Fired Up

The collarbone is apparently the easiest bone in the body to break and the fastest bone in the body to heal.

TigerBlog learned that the hard way six years ago. Well, actually it was Miss TigerBlog who had to find that out for herself.

It was back at the last bonfire that Princeton football earned for defeating Harvard and Yale in the same season, back in 2006, the last time Princeton won the Ivy League title as well. MTB was there, and in the darkness, she ran into a chain link fence attached to a pole outside Nassau Hall.

At first, TB thought she wasn't hurt too badly. It wasn't until the next day that she had an x-ray, confirming that indeed her collarbone was broken. And then just like that, about three weeks later, it was healed.

Hopefully there will be no repeat of that incident for anyone who attends the bonfire tomorrow night. The event is scheduled for 7-9, on Cannon Green.

By the time the fire starts, it's possible that Princeton would have earned a share of the Ivy League championship, though it won't be easy. Princeton needs a win over Dartmouth tomorrow in the season finale (1 pm, Powers Field at Princeton Stadium) and also needs Jeff Matthews and Cornell to beat Penn.

Should that be the case, then Penn and Princeton would both be 5-2 in the league and tied for first.

Could there be a three-way tie? Yes, there could.

Should Princeton and Penn get to 5-2, they would be joined there by Harvard should the Crimson defeat Yale. In that scenario, the Ivy League would be left with its first three-way tie for the championship since 1982.

That was the year, by the way, when Penn went from 1-6 in the league to a share of the title.

The 2012 Princeton Tigers are attempting to go from worst to first, with the added bonus of trying to become the first team ever picked to finish eighth in the Ivy League's preseason media poll to actually win the league championship.

The bonfire is basically just a big party, and it is traditionally held on a Friday, TB believes. This year, it'll be after the last game is over, which could make it anywhere from a celebration of a championship to a bit of a letdown should Dartmouth defeat Princeton.

Still, it's TB's belief that by the time 7 pm rolls around tomorrow, it'll be impossible for the occasion to be anything but festive. For a young team, one coming off back-to-back 1-9 seasons, to earn a bonfire at all is amazing.

And let's remember how Princeton did it. The Tigers had to score the final 29 points of the wins over Harvard and Yale, erasing deficits both times.

Of course, the deficit a week ago in New Haven was 7-0 in the first quarter, which doesn't exactly count as a major come-from-behind moment.

But Harvard? Yes, that was a comeback. One of historic proportions.

If you somehow forgot, Princeton was behind the heavily favored Crimson 34-10 with 12 minutes to go before rallying to win 39-34. It was a ridiculous 12 minutes, as ridiculous a 12 minutes as any Princeton football fan has ever seen or could have hoped to see.

That's what the celebration will be tomorrow night. The Big Three championship. That's what earns the bonfire.

If it's more than that, then the party will be even more fun for everyone, especially the players.

It it isn't, that's okay too.

No matter what happens on its final Saturday, the 2012 football season will be remembered as a very, very special one for the Princeton Tigers.