One Week To Go

TigerBlog has been trying to think if there are other songs that he believes are universally liked other than the two he mentioned earlier in the week, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey and "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond.

If you want to find someone who doesn't like "Sweet Caroline," by the way, ask a Yankees fan. Failing that, yeah, have you ever heard anyone say they don't like the song?

About the only other song that he came up with on that level might be, maybe, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Even if you're not a Queen fan, you probably like the song, most likely because of the incredible, operatic voice of lead singer Freddie Mercury.

Check out THIS version.

Ah, TigerBlog would love to be able to sing like that.

Would you put an Aretha Franklin song on that list? Maybe "Respect," or "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman?"

TB doesn't think so. One of the appeals of the first three is that they span every age group. Miss TigerBlog's high school field hockey team used to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the bus.

Did you ever hear the Steely Dan song "Hey Nineteen?" It has this lyric: "Hey 19. That's 'Retha Franklin. She don't remember the Queen of Soul." 

Aretha Franklin was unique talent though. The Queen of Soul, as she was known, died yesterday at the age of 76. She had her share of iconic songs, and she certainly was given a voice like few others have ever had.

Not a lot of people have ever been able to sing like THIS.

Well, here it is, the last Friday of the summer before Princeton Athletic events begin. The women's soccer team opens its season one week from today, somewhat insanely, as the defending Ivy champion and 2017 NCAA quarterfinalist is at New Hampshire.

There will be seven games in the month of August involving four Princeton teams - women's soccer, men's soccer, field hockey and women's volleyball. By one month from today, there will have been 44 athletic events played already.

In other words, it's going to get very busy, very quickly.

The home opener is a women's soccer game two weeks from today against St. Joe's, after the women's soccer team plays at BU next Sunday, after the New Hampshire game.

If you work in college athletics, then you're used to this cycle. There are a little short of 10 months of games, and then two months of quiet. Then it starts all over again.

It's somewhat similar to being a teacher, TB supposes. If you view the coming of the new school year with dread, then you're in the wrong profession.

Around here, if you view the starting of events with dread, then you're also doing the wrong thing.

For TigerBlog, by the way, this will be his 30th academic year covering Princeton sports. Yikes.

As TigerBlog has said, he'll feel old when the child of someone he covered here starts playing here as well.

With the start of the new year just ahead, TigerBlog received a note suggesting that perhaps he should make some predictions for 2018-19. That's not a terrible idea.

Here's one prediction - a team that finished in sixth place or lower in the Ivy League last year will win a championship. Maybe he'll make some others at some point.

Here's another - TigerBlog will watch the Major League Lacrosse championship game tomorrow night. It'll be the Dallas Rattlers against the Denver Outlaws, and Denver got to the championship game by defeating Chesapeake 13-12 behind four goals and nine ground balls from Princeton alum Zach Currier.

TB is definitely rooting for Currier to get a championship this year, after he came so close with the Canadians at the World Championships in Israel earlier this summer.

The game starts at 7 tomorrow and can be seen on ESPNEWS.

And, you know, that'll be that for the summer, at least around here. Many college teams are already playing real games, with a lot more to start this weekend.

Yes, summer technically continues for three weeks into September. And yes, unofficially it'll go to Labor Day.

Here, though, it's just about done. And that's fine with TB.

After all, the games, and seeing the athletes compete, is the best part of working here.

Anyway, have a great summer weekend.