Selection Sunday Recap

It was a late night yesterday evening, but it was worth it. In case you missed it, I was on live with Anthony Calhoun ("AC" [pictured]) on Indianapolis' WISH-TV Channel 8 and their Sports Locker program. The show airs live at 11:15 p.m. on Sunday evenings, so I had to stay up late, but it was worth it.

Since it was "Selection Sunday" and the Butler Bulldogs are headed to the NCAA Tournament, AC wanted to have me in studio for effect, if nothing else. I absolutely loved it. At first the robotic cameras scared me, but once I got used to it all, I really enjoyed being on camera, in studio and hanging out at the sports desk with fellow on-air talent Chris Widlic, Jeane Coakley and the crew. I can't wait to do it again sometime. Here's a little video...

Speaking of "Selection Sunday," I can't say that I was too pleased with Selection Committee's decision to give Butler a 7 seed in the tournament. Don't get me wrong, it's our second highest seed in school history and I'm happy to be there, but given that we were ranked in the AP Poll again today at the 11th spot (above all other schools from the state of Indiana), clearly we could have been given a little better positioning.

I think all Butler fans heard the thud of the figurative ball being dropped by the Selection Committee early yesterday evening. Oh well, like I said, it's still a privelage to be in the tournament and regardless of your ranking, you have to win to advance, so let's just focus on the task at hand and win some games!

During my tenure as mascot, Butler has an NCAA Tournament record of 2-1. I'd like to keep adding to the win column.

While the Bulldogs are headed to Birmingham, Alabama for their game against South Alabama (anything jump out at you there), this Bulldog won't be making the trip. That's right, we heard back from the NCAA regarding our inquiry about live mascots and tournament sites. They shot us down citing "too many potential issues and a wide range of variables."

I guess I can't argue with that since I can't speak for my live mascot counterparts in the business, but I can tell you this, when it comes to me and the guy-in-suit mascots, they might want to concern themselves with the guy-in-suit version.

Take for instance the Oral Roberts/IUPUI debacle last week at the Summit League Tournament. You can view that here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x7Yk8NNg3k

Oh well, I'll let it slide for now, but if by some chance Butler makes an appearance in the Final Four, you can bet I'll be fighting tooth and claw for them to allow me to make the trip. I swear that I saw Jack the Georgetown Hoya at the Final Four last year.

Anyway, all the best to our Butler Bulldogs on Friday at 2:45 p.m. Take care of business boys and earn that respect you so deserve!


Blue II