The 151st

The following is an actual text exchange between TigerBlog and his son from yesterday morning:

TigerBlog: "Got the polling place at 6:55. Actually voted at what time? A) 7:05. B) 8:05. C) 9:05. D) 10:05?"
TigerBlog Jr: "D, 10:05."
TB: "Uh, it's not even 10:05 yet."
TBJ: "Good point."

TB's wait to vote yesterday was two hours. For his wait, he made friends with the people in front of him and behind him, including the guy who had two sons who went to Princeton lacrosse camp. 

There was also a guy who works in construction and had a fall yesterday. His wife was saying how they were going from there to get his arm X-rayed, and how if it was negative they could go out to eat after. 

To that, TB offered this: "Even if it's broken, you'll still need to eat."

And that's all the politics you get from TigerBlog.

Shifting away from that, TB goes to the recently completed World Series.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games to win the series, winning Game 6 3-1 after Tampa Bay manager pulled his ace Blake Snell after he'd struck out nine while giving up two hits. He'd thrown 73 pitches. His team led 1-0.

Of course Snell's replacement, Nick Anderson, was immediately touched for the tying and go-ahead runs. The Dodgers would win 3-1, and that was that.

Cash was pilloried (a word TB does not believe he's ever actually used here before) for taking out his best pitcher while he was seemingly in complete control. This, of course, was because it's what Cash had done all of the shortened season, and he did it because the analytics told him to.

Before TB gets into that, consider the 1968 World Series, in which the Tigers defeated the Cardinals in seven games. Both Detroit's Mickey Lolich and the Cards' Bob Gibson pitched three complete games, with both doing so in a Game 7 that was played in 2:07. 

The Game 6 last week was played in 3:28, if you're wondering. 

Anyway, TB sees the decision by Cash two different ways. First, there's the idea that analytics need a large sample size to become statistically significant, and there is no way that a game in August can be treated the same as a World Series elimination game.

Pillory away. 

Then there's the flip side. If Cash had left Snell in and Snell got hit, then Cash would have been ripped (less fancy way of saying "pilloried") for going away from what had been working so well.

It's the nature of being a head coach/manager. 

You make your choices based on sound logic, and then what happens doesn't make your decision good or bad. But you have to be ready for being second-guessed.

It's one of Bob Surace's strengths as a head football coach. He's not the least bit worried about being second guessed.

He and TB have talked about it a lot through the years. It's the best way to coach. Too many coaches, especially in the professional ranks, don't coach that way - and it often comes back to bite them. But at least they don't get pilloried, right?

Speaking of Surace, TB can't decide if it seems like a million years ago or yesterday that Princeton was celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football.

If you recall, this week was the week of the anniversary of the first game, between Princeton and Rutgers, on Nov. 6, 1869. 

Princeton played Dartmouth the following Saturday at Yankee Stadium as part of the celebration. There were big events for both teams around the game in New York City, and the entire experience was amazing for everyone who was there.

Yes, Dartmouth won the game 27-10. Still, it was a great week for Princeton football.

The 149th year of Princeton football had a happier ending for Princeton. The Tigers went 10-0 in 2018 and then followed that with last year's 8-2.

In each of the last two years, this week was the week that led up to a showdown between 7-0 Dartmouth and 7-0 Princeton. 

Would this have been a third time? 

Maybe.

And as TB said, does it seem like a year ago? More? Less?

He can't decide.