April Weekend

TigerBlog heard from quite a few of you yesterday about his story about trying to be a running back for one play for the Princeton football team back in the training camp of 1994.

All but one of those responses were of the same basic theme: "You got me." One of them, though, was this: "If you had any guts, you'd do it this coming training camp." 

To that, TB says this: "No chance."

Anyway, that's enough April Fools' stuff for one year. It's April Fools' Day, not April Fools' week or month. 

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March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, and it certainly go the second part right. It was around 70 at midnight when March turned to April. 

Of course, April showers being what they are, the schedule for baseball and softball this weekend has had to be altered due to the forecast. Instead of playing tomorrow and Sunday, both teams will play games today and tomorrow, both at home. 

For the softball team, that means a single game today at 4 against Brown, with two more tomorrow, beginning at 12:30. For the baseball team, it means three against Yale, with one today at 3 and then a doubleheader tomorrow, with first pitch at 11:30. 

The softball team is 6-0 already in the league as it looks to win another Ivy title and to host the tournament next month. Brown's last trip to Cynthia Paul Field ended with a dogpile (or is that Bearpile) for winning the 2025 Ivy tournament. 

Princeton has hosted the league tournament (or championship series, its predecessor) each of the last four years as the Ivy champ. Princeton won the postseason event in 2022 and 2024, but before it can worry about a numerical recurrence, there is the matter of 15 more regular season games. 

The baseball team also has 15 regular season games to go as it pursues an Ivy tournament spot. Right now each team has played six league games, and three games separate all eight teams. 

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The women's lacrosse team has three Ivy League games in eight days beginning tomorrow at noon, when Cornell comes to Sherrerd Field. After that, it'll be the Tigers and Penn Wednesday at 7 on the same field and then a trip to Columbia a week from tomorrow at 1.

Princeton and Penn have played two Ivy games to date, while the rest of the league has played three each. The Tigers are 1-1, while Cornell is 2-1. Yale (3-0) and Penn (2-0) are unbeaten, while the other four teams all have at least two losses. 

The top four teams will compete in the Ivy tournament next month as well.  

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The forecast for tomorrow in Princeton is for a temperature near 80. In Burlington, the one in Vermont, it's for 45 — but at least no rain. 

The men's lacrosse team will make its first trip ever to Vermont as it takes on the Catamounts in the final non-league game of the regular season. After this, it'll be Penn (home), Harvard (away) and Dartmouth (home) before possible Ivy tournament and NCAA tournament games. 

Here's one tidbit about the men's lacrosse team: 

Jack Stahl has had more caused turnovers than goals allowed by the player he’s been guarding in seven of the eight games since he’s moved to a starting defenseman spot from longstick midfielder. Stahl was named Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1 breakout player of the season two weeks ago.  

That seems pretty good. 

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The Sam Howell Invitational track and field meet will be held this weekend at Weaver Track and Field Stadium. 

Of every sport, the track and field season goes the longest, especially if you add cross country into the mix. It is a physical and mental grind, especially since the whole point is to be at peak form at the most important moments of the season. 

There aren't many people in Princeton left who knew Sam Howell. TigerBlog did. Howell, for those who don't know, was a 1950 Princeton grad who worked here for 38 years, including 21 years (1970-91) as an Associate Athletic Director. 

There was a plaque in Sam's memory outside the ticket office in Jadwin Gym, and it refered to him as "warm-hearted."  Yeah, that's definitely how TB would describe him to someone who never had a chance to meet him. 

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The women's tennis team won its Ivy League opener last week at home against Penn, and the Tigers now have two more this weekend in Princeton — tomorrow against Harvard and Sunday against Dartmouth. The doubles will start at 1 both days. 

If you haven't seen it already, you can check out TigerBlog's feature story on Eva Elbaz, the only senior on the team and its No. 3 singles player. Elbaz grew up in Paris and moved to this country to go to high school at IMG Academy in Florida as a 16-year-old junior. Oh, and she didn't speak English at the time. 

You can read the story HERE.

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As for the rest of the weekend schedule, you can see it HERE.