcing paragraphs four and six of the School Committee’s “public speak” policy as part of a preliminary injunction.  Subsequently, it was ruled by the Middlesex Superior Court that the two paragraphs of the policy were used by Nolin and Tabenkin to unconstitutionally limit speech. Paragraphs four and six banned any discussion of “personnel complaints” and “defamatory remarks” during Public Speak and are now no longer in effect. 

In response to the ruling, the Natick School Committee announced in a community-wide letter that they “will continue to learn from the court's guidance and will make changes accordingly.” It is likely that school districts statewide with similar policies will also have to revise or alter their policy framework in accordance with the ruling on Spaulding v. Natick.

Presidential Candidates, 2020: the Underdogs

Johnny Donovan

With nearly 14 declared Democratic candidates for president, many apathetic voters will wait till the race intensifies and then pick from the most popular in the running. This pattern of apathy and then action when comes to voting in elections is all too common. Time after time, it is clear that name recognition is conflated with overall electability. In the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, candidates Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders never posed a real threat to Hillary Clinton’s campaign as they both lacked national media attention and name recognition. This arising popularity contest has intensified as national partisanship continues to increase. Looking ahead, many Democratic voters are prioritizing candidates who “could beat Trump”, while ignoring candidates with outstanding ideas and merit. Included below is a brief synopsis of the two most notable underdogs running for election in 2020. Many of whom will be battling the political machine as they strive for relevance amid the cluster of favorites like Harris, Sanders, Booker, and Warren.

1. Andrew Yang

As a former tech executive and Founder of Venture for America, an economic development nonprofit, Andrew Yang’s campaign is focused on economic revitalization and reform. Central to his campaign, is the proposal to implement Universal Basic Income (UBI) for all American adults, with a rate of $1,000 month. Even just months into his campaign, Yang’s proposal has faced considerable backlash as many have deemed it “socialism”. However, Yang views it differently, stating in a Fox News interview, “it is very much not socialism… [rather] its capitalism where income doesn’t start at zero”. Cunning responses aside, this increasing negative” socialist” label will be a large hurdle for Yang as he battles political obscurity. With the slogan “Humanity First”, Yang prioritization of human employment during an age of rapid technological growth and expanding automation is undeniably attractive, as many candidates continue to shy away from economic policy. Although, Yang’s increasing popularity may be his downfall. With his appearances on popular podcasts and radio shows like The Breakfast Club and The Joe Rogan Experience, Yang’s legitimate campaign for president can be easily mistaken for a press tour for his nonprofit.

1. Jay Inslee

As the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee has become known for his progressive environmental policies in an age where climate change poses an increasing threat to the  American way of life. Inslee hopes to diversify his campaign by focusing on developing green-energy jobs and making “defeating climate change our nations No. 1 priority” (CNBC). In order to spread his message, Inslee has set out on a “Climate Mission Tour” to address the need to develop a clean energy economy to tackle climate change. Narrowing his policy focus to climate change has initially proven unsuccessful, as surveys suggest that climate change is an issue of low priority among voters and polls have Inslee has ranked 21st among Democratic primary voters. Although it appears that Inslee’s campaign has little momentum, it is plausible that voters fatigued by the constant discussion of immigration and the Trump administration will soon prioritize different issues (i.e climate change), thus opening up the race for Jay Inslee.