Bring Me Home for 2010, But Without All of the Mess!

The Butler Blue II Calendar is back by popular demand and you can pick up your copy of the 2010 version today, in the Butler University bookstore and for the bargain basement price of just $5!

This fine piece also makes for a great stocking stuffer or gift for friends and family of all ages this holiday season.


It's been since my first year on the job that we've done a Blue II calendar, which we shot in 2004 and released for 2005. We finally created yet another because of the relentless requests from my admireres to do another. So the 2010 Blue II Calendar is for all of you who insisted that I do another 12-month spread. Now do me a favor and put your money where your mouth is...it's for a good cause after all!

Of course, I've got to thank my sponsors and friends for making this calendar possible, but a special thanks goes to Butler University photographer Brent Smith for taking all of those great pictures. I need to thank Claire Corbin of Claire Corbin Photography for letting us use my picture with jolly ol' St. Nick and a picture of me in a a festive hat as displayed in the December spread.

My sincere appreciation goes to Butler University designer Jackie Bilskie who designed this calendar and put together each spread. She did a great job in a short amount of time and I think you'll enjoy her work.

There was a great team effort, charicteristic of us Butler folk, to make this calendar and make it available for sale in the university bookstore. My thanks to all involved and I certainly hope you enjoy it all year long.

Outside of the making and release of this calendar, I've been enjoying some much deserved time off, if I do say so myself. My parents took off for California last week to support the men's basketball team in action at Anaheim, California's 76 Classic. So while they've been soaking up the sun and warmth of southern California, I've been residing in Wabash, Ind. with my grandparents and enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, extra sleep and some good old fashioned rest and relaxation.

It's probably a good thing that I've taken some time away because this first weekend in December provides another triple-header on campus. On Dec. 5th, our Pioneer Football League champion Bulldogs will host the Gridiron Classic in the Butler Bowl at noon. Then at 2 p.m. our women's basketball team hosts Miami of Ohio in Hinkle Fieldhouse at 2 p.m., followed by the men's team's game at 7 p.m. versus Valparaiso.

I'm certainly going to need all of this rest in order to be able to get through that long day! I hope you'll join me on campus for those three great games...it will be the perfect opportunity for you to pick up a copy or two of my 2010 calendar as well!

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

More Laughing at My Expense

It appears that my little blooper with fellow Butler University mascot, Hink, is getting quite the laughs and the number of views on YouTube (BlueTube) is growing, so that's good, I guess. If you missed it, just scroll down to my previous blog entry and enjoy. And for those of you that have seen it and had a good laugh, well then, you are welcome.

Let me see if I can offer up another chuckle thanks to some pictures of the incident provided by university photographer, Brent Smith. Before turning his lens to the actual football players running onto the pitch, Brent was able to capture a couple of frames of Hink and I just before we went down.

As you analyze the photos, you'll see that my dad can see this mishap coming a mile away, that I might actually be enjoying run-in with Hink, and that Hink is maintaining the same stoic look that he's always sporting...


I can only imagine what the photos would have looked like had Brent got us making our decent to the turf. Oh well, at least we have the video to sustain us and our comedic ventures.

Also, as promised, below are photos produced by Brent and his handy camera, from my fall photoshoot last week. You'll see my dad and his very white feet getting me all set up and positioned next to that fine array of fall-like objects...it's at those moments that I wonder if I have it better or worse than most dogs. Oh well, it goes with the territory.


Speaking of territory, those photos were actually shot on another dog's domain, and that dog would be the young Geeves Rodgers. The "Rodgers" is of course, that of Nick Rodgers fame....a fine Butler student athlete as a member of our men's basketball team. His mom Sheryl is on staff at the university and invited us to her home to use her props for the shot. That meant I got to meet Geeves, who is, shall we say, timid. That's okay, he's still finding his way.


Alright, that's enough for today. It's another wet day in Central Indiana and that's perfect sleeping weather for bulldogs, so I must not be interrupted any longer. It's back to napping!

Blue II

Blue II: Internet Superstar, Camera Hound, Basketball Junky, and More!

Since my last post, snow has given way to mud (much to the chagrin of my parents), but before all of that wet white stuff could dissipate from the campus scenery, university photographer Brent Smith and I were able to get out and capture it all. Below are some photos and a video from that little venture.



For the rest of the photos, visit this public Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=61703&l=0a712&id=23981937738

By the way, I do have my own Facebook fan page, and if you’re on Facebook and not a fan, then what are you waiting for? As of Feb. 8, 2009, I have 205 fans on Facebook. Trust me, if those 205 people are wrong, then they don’t want to be right. So make sure you join them and become a Blue II Facebook fan today!

Now, back to the photo shoot…that wasn’t the only photo shoot I’ve participated in since my last post. Just this past Friday I headed across campus and over to Brent’s studio to do a pose for a little something called Recyclemania and to get a few snap photos of me in my new custom Nike jersey.

Once those photos are available, I’ll be sure to post them. Until then, you’ll just have to make due with my dad’s amateur photography of me and my new uniform.

Again, special thanks to Nike for supplying the material and to the Tom James Company for putting it together. Luckily Nike sent enough material to make another one, so I may just be able to get two in the rotation.

Needless to say, I’m pretty pumped about the jersey. Once I get it on, I feel invincible! A real Super Dog! I just can’t help but get on a healthy strut in that thing. Just wait until you catch me at the next basketball game…you’ll see.

Speaking of jersey, one of my colleagues at Butler has a nice half yellow lab, half sharpei mix puppy named Jersey and fortunately me, she’s brought her in to work a couple of times to play. I’m completely enamored with Jersey and ever since our time together, I like to stop by her mom’s office on a regular basis just to see if she is there. Come back, Jersey! I miss you!

Anyway, here’s a video of our time together…



In case you missed it, last week’s news featured a story about the sentencing of the four boys guilty of stealing and damaging “Hink,” the Butler Bulldog mascot costume. Here’s the Indy Star report in case you missed it: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902040377

Basically, those guys avoided jail time, got a year of probation, some community service and a hefty bill. Butler received two new mascot costumes and a ton of publicity. So, thanks? It’s funny how things work out sometimes.

Moving on, let’s take a look into the mailbag since our last post…

First, I’d like to give a shout-out to the morning lifeguards at the HRC! Much love. Now, lets take a look at the question posted by “Ben & Molly” who wrote…

I did catch you on ESPN's SC. Big time. So I've been wondering, I attended my first women's game last week (Valpo) and as it turns out was sitting next to your parents. So I wanted to know, every time you go out on to the court for men's introductions you can't wait to run over and grab that big rawhide bone from the Dawg Pound, do you get disappointed in the fact there is no bone waiting for you at the girls games?

Good question and observation, Ben & Molly. And yes, when the player introductions have concluded at the women’s games, I want nothing more than to run across the court and retrieve my bone. As you noticed, however, there’s no bone at those game to retrieve. Of course, I’m a creature of habit, so I start heading in that direction any way and literally make my dad drag me off the court by the way we came…biting my leash and digging in my claws the entire way!

But bone or no bone, it’s good to be a Butler Bulldog right now. The men are currently 21-2, notching their 11th 20-win season in 13 seasons and giving head coach Brad Stevens 51 wins and counting with just six losses. They are still ranked in the top-25 and sit atop the Horizon League standings. Meanwhile the Lady Bulldogs are 14-8 and 9-2 in the Horizon League which places them second in the standings.

That’s about it from my world at the moment. I want to thank those who made use of the comments section of the blog. I encourage you to do the same. Ask me a question, I “double dog” dare you! (pun intended) Otherwise, don’t forget to catch me on Facebook, on Twitter and inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse!

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

The Portrait: Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret.) & Butler Blue II

photo by Brent Smith (Butler University)