When TigerBlog saw the news that Jimmy Buffett had passed away, the first two people he thought of were his favorite Parrot Heads, his colleagues Kim Meszaros and Jon Kurian.
He's not sure how many Buffett concerts they've been to, though he's fairly certain it's a high number. He texted both of them his condolences, and it's obvious that they, and pretty much every Buffett fan anywhere, were stunned by the news.
TigerBlog has never met anyone who didn't like Buffett's music. He's probably the only about whom TB can say that.
His songs, like those of the Beach Boys, are the definition of summer happiness and fun. They're about growing older without any regrets. They're breezy songs that conjure up beaches, boats, oceans — and of course margaritas and cheesburgers in paradise. Wherever you are when you hear one of his songs, it's 5 o'clock.
TB's favorite Buffett song was probably "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude." He found this line particularly relevant this weekend:
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure, makes me want to go back again.
That was Buffett. He created the good times that brought so much pleasure. TB is guessing anyone who ever saw one of his concerts wants to go back again.
As it turned out, by the way, Buffett died from a rare form of skin cancer. If you haven't been to a dermatologist in a while, or ever, schedule an appointment.
He leaves behind so many great songs with so many great lyrics. His life was cut short, but he certainly left a mark on the world.
As a tribute, TB will rely on some of Buffett's lyrics to talk about some Princeton Athletics happenings:
* "Some people claim that there's a woman to blame."
If you were the Army-West Point women's soccer team, then there certainly was a woman to blame for your 4-3 loss to Princeton Saturday.
That woman was Pietra Tordin, who scored all four Princeton goals in the game. It was a performance that led to a great goprincetontigers.com headline by TB's colleague Andrew Borders: Pietra Four-Din.
Tordin scored a goal eight minutes into the game and then, after Princeton trailed 2-1, scored three straight in a 20-minute span of the second half.
Tordin became the sixth Princeton women's soccer player ever to score four goals in game, and the second to do so against Army-West Point, after Linda DeBoer did so in 1983. The other four are:
Cheryl A. Terwilliger, vs. Franklin & Marshall, Sept. 20, 1989
Eleanor J. Platt, vs. Lehigh, Oct. 14, 1998
Vicki D. Anagnostopoulos, vs. Harvard, Oct. 21, 2006
Tyler T. Lussi, vs. Harvard, Oct. 25, 2014
* Where it all ends I can't fathom my friends, if I knew I might toss out my anchor."
Who knows how the field hockey season will end for Princeton. The Tigers are only two games into it, both of which were 2-1 losses. What came out of this weekend, though, was much more than an 0-2 start.
Princeton's two losses came to No. 9 Louisville and then No. 1 (and defending NCAA champion) North Carolina at the ACC/Ivy Crossover at Penn. The UNC loss came in overtime, when the Tar Heels converted a penalty stroke.
What did Princeton learn this weekend? First and foremost, this is a team top to bottom. Every healthy field player played in the UNC game, and there is no one true superstar in the group.
Even more than that, this is a team that played incredibly hard, especially on the defensive end. With a top-notch goalie (Robyn Thompson, who made a career-high 10 saves against UNC) and an interchangeable group, this is a team that will 1) continue to get better and 2) will be very much in the hunt for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament come the first Ivy tournament in November.
* As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man, I have chalked up many a mile
The long, long season of distance of running at Princeton began with the inaugural Jersey Jam for the Princeton men's and women's cross country teams. The Tigers dominated both races, which featured in-state rivals Monmouth, Rider and Rutgers.
There are a lot of miles to go for the Tigers, and that's just to get to the end of the cross country season in November. Beyond that will be indoor and outdoor track and field.
In fact, there will be plenty of miles to cover just to get to the Ivy Heptagonal championships on Oct. 28. This year's meet for both the women and men will be held in Boston, as opposed to at Princeton or New York City's Van Cortlandt Park.
* Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see waiting in front of me.
The men's water polo team opened its season ranked in the top 10 nationally and then scored 32 goals in its first two games. This is a team that wants to finish this season where it did last year, which was in the NCAA tournament.
Of course, yesterdays are over their shoulder, so these Tigers need to keep looking ahead to see what's waiting in front of them. Up next is this weekend's Princeton Invitational, which will bring Cal Baptist, Santa Clara and Chapman to Princeton from California. Fordham, whom Princeton defeated in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last year, and Wagner will also be there.
* And you can have the rest of everything I own 'cause I have found me a home.
The men's soccer team started its season with two tough games, one against defending Big Ten champion Rutgers and then the second against third-ranked Duke. The Tigers came through that gauntlet 1-1, with a 2-1 win over the Scarlet Knights and then a 2-0 loss to the Blue Devils.
It's a strong start for Princeton, with a young team that will continue to grow as the year goes along. The games, of course, were a showcase for the new Roberts Stadium, which is in Year 2 now and is just a great place to watch a game.
* California has worn me quite thin; I just can't wait to see you again
The women's volleyball team has long had a home, and a great home at that. Tonight at 7 in Dillon Gym, the Tigers welcome in a visitor from the West Coast, Santa Clara.
The Broncos are 5-1 on the year, with the lone loss to Villanova at the Wildcats' tournament over the weekend.
Princeton opened its season this weekend with wins over Niagara and host Bucknell.
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