Ain't No TIME for the Summertime Blues

I’m about as good as updating my blog lately as my dad is at golf, which by the way is terrible. My apologies, but what can I say, I’m busier than a lot of humans I know!

Speaking of being busy, that’s exactly what I’ve been. I thought that once the Final Four ended things would settle down. They didn’t. If you’re following me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ButlerBlue2, and I have no idea why you wouldn’t be, then you know that life since the Final Four has been so much more than it was before the Final Four. And, I wouldn’t say I was just taking it easy before the Final Four either.

I think there’s another guy (no, not my dad) who’s feeling the same pain and that’s Butler’s men’s basketball coach, Brad Stevens. You may know him as John Wooden, Jr. Yeah, he’s in high demand these days too. So much so that he hired IMG Worldwide to handle his PR, marketing and appearances. Nice. Now, can I get in on that?

If you’ve missed all of this, then you’ve been living under a rock or watching too much of the NBA Finals. Don’t watch that stuff, it’s where fundamentals go to die. However, in the future you are allowed to watch games that Gordon Hayward plays in.

At any rate, I think ESPN’s Diamond Leung summed it up perfectly in his short “Brad Stevens is Very Marketable” entry on June 4th. Of course he got it right, he mentioned me in the piece! Anyway, here’s what he had to say:

Butler coach Brad Stevens at least on the surface doesn't give off the vibe of a guy who says things like, "Have your people call my people."

But indeed Stevens does have "people" now, as IMG Worldwide announced Friday that Stevens had hired the powerhouse agency to manage his business affairs, including licensing, literary, speaking, broadcasting and marketing representation.

Fresh off a national title game appearance, Stevens is everywhere now, most recently literally being placed on a pedestal to wave the green flag at Indianapolis 500 festivities.

On its website, IMG lists college coaching clients such as Cal's Mike Montgomery and Villanova's Jay Wright, but might it also consider extending its influence into mascots?

Butler Blue II, after all, wants the agency's representation as well.

Yes, it’s true, I wouldn’t mind some representation of my own, but I don’t see that happening. So I’ll just keep my bootleg Ari Gold, AKA my dad, and pick up Brad Stevens’ scraps.

Speaking of which, catch me on Sunday, June 20 as the grand marshal of the 2010 Zionsville Pet Parade! Big headlines in the Indy Star the other day; read all about it: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100608/LOCAL0202/6080391/1001/NEWS

I’m also going to be in the Wabash Animal Shelter’s “Pet on Parade” in Wabash, Ind. on Saturday, June 19th as well. I’m staying with my grandparents next week in Wabash while my parents take a well-deserved “babymoon.” So my grandpa, a Wabash Co. Commissioner, proudly booked his granddog (read: me) as a celebrity dog in the local pet parade. I’m happy to oblige.

Oh, and on June 20th at 11:30 a.m., look for my new Holsitic Select pet food commercial on Pet Pals TV which airs on WTHR NBC Ch. 13.

Otherwise, just try and keep up on Twitter. I’ve got plenty more appearances sprinkled in and around this stuff so it should be fun.

And when I’m not appearing in public rest assured that I’m working on a few special projects including my 2011 calendar and a new Blue II children’s book. It truly is the dog days of summer for yours truly!

Extending my 15 minutes,

Blue II

Working like a Dog; Loyal like a Dog

Given my schedule during the Final Four, it's pretty safe to say that I was one of the most sought after Butler figures during the that week. It's like I've said before, if Brad Stevens and the players were recognized for their efforts as the leading role, then I should receive the honor of best supporting actor.

I had so much fun doing so many media and community appearances that week. It was certainly a first in a lifetime experience for me. And, if you've kept up with my life on Twitter, then you know that the fun has yet to end as I continue to get several requests from both the Butler community and the community at-large for additional appearances.

People have been asking me just how many media interviews and appearances I did during the Final Four and since. So, my pops and I sat down and took a tally. To give you an idea of just how much I was "in demand" during the Final Four run, here's a bit of info for you to chew on...

Between March 27 and April 5 (10 days), I participated in approx. 30 local radio, tv and print interviews. These included several interviews with the Indianapolis Star, an interview with Pet Pals TV, multiple interviews with the local TV affiliates, and a good dose of the local FM and AM radio stations.

Regionally, I granted at least two interviews with newspapers from Pittsburgh and Detroit and I think I did more than that, I just can't remember them all.

Nationally, I was interviewed by Yahoo Sports, the Bob and Tom Show (clip below), CBS Sports, the CBS Early Show, Sports Illustrated.com and the Associated Press. Thanks to the AP love, my mug appeared in national print including the USA Today, New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Indianapolis Business Journal and the NCAA Tournament Commemorative piece created by the USA Today.



Now since that March 27th date, I've been busy with more than just the aforementioned media tour. Since that day I've also completed, or have scheduled myself to appear at approximately 35 community events, including grand marshal of a pet parade in Zionsville, Ind., host of the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life in Carmel, Ind., and two Indiana Pacers games. Not to mention, there are approximately 20 additional appearance requests sitting on my dad's desk that we've still yet to deal with!

Since the Final Four I've also done an interview for Indianapolis Monthly and their pet issue which will come out later in the year. And, I did another interview with Pet Pals TV where they came to my house, MTV Cribs style, and I did an interview with PETBOOK of Indianapolis as well.

If if that wasn't enough, the noteriety has allowed me to close another sponsorship deal (Good Dog Hotel & Spa) and have led to talks with a couple of other potential sponsors and partners. I've got another sponsor announcement coming soon!

Plus, you dog and bulldog owners will be happy to know that I'm working with another partner to not just make more Butler licensed dog accessories available to the general public, but I'm also investigating my own line of bulldog and large dog breed clothing as well.

But wait, there's more! Discussions for the Blue II 2011 Calendar have begun! The goal is to have it available and for sale in August 2010.

So the Final Four has made me a household name and business is certainly booming. I'm a very blessed bulldog. But that's not the moral of the story here. No, the moral is to stick to the guiding principles that got me, us, to this point; The Butler Way.

In other words, I'm trying not to let all of this go to my head and neither should any of us Butler Bulldogs. The success has been great and we should certainly celebrate and enjoy it. But along with all of this comes the perfect opportunity to show the world exactly what it is that got us here.

The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality yet seeks improvement everyday while putting the team above self.

That basically means that there's no resting on accolades, so we might as well "ctrl+alt+del" our lives in the wake of our Final Four success and get focused on being the Butler Bulldogs we always were.

That's not to say we shouldn't acknowledge the extra feather in our cap and all that comes with it, but at the same time, we have a new task at hand...a new task that requires the old instructions.

So look for more of me working like a dog in the weeks and months to come. It's my hope that you'll see me being loyal like a dog to the Butler Way.

Yep, when you see me out working, I hope you see the same Blue II that you knew before I ever set paw on the court at Lucas Oil Stadium or wagged my tongue on national TV. True Blue.

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

A Laugh at My Expense

Once again I must begin by apologizing for the duration between blog entries. And once again you can blame my dad, who has been traveling on behalf of the university, been sick, and whom also has been citing a lack of material to blog about.

Frankly, I find all of that to be nothing more than a list of weak excuses, but what could I do? Well, I did about the only thing I could do and provide him with a little “material” to blog about. Of course, it wasn’t really my intention, as you’ll be able to see, but it worked, so it was worth.

So over the past two or three weeks I’ve been busy with work as usual, Butler sporting events, student events, Staff Assembly meetings, a sorority function as well as a fall photo shoot (pictures coming soon). Of course, all of this you can see and follow along with on Twitter, including photos at www.twitpic.com/photos/butlerblue2.

Otherwise, maybe you’ve seen me featured in a handful of pieces over the last week or so, including the new Homecoming poster, the Butler Basketball season ticket promo wrap for The Indianapolis Star (pictured) and the season ticket TV advertisement (below).

And if that weren’t enough, I’ve got it on good authority that a Butler Blue II 2010 Calendar will be on sale in the Butler Bookstore later this fall! I’ll keep you posted on that project, but it goes without saying that a calendar of yours truly makes a great stocking stuffer!

Now, that’s all well and good, but I’ve left you in suspense long enough. It’s time to bring on the laughs. Let me just preface this next video clip by saying that it is hilarious. Sure, it came at my expense, but if we can’t laugh at ourselves every now and again then life just isn’t worth living.

So here’s a clip that was shot by my mom with her iPhone and it is of my dad and I running the Butler Bulldogs football team onto the field for their third game of the season and rout of Hanover. This is the standard routine for us and we do it at all of the football games. In fact, it’s one of my favorite jobs as mascot, only this time things didn’t go quite as planned.

This time, just as I was making my move to take the team onto the gridiron, my Butler Bulldog mascot counterpart, Hink, also made his attack and well, the rest is history. Add in a dramatic feature like a collective gasp from the crowd and somehow capture it all on video and voila, you’ve got yourself a nice entry for America’s Funniest Home Videos!

Anyway, here, it’s time you just watched this thing for yourself and had a hearty laugh…

Needless to say, we’ll be working out that little scenario before Homecoming. So I hope this video provides a good lesson, and that lesson, besides properly timing up pregame activities, is to not take ourselves so seriously and to be willing to have a good laugh at our own expense.

I can’t be mad at anyone…in the heat of the moment I’m not one to notice much of my surroundings and Hink is not one known for his great vision so something like this was bound to happen. What can you do but dust yourself off and have a good laugh?

Pretty good way to start off the week, huh? Feel free to send that to a friend that needs a little lift. It should do the trick!

Blue II

100th Post: The Dawgs are Dancin' and that's a Blue II Fact!

Welcome to my 100th blog post!

Unfortunately, it took me a little over a year to reach 100, but we made it and thanks to everyone for reading all along the way. I am certainly looking forward to the next 100 posts and I hope that you are too!

As I’m sure you’ve heard by this point, the Butler Bulldogs are going “dancing” in the “Big Dance” again this year as the men’s basketball team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, picking up a No. 9 seed in the South Bracket and a chance to play No. 8 seeded LSU in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Bulldogs and Tigers will go head-to-head on Thursday, March 19 at 12:20 p.m. (EST). For info on tickets, bus trips, viewing parties, etc., please visit:

www.butler.edu/alumni

http://www.butlersports.com/

Also, to learn more about the team and even a little bit about me, check out this new web page on Butler’s site:

http://www.butler.edu/spotlight/ (http://www.butler.edu/spotlight/?pg=7170)

In addition, don’t forget to check out The Indianapolis Star’s coverage of the Bulldogs headed up by staff writer David Woods. There’s always some good info and insight there. Check it out: www.indystar.com/butler.

Now keep in mind that it isn’t just the men’s team that will be dancing this year as the Butler women have earned a shot to compete in the NCAA women’s NIT tournament this week as well. Their game location, opponent and time are still to be announced, so be on the lookout for that!

Good luck to all my Dawgs in action this week! Let’s show the nation just what ‘The Butler Way’ on the hardwood looks like! Go Dawgs!

In honor of my 100th post, I wanted to do something special, but I wasn’t sure what that might be, especially since I dropped the “25 Random Things About Me” post a couple of weeks ago. Eventually, my inspiration came in the strangest of places as it ultimately was the 69th birthday of Chuck Norris that helped me come up with the subject of my 100th post.

In recent years, the popularity and cult following of Chuck Norris has exploded across America. Why, you ask? Well, material like “Walker, Texas Ranger,” and "The Delta Force" might have helped (not likely), but really, it was the ability of his persona to be played-up in a Paul Bunyan-esque way that shot his stock through the roof. Look no further than http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/ and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Read through the first page and if you aren’t laughing, then please consult a physician immediately. That stuff is hilarious and has led to the cultural phenomenon that is, Chuck Norris.

So, the following are some “Blue II Facts” that I thought I would share with you. Now, I can’t take credit for these, as they really come from my dad and his friends. They tend to find themselves more humorous than they really are, but I even had to laugh at a few of these “facts” and I think you might too.

I wanted those guys to think up 100 Blue II Facts in honor of my 100th post. The best they could do is 65, in honor of the NCAA Tournament field of 65 teams. Fair enough. So, I’m challenging you, the reader, can you help me get to 100 Blue II Facts? I need just 35 more. If you think of one, head to the comments section and leave your own “Blue II Fact.” Thanks!

And without further adieu, I give you 65 Blue II Facts:

Blue II doesn’t snore, he growls.

Blue II doesn’t chew rawhides, he chews bones.

Blue II can either squat or lift his leg to pee.

Blue II ate Blue I.

Blue II is smarter than your Honor Roll student.

The Amazon rainforest was created after a Blue II bathroom break.

Blue II gets more stud requests than Seabiscuit.

Blue II sired Seabiscuit.

Blue II's flatulence was the inspiration for the atomic bomb

Blue II doesn’t chew his food, he swallows it whole.

Blue II stuffs his own animals.

Blue II came up with the idea for Butler University, then told Ovid Butler to create it.

Ever seen a metal chain snap in half? Chain up Blue II.

Blue II doesn’t wear a flea collar. Fleas wear Blue II collars. They don’t work.

Blue II doesn’t bark. He speaks.

Blue II once caught a cold. That cold is now dead.

Blue II walks around naked every day...because he can.

Blue II understands and can speak 12 different languages. However, he chooses not to articulate with words as mere humans do not have the brain capacity to comprehend his diction.

Blue II has the ability to type his blog, but doesn’t have to since a simple stare-down with his PC will type it for him.

Blue II knows who let the dogs out.

Blue II doesn't breathe, he holds air hostage.

When Blue crosses the street, the cars have to look both ways.

Blue II doesn’t play “fetch.” He plays “seek and destroy.”

Blue II purposely walks slowly so as to not speed up the rotation of the Earth.

Hinkle Fieldhouse was originally designed and built as a “dog house” for Blue II.

Blue II doesn’t have a yard; he has a 180 acre campus.

The electric fence was invented for Blue II. Invention fail.

Blue II runs through electric fences when he has an itch to scratch.

Every door Blue II walks through is a doggy door.

If your dog has five Milk Bones and Blue II has five Milk Bones. Blue II has more Milk Bones than your dog.

If your dog has five Milk Bones and Blue II has five Milk Bones. Blue II now has ten Milk Bones.

Blue II can sneeze with his eyes open.

When Butler University does not win the Horizon League McAfferty All-Sports Trophy, it is only because Blue II allows it.

Laika, the Soviet space dog was the first canine and mammal in space orbit, or so she thought when she saw Blue II floating by her capsule window.

To the naked eye, Blue II’s teeth appear crooked, that’s only because he has the ability to cross the eyes of humans that look at him.

The Grand Canyon was formed when Blue II was once looking for a place to bury a bone.

It's not a dog eat dog world. It's a Blue II eat dog world.

Blue II caught the Chuck Wagon covered wagon.

Blue II’s puppy teeth can cut diamonds.

The first Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain was actually the Running of the Bulldogs. The animals were the ancestors of Blue II. There were no survivors.

After Blue II was born, all cats immediately lost three lives.

Noah was the only man notified before Blue II relieved himself in the Atlantic Ocean.

The phrase "raining cats and dogs" came from the time Blue II was locked in a room with other collegiate mascots.

McGruff takes a bite out of crime. Blue II takes a bite out of McGruff..

Blue II was Paul Bunyan's first choice as a pet.

An early version of Mount Rushmore featured a sleeping Blue II curled up at the feet of George Washington.

Petting Blue II gives Matt Howard the ability to dunk on a 45-foot high basketball goal.

Blue II has never died on The Oregon Trail.

It is said that the vision of dogs is reduced to just black and white. Blue II sees in full-color 1080p HP high-definition.

Blue II has the ability to fly, freeze hell over, and make today the day that you die. Do not continue procrastinate life choices or chalk up detriments to these facts or he’ll call you on them.

Claims of nations and terrorist groups around the world having weapons of mass destruction are simply false. Blue II resides in Indiana.

Blue II will never chase his tail. If he did, he’d have no tail.

Blue II was actually Butler University’s 20th president and every president prior, but he lets Dr. Bobby Fong do the job in his stead.

Blue II dunked on Air Bud.

Blue II taught Astro Jetson how to fly and operate the iPhone.

Benji was actually “hunted” by Blue II. The deleted scenes reveal this. Blue II was eventually replaced in the movie by bears, wolves and cougars to make it more “believable.” Blue II killed said bears, wolves and cougars and he and Benji remain card-playing buddies to this day.

Blue II actually took the bullet for Old Yeller.

Blue II told Scooby Doo the riddle to every mystery he ever solved. EVER.

“Scooby Snacks” are actually “Blue II Snacks,” Blue II just sold Scooby Doo the rights to the name, in blood.

Scientists believe that one year of human’s life equals seven years for a dog. Blue II believes that scientists have a short life expectancy with talk like that.

The movie “Turner & Hooch” was originally titled “Turner & Blue II,” but Blue II turned down the role because he didn’t want to be portrayed as a slobbery mutt that gets yelled at by Tom Hanks.

Blue II “bites the hand that feeds” for sport.

Take Blue II to a cow pasture and what’s left is a pasture of rawhide bones.

Blue II doesn’t have toys, just other live animals he catches and then chews on.

In 2009, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Committee gave Butler a No. 9 seed. As a result, Blue II has decided that the 2010 committee will be a committee of one: Blue II.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed those “Blue II Facts.” If you can think of more, then simply add them via the comment section.

Remember to check the sites I referenced above for the most up-to-date information on our Bulldogs and their respective post-season tournaments. In addition, I hope to have another post up by our game on Thursday with a little something involving me and an LSU Tiger, so be on the lookout for that.

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

A Top 10 in Response to a Random 25

So I got a special package in the mail on Wednesday morning from a group of 20 (or so) elementary school students. I must say, this package couldn't have come at a better time as I was feeling quite tired and irritable after the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team took one on the chin late the night before in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game. (The Bulldogs lost by three points to Cleveland State, but in all likelihood will return to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in 13 seasons and third time in a row. As the Indianapolis Star's David Woods put it, "Butler IS going to the NCAA Tournament. Twelve months ago, that was nearly unthinkable." Well put, Mr. Woods!)

Specifically, this package came from Miss Butler's multi-age kindergarten and first grade class at White Lick Elementary School in Brownsburg, Indiana (also home of Butler freshman Gordon Hayward) and contained a top-10 list citing reason why my dad and I should come and visit Miss Butler's class this spring. Here's a shot of me reading the list...

I must say, it's the most clever, witty and fun class visit request that I've ever received and I commend Miss Butler's students on their creativity, ingenuity and charm. According to Miss Butler, who graduated from Butler University in 2002 with my dad, this list came about as an original idea from the students. She only helped to scribe the list for them.

Evidently the list came about in their "writer's workshop" where Miss Butler was teaching them "organization in writing" and "lists" were brought up as an illustration of that. As avid readers of my blog, Miss Butler's students quickly recalled my recent blog post where I chronicled "25 Random Things" about myself. Their response, without further adieu, is a list of the "Top 10 reasons why Blue and Mr. K. (that's my dad) should come visit us..."

10. We are probably the only five, six and seven year olds that read your blog.

9. Some of us weigh sixty-two pounds, just like you!

8. We've bot some Star Wards fanatics in the room and we want to hear Blue's "whine." [In reference to my Chewey Chewbacca reference.]

7. We're dying to see Blue's infamous tricks!

6. We try to do things at school "The Butler Way." [Keep up the good work!]

5. We'll even make sure our room is really clean.

4. We're Bulldogs just like you (except we're not real dogs...we usually don't bark) [That's okay, I meet a lot of humans around Butler that claim to be Bulldogs, but don't appear to be anything like me. I get it.]

3. We're lots of fun (at least we think so)! [I can see that!]

2. For some reason we think body functions are hilarious. [In response to my random report on my bodily waste routines. Glad you enjoyed that one. Respect the relief of bodily waste being jettisoned from the body, but never lose the humor in it either. It is what it is.]

1. We're Butler University's #1 fans! [Thanks, we'll take all the support that we can get...especially come NCAA basketball tournament season!]

Signing off with a "Come visit soon" are Jakob, Brayden, August, Leister, Ellie, Andrew, Ryan, Ashley, Jacob, Dietrich, Leah, Gavin, Jonathan, Reagan, Martin, Evann, Lydia, Bo, Belle, Jackson and Miss B.

Thanks friends! You guys are the best! I lick my nose in approval...

A special thanks goes to Miss Butler who, by helping her students create and send this to me, is illustrating just what a great educator she is...bravo Miss Butler!

But how about those students?! Wow! According to Miss Butler, these youngsters love reading my blog and particularly enjoy the pictures of me, and they've become huge basketball fans this season. Miss Butler reports that her students now know more about the Butler men's basketball team and Horizon League than she does and they love http://www.butlersports.com/.

Right on, Miss Butler's class! Keep up the great work and you can sure bet that I'll be making a visit to your class very soon!

Stay in school,

Blue II

P.S. Don't forget to vote for me in Bissell's MVP Contest so that I can help them sell vacuums! Click here to vote for me: http://www.bissell.com/MVP09/Week09/Vote9.aspx?ImageName=Butler+Blue+II&FileName=769.jpg

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

Vote Green in 2008!

Vote Green in 2008!

And no, I'm not talking about all of those environmentally friendly initiatives that seem to be so in vogue. Nor am I referencing the up and coming presidential election. I've got nothing against saving the planet, but Blue doesn't do politics.

What I am referencing, however, is Butler Men's Basketball player, Mike Green, (pictured) and his place as a finalist for The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford.

Now he needs your vote! The fan voting section is now open, so vote for Mike at http://www.cousyaward.com/. And just like the former Chicago mayor, Richard J. Daley once said, "vote early, and vote often!"

The Bob Cousy (no relation to the koozie [pictured]) Award presented by The Hartford is given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually spanning across all divisions within the game by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to Mike for even being considered and best of luck with the rest of the season!

Speaking of the rest of the season, the Bulldogs are currently ranked 10th in the AP Poll and will take on conference foe, Valparaiso, this evening at 9 p.m. (EST) on ESPN2. Butler currently holds a two game lead in the Horizon League. Go Dawgs!

For some other great Butler Basketball related announcements and info, click here.

Also, stay up on Butler Basketball via these links as well...

BUbeat: http://www.bubeat.com/

Indy Star: http://www.indystar.com/

Indy Star's David Woods: http://blogs.indystar.com/butler/

Message Board: http://p214.ezboard.com/fbuhoopsfrm1

Remember, Mike needs your votes, so do your part!

Blue II


(Hey Mike, you think I can get a date with your daughter, Hoops, now?)

Say Cheese!

Another game, another photo opportunity. Your online edition of the Indianapolis Star (http://www.indystar.com/) again features my mug. Only this time, it's post oversized bone pickup, unlike pre bone pickup shot from last game.

Once again, Heather Charles took the picture which can be viewed along with her other game action shots here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA

Ironically, the photo also accompanies David Woods' post-game story which focuses primarilly on senior guard, A.J. Graves. You can read that here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080127/SPORTS06/801270373/1068

Why is that ironic? Just see my post from earlier in the month regarding the relationship between Graves and I. No big deal, just kind of humorous. Congrats to A.J. for a game well played yesterday.

Speaking of the game, the Dawgs punished the Flames of Illinois-Chicago 73-57. Thanks to that and a loss by Cleveland State, Butler is back leading the standings in the Horizon League.

Go Dawgs!

Like a Dog on a Bone

If you've cracked open your online edition of the Indianapolis Star at http://www.indystar.com/ and checked out the game recap info and photos from last night's Butler men's basketball contest against Loyola of Chicago, then perhaps you saw your's truly.

Indy Star photographer, Heather Charles, captured me on my pre-game ritual charge to the Dawg Pound to pick up my over-sized bone. That's Butler student, Ty Anderson, getting ready to make the hand-off and my old man jogging behind.

In case you were wondering, the Bulldogs dispatched the Ramblers 63-50.

Next up are the Flames of Univ. of Illinois - Chicago at 2 p.m., tomorrow, at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Come on over to campus for the game and you can watch me make my run to the bone first-hand.

For Indy Star coverage of the game, visit here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080125/SPORTS06/801250447

For the Indy Star game photos, visit here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA

For Indy Star Butler Beat Writer, David Wood's Butler Insider Blog, visit here: http://blogs.indystar.com/butler/

Want to talk Butler Hoops? Visit here: http://p214.ezboard.com/Butler-Basketball/fbuhoopsfrm1