From Beijing to Back to School

Happy 29th Olympiad everybody! And while it’s just my second Olympic games, I believe that being born in a summer games Olympic year (2004), makes me a expert analyst on Olympic competition. Well, not really, but it sounds good.

Really, I hardly watch the Olympics unless my parents are yelling at the TV during the games. Frankly, they just interrupt my sleeping patter as my parents have been staying up way past my bedtime for these games.

However, I did pay close attention to the Olympic broadcast the other night when NBC played a feature on a day in the life of super-human swimmer and gold mine operator, Michael Phelps. It turns out Phelps has an English Bulldog of his own named Herman.

Here’s a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd6BSt8QKI8

Besides Herman and I both having fathers named Michael, with 16 Olympic medals between them, the other interesting thing here is the irony that the best swimmer of all time owns one of the worst swimming dog breeds of all time. Typically, bulldogs love water, but our swimming style can be related to that of a brick. I guess it just goes to prove once again that opposites really do attract.

In other international sporting news, four former Butler Bulldog basketball players, Mike Green, Pete Campbell, Brandon Crone and Brandon Polk have signed professional contracts to continue playing basketball overseas next year. The quartet, who helped the Bulldogs to 79 victories over the past three seasons, will carry Butler's basketball name to Turkey, Germany, Poland and Finland. You can read more about it here: http://butlersports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/080808aaa.html

I’d like to think I had a hand in this unprecedented number of Bulldogs playing professionally overseas…after all, they all played under my watch as mascot. At any rate, best of luck to those guys! Represent the Butler Bulldogs well abroad!

But enough about Butler basketball as there’s been much activity inside Hinkle Fieldhouse this past week for Butler’s fall sports. Student athletes have returned to campus and have begun preparing for seasons of football, volleyball, soccer, cross country, etc. It’s going to be a busy and fun fall for me and I cannot wait!

Come see me run the football team onto the field in the home opener against Franklin on Sept. 13th. For all of you OBS members, that’s also the same day as the annual OBS Gridiron Brunch. Call 317-940-9469 for more information or to register.

Thanks to a new football that my parents bought me, I’ve been getting ready for the season.


In fact, I’ve been so obsessed with it, my dad keeps calling me, “My Football Monster.” You may remember the toy from the 1980s with the same name. I don’t, but you might.

And while fall sports have resumed on Butler’s campus, this past week has also marked the return to school for area elementary schools and high schools. I was fortunate enough to be invited out to the first day of school at Brandywine Elementary school, south of Greenfield, Ind., on Wednesday this week by Butler staff member, Gary Johnston.

Brandywine also uses the bulldog for their mascot and as you can tell by the pictures, I enjoyed being on loan for their first day of school. I greeted the children as they came off the bus for the first time and participated in their all-school convocation.

Then it was back to campus for my real job as mascot, which has also got me a bit of notoriety from the Academica Group of iContactCommunity.com and their daily top-10 for Aug. 8, 2008. Big time, I know.

You can check it out here: http://community.icontact.com/p/academica_group_inc/newsletters/academica_group_inc/posts/5232046000033698578
In other news from the world that is Blue II, there are cookies, beer, anchovies and oil. But not all together…let me explain.

The cookies come via Mack Trucks, which clearly makes perfect sense (sarcasm). But the truck company with bulldog mascot has a great online shop that can be found at http://www.mack-shop.com/.

There you can find all kinds of bulldog goodies including a bulldog cookie cutter. My parents got one and put it to work right away. Unfortunately, for being bulldog cookies, the bulldog in the house didn’t get very much of them.


The beer that I referenced is causing me to consider ringing up Butler’s legal counsel to discuss copyright infringement. Check out Anheuser-Busch’s Wild Blue blueberry lager and draw your own conclusions.


The anchovies are actually a part of my well-balanced diet that also includes salmon and other seafood included in my Eagle Pack Pet Food that I get at City Dogs Grocery. I got to go to City Dogs over on 49th and College the other day to pick up my food and for the first time I came face to face with the shop cat, Sarah. I barked and growled while Sarah hissed, and while it livened up the atmosphere in the store, that was about the end of it. Leave it to a bulldog to go so far as to bully a kitty cat.

And last, but not least the oil, as in Lucas Oil…Stadium. You know, the brand new stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Ind. that will serve as the new home to the Indianapolis Colts.


Yeah well, the other night they had a grand opening celebration for the place and some folks from Butler represented the NCAA at the event. Yours truly tried to be a part of that group, but Stadium management said that they do not allow animals inside. Fine with me, keep all the animals out, but I’m a mascot. Two different things. I guess I’ll just stay where I’m wanted, Hinkle Fieldhouse and Conseco Fieldhouse.

Well, that’s all I know for now. Enjoy the rest of the Olympic Games! By the time I post again, we’ll be well into the back to school mode on campus. I can’t wait!

Blue II