A Stinky Week

How about a new movie to start this post? That should serve as a nice little attention-getter.

The video below is of me, just after the introduction of the Butler Bulldog starters as I make my way across the court to retrieve my over-sized rawhide bone from the Dawg Pound. This video was shot on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 by Damon Lewis of the Horizon League, prior to the Butler/University of Illinois-Chicago men’s basketball game. Thanks for the video Damon!



As far as basketball goes, the rest of the week wasn’t so kind to the Butler Bulldogs…the men’s squad anyway. Since this game in which that video was taken, the Dawgs dropped two straight…something they haven’t done in 111 games. That’s downright stinks and unfortunately, my gastrointestinal system has matched their play.

You may remember an entry last year in which I posted a story about the bulldog being the gassiest of all dog breeds. Yeah, I lived up to that this week. I wouldn’t say that I’m proud of it, but to have such a strong smell come out of such a small being was kind of impressive.

The culprit of the flatulence was the consumption of unauthorized substances. In other words, I was eating something other than my dog food.

I’m on a strict diet of Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal Formula made by Eagle Pack Pet Food, Inc. It treats me well. I have a nice smooth, soft and shiny coat, I am no longer affected much by seasonal allergies and I digest it well. When I deviate from my regular dog food, then you’re most certain to smell it.

Where/how would I consume such things other than my regular dog food, you ask? The office. Think about it. I work with a lot of people. These people are always bringing in food, throwing parties, eating at their desks, etc. These people also can’t say no to the pouty puppy face. Finally, these people don’t have to go home with me a night. That’s a perfect recipe for methane gas.

So my dad had to send yet another “don’t feed the dog” email out to his colleagues this week. In one email and just a few strokes of the keyboard, my dad has completely put the kibosh on my office culinary delight. Bummer.

Of course, now it’s just a big joke and I’m the “butt” (pun sort of intended) of these jokes. The office colleagues are suggesting my dad hang up signs outside his office like you’d find at a national park about not feeding the wild animals. They also came up with a t-shirt design for him. I’ve included it below. Note, I’m not laughing.

So the bad news is I no longer eat like a king. The good news, I no longer have a constantly upset stomach, indigestion and of course, bad gas. I suppose the positives out-weigh the negatives, but it’s been a tough lesson to learn.

Before I sign off, I’ve got to give some blog love to those sending love my way on Valentine’s Day. First, special thanks yet again to Leslie Bishop for the special Valentine’s Day bulldog card that she sent to the office! And, this time a special thanks also goes to Hiram Schilling for the card and treats and to Linda Cooley for the great new toys! It’s good to be me!

Here’s to hoping the Bulldogs regroup and come away victorious on Saturday (Feb. 21) at noon on ESPN versus Davidson in the BracketBuster and to a flatulence free weekend!

Blue II

ESPN Calls it "Mayhem in December"

If you missed last night's ESPNU airing of the men's basketball match up between the undefeated and young Butler Bulldogs against the No. 1 pre-season Horizon League favorites, the Cleveland State Vikings, then I hope you maybe saw the highlights on ESPN's SportsCenter's Top-10 plays.

And if you missed that then maybe you heard Joe Gentry and Nick Gardner on WXNT 1430 AM, or perhaps you caught the game online at the Horizon League Network. And if none of that happened, then I need you to get out from under that rock in which you are living, change up your priorities and get behind the Dawgs!

Wow! What a game last night. It was brutal and undeniably ugly. There were more fumbles, miscues and missed shots than anyone would care to admit. However, what shown brightly from the Butler squad throughout the entire game was a positive attitude, perseverance, tenacity and a refusal to quit. Those boys just didn't have it in them to roll over and play dead when the going got tough. They just found a way, ugly or not, to get the job done.

That job manifested itself in two big three point baskets by sophomores Shawn Vanzant and Zach Hahn. The latter at the buzzer to win the game. If there was ever grace under pressure, that was it. Check it out...



But it wasn't just Vanzant and Hahn that made it happen. It was a total team effort. From the coaching staff, through the players and all the way to the bus driver, the whole thing just came together and worked. They all stayed positive, knew their job, followed through. Take for instance freshman and "Roly Poly Puppies" reader (317-275-4444) Gordon Hayward...the kid had 8 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Solid and darn near unnoticed...just another day at the office.

Now the Bulldogs are 6-0 heading further east across Ohio to take on conference foe, Youngstown State on Saturday. I suggest you get your radio or computer fired up to take in that game. For more info on the Butler Bulldogs, might I suggest you take a look at the Indianapolis Star's David Woods and his great coverage: http://www.indystar.com/section/SPORTS0605

Can you tell I'm pumped up?! This is one happy Butler Bulldog!

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

P.S. On a more somber note, our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Shawn Vanzant, who's grandmother recently passed away. Your Butler family is here for you, Shawn.

Costumes Still Missing; Reward Increased; Bulldogs are HOT!

It's been a busy week in the life of Butler Blue II, and it's only getting busier. I love it!

This missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes caper has kept me hard at work and while we’ve yet to find them, the plot has thickened. For starters, thanks to the Butler faithful, the reward for the safe return of the costumes has been raised from $100 and one of my bones, to $550 and one of my bones. Now we’re getting somewhere.

And sure enough, just as the reward increases then so do the rumors, anonymous tips and unsubstantiated leads as to the whereabouts of these unique suits. I even got the photo below suggesting that our suit may have been picked up by the dog catcher and sent to the pound. Very funny.


Following the example of one of my beloved heroes, McGruff the Crime Dog, I’m hot on the case and sniffing out all possibilities. Should you hear anything, keep me posted at blue2@butler.edu, and better yet, call the authorities! You can reach the Butler University Police Dept. at 317-940-9396. They would be happy to take your call.



I hope to have another video up next week that illustrates my detective work. The massive amount of rain that we are getting today and this weekend isn’t really conducive to shooting film so sorry for the delay.

The media continues to pick-up the story and again, we’ve received national coverage. This time it is the world-wide leader in sports, ESPN. Check out this clip…



Since I am the only mascot that Butler has at the moment, I will be especially busy tomorrow as we host our first home football contest of the season and we welcome the Lugar Run to campus. My day gets started at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 a.m. for the Lugar Run as WISH-TV will be on campus to do some live TV hits for that.

Then it’s on to the OBS Gridiron Brunch and pre-game event and then kick-off against Franklin College at 1 p.m. where I will get to run the team out on to the field for battle. A win on Saturday will make the football Bulldogs 2-0!

It’s looking like it might be a little warm, muggy, windy and wet tomorrow, but I don’t care. No matter the conditions, I am ready!

Finally, I’ll sign off with a story that show’s just how in vogue us English Bulldogs are. Not only did we make it back into the top-10 of AKC registered breeds this year, but now we’ve been voted the hottest in Hollywood!

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b28361_a-list_secrets_hollywoods_unlikely_hot.html

My good friend Jackie, a young Butler alumni who resides in our Nation’s capital, sent me a link to story on E! (watch The Soup on E! w/ Joel McHale, Fridays, 10 p.m. EST…it’s hilarious) that explains just how the English Bulldog has become all the rage amongst celebrities (Adam Sandler, The Kaltenmarks, etc.) and just all around “cool people.”

Specifially, the article states, "Hollywood's dog o' the moment is an unexpected breed...That dog is the English Bulldog." It’s no wonder our bulldog mascot costumes were stolen!

By the way, if you have a chance some time, check out Adam Sandler's website and watch his videos with his English Bulldogs. They are great! (http://www.adamsandler.com/index.php?section=matzomeat)

Have a great weekend, keep looking for those costumes, stay dry, and GO DAWGS!

Blue II

Horizon League Tournament Champs

It's official, the Butler University men's basketball team is not only the regular season Horizon League champions, but they are also the Horizon Leauge Tournament champions as well. A feat they had not repeated since 2001.

There's actually too many accolades to list from this game/season, so just check out The Indianapolis Star's David Woods, and his recap from last night's affair: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080312/SPORTS06/803120471

In addition to Mr. Woods, Star photographer Heather Charles was hard at work last night as well. Her first two shots from last night's game are quite good if I say so myself. I have added the two aforementioned pictures below. If you'd like to see the rest of her great shots, look here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA


I know a lot of you were in attendance or watched live on ESPN. Either way, you most assuredly caught a glimpse of me doing my gameday thing. There are unconfirmed reports via text messages on my dad's cell phone that I was on screen during the broadcast as much as four times! Not bad for not even playing in the game.

We heard that during the game last night there was some sort of "Butler commercial" or promo. We are not aware of any such thing, but we didn't get to see it either. A friend and faithful blog reader, Jackie, posted this in the comments section:

Blue, Last night, during the televised game on ESPN, there was a mid-major commercial for Butler. It featured 3 cheerleaders, and some people who work in the cafeteria. At one point, the cheerleaders were crowded around the big cement statue in front of Atherton. The commercial would have been much better if you were in it. Are you planning to do a Butler commercial in the future?

Good question, Jackie. I can't believe they used a concrete stand-in for this so-called "commercial" that was aired last night. I don't know if there's another commercial in the works, but I'll have to get my people in talks to get that worked out. Let's face it, if a Butler commercial doesn't feature the live mascot (in this case: me, with emphasis on "live") then it's not official. Granted, I'm a little biased, but I think that's a fair statement.

Anyway, the game was great. It was bittersweet since it was my last home game this season and the last home game for our beloved seniors(pictured), but it was more sweet than anything given the circumstances, outcome, etc.


While I enjoy all of the pre-game rituatls and activities that I participate in, last night's game was more unique for it's post-game fun. I typically end up on the court after most home games to pose for pictures and mingle with fans, but given the ceremonies (trophy presentations, net cutting, etc.) we got to enjoy a lot of fanfare after the game.

I got to take pictures with the Horizon League Tournament Trophy, pose with Pete Campbell and Drew Streicher (a special shout-out to Drew who, I understand, reads my blog), mingle with the media and even tear up a cardboard box at half court!


Again, thanks to the Horizon Leauge for the box...they left a box on the sidelines that was used for the HL Championship t-shirts, so I helped myself. It was great fun to thrash on the box at center court and have a little crowd watching as well. Good times.

Given the late start time of the game, we finally got home sometime after mid-night and into bed at 1 a.m. Needless to say, I was tired when it was time to head to the office this morning. Today was a standard day at the office. Much sleeping, some playing, and a lot of just hanging out. Remember, you can catch all of this insanely captivating activity on Blue2TV.

The big buzz around the office today, outside of the basketball game, was an e-mail that was sent on Tuesday afternoon to alumni, parents and friends of the university. It's a really cool piece and definitely worth the watch, especially because I am in it. (Would you expect anything less?) To watch it, click here: http://www.pursuant4.com/butler/buselect/email_1.asp

After a full day at the office, I was off on a trip up to Carmel, Ind. for an appointment with the Official Veterinarian of Butler Unviersity and Butler graduate, Dr. Kurt Phillips (pictured) of Woodland Animal Hospital. My mom noticed that my ear has been bothering me this week, so they took me up to see the good doctor. Sure enough, Dr. Phillips diagnosed an ear infection and gave me some meds.


As it turns out, the ear infection was a result of not getting my ears dried out enough after that little bath I took on Sunday. You remember...the one that's on YouTube and has all of that incriminating footage of me in a tub. Thanks, parents.

Whomever said your parents always know what is best for you was lying. My parents give me the hard-sell on why I should take a bath, blah, blah, blah, so I oblige and what do I get for my trouble (besides internet humiliation)? An ear infection!

No "Worlds Greatest Dad/Mom" t-shirts or mugs for them any time in the near future.

Back to ballers...the 29-3 Butler Bulldogs are awaiting their NCAA Tournament assignment which will be handed out this Sunday, a.k.a. "Selection Sunday," and I am eagerly anticipating the Dawg's first matchup in the "Big Dance."

For whatever reason, I've always been under the impression that live mascots were not allowed at NCAA tournament sites. I had my dad check with his peeps at the NCAA, and that might not actually be the case. The verdict is still out, so we'll see what happens. Should I be cleared to go, the game location be relatively close, and the stars align, I might just be hitting the road as well. I'll keep you posted on how that develops. I'm crossing my paws in hopes that it all works out.

Blue II

ESPN All Access - Butler Bulldogs

If you've yet to see ESPN's "All Access" footage of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team, check it out: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3287712&n8pe6c=2

Of course, I'm in it, so look for that too. My appearance is toward the beginning and Willie Veasly is petting me.

My dad wants to apologize for having an untucked shirt on in the background...we had just finished setting up the West Gym in Hinkle Fieldhouse for hospitality so he was a bit unkempt when I decided to break loose and run on the main floor during practice.

I also wanted to let everyone know they could vote for me again in the Bissell MVP Contest: http://www.bissell.com/redirect.asp?page_id=47128&Pet=1148

Thanks for the vote, enjoy the video and Go Dawgs!

Blue II

Best in Show

The American Kennel Club recently released the Top 10 dog breeds. As it turns out, the Bulldog is the 10th most popular breed in the U.S. (This is big news people, check out the Thurs., Jan. 17th edition of ESPN's Sports Center as they even did a story on it...featuring yours truly...and a few other famous bullies. That's my second time on Sports Center in a week!)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22670868/?GT1=10755&pg=11#tdy_Pets_breeds

(Google News Search)

I suppose it's nice to make the list, especially after a more than 70-year absence (last ranking 10th in 1935), but to get beat out by the Shih Tzu (No. 9)! C'mon! They can't be serious. I mean, just look at that thing. It's like a cat, a King Charles Spaniol and a mop got together and birthed this beast. Don't ask me which one actually gave birth to it.

I have a pair of cousin Shih Tzu's and I'm sure they'll never let me hear the end of this.

Anyway, if you're curious about the English Bulldog breed and our unique history, characteristics, etc., have a look here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog

http://www.akc.org/breeds/bulldog/index.cfm

Did you know that the name of my breed was derived from our sole purpose...baiting bulls before they were sent to slaughter. It was thought that our baiting of bulls served to tenderize the bull meat, but it was also considered a form of "sport."

Thus, I consider my forefathers to be something of a cross between Russell Crowe as "Maximus" in Gladiator and Belmonte, the famous matador.


But, I suppose back then my owner might have been someone like Sam the Butcher from the Brady Bunch.

Oh well, I digress. After all these years, it's nice to be ranked again. I'd like to think I had a hand in that. Why not? How many Shih Tzu's you know with their own blog?!


P.S. This post has me thinking about my very own family tree/lineage. I'll share that with you sometime. Russell Crowe or not, I come from good stock and I've got the AKC paperwork to prove it.