Trick Or Treat

When TigerBlog walked out of his doctor's office this past March determined to make a huge overhaul in his diet, today was the day he dreaded.

It's been more than seven months now since TB had an M&M. Not a single one. If you're keeping score, that makes this the longest he's gone in his entire life without one, since whatever day it was when he had his first M&M and thought either "hmmm, this is good" or "one down, 999,999 to go."

In fact, TB hasn't had much of anything sweet since that day at the doctor, when he told him that it was in his best interest to modify his intake.

And so it's been bananas. Lots and lots of bananas. And apples. And cantaloupes. And those really big crunchy red grapes.

And baked potatoes for starch. And fish. And chicken. And spinach salad.

What has this taken the place of for TB? Well, let's just say that for his last Italian takeout he got a veggie wrap instead of chicken parmagiana.

He's had almost no pasta in the last seven months, as opposed to almost daily before that.

What he's really gotten rid of, though, is junk.

Cake? Cookies? Brownies? All gone.

TB has had two pieces of cake in seven months and not a single cookie of any kind. And no brownies.

And no candy. Not one piece. Not an M&M. Not a Kit Kat. Not a Three Musketeers. Nothing.

All of which brings him to today, Halloween, the day when candy rules the world. And TB is scared.

If he's ever going to fall off the candy wagon, it'll be today. And if he does, will he be able to stop himself? Or will all the good he's achieved in the last seven months vanish in a sea of candy wrappers?

TigerBlog has always been a huge fan of Halloween. He still is, even if he's going to try his best not to give in to the temptation.

He was in the supermarket and the Rite Aid next to it last night, and he saw people stocking up on candy, presumably to give away to the trick-or-treaters.

A year ago, TB would have been all in. This year? Hopefully the grapes and bananas will be the difference maker.

If it's Halloween, then it means that tomorrow is November already.

It seems like 10 minutes ago that the fall sports season began, and yet they're actually in the stretch run now. In fact, the first league titles of the 2013-14 season will be awarded this weekend, when at least two and as many as five will be decided.

The Ivy League Heptagonal cross country championships will be held Saturday morning at the West Windsor Fields, and both races feature loaded fields. Princeton is ranked nationally in both men's and women's cross country, though that alone doesn't make the Tigers the favorite in either race.

In fact there are three ranked teams on each side. For the men, it's Columbia, Princeton and Harvard. For the women it's Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell.

In other words, the races figure to be great.

Princeton's field hockey game against Cornell starts at noon Saturday, and a win would mean at least a tie for the 19th Ivy field hockey title in the last 20 years for Princeton.

Right now, Princeton is 5-0 in the league, followed by Penn at 4-1 and Cornell at 3-2. Should Princeton win and Penn lose to 1-4 Brown, then Princeton would the outright title and automatic NCAA tournament bid.

On the other hand, wins by Princeton and Penn would set up a game next Saturday at Penn between the Tigers and Quakers with the automatic NCAA bid to the winner. Cornell is mathematically alive, though a Penn win over Brown would eliminate the Big Red, even should they defeat Princeton.

The women's soccer automatic bid and outright championship would go to Harvard with a win over Dartmouth. A tie would clinch at least a share of the title but would also wrap up the league's automatic NCAA bid.

Princeton may not be headed to a second straight league title, but a win over Cornell Saturday will clinch a winning season for the Tigers.

Yale is running away with the women's volleyball race and could clinch the outright title this weekend, with two more still to play after that. Regardless, a Yale championship seems inevitable.

That would leave men's soccer, where the race is still completely wide open, where six teams are still alive, including Princeton.

Oh, and football, where Princeton and Penn are both unbeaten. That race too won't be decided for awhile.

It certainly won't be won or lost this weekend. Unlike as many as five other championships.

First, though, it's Halloween.

Hopefully all the kids will have fun, get stocked up and be safe.

As for TB, he'll try to go without the candy and still try to enjoy the day.

After all, it's the one day each year when everyone embraces the two best colors there are.