TigerBlog saw, on consecutive days last week, "Spartacus" and "Ben-Hur."
If you don't like the whole ancient Rome epic concept, then you can't watch more than two seconds of either. If you are a fan of the concept, then these two are among your favorite movies of all-time.
TigerBlog falls in to the second category.
As for the American Film Institute, it ranks these two movies second ("Ben-Hur") and fifth ("Spartacus") on its all-time list of epic movies. As the others in the top five are, in order, "Lawrence of Arabia" at No. 1, "Schindler's List" at No. 5 and "Gone With the Wind" at No. 5, then "Ben-Hur" and "Spartacus" rank 1-2 among Roman epics.
"Spartacus," if you've never seen it, stars Kirk Douglas as the slave who escapes and organizes an army to rebel against the mighty Romans.
Before the movie ends, all kinds of people are dead in all kinds of different ways. Spartacus himself goes through some wild emotional swings there, all the way until the final credits, as TigerBlog doesn't want to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it.
What TB will say is that your skin will get the chills when Tony Curtis yells "I Am Spartacus," and those chills will persist in the few seconds that follow.
As for "Ben-Hur," the title character is Judah Ben-Hur, played by Charlton Heston. Like Spartacus, Judah goes through a lot, all because he pissed off the Romans at one point.
Actually, it's hard to say which of the two has it worse, at least for most of their time going against the Romans.
In Judah's case, he spends three years as a galley slave, a time that includes TB's favorite scene in the movie and one of his all-time favorite lines: "In his eagerness to save you, your God has also saved the Roman fleet."
Of course, Ben-Hur also features the chariot race scene, one that took six months to film. That one, and the one with the battle that ultimately frees Judah from his slavery, alone make the movie phenomenal.
Between them, they won 15 Academy Awards. When either is on, TB goes out of his way to watch them, even though they combined are 396 minutes (or 6.6 hours).
They're in the handful of movies that cause all channel changing to stop immediately.
TigerBlog isn't sure how many times he's seen each, though he's pretty sure he's seen "Ben-Hur" more than "Spartacus."
It has never bothered TB to watch the same movie - or TV episode - over and over and over; in fact, it's one of his favorite things. He's seen some movies so many times that he practically has them memorized.
It was something he thought about the other night, as he walked in Princeton Stadium for the Princeton-Columbia football game.
In some ways, it's similar to watching the same movie over and over again, to go to the same sporting events year after year.
On the other hand, they're vastly different animals, since each game is its own entity and the ending is never going to be exactly the same.
So which is it?
Does TB like doing to these games for the same reason he likes watching "Ben-Hur" and "Spartacus" over and over? Because of the sense of familiarity?
Or do they have absolutely nothing in common?
TB has always thought they were related, but he's not quite sure how.
As for the Princeton-Columbia game, Princeton got big performances from Brian Mills (26 carries, 117 yards) and Chuck Dibilio (six carries, 70 yards, 11.7 average), which helped Princeton to 227 rushing yards on the night and a resulting 10-minute edge in possession time in the 24-21 win.
Tom Moak and Mark Hayes caught their first career touchdowns, and freshman Matt Costello averaged 22 yards per catch - with a long touchdown reception wiped out by a penalty.
Another freshman, Khamal Brown, had eight tackles, one off Andrew Starks' team-high nine.
In all, it was a good night for the Tigers, who snapped a 10-game losing streak.
And so a very odd Princeton football season - from a scheduling standpoint - is 30 percent over, and there are still all kinds of questions to be asked, with the main one this: Princeton is tied for first now in the Ivy League, but will this team play meaningful games next month?
The schedule is odd in that it's Oct. 3 and Princeton has just two more home games, with five road games to go with them.
Princeton is on the road the next three weeks, at Hampton, Brown and Harvard, before returning home on Oct. 29 against Cornell.
By then, much of the season's script will have been written, and with four games remaining, a lot more will be known about the 2011 Tigers.
For now, they head on the road on a winning note, after getting one the team desperately needed Saturday night.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Memories Of Palmer
Princeton entered late October of 1995 as one of two undefeated football teams in the Ivy League. Remember the other?
Your hint is that they played on Oct. 28 that year, and both were 3-0 in the Ivy League. Your other hint is that it was no contest, a 44-14 Princeton win.
The answer is Columbia, which came to Princeton that day nearly 16 years ago for a showdown for first place in the league. It didn't go particularly well for the Lions.
As TigerBlog recalls, the Lions quarterback was named Mike Cavanaugh. During the 1994 season, Columbia rotated quarterbacks, often play by play, as Cavanaugh ran the wishbone one play and then moved to tailback for the next play, when a different QB (whose name TB doesn't remember) came in for passing situations.
In 1995, Cavanaugh was the only Columbia quarterback, and he was exciting to watch. He could run and throw, and he was a big-play threat on every down.
What TB mostly remembers from the 1995 game was that Cavanaugh broke his leg in the middle of it, which led to a headline in the New York Daily News that read:
"Title Hopes, Quarterback Left Mangled In New Jersey"
Princeton and Columbia meet again tomorrow, in the Ivy opener for both. Kickoff on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium is at 6.
For some reason, when TB thinks back on all the Princeton football games he's seen, that one against Columbia in 1995 really stands out, maybe because of the headline. Or maybe because it was a big step on the road to the outright Ivy title that the team won that year.
Back in 1995, Princeton still played in Palmer Stadium, which has become a venerated place in Princeton University history, and for good reason. There are few buildings in this campuses history that had the historic significance as Palmer Stadium.
It was built in 1914, taking four months and costing $300,000. It was built on the spot it was and with an open end zone because it gave fans an unobstructed view of the lake, something that today is blocked by the closed end of the new stadium, not to mention the track, Jadwin Gym, Faculty Road and a bunch of trees.
TigerBlog has seen millions of pictures of Palmer Stadium from back in the 1920s or 1930s, when the building was packed and there were almost no cars in the parking lot, only horses.
By 1995, Palmer wasn't quite the same place it had been in its glory days.
The stadium was made of concrete, just before people figured out that concrete expanded and contracted with the weather over time, and so there were cracks in the stadium almost from the start.
By 1995, it was a place that was crumbling, and orange and black netting had to be put up to support the structure and catch the falling rocks.
There was a side road that led under the stands on the side where the press box was, and TB used to pull his car underneath to unload whatever needed to be brought up for that game. Every time he parked, he wondered if the stadium would come crashing down on top of his car.
There was no elevator to the press box, so everything had to be carried up. This included the copy machine before the season (and brought back down after the season), and TB remembers an epic near-blows confrontation between student workers Brad Sonneborn and Marcus Hurley on one occasion.
The press box itself was completely exposed to the elements, except for a wooden roof that leaked. On a fall day when it might be sunny and chilly, those in the press box got no benefit of the sunshine, which made it seem even colder.
The TV and radio booths were one level up, so TB had to run stats or out of town scores or bagged lunches up a flight of wooden stairs to get there. There was no ladies' room, only a men's room, on the press box.
The guest box was next to the press box, and TB isn't quite sure who sat in there or why.
The rest of the stadium was a vast expanse of whitish/grayish concrete bleachers, with numbers painted on them. The distance between one row and the next was pretty big, and it wasn't all that comfortable to either sit on the concrete without any back support or to lean back onto the row behind you.
There were no locker rooms, showers or other amenities in the stadium. There was definitely no video board.
All in all, it wasn't the most comfortable stadium ever constructed. Nor was it the most beautiful.
What it was was home for the Tigers for 83 years, and it saw national champions, Ivy champions, record-setting performances, All-Americas, Hall-of-Fame players and coaches, future pros and one Heisman Trophy winner.
TigerBlog wasn't all that upset to see its demolition back in 1997.
Still, he thinks of it rather fondly when he remembers back to his time there.
Of course, that all changes the first time it's cold and wet and he can simply close the window in the PA booth in Princeton Stadium.
Well, maybe it doesn't change completely.
Your hint is that they played on Oct. 28 that year, and both were 3-0 in the Ivy League. Your other hint is that it was no contest, a 44-14 Princeton win.
The answer is Columbia, which came to Princeton that day nearly 16 years ago for a showdown for first place in the league. It didn't go particularly well for the Lions.
As TigerBlog recalls, the Lions quarterback was named Mike Cavanaugh. During the 1994 season, Columbia rotated quarterbacks, often play by play, as Cavanaugh ran the wishbone one play and then moved to tailback for the next play, when a different QB (whose name TB doesn't remember) came in for passing situations.
In 1995, Cavanaugh was the only Columbia quarterback, and he was exciting to watch. He could run and throw, and he was a big-play threat on every down.
What TB mostly remembers from the 1995 game was that Cavanaugh broke his leg in the middle of it, which led to a headline in the New York Daily News that read:
"Title Hopes, Quarterback Left Mangled In New Jersey"
Princeton and Columbia meet again tomorrow, in the Ivy opener for both. Kickoff on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium is at 6.
For some reason, when TB thinks back on all the Princeton football games he's seen, that one against Columbia in 1995 really stands out, maybe because of the headline. Or maybe because it was a big step on the road to the outright Ivy title that the team won that year.
Back in 1995, Princeton still played in Palmer Stadium, which has become a venerated place in Princeton University history, and for good reason. There are few buildings in this campuses history that had the historic significance as Palmer Stadium.
It was built in 1914, taking four months and costing $300,000. It was built on the spot it was and with an open end zone because it gave fans an unobstructed view of the lake, something that today is blocked by the closed end of the new stadium, not to mention the track, Jadwin Gym, Faculty Road and a bunch of trees.
TigerBlog has seen millions of pictures of Palmer Stadium from back in the 1920s or 1930s, when the building was packed and there were almost no cars in the parking lot, only horses.
By 1995, Palmer wasn't quite the same place it had been in its glory days.
The stadium was made of concrete, just before people figured out that concrete expanded and contracted with the weather over time, and so there were cracks in the stadium almost from the start.
By 1995, it was a place that was crumbling, and orange and black netting had to be put up to support the structure and catch the falling rocks.
There was a side road that led under the stands on the side where the press box was, and TB used to pull his car underneath to unload whatever needed to be brought up for that game. Every time he parked, he wondered if the stadium would come crashing down on top of his car.
There was no elevator to the press box, so everything had to be carried up. This included the copy machine before the season (and brought back down after the season), and TB remembers an epic near-blows confrontation between student workers Brad Sonneborn and Marcus Hurley on one occasion.
The press box itself was completely exposed to the elements, except for a wooden roof that leaked. On a fall day when it might be sunny and chilly, those in the press box got no benefit of the sunshine, which made it seem even colder.
The TV and radio booths were one level up, so TB had to run stats or out of town scores or bagged lunches up a flight of wooden stairs to get there. There was no ladies' room, only a men's room, on the press box.
The guest box was next to the press box, and TB isn't quite sure who sat in there or why.
The rest of the stadium was a vast expanse of whitish/grayish concrete bleachers, with numbers painted on them. The distance between one row and the next was pretty big, and it wasn't all that comfortable to either sit on the concrete without any back support or to lean back onto the row behind you.
There were no locker rooms, showers or other amenities in the stadium. There was definitely no video board.
All in all, it wasn't the most comfortable stadium ever constructed. Nor was it the most beautiful.
What it was was home for the Tigers for 83 years, and it saw national champions, Ivy champions, record-setting performances, All-Americas, Hall-of-Fame players and coaches, future pros and one Heisman Trophy winner.
TigerBlog wasn't all that upset to see its demolition back in 1997.
Still, he thinks of it rather fondly when he remembers back to his time there.
Of course, that all changes the first time it's cold and wet and he can simply close the window in the PA booth in Princeton Stadium.
Well, maybe it doesn't change completely.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Rays Won?
TigerBlog figured that the Boston Red Sox were safe, at least for another day, when the Yankees were still up on the Rays 7-0 in the seventh inning last night.
So what did he do? He put on "Criminal Minds" and watched an episode that once again made him wonder what the writers' meetings on that show must be like. Hey, let's have the guy pour sulfuric acid in his victims eyes and mouth and on their hands. Yeah, that'll work.
While the bad guy was going crazy with the acid, the Red Sox were up 3-2 on the Orioles in the seventh in a rain delay. TB never bothered to go back to the baseball
As such, it wasn't until TB heard the sports report on the "Imus in the Morning" program this morning that he found out that the Rays had rallied from that deficit to shock the Yankees 8-7 in 12 innings.
And that the Red Sox had lost to the Orioles. And that the Phillies had beaten the Braves, knocking Atlanta out as well.
It wasn't until even later than that that TB learned that the Orioles-Red Sox game ended three minutes before Rays-Yankees.
And even later still that he learned that Dan Johnson, the player who tied the game at 7-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a solo home run, had the lowest batting average (.108) of any player in the Majors with at least 75 at-bats.
And TB has to give credit to the Orioles and Yankees for playing so hard in these games, even though they were playing for nothing. There was even a great sign in the crowd at the Red Sox-0's game, held up by a fan in a Boston jersey, that read "I can't believe I'm saying this, but go Yankees."
The Rays were nine games back earlier this month, giving them the record for the largest September deficit ever overcome by a team that made the playoffs.
The Cards came from 8.5 back, tying the 1964 Cards, who rallied famously against the Phillies, for the second-biggest deficit overcome.
A month ago, it seemed like there would be no drama in September in Major League Baseball, except for the race betwee the Diamondbacks and Giants or possibly the Rangers and Angels.
So what happened? The Red Sox completely fell apart, and St. Louis couldn't lose. And the Rays made up ground basically every day, as Boston never won consecutive games in the month, during which they went 7-20.
Beyond all that, there was the issue of the batting title in the National League.
Jose Reyes, a prized free agent this coming winter, bunted in the first inning and then went out of the game to preserve his spot on top of the NL leaderboard. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun then had to go 3 for 4 to catch Reyes, and instead Braun went 0 for 4.
Braun was on "PTI" yesterday afternoon and came across as a very down-to-Earth guy; Reyes comes across as a spoiled, me-first player who only played hard this year because of his contract situation. TB would be hesitant to sign him long-term.
Anyway, now that we're transitioning into the "root against the Yankees" portion of the sports year, the playoff matchups are: Yanks-Tigers and Rangers-Rays in the AL and Phils-Cards and D-backs-Brewers in the NL.
The temptation would be to say Phillies-Yankees, but TB thinks that it'll be Brewers-Tigers in the World Series.
None of the eight postseason teams has a Princeton player on its roster.
In fact, the 2011 season wasn't a great one for Princeton's three Major Leaguers.
Chris Young, who looked like he was off to a big year with the Mets, was hurt in April and never made it back. In fact, the big question is whether Young will be able to be back next year or beyond.
Ross Ohlendorf had an injury filled season for the Pirates, and he was on the DL for most of it and made only nine starts. When healthy, Ohlendorf looked okay in some spots, though his final numbers were shaky: 1-3 with an 8.15 ERA (though he did hit a home run).
TigerBlog still thinks Ohlendorf has his best days in front of him, as long as he can stay healthy. Judging him by the remnants of this season, when the Pirates were long out of the race, is unfair - though he is 29.
The Princeton alum with the best season was Will Venable, the San Diego Padres outfielder. Venable finished the year with a .246 average, nine home runs, 44 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in 370 at-bats. He struck out 92 times, which is too many.
Venable's year included a demotion to the minors, and he was a much better player in the second half of the year than he was before his demotion. He's a year younger than Ohlendorf, which means he should be in his prime, but he is a bit young baseball-wise because he came to it a little late. As Princeton fans may remember, he played basketball more than baseball in his earlier days.
He is on the cusp of establishing himself as a legitimate Major League starter who can produce offensively while continuing to be on the best defensive outfielders in the game, but TB thinks the odds are better that he will achieve that than that he won't.
The 2011 regular season ended in wild fashion, though not for the Princetonians (though Venable did hit his first career grand slam last night).
Now it's time for the postseason, which means all that's really left is to root against the Yankees.
So what did he do? He put on "Criminal Minds" and watched an episode that once again made him wonder what the writers' meetings on that show must be like. Hey, let's have the guy pour sulfuric acid in his victims eyes and mouth and on their hands. Yeah, that'll work.
While the bad guy was going crazy with the acid, the Red Sox were up 3-2 on the Orioles in the seventh in a rain delay. TB never bothered to go back to the baseball
As such, it wasn't until TB heard the sports report on the "Imus in the Morning" program this morning that he found out that the Rays had rallied from that deficit to shock the Yankees 8-7 in 12 innings.
And that the Red Sox had lost to the Orioles. And that the Phillies had beaten the Braves, knocking Atlanta out as well.
It wasn't until even later than that that TB learned that the Orioles-Red Sox game ended three minutes before Rays-Yankees.
And even later still that he learned that Dan Johnson, the player who tied the game at 7-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a solo home run, had the lowest batting average (.108) of any player in the Majors with at least 75 at-bats.
And TB has to give credit to the Orioles and Yankees for playing so hard in these games, even though they were playing for nothing. There was even a great sign in the crowd at the Red Sox-0's game, held up by a fan in a Boston jersey, that read "I can't believe I'm saying this, but go Yankees."
The Rays were nine games back earlier this month, giving them the record for the largest September deficit ever overcome by a team that made the playoffs.
The Cards came from 8.5 back, tying the 1964 Cards, who rallied famously against the Phillies, for the second-biggest deficit overcome.
A month ago, it seemed like there would be no drama in September in Major League Baseball, except for the race betwee the Diamondbacks and Giants or possibly the Rangers and Angels.
So what happened? The Red Sox completely fell apart, and St. Louis couldn't lose. And the Rays made up ground basically every day, as Boston never won consecutive games in the month, during which they went 7-20.
Beyond all that, there was the issue of the batting title in the National League.
Jose Reyes, a prized free agent this coming winter, bunted in the first inning and then went out of the game to preserve his spot on top of the NL leaderboard. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun then had to go 3 for 4 to catch Reyes, and instead Braun went 0 for 4.
Braun was on "PTI" yesterday afternoon and came across as a very down-to-Earth guy; Reyes comes across as a spoiled, me-first player who only played hard this year because of his contract situation. TB would be hesitant to sign him long-term.
Anyway, now that we're transitioning into the "root against the Yankees" portion of the sports year, the playoff matchups are: Yanks-Tigers and Rangers-Rays in the AL and Phils-Cards and D-backs-Brewers in the NL.
The temptation would be to say Phillies-Yankees, but TB thinks that it'll be Brewers-Tigers in the World Series.
None of the eight postseason teams has a Princeton player on its roster.
In fact, the 2011 season wasn't a great one for Princeton's three Major Leaguers.
Chris Young, who looked like he was off to a big year with the Mets, was hurt in April and never made it back. In fact, the big question is whether Young will be able to be back next year or beyond.
Ross Ohlendorf had an injury filled season for the Pirates, and he was on the DL for most of it and made only nine starts. When healthy, Ohlendorf looked okay in some spots, though his final numbers were shaky: 1-3 with an 8.15 ERA (though he did hit a home run).
TigerBlog still thinks Ohlendorf has his best days in front of him, as long as he can stay healthy. Judging him by the remnants of this season, when the Pirates were long out of the race, is unfair - though he is 29.
The Princeton alum with the best season was Will Venable, the San Diego Padres outfielder. Venable finished the year with a .246 average, nine home runs, 44 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in 370 at-bats. He struck out 92 times, which is too many.
Venable's year included a demotion to the minors, and he was a much better player in the second half of the year than he was before his demotion. He's a year younger than Ohlendorf, which means he should be in his prime, but he is a bit young baseball-wise because he came to it a little late. As Princeton fans may remember, he played basketball more than baseball in his earlier days.
He is on the cusp of establishing himself as a legitimate Major League starter who can produce offensively while continuing to be on the best defensive outfielders in the game, but TB thinks the odds are better that he will achieve that than that he won't.
The 2011 regular season ended in wild fashion, though not for the Princetonians (though Venable did hit his first career grand slam last night).
Now it's time for the postseason, which means all that's really left is to root against the Yankees.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Late Bob Rodgers
Pete Carril is being honored by the Joe Lapchick Foundation with its Lapchick Character Award, one he'll share with former Virginia women's coach (and Hopewell Valley High School grad) Debbie Ryan and former Mt. St. Mary's men's basketball coach Jim Phelan.
Former winners include Lou Carnesecca, Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, John Thompson (the other one), Bob Hurley Sr., Jody Conradt, the late Kay Yow and Gene Keady.
Joe Lapchick, for those who don't know, was a legendary New York basketball figure who coached St. John's and the Knicks.
The current class for the award means that two of the honorees will be wearing bow ties to the ceremony, to be held at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17.
Anyway, none of that is that TigerBlog's point today is about.
When people earn such awards, it's customary for their former school to purchase a congratulatory ad for the honoree, and such is the case with this event (and with the recently completed ad for Carril's induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame).
The Lapchick people sent over a few samples of other ads, and they were forwarded to TigerBlog, along with a picture of fireworks over Jadwin Gym, a picture TB had never seen before.
When he asked where the picture came from, he was told it was sent by "the late Bob Rodgers."
Late, TB immediately wondered. As in, passed away? How could this be possible.
It turned out, sadly, to be true.
Bob Rodgers, Princeton Class of 1956, passed away on Aug. 9, and TB didn't hear about it until seven weeks later. Rodgers was 76 years old at the time of his death.
The world of Princeton Athletics is filled with familiar faces, people who went to Princeton long before TB walked on the campus for the first time, people who have stayed loyal to the University and its teams for decades.
TigerBlog doesn't know all their names, or at least he can't always match the name to the face.
Bob Rodgers was different. He was tall with silver hair, and he was impossible to miss. He was one of those people who never had a bad word to say, who always introduced whoever was around to whoever else was around, as if all of the people in the room were his lifelong friends.
He was appreciative of everything that the OAC did to publicize Princeton sports, and he sent endless emails to express his thanks for one story or another.
TigerBlog, as it turns out, didn't really know much about him, at least until he read his obituary, which included this:
Husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend to all... Engineer, builder, analyst, perfectionist, compulsive organizer, debater, mediator, fixer... Nature lover, preserver, sailor, grill master, builder of beach fires... Reader, wordsmith, collector, poet, writer of limericks... Gentle giant... and Tiger.
TB has no idea if Bob was an athlete (TB doesn't think so). He didn't know he was a St. Louis native, that his career was spent as an engineer, that he was a sailor, that he had a lakehouse in Michigan where he ultimately died this past summer.
All TB really knew about him was that he was an extraordinarily nice man whom TB saw at any number of Princeton sporting events and that he was always in a good mood.
It's not something that is a common denominator in the world these days.
Maybe that's why it's so noticeable when you meet someone who is - and why it's so sad when you learn of their sudden passing.
There will be something missing from Princeton's venues without Bob Rodgers.
Condolences - a few weeks late - to his family and those who knew him way better than TigerBlog, who saw him around the campus regularly for many years and who liked him very much.
Former winners include Lou Carnesecca, Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, John Thompson (the other one), Bob Hurley Sr., Jody Conradt, the late Kay Yow and Gene Keady.
Joe Lapchick, for those who don't know, was a legendary New York basketball figure who coached St. John's and the Knicks.
The current class for the award means that two of the honorees will be wearing bow ties to the ceremony, to be held at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17.
Anyway, none of that is that TigerBlog's point today is about.
When people earn such awards, it's customary for their former school to purchase a congratulatory ad for the honoree, and such is the case with this event (and with the recently completed ad for Carril's induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame).
The Lapchick people sent over a few samples of other ads, and they were forwarded to TigerBlog, along with a picture of fireworks over Jadwin Gym, a picture TB had never seen before.
When he asked where the picture came from, he was told it was sent by "the late Bob Rodgers."
Late, TB immediately wondered. As in, passed away? How could this be possible.
It turned out, sadly, to be true.
Bob Rodgers, Princeton Class of 1956, passed away on Aug. 9, and TB didn't hear about it until seven weeks later. Rodgers was 76 years old at the time of his death.
The world of Princeton Athletics is filled with familiar faces, people who went to Princeton long before TB walked on the campus for the first time, people who have stayed loyal to the University and its teams for decades.
TigerBlog doesn't know all their names, or at least he can't always match the name to the face.
Bob Rodgers was different. He was tall with silver hair, and he was impossible to miss. He was one of those people who never had a bad word to say, who always introduced whoever was around to whoever else was around, as if all of the people in the room were his lifelong friends.
He was appreciative of everything that the OAC did to publicize Princeton sports, and he sent endless emails to express his thanks for one story or another.
TigerBlog, as it turns out, didn't really know much about him, at least until he read his obituary, which included this:
Husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend to all... Engineer, builder, analyst, perfectionist, compulsive organizer, debater, mediator, fixer... Nature lover, preserver, sailor, grill master, builder of beach fires... Reader, wordsmith, collector, poet, writer of limericks... Gentle giant... and Tiger.
TB has no idea if Bob was an athlete (TB doesn't think so). He didn't know he was a St. Louis native, that his career was spent as an engineer, that he was a sailor, that he had a lakehouse in Michigan where he ultimately died this past summer.
All TB really knew about him was that he was an extraordinarily nice man whom TB saw at any number of Princeton sporting events and that he was always in a good mood.
It's not something that is a common denominator in the world these days.
Maybe that's why it's so noticeable when you meet someone who is - and why it's so sad when you learn of their sudden passing.
There will be something missing from Princeton's venues without Bob Rodgers.
Condolences - a few weeks late - to his family and those who knew him way better than TigerBlog, who saw him around the campus regularly for many years and who liked him very much.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Brand Loyalty
TigerBlog was watching the "Bubble Boy" episode of "Seinfeld" yesterday when one of his favorite moments in the show's history - really in TV history - rapidly approached.
If you remember the episode, Jerry and Elaine are in the coffee shop when they're approached by Brian Doyle-Murray, who'd been sitting at the counter and noticed Jerry.
Doyle-Murray, whose character drives a Yoo-Hoo truck, explains that his son is stuck in a plastic bubble, because his immune system doesn't function properly, and that Jerry is his favorite comedian. He invites Jerry to stop by his house, which as it turns out is on the way to the cabin upstate that Jerry and Elaine are going to with George and Susan.
The scene in which Doyle-Murray explains the boy's condition moves him to tear up, and Elaine does the same. As she begins to cry, she hands the father a napkin to wipe his eyes, takes one for herself for the same reason and hands one to Jerry as well, seemingly because Jerry would be teary at the same time.
Instead, Jerry takes the napkin and uses it to wipe his mouth from his sandwich, showing that he is completely unmoved by the situation. It is subtle - but it is also hilarious.
For anyone old enough to remember the TV movie "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble," which starred John Travolta as a teenager forced to live in, well, a plastic bubble, again because of a lack of an immune system. It was something of a tearjerker, and Travolta's character inspires total sympathy.
On the "Seinfeld" episode, the Bubble Boy is sort of a jerk, and in the end, he and George get into a fight over a word spelled incorrectly on a Trivial Pursuit card. The result is that the bubble is punctured.
Another great line from the episode is when Doyle-Murray mentions that he's out there "six days a week hauling Yoo-Hoo."
TigerBlog has probably consumed a few truckloads worth of Yoo-Hoo in his life, beginning when his grandmother Judy introduced it to him when he was probably 4 or so.
In the case of Yoo-Hoo, TB's affection is to the product itself, not the brand name. Yoo-Hoo has no other product that compares, so TB sticks with it.
It's the same with Coke and Pepsi, TB assumes. They don't taste exactly the same, so the consumer is drawn to one or the other based on taste, rather than loyalty to the name.
Some products are pretty similar, and therefore loyalty to a brand name might come into play. Take toothpaste, for instance. Isn't it all basically the same? And yet, don't most people have a preferred toothpaste that they stick with?
It's amazing, though, how loyal people are to certain product brands, for whatever the reason. It doesn't seem to matter what it is - toilet paper, pants, gas stations, ice cream - people seem to find one thing and stick with it.
There are some brands that are thrust upon people and through that they become loyal to them because of that.
In TigerBlog's case, there is Nike.
Through the years, TB wore any number of sneaker and apparel brands, almost without noticing. Then Princeton Athletics entered into its Nike contract, and since then, TB has been nearly 100% loyal. In fact, he felt a bit guilty wearing his Under Armour "Malvern Lacrosse" t-shirt that David Metzbower sent him.
TigerBlog has said this before, but the Nike contract is one of the best things that's ever happened to Princeton's athletes.
He was reminded of this during the Parade of Champions Saturday night, when all of Princeton's athletes on the field wore uniform Nike apparel - and looked great because of it.
In the time before the contract, TB would see Princeton athletes in any number of different brand names, often wearing sweatshirts or t-shirts from other schools, something that always drove him nuts.
Today, thanks to the Nike contract, Princeton Athletics is a much more uniform place.
And TB never has to worry about what to wear to work.
It's like trying to figure out what chocolate drink to go with. There's no second thought necessary.
If you remember the episode, Jerry and Elaine are in the coffee shop when they're approached by Brian Doyle-Murray, who'd been sitting at the counter and noticed Jerry.
Doyle-Murray, whose character drives a Yoo-Hoo truck, explains that his son is stuck in a plastic bubble, because his immune system doesn't function properly, and that Jerry is his favorite comedian. He invites Jerry to stop by his house, which as it turns out is on the way to the cabin upstate that Jerry and Elaine are going to with George and Susan.
The scene in which Doyle-Murray explains the boy's condition moves him to tear up, and Elaine does the same. As she begins to cry, she hands the father a napkin to wipe his eyes, takes one for herself for the same reason and hands one to Jerry as well, seemingly because Jerry would be teary at the same time.
Instead, Jerry takes the napkin and uses it to wipe his mouth from his sandwich, showing that he is completely unmoved by the situation. It is subtle - but it is also hilarious.
For anyone old enough to remember the TV movie "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble," which starred John Travolta as a teenager forced to live in, well, a plastic bubble, again because of a lack of an immune system. It was something of a tearjerker, and Travolta's character inspires total sympathy.
On the "Seinfeld" episode, the Bubble Boy is sort of a jerk, and in the end, he and George get into a fight over a word spelled incorrectly on a Trivial Pursuit card. The result is that the bubble is punctured.
Another great line from the episode is when Doyle-Murray mentions that he's out there "six days a week hauling Yoo-Hoo."
TigerBlog has probably consumed a few truckloads worth of Yoo-Hoo in his life, beginning when his grandmother Judy introduced it to him when he was probably 4 or so.
In the case of Yoo-Hoo, TB's affection is to the product itself, not the brand name. Yoo-Hoo has no other product that compares, so TB sticks with it.
It's the same with Coke and Pepsi, TB assumes. They don't taste exactly the same, so the consumer is drawn to one or the other based on taste, rather than loyalty to the name.
Some products are pretty similar, and therefore loyalty to a brand name might come into play. Take toothpaste, for instance. Isn't it all basically the same? And yet, don't most people have a preferred toothpaste that they stick with?
It's amazing, though, how loyal people are to certain product brands, for whatever the reason. It doesn't seem to matter what it is - toilet paper, pants, gas stations, ice cream - people seem to find one thing and stick with it.
There are some brands that are thrust upon people and through that they become loyal to them because of that.
In TigerBlog's case, there is Nike.
Through the years, TB wore any number of sneaker and apparel brands, almost without noticing. Then Princeton Athletics entered into its Nike contract, and since then, TB has been nearly 100% loyal. In fact, he felt a bit guilty wearing his Under Armour "Malvern Lacrosse" t-shirt that David Metzbower sent him.
TigerBlog has said this before, but the Nike contract is one of the best things that's ever happened to Princeton's athletes.
He was reminded of this during the Parade of Champions Saturday night, when all of Princeton's athletes on the field wore uniform Nike apparel - and looked great because of it.
In the time before the contract, TB would see Princeton athletes in any number of different brand names, often wearing sweatshirts or t-shirts from other schools, something that always drove him nuts.
Today, thanks to the Nike contract, Princeton Athletics is a much more uniform place.
And TB never has to worry about what to wear to work.
It's like trying to figure out what chocolate drink to go with. There's no second thought necessary.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Before The Parade Passes By
TigerBlog played the trumpet in high school. Well, at least his last year in high school.
He figured as a senior that he would take up a musical instrument, and the band director at the time, a man named Mr. Danielson, suggested percussion. TB wanted something more, well, instrumental and asked what the easiest instrument to learn would be, and Mr. Danielson suggested the trumpet.
Mr. Danielson then went to get an old, beaten-up trumpet out of the closet, except the floor had been waxed a few minutes earlier, and the only trumpet he had was a brand-new one, which he gave to TB.
This was in early summer. By the time school started, TB's high school girlfriend, a french horn player, had taught him the basics of how to play. By the time school started, TB was in the concert band, which was made up of primarily freshmen, as well as the marching band and even the jazz band, which he only made because there weren't enough trumpets who tried out.
By the end of the school year, TB had played a few solos and had a really good experience. And then he never played again, not a single note. In fact, his entire trumpet career lasted about 11 months.
The high school band did march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, though, and TB remembers 1) dodging what the horses on the parade route had left and 2) that it was cold.
TigerBlog likes a good parade. The Tournament of Roses Parade or the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving always make for good television, even if the fluff and self-promotion quotients are over the top.
There are all kinds of parade songs in musicals, real feel-good stuff, like "76 Trombones Led The Big Parade" from "The Music Man" and "Before the Parade Passes By" from "Hello Dolly."
One of the absolute best things on Princeton's campus is the annual P-Rade, where all the classes line up and march down the heart of the campus.
Even the Princeton Department of Athletics gets into the parade business once a year, when it has the annual "Parade of Champions" to honor the previous year's championship teams.
TigerBlog watched as the parade began to form late in the second quarter of the football game, with a line of 17 teams (15 Ivy champs, plus Ivy tournament champ women's lacrosse and Eastern Sprints champ women's lightweight rowing) plus men's squash national champion Todd Harrity walked in from the Princeton tunnel.
Eventually, the front of the line snaked around to the Bucknell 20, back to the end zone, across the field and then back down to near midfield behind Princeton's bench.
It was about 140 yards worth of athletes/coaches, all lined up ready to be recognized.
This was the largest gathering on the field, as Princeton's 15 Ivy titles last year were, as you might have heard, were a league record for an academic year.
Also, as TB always says, there is no guarantee that the next Parade of Champions, or the one after that, will fill the field. In fact, it's the neverending challenge here, to keep those parades what they've always been.
There was nobody here who looked out at the field and thought "hey, now Princeton can take it easy for awhile."
Each year is its own challenge.
And just for reinforcement, TB offers up the same quote he always does, the voice-over for the end of the movie "Patton." For opening credits, TB will take "Saturday Night Fever." For an ending, it's hard to beat "Patton," especially when he says:
"For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: That all glory is fleeting."
He figured as a senior that he would take up a musical instrument, and the band director at the time, a man named Mr. Danielson, suggested percussion. TB wanted something more, well, instrumental and asked what the easiest instrument to learn would be, and Mr. Danielson suggested the trumpet.
Mr. Danielson then went to get an old, beaten-up trumpet out of the closet, except the floor had been waxed a few minutes earlier, and the only trumpet he had was a brand-new one, which he gave to TB.
This was in early summer. By the time school started, TB's high school girlfriend, a french horn player, had taught him the basics of how to play. By the time school started, TB was in the concert band, which was made up of primarily freshmen, as well as the marching band and even the jazz band, which he only made because there weren't enough trumpets who tried out.
By the end of the school year, TB had played a few solos and had a really good experience. And then he never played again, not a single note. In fact, his entire trumpet career lasted about 11 months.
The high school band did march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, though, and TB remembers 1) dodging what the horses on the parade route had left and 2) that it was cold.
TigerBlog likes a good parade. The Tournament of Roses Parade or the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving always make for good television, even if the fluff and self-promotion quotients are over the top.
There are all kinds of parade songs in musicals, real feel-good stuff, like "76 Trombones Led The Big Parade" from "The Music Man" and "Before the Parade Passes By" from "Hello Dolly."
One of the absolute best things on Princeton's campus is the annual P-Rade, where all the classes line up and march down the heart of the campus.
Even the Princeton Department of Athletics gets into the parade business once a year, when it has the annual "Parade of Champions" to honor the previous year's championship teams.
TigerBlog watched as the parade began to form late in the second quarter of the football game, with a line of 17 teams (15 Ivy champs, plus Ivy tournament champ women's lacrosse and Eastern Sprints champ women's lightweight rowing) plus men's squash national champion Todd Harrity walked in from the Princeton tunnel.
Eventually, the front of the line snaked around to the Bucknell 20, back to the end zone, across the field and then back down to near midfield behind Princeton's bench.
It was about 140 yards worth of athletes/coaches, all lined up ready to be recognized.
This was the largest gathering on the field, as Princeton's 15 Ivy titles last year were, as you might have heard, were a league record for an academic year.
Also, as TB always says, there is no guarantee that the next Parade of Champions, or the one after that, will fill the field. In fact, it's the neverending challenge here, to keep those parades what they've always been.
There was nobody here who looked out at the field and thought "hey, now Princeton can take it easy for awhile."
Each year is its own challenge.
And just for reinforcement, TB offers up the same quote he always does, the voice-over for the end of the movie "Patton." For opening credits, TB will take "Saturday Night Fever." For an ending, it's hard to beat "Patton," especially when he says:
"For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: That all glory is fleeting."
Friday, September 23, 2011
Heads Up
For awhile there yesterday, TigerBlog was giving serious thought to the possibility of being clocked on top of his head by a falling satellite.
When TB came back from getting lunch yesterday (chicken salad club, wheat toast, no mayo), he was greeted by a discussion in the business office about the impending return to Earth of a dead satellite. As of yesterday, all that was known was that it was going to reach the ground somewhere - anywhere- on Earth between Friday and Sunday, and that it was the size of a bus.
The last time this happened was in 1979, when Skylab was going to make that plunge as well. TigerBlog is old enough to remember the widespread panic that news inspired, only to see the first American space station fall into the Indian Ocean and hit a small piece of Australia, without causing any damage to anyone.
As of last night, TB saw that the odds of any person's getting hit by the satellite this weekend was 1-in-3,200.
Armed with those numbers, TigerBlog was pretty sure that the Princeton-Bucknell football game wasn't going to be interrupted by a gigantic piece of space debris. Still, it would have been somewhat fascinating to be in the PA booth and see something beyond the far side of the stadium that got bigger and bigger and closer and closer until it sort of destroyed Princeton University.
Now it looks like the satellite will fall into the Pacific Ocean sometime today, as opposed to Lot 21 or Thomas Sweet tomorrow afternoon.
Whew. TigerBlog can breathe easier.
Of course, there's a much higher chance that something else will be falling from the sky between now and kickoff - rain.
Granted, it won't rival the last Princeton-Bucknell football game, at least in terms of mud, since Powers Field is FieldTurf and not real grass.
And yes, the hourly forecast indicates that the rain is supposed to end right around 6, which is when the kickoff is scheduled.
And the forecast becomes pretty good after that - cloudy and temperatures around 70. Perfect for football.
Except that the average fan who makes a decision day of game as to whether or not to bring the family over to the Princeton football game will probably be less and less likely to the later the rain falls.
Michael Cross, now the Director of Athletics at Bradley and a longtime member of Princeton Athletics, had a theory that the average family considering what to do with their entertainment dollars on a given weekend, makes that decision within a few hours or the event, as opposed to planning well in advance.
TB wonders if he has the same belief in Peoria that he had here, or if there are different factors - such as ticket price or demand - at play at Bradley.
Here, though, the philosophy that Cross believed is shared by TB, which also means that the decision to attend Princeton athletic events versus, say, going to the movies, is highly dependent on the weather.
And it's not even the weather at the time of the game. It's the weather in the hours leading up to the game.
TigerBlog has already gotten one text message today from someone who said that they'd be at the game, probably, "as long as it's not storming."
Tomorrow is also Faculty and Staff Night, which is a good opportunity to get some people to games who ordinarily might not come - and then get them to come back by having a good experience.
The bigger issue is that one rainy game - let alone more than one - when there are five home football games can significantly impact the attendance figures for the whole season.
It all comes back to the questions that TigerBlog always asks, such as what should Princeton marketing be, what drives people, is there this untapped audience out there for Princeton athletics, are people not getting the word or are they getting the word and still not interested, are there other issues, are there misconceptions.
In the meantime, TB is hoping that the weather clears earlier and that people come out to see the game.
Right now, though, all TB sees outside the window is rain as it falls onto Princeton Stadium.
Of course, it's better than a satellite.
When TB came back from getting lunch yesterday (chicken salad club, wheat toast, no mayo), he was greeted by a discussion in the business office about the impending return to Earth of a dead satellite. As of yesterday, all that was known was that it was going to reach the ground somewhere - anywhere- on Earth between Friday and Sunday, and that it was the size of a bus.
The last time this happened was in 1979, when Skylab was going to make that plunge as well. TigerBlog is old enough to remember the widespread panic that news inspired, only to see the first American space station fall into the Indian Ocean and hit a small piece of Australia, without causing any damage to anyone.
As of last night, TB saw that the odds of any person's getting hit by the satellite this weekend was 1-in-3,200.
Armed with those numbers, TigerBlog was pretty sure that the Princeton-Bucknell football game wasn't going to be interrupted by a gigantic piece of space debris. Still, it would have been somewhat fascinating to be in the PA booth and see something beyond the far side of the stadium that got bigger and bigger and closer and closer until it sort of destroyed Princeton University.
Now it looks like the satellite will fall into the Pacific Ocean sometime today, as opposed to Lot 21 or Thomas Sweet tomorrow afternoon.
Whew. TigerBlog can breathe easier.
Of course, there's a much higher chance that something else will be falling from the sky between now and kickoff - rain.
Granted, it won't rival the last Princeton-Bucknell football game, at least in terms of mud, since Powers Field is FieldTurf and not real grass.
And yes, the hourly forecast indicates that the rain is supposed to end right around 6, which is when the kickoff is scheduled.
And the forecast becomes pretty good after that - cloudy and temperatures around 70. Perfect for football.
Except that the average fan who makes a decision day of game as to whether or not to bring the family over to the Princeton football game will probably be less and less likely to the later the rain falls.
Michael Cross, now the Director of Athletics at Bradley and a longtime member of Princeton Athletics, had a theory that the average family considering what to do with their entertainment dollars on a given weekend, makes that decision within a few hours or the event, as opposed to planning well in advance.
TB wonders if he has the same belief in Peoria that he had here, or if there are different factors - such as ticket price or demand - at play at Bradley.
Here, though, the philosophy that Cross believed is shared by TB, which also means that the decision to attend Princeton athletic events versus, say, going to the movies, is highly dependent on the weather.
And it's not even the weather at the time of the game. It's the weather in the hours leading up to the game.
TigerBlog has already gotten one text message today from someone who said that they'd be at the game, probably, "as long as it's not storming."
Tomorrow is also Faculty and Staff Night, which is a good opportunity to get some people to games who ordinarily might not come - and then get them to come back by having a good experience.
The bigger issue is that one rainy game - let alone more than one - when there are five home football games can significantly impact the attendance figures for the whole season.
It all comes back to the questions that TigerBlog always asks, such as what should Princeton marketing be, what drives people, is there this untapped audience out there for Princeton athletics, are people not getting the word or are they getting the word and still not interested, are there other issues, are there misconceptions.
In the meantime, TB is hoping that the weather clears earlier and that people come out to see the game.
Right now, though, all TB sees outside the window is rain as it falls onto Princeton Stadium.
Of course, it's better than a satellite.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sprinting To Mansfield
TigerBlog listens to his iTunes all day, every day. It's the first thing he turns on in the morning when he gets to work, and it plays all day.
Back when he was in college, TB used to listen to music (on a record player, with a turntable and needle and all) while he studied, and it was probably from that experience that he developed the habit of not being able to work in total silence.
For that reason, iTunes is perfect for him.
While TigerBlog isn't sure how much money he spent annually on music from 1975 or so up until he discovered iTunes, he's pretty sure that he spends less per year now buying a song here or there from the iTunes store. His most recent purchase was the Soft Cell song "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go," which was big in the early 1980s.
That song brought his total number of songs to 1,188, which could play for 3.4 days without repeating any song. It's quite a collection.
As TB is writing, Hall & Oates are singing "She's Gone." Who knows what'll be next. Isn't it fascinating? Oh wait. "She's Gone" has ended, and now Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are singing "Next To You."
One of TB's favorite parts of iTunes is the play counter, which tells you how many times each song has played. The most recent version of "She's Gone" was the 68th; this is No. 141 for "Next To You."
TigerBlog has had 25 different songs play at least 160 times, of which 10 are by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
As an aside, the next song to come up was "Rags to Riches," by Tony Bennett. TigerBlog has no idea what to make of Bennett now that he made those ridiculous 9/11 comments to Howard Stern, but TB will give him pass because 1) he's a great singer and 2) he fought in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge, which earns him a lifetime exemption.
Meanwhile, of the 25 songs that have played at least 160 times, 24 of them were either recorded before TB graduated from college or are off of the Boss' newer albums. The only exception is "Just Friends," by Gavin DeGraw.
There are four songs that have played at least 180 times, with "Waiting on A Sunny Day" and "Land of Hope and Dreams" by Bruce trailing only the two songs tied for first at 185: "Don't Let Him Go," by REO Speedwagon and "Teenage Idol" by Ricky Nelson.
Now, as "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys comes on for the 147th time, TB can point out that iTunes was launched on Jan. 9, 2001.
In other words, the last Princeton sprint football win - other than against a club from VMI - predates the birth of iTunes.
This past weekend, Princeton opened the sprint football season under new head coach Stephen Everette with a 34-0 loss to Penn. If that seems lopsided, consider that the last game of last year was also against Penn, and that was a 70-0 loss.
Princeton's game against Mansfield a year ago was a 10-6 Tiger loss, and it was the closest Princeton has come to winning a CSFL game since its 12-7 win over Cornell in 1999.
In fact, since that game - and excluding the game against the VMI fraternity boys - Princeton has had only one game decided by fewer than seven points, and that was the one against Mansfield last year. TB has no way of knowing how many times in those 12 years that Princeton has been in the lead at any time.
For Princeton to win, the game figures to be along the same lines as last year's, when it was low-scoring. Against Penn, Princeton was outrushed 308 to minus-1, but Princeton did throw for nearly 200 yards.
("Ain't No Mountain High Enough," by Diana Ross and the Supremes, play No. 42).
There is no team that plays any sport anywhere that deserves to win one as much as Princeton sprint football. TigerBlog's theory has been that the win would come like the last one, against one of the established league teams that has an off night, takes the Tigers lightly, has some badly timed turnovers, gets behind and panics.
The new teams - Mansfield and Post, with Franklin Pierce on the way - are too focused on Princeton to let their guards down.
But hey, who knows. Princeton seems like it's improved. It's early in the year, so injuries and attrition haven't become a huge factor yet.
So go Tigers.
There are 18 athletic events this weekend at Princeton. TB is keeping a special eye on the one being played furthest from campus.
When he announces the scores of other Princeton events over the PA at football Saturday evening against Bucknell, he'd definitely love to throw a Princeton sprint football win out there.
Back when he was in college, TB used to listen to music (on a record player, with a turntable and needle and all) while he studied, and it was probably from that experience that he developed the habit of not being able to work in total silence.
For that reason, iTunes is perfect for him.
While TigerBlog isn't sure how much money he spent annually on music from 1975 or so up until he discovered iTunes, he's pretty sure that he spends less per year now buying a song here or there from the iTunes store. His most recent purchase was the Soft Cell song "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go," which was big in the early 1980s.
That song brought his total number of songs to 1,188, which could play for 3.4 days without repeating any song. It's quite a collection.
As TB is writing, Hall & Oates are singing "She's Gone." Who knows what'll be next. Isn't it fascinating? Oh wait. "She's Gone" has ended, and now Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are singing "Next To You."
One of TB's favorite parts of iTunes is the play counter, which tells you how many times each song has played. The most recent version of "She's Gone" was the 68th; this is No. 141 for "Next To You."
TigerBlog has had 25 different songs play at least 160 times, of which 10 are by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
As an aside, the next song to come up was "Rags to Riches," by Tony Bennett. TigerBlog has no idea what to make of Bennett now that he made those ridiculous 9/11 comments to Howard Stern, but TB will give him pass because 1) he's a great singer and 2) he fought in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge, which earns him a lifetime exemption.
Meanwhile, of the 25 songs that have played at least 160 times, 24 of them were either recorded before TB graduated from college or are off of the Boss' newer albums. The only exception is "Just Friends," by Gavin DeGraw.
There are four songs that have played at least 180 times, with "Waiting on A Sunny Day" and "Land of Hope and Dreams" by Bruce trailing only the two songs tied for first at 185: "Don't Let Him Go," by REO Speedwagon and "Teenage Idol" by Ricky Nelson.
Now, as "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys comes on for the 147th time, TB can point out that iTunes was launched on Jan. 9, 2001.
In other words, the last Princeton sprint football win - other than against a club from VMI - predates the birth of iTunes.
This past weekend, Princeton opened the sprint football season under new head coach Stephen Everette with a 34-0 loss to Penn. If that seems lopsided, consider that the last game of last year was also against Penn, and that was a 70-0 loss.
Princeton's game against Mansfield a year ago was a 10-6 Tiger loss, and it was the closest Princeton has come to winning a CSFL game since its 12-7 win over Cornell in 1999.
In fact, since that game - and excluding the game against the VMI fraternity boys - Princeton has had only one game decided by fewer than seven points, and that was the one against Mansfield last year. TB has no way of knowing how many times in those 12 years that Princeton has been in the lead at any time.
For Princeton to win, the game figures to be along the same lines as last year's, when it was low-scoring. Against Penn, Princeton was outrushed 308 to minus-1, but Princeton did throw for nearly 200 yards.
("Ain't No Mountain High Enough," by Diana Ross and the Supremes, play No. 42).
There is no team that plays any sport anywhere that deserves to win one as much as Princeton sprint football. TigerBlog's theory has been that the win would come like the last one, against one of the established league teams that has an off night, takes the Tigers lightly, has some badly timed turnovers, gets behind and panics.
The new teams - Mansfield and Post, with Franklin Pierce on the way - are too focused on Princeton to let their guards down.
But hey, who knows. Princeton seems like it's improved. It's early in the year, so injuries and attrition haven't become a huge factor yet.
So go Tigers.
There are 18 athletic events this weekend at Princeton. TB is keeping a special eye on the one being played furthest from campus.
When he announces the scores of other Princeton events over the PA at football Saturday evening against Bucknell, he'd definitely love to throw a Princeton sprint football win out there.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Jeans And Sneakers
Joe Susan is a big dude. A funny, soft-spoken one maybe. That doesn't change the fact that he's about 6-4, 6-5 as TigerBlog remembers him.
Today, Susan is the head football coach at Bucknell. Back when TigerBlog first working at Princeton, Susan was the offensive coordinator for the Tigers.
When TB used to be on the radio, Susan would tell him the first few scripted plays, so TigerBlog could sound smart in the beginning of each broadcast, with seemingly insightful comments like "don't be surprised if Princeton tries to go for it all on the first play" or "look for something to so-and-so right off the bat to get him involved early."
TigerBlog would often guard Joe Susan in lunchtime basketball, giving away size while maintaining his advantage in quickness. Susan would always, always fall for the fake to the baseline up-and-under move.
The problem with guarding Susan is that his huge knee brace would always scratch TB's legs when they bumped in the low post.
Susan wore the brace after tearing his ACL at lunchtime once. He had the ball and went into a move, only to crumple to the ground in obvious distress.
While someone ran to get an athletic trainer, men's basketball coach Pete Carril sauntered over to Susan, who was writhing on the floor.
"This," Carril said, "might not be the best time to tell you that you traveled."
Susan brings his Bucknell Bison to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium Saturday, as Princeton attempts to win in Week 2 for the eighth straight year.
This will be the first time that Princeton and Bucknell have played since 1996, when Susan was still the OC.
TigerBlog remembers that 1996 game at Bucknell more than he remembers most games, largely because of the unbelievable rain and mud that overran Christy Mathewson Stadium in Lewisburg. In fact, TigerBlog cannot remember a Princeton football game that he was at that was played in worse conditions.
It actually poured all Friday night as well, and it was still raining heavily Saturday morning.
TB - who remembers having great French toast for breakfast - always got dressed up for games in the pre-Nike days, which would have meant a shirt and tie. That day, though, TB realized that he would destroy anything nice he wore, so he put on the same jeans he had worn the day before, along with sneakers.
As for the game, the final was Bucknell 10, Princeton 6.
The Tigers held the Bison to minus-28 rushing yards, a program record. The only touchdown drive of the day for Bucknell was one yard - that's right ONE YARD.
It came after Princeton had held the Bison on four cracks inside the two, including a fourth-and-goal from inside the 1, only to turn it back over on the first play after the goal line stand.
For some reason, Princeton and Bucknell haven't played since, while Princeton has played Lehigh, Lafayette and Colgate almost every year.
In fact, Princeton and Bucknell don't play in many sports, and TB has only been to the school three times, once for the muddy football game and twice for men's basketball (Princeton will play three games at Bucknell this year as part of a men's basketball event).
It seems like the schools are close enough (a little more than three hours), and yet there's no history between the two.
Come Saturday night, there'll at least be a present, one that involves the nice subplot of having Joe Susan back at Princeton.
This time, though, he's unlikely to share his first few plays with TigerBlog.
Today, Susan is the head football coach at Bucknell. Back when TigerBlog first working at Princeton, Susan was the offensive coordinator for the Tigers.
When TB used to be on the radio, Susan would tell him the first few scripted plays, so TigerBlog could sound smart in the beginning of each broadcast, with seemingly insightful comments like "don't be surprised if Princeton tries to go for it all on the first play" or "look for something to so-and-so right off the bat to get him involved early."
TigerBlog would often guard Joe Susan in lunchtime basketball, giving away size while maintaining his advantage in quickness. Susan would always, always fall for the fake to the baseline up-and-under move.
The problem with guarding Susan is that his huge knee brace would always scratch TB's legs when they bumped in the low post.
Susan wore the brace after tearing his ACL at lunchtime once. He had the ball and went into a move, only to crumple to the ground in obvious distress.
While someone ran to get an athletic trainer, men's basketball coach Pete Carril sauntered over to Susan, who was writhing on the floor.
"This," Carril said, "might not be the best time to tell you that you traveled."
Susan brings his Bucknell Bison to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium Saturday, as Princeton attempts to win in Week 2 for the eighth straight year.
This will be the first time that Princeton and Bucknell have played since 1996, when Susan was still the OC.
TigerBlog remembers that 1996 game at Bucknell more than he remembers most games, largely because of the unbelievable rain and mud that overran Christy Mathewson Stadium in Lewisburg. In fact, TigerBlog cannot remember a Princeton football game that he was at that was played in worse conditions.
It actually poured all Friday night as well, and it was still raining heavily Saturday morning.
TB - who remembers having great French toast for breakfast - always got dressed up for games in the pre-Nike days, which would have meant a shirt and tie. That day, though, TB realized that he would destroy anything nice he wore, so he put on the same jeans he had worn the day before, along with sneakers.
As for the game, the final was Bucknell 10, Princeton 6.
The Tigers held the Bison to minus-28 rushing yards, a program record. The only touchdown drive of the day for Bucknell was one yard - that's right ONE YARD.
It came after Princeton had held the Bison on four cracks inside the two, including a fourth-and-goal from inside the 1, only to turn it back over on the first play after the goal line stand.
For some reason, Princeton and Bucknell haven't played since, while Princeton has played Lehigh, Lafayette and Colgate almost every year.
In fact, Princeton and Bucknell don't play in many sports, and TB has only been to the school three times, once for the muddy football game and twice for men's basketball (Princeton will play three games at Bucknell this year as part of a men's basketball event).
It seems like the schools are close enough (a little more than three hours), and yet there's no history between the two.
Come Saturday night, there'll at least be a present, one that involves the nice subplot of having Joe Susan back at Princeton.
This time, though, he's unlikely to share his first few plays with TigerBlog.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
399 - And Counting
TigerBlog was talking about the flurry of college realignment that is dominating the landscape with several people yesterday, and he posed the same question to each. Could it affect the Ivy League?
"Nope," one person said. "The Ancient 8 will always be the Ancient 8."
As an aside, the more TB thought about what he wrote yesterday, the more annoyed he became about Syracuse's move from the Big East to the ACC. And, apparently Michael Wilbon read TigerBlog before he went on PTI yesterday, since what he said was essentially word-for-word (go to about 19:20).
Meanwhile, back at the Ancient 8, TB has always felt like it's something of a misnomer, since the Ancient 8 isn't nearly as old as some of the other leagues that are currently trying to turn a quarter into three dimes.
In fact, the Ivy League first began formalized league play a mere 55 years ago.
Yes, the schools in the league are some of the oldest in the country. In fact, seven of the nine oldest schools in America are in the Ivy League, minus Cornell and joined by William & Mary and Rutgers.
The Ivy League first awarded championships in the 1956-57 academic year, when Yale won seven and Princeton and Harvard won four each.
Since that beginning, Princeton has gone on to win 395 more, and it entered the 2011-12 academic year with 399 Ivy League championships all-time. Here are the current all-time standings:
1. Princeton 399
2. Harvard 347
3. Cornell 199
4. Penn 189
5. Yale 172
6. Dartmouth 128
7. Brown 119
8. Columbia 87
If you look at the first 25 years of league competition, Harvard won 136 to Princeton's 117.
Since then, Princeton has won 282, while Harvard has won 211.
TigerBlog doesn't have the list broken down by gender, though he'll put that together one day. His hunch is that Princeton's hugely successful women's athletics programs through the years have been a big help in building the lead.
If you total up the last 15 years of Ivy League championships, here are the numbers:
1. Princeton 169
2. Harvard 99
3. Cornell 73
4. Penn 58
5. Yale 49
6. Dartmouth 39
7. Brown 45
8. Columbia 30
Last academic year, of course, Princeton won 15 Ivy League championships, the record for a single academic year. The old record had been 14, which Princeton had done twice and Harvard once.
TB has often wondered why Princeton has enjoyed such consistent success through the years and what the underlying reasons are. He has never come up with one correct answer.
Still, he's glad to be at a place with this kind of history.
This Saturday night, Princeton will have its annual Parade of Champions during halftime of the football game against Bucknell.
A total of 17 teams will be on the field - the 15 Ivy champs, plus women's lacrosse (Ivy tournament champ) and women's lightweight rowing (Eastern champ).
One of the best parts for TB is the wide range of teams that win year to year. The words "broad-based athletic participation" have been said so many times that they have lost much of their impact, but it doesn't make them any less true.
While the rest of college athletics is busy chasing money, the Ancient 8, as it were, continues to take a different approach.
When Princeton wins its next Ivy title, it'll have 400 all-time, which is a nice milestone - and a nice reminder of a special place in college athletics.
"Nope," one person said. "The Ancient 8 will always be the Ancient 8."
As an aside, the more TB thought about what he wrote yesterday, the more annoyed he became about Syracuse's move from the Big East to the ACC. And, apparently Michael Wilbon read TigerBlog before he went on PTI yesterday, since what he said was essentially word-for-word (go to about 19:20).
Meanwhile, back at the Ancient 8, TB has always felt like it's something of a misnomer, since the Ancient 8 isn't nearly as old as some of the other leagues that are currently trying to turn a quarter into three dimes.
In fact, the Ivy League first began formalized league play a mere 55 years ago.
Yes, the schools in the league are some of the oldest in the country. In fact, seven of the nine oldest schools in America are in the Ivy League, minus Cornell and joined by William & Mary and Rutgers.
The Ivy League first awarded championships in the 1956-57 academic year, when Yale won seven and Princeton and Harvard won four each.
Since that beginning, Princeton has gone on to win 395 more, and it entered the 2011-12 academic year with 399 Ivy League championships all-time. Here are the current all-time standings:
1. Princeton 399
2. Harvard 347
3. Cornell 199
4. Penn 189
5. Yale 172
6. Dartmouth 128
7. Brown 119
8. Columbia 87
If you look at the first 25 years of league competition, Harvard won 136 to Princeton's 117.
Since then, Princeton has won 282, while Harvard has won 211.
TigerBlog doesn't have the list broken down by gender, though he'll put that together one day. His hunch is that Princeton's hugely successful women's athletics programs through the years have been a big help in building the lead.
If you total up the last 15 years of Ivy League championships, here are the numbers:
1. Princeton 169
2. Harvard 99
3. Cornell 73
4. Penn 58
5. Yale 49
6. Dartmouth 39
7. Brown 45
8. Columbia 30
Last academic year, of course, Princeton won 15 Ivy League championships, the record for a single academic year. The old record had been 14, which Princeton had done twice and Harvard once.
TB has often wondered why Princeton has enjoyed such consistent success through the years and what the underlying reasons are. He has never come up with one correct answer.
Still, he's glad to be at a place with this kind of history.
This Saturday night, Princeton will have its annual Parade of Champions during halftime of the football game against Bucknell.
A total of 17 teams will be on the field - the 15 Ivy champs, plus women's lacrosse (Ivy tournament champ) and women's lightweight rowing (Eastern champ).
One of the best parts for TB is the wide range of teams that win year to year. The words "broad-based athletic participation" have been said so many times that they have lost much of their impact, but it doesn't make them any less true.
While the rest of college athletics is busy chasing money, the Ancient 8, as it were, continues to take a different approach.
When Princeton wins its next Ivy title, it'll have 400 all-time, which is a nice milestone - and a nice reminder of a special place in college athletics.
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