Thursday, February 5, 2015

Princeton Can Use A Man Like Joel

TigerBlog hasn't quite given up on "Two And A Half Men" and "Modern Family."

Each week he says "enough, they're not remotely funny anymore," and each week he watches again, hoping that they can recapture their former glory.

In the case of "Two And A Half Men," it's almost painful to watch what's become of Alan's character. On the other hand, there are only two episodes left, and TB actually chuckled once or twice the last two weeks.

As for "Modern Family," it just hit a wall. The five members of the Dunphy family aren't anything close to funny anymore. The only possible laughs come from Cam or the dynamic between Jay and Manny, like last night, when Manny said he napped because he was "tired from the marathon" and Jay said "it was a Downton Abbey marathon."

Also on last night's episode, the middle Dunphy child, Alex, had her college interview with, of all places, Princeton. As she was getting ready, her older sister Haley was making fun of her, and Alex responded that she was getting ready for her Princeton interview and that you have to be "an exceptional thinker to go to Princeton."

Or, presumably, to work there.

When she actually gets to the interview, the interviewer is on her phone complaining that all of the candidates are the same, with their perfect grades and spots on the debate team and in the band. Alex overhears this and then, to be different, morphs into Haley. It wasn't very funny.

Oh, and the interviewer? Whoever wrote the script is obviously not a Princetonian. No self-respecting Princetonian would every introduce herself to a potential candidate and NOT mention her class year in the first sentence.

As fictional Princeton interviews go, there's the one from "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," which TigerBlog never saw, so he can't comment on. There's Alex P. Keaton's from "Family Ties," when he agonizingly has to leave the interview abruptly because of something that happened to his sister Mallory, who was crying, and while excusing himself says "go Tigers. Beat Yale. I mean that."

The all-time, undisputed fictional Princeton interview was Joel's in "Risky Business." You remember that one right? Joel, played by a young Tom Cruise, has turned his house into a brothel when his interviewer shows up. When it's pointed out to him that his record is "not quite Ivy League," Joel gives his new philosophy on life - including an f bomb and everything - and it is implied that he invites the interviewer to enjoy himself, leading to an assessment that says "Princeton can use a man like Joel."

Among those who are real people and actually were admitted to Princeton, it's a fairly busy athletic weekend. If TigerBlog is counting correctly, then 15 teams are competing this weekend - and that doesn't include men's and women's lacrosse, who scrimmage.

TigerBlog doesn't want to get too bogged down on lacrosse or anything, but he would say that if you have any chance to get to Sherrerd Fild at noon Saturday, do so. Princeton will be hosting Albany in a scrimmage, and even though it doesn't count, it is a chance to see the incomparable Lyle Thompson play live.

Thompson, for those who don't know, is to lacrosse what a combination of LeBron James and Meadowlark Lemon would be to basketball. There is no other show in lacrosse like Thompson.

Princeton plays Penn at 1:45 or so and then Albany and Penn play after that. Free. Open to the public. 40 degrees. Lyle Thompson. Be there.

If you're more interested in things that count, well, you have a lot going on here this weekend.

A lot, as in: women's tennis, women's water polo, men's tennis, wrestling, women's hockey and of course women's basketball. The 18th-ranked Tigers host Columbia tomorrow at 7 and Cornell Saturday at 6.

If you want to drive a little, you can see the Ivy League fencing championships at Columbia Sunday and Monday. It's not quite a championship meet, per se, but a round robin of all the teams, and the Ivy champion will be crowned with the final standings.

Princeton has won the last five Ivy League women's fencing championships. The Tigers are currently ranked third nationally in women's fencing - one spot behind the host school for the Ivy event. In other words, a sixth straight Ivy title wouldn't be shocking, but it's not etched in stone either.

Speaking of Ivy titles, the women's hockey team is playing to put itself in position to win one with its game Saturday at Baker Rink against Cornell. Face-off is at 4. The Tigers are also playing for a shot at hosting an ECAC quarterfinal series.

The men's basketball team is on the road, with games at Cornell and Columbia. The Tigers return home next Friday in a game that has been moved from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

It's a late change in the start time, and TigerBlog imagines that not everyone will get the word. On the other hand, it's better to be an hour early to a game than an hour late.

Anyway, if you know someone who is going to men's hoops next weekend, make sure you tell them about the time change.

And make sure you come this weekend. Everything is free here other than women's basketball.

And women's basketball is only $5 for adults and $3 for children.

TigerBlog can't imagine a better value anywhere.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That would be "er", not "ee"

Princeton OAC said...

Corrected. Thanks.