Dome Sweet Dome

If a big pickup truck filled with unlimited money was backed up to TigerBlog's office with a note that said "spend on one athletic facility here," then TigerBlog would build a Princeton version of the Carrier Dome.

If you've never been the building on the Syracuse campus, then you're missing out.

TigerBlog loves the Palestra, though some of that has to do with the fact that 1) he went to school at Penn and 2) some of the greatest athletic events he's seen have been Princeton-Penn basketball games.

TB loves M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. He's a huge fan of the Stan Sheriff Center, largely because 1) Princeton won three games in three days there, 2) the garlic french fries and most importantly 3) it's in Honolulu.

What other facilities does TB love?

He used to love the gym at Long Island University, mostly because it was on the stage of an old theater. He's a big man of the football stadium at Lehigh (great setting, especially the grass behind the end zone) and the basketball arena at Lehigh (Princeton beat Penn there in the 1996 Ivy playoff, plus it's a great building).

TB has been to basketball arenas all over the country. He has been to very few Major League Baseball or NFL stadiums.

As an aside, when Princeton Stadium was built for $45 million, John Cornell, then the OAC publications person and resident observer of all things in the human condition, suggested a $44 million stadium and a $1 million house somewhere near here and that anyone who worked in Princeton Athletics could use the house whenever they wanted.

Meanwhile, back at venues, it's possible that the Carrier Dome is TB's favorite.

He does know that he'd love to have one just like it here, to use for football, basketball and lacrosse.

How great would that be? It wouldn't have to be 50,000 seats, like the Carrier Dome. And it'd be perfect for Princeton.

Sadly, the dump truck with the money isn't backing up anytime soon, and the cost of building such a facility would probably require more than one dump truck anyway.

TB has never seen football in the Carrier Dome, but he has been there for basketball and lacrosse. Whoever designed it smartly configured the basketball part so that the overwhelming majority of the seats are close to the court.

And for lacrosse? It's a great place to see a game.

Princeton - and TigerBlog - will be in Syracuse tomorrow at 4 to take on the Orange in men's lacrosse. It'll be Princeton's first visit to the building since 2008, as the 2009 and 2010 games were played at the Meadowlands and the game last year was played here in the domeless Princeton Stadium.

Just as like a year ago, when Princeton played at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field for the first time after four years in M&T Bank Stadium, it'll be a real thrill for the Princeton players to be on the Carrier Dome.

The rivalry between Princeton and Syracuse is a great one. The Orange lead 18-9, and 23 of those 27 games have been played since Princeton defeated Syracuse in the 1992 NCAA championship game.

While the Orange lead the series 2:1, Princeton has won some epics, including one-goal games in the Dome in 1999 and 2003. The teams have split four NCAA championship games, with the 1992 and 2001 games to Princeton in OT and the 2000 and 2002 games to Syracuse.

Princeton had an incredible 12-season stretch from 1992-2003 in which it either won the NCAA championship (six times) or lost to Syracuse in the NCAA tournament (six times).

Of course, when the opening face-off comes tomorrow (4), the reality of the importance of the game will set in, and the facility and history will take a back seat.

Syracuse comes into the game at 4-4 overall, losers of two straight (for the first time since 2007, apparently). The Orange lost for the first time ever in the Big East when they dropped an 11-10 game to Villanova (whom Princeton beat 14-8) two weeks ago and then fell to Duke in the Meadowlands last Sunday.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Orange, who take on two Top 10 teams (Princeton and Cornell) in four days.

Syracuse is used to playing deep into May, and the team is going to have start winning some games to get the chance this year.

Princeton, on the other hand, comes into the game playing the best its played in awhile, with four straight wins, including last week's 13-2 thumping of a Brown team that had lost by one to Duke four days earlier.

Still, the game tomorrow is hardly going to be easy for Princeton. Syracuse is never, ever, ever, ever to be taken for granted, especially in its own building and especially when it's desperate for a win. In that regard, Princeton would have been better off if the Orange had beaten Duke last week.

TB loves all Princeton lacrosse games, but there's something more special when the opponent is Syracuse and even more special after that when the venue is the Carrier Dome.

TB, for one, can't wait for tomorrow.