A Bedford Classic

TigerBlog had a visitor yesterday morning. 

He was going to get a picture of the two of them together, and then he thought better of it. You can see for yourself why:

So what do you do with such a guest? 

First you scream. Then you try to remind yourself that it's not a python or anything. Then you at least try to usher him back outside. 

Of course, first he had to watch him slither around a bit. That's the freakiest part for TB. Definitely skeeves him out. 

TB was going to try to scoop him into a dustpan, but he knew the snake wasn't going to go for that. Instead, he got out a big broom and shooed him towards the door and back outside.

Take that, Indiana Jones. 

Snakes must have serious self-doubt issues. Nobody ever wants to be near them, after all. 

TB did wonder where the snake went after he was returned to the wildnerness, or, for that matter how he got inside in the first place. Would he come back? Would he brings friends? 

So far, so good.

Here's another picture TB would like to share today: 

This one is all smiles. Then again, it's possible the snake was smiling as well. Do snakes smile? 

From left, you have Ashley Sessa, Beth Yeager and Maddie Zimmer. They were teammates on the United States Olympic field hockey team this past summer in Paris. 

This past Sunday, they were obviously on opposite sides, as No. 2 Northwestern visited Princeton (now ranked 14). 

Oh, as a sidebar, it wasn't the only homecoming on Bedford Field Sunday. Mark Ellis, who was a strength and conditioning coach at Princeton, was back in town. 

Ellis is now the Director of Olympic Sports Performance at Northwestern. In addition to that role, he works directly with the field hockey team. 

He worked with the men's lacrosse team, among others, while he was at Princeton. He's also one of the most impressive people you'll ever meet in your life.

TB wrote a feature story about Ellis after Princeton's trip to the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four in 2022. You can read it HERE.

As for the game Sunday, it was a great one. Northwestern came into the game unbeaten and having allowed only one goal in nine games before giving up twice that number to the Tigers.

The Wildcats did escape with their perfect record intact, holding on for a 3-2 win. Still, it was a wildly entertaining field hockey game, one that showcased the sport at an extremely high level.

More than that, it showcased the extraordinary skill, stamina and speed of the three Olympians, plus Northwestern's Olivia Bent-Cole, who will probably be an Olympian at some point. 

You couldn't watch that game and not come away incredibly impressed with them. You also couldn't watch and not be impressed with how Princeton went toe-to-tie with the No. 2 team in the country, one that has as good a chance as anyone to win it all in November. 

Princeton is now 5-3 on the season, 2-0 in the Ivy League. Its three losses are to Northwestern Sunday, No. 2 North Carolina 2-0 in a game that was 0-0 into the third quarter and 3-2 to No. 16 Penn State in a game the Tigers led 2-1 into the fourth quarter.

This Princeton team may only have one Olympian, but it does have a deep team that relentlessly comes after you in waves. It's a team that has blended in the returnees from the last year with seven freshmen — six of who play a lot — and then returnees Yeager and Grace Schulze, back from injury. 

They are definitely fun to watch. And they've only been home twice to date this season. Between now and the end of the regular season, there will be five more home games — make sure you have them circled on your calendar.

Next up for Princeton is a trip to Cornell and Syracuse this weekend, followed by home games against Brown and Delaware. After that will be a trip to Harvard.

Right now, Princeton and Harvard are the only two unbeaten teams in the league. Princeton and Harvard are a combined 71-1 against the rest of the league since the start of the 2017 season, but there is no looking ahead to the game in Cambridge later this month.

Also, remember that the top four teams in the standings will meet in the Ivy League tournament at the home of the top seed. The winner of that gets the automatic NCAA bid, though Princeton and Harvard will very much be in the running for at-large bids as well.