The Case of the Missing Mascot...Costumes.

If you live in or around the central Indiana area, then chances are by now you've heard the APB put out for the mising Butler University Bulldog mascot costumes. In addition to the University's own announcement, the local media outlets have latched on to the story as well and ever since, my parent's phones have been ringing off the hook with calls and texts asking if I've gone missing. Below is a look at some of the media coverage...

Indianapolis Star:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080909/SPORTS0605/809090408



WTHR: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=8970750&nav=9Tai
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=8974236&nav=menu188_2

WISH: http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8974277&nav=menu35_5

Word on the street is Dave Smiley from the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL 99.5 is going to have my dad on air this Wednesday morning, Sept. 10, to discuss the matter and to clear up any misconceptions that I have gone missing.

Obviously, since I'm dictating this blog to my dad right now, I haven't gone missing, but the suits worn by my two-legged counterparts have seemingly walked off campus. So, the search is on for the specially designed suits.

I lent my support in an effort to quickly recover the costumes. In addition to offering my voice for the University announcement, I also threw in a bone as a part of the whopping $100 reward.

Seriously, $100 is all they could come up with? What is this, Bozo's Grand Prize Game? "You get a crisp $100 bill, a year's supply of Archway Cookies and a brand new 10-speed Schwinn bicycle." Seriously? I'm a dog and I realize that $100 and a bone leaves a little something to be desired.

It appears that AOL Sports agrees with my assesment: http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/09/butler-wants-its-bulldogs-back-cheaply/

Perhaps we really don't want them back? After all, they were getting a little rough around the edges and the smell that permeated the air around them wasn't exactly that of roses. Still, they are unique and a part of Butler's history so it would be nice to have them back.

The costumes are approx. nine years old, so they've lived a full life. My dad was one of the first to wear them as he was one of the men behind the mask when the university got them his sophomore year. Prior to that, my dad tells me they had a very old and crusty mascot costume that was actually designed by Disney.

Well, it looks like I'm going to be extra busy for a while since I'm the only mascot that Butler has at the moment. A new costume will take about 6-8 weeks to make and will cost well north of $10,000. Hopefully the university will act now so we can have the new costume by Homecoming on Oct. 25th.

Speaking of being extra busy, with all of the students back to campus and the classes in full swing, my social calendar has definitely picked up. Besides all of the additional love, attention and cat calls that I get when I go outside to take a walk or relieve myself, I have also been attending several receptions, social gatherings and athletic events. Last week I attended the first home volleyball game in a very hot and steamy Hinkle Fieldhouse and this weekend I will be hitting up the first home football game of the season as well.

In addition, to the game itself, Saturday will be a busy day for me. In the morning I'll be at Hinkle Fieldhouse to help kick off the Dick Lugar Run and to do a live TV appearance with WISH-TV. After that I'll hit up the annual Ovid Butler Society Gridiron Brunch which is a pre-game tailgate for OBS members. Then, once all of that is done, I'll run the undefeated Butler Bulldogs out to battle in the Butler Bowl to take on Franklin. By Saturday afternoon I'll be so exhausted that I will voluntarily be practicing my "dead dog" trick on the living room floor.

This past weekend my parents went off to Illinois for the final IndyCar Series race of the season, so of course I went to Wabash, Ind. to stay with my Grandma and Grandpa Kaltenmark. Staying at the grandparents is always fun b/c in addition to the extra attention, I also get to sleep in, go on walks and typically get plenty of ice cream. While I was there this time, my grandpa, the old college football player and long-time high school coach taught me some football fundamentals in preparation for Saturday and the rest of the season.

Granpa K. set up my teddy bear so that he was holding my football. Then he would set me up and taught me how to tackle through teddy to knock the ball loose. After that, he showed me how to pounce on the football to regain possession. I loved every second of it and I happen to think that I'm pretty good at it...like Bob Sanders (pictured below) good. My dad said that he'd try to get some video of it in the near future so you can see it for yourselves.

While my pops works to get my football prowess captured on film, this week we just have more video of me playing with my best friend, Kirby! That's right, Kirby has returned! You may remember that Kirby and his mom, Jessica Butler, had moved to Minnesota after Jessica graduated from Butler. Well, Kirby's mom has since joined the Indiana Pacers' staff and thus, Kirby has returned to Naptown!

As soon as he got in town, he stopped by campus to see me. Although, I think Kirby was more interested in checking out campus than playing with me, as you'll see in the video, but it's all good. I was just happy to have my friend back.

In Bulldog Beauty Contest news, we have 13 Bulldogs, one Boston Terrier and one Shih Tzu signed up so far for a total of 15 dogs. Last year we had over 60 dogs attend so we are well on our way. Susan Smith of City Dogs Grocery has been working with us and Eagle Pack Pet Foods to get some great participant prizes and giveaways all lined up as well. It shaping up to be a great event. Additional details are available in my previous blog post below. To sign up your dog, just email me at blue2@butler.edu.

Well, I think that's about all that I know for today. If there are any breaking developments in the case of the missing mascots, I'll be sure to post a new blog with additional details. Until then, keep your ear to the ground and if you stumble upon them, then notify the authorities!

Blue II

Graduation 2008

As I mentioned in my last post, I got to be a part of this year’s graduation ceremony…and I don’t mean just showing up because it’s a university event. No, thanks to Dr. Steven Vibbert, this year’s selected faculty speaker, I was actually an integral part of the program.

Dr. Vibbert is a professor in the Eugene Pulliam School of Journalism and specifically teaches undergraduate courses related to public relations. You may remember his name from my blog as Dr. Vibbert is the only professor that invites me to pay a visit to each one of his classes, every semester.

He’s also my dad’s favorite professor from his undergraduate days and it’s easy to see why, especially after I had the pleasure of hearing him “profess” to the graduating class of 2008 on Saturday.

Dr. Vibbert started his speech off with a very valid point. He said to the graduates, “Look around you right now and soak in the feeling that fills this field house. You know what that feeling is? It’s accomplishment. And now look at those around you—at your friends and family and at this proud faculty in their own very spiffy hats behind me, look at all the people who supported you—and who share your sense of accomplishment. Here’s the good part about accomplishment. It is a renewable resource. You’ve earned the good feeling—I’d say the good vibe—of this accomplishment, but you know that having done it once, you can do it again and again. You can achieve this feeling over and over, by doing things as you’ve done here at Butler—the Butler Way--and by sharing in the accomplishments of others as parents and friends in future years.”

I found that to be some great perspective, even from my point-of-view, which is affixed on four legs and about a foot and a half off the ground. However, the crux of his message was based on an acronym…an old trick he uses a lot in his classes.

He told the graduates to use the acronym BLUE to guide them. B for "be flexible," because "change is going to happen to you"; L for "let someone know they made a difference to you; U for "use the front-page test – if you're doing something you wouldn't want everyone to read about on the front page of your hometown newspaper, then don't do it"; and E for "enthusiasm," which they'll need to succeed.

He ended it with, “As I look back on the four points I’ve written: Be flexible; Let someone know they made a difference; Use the front page test; Enthusiasm matters…B.L.U.E. I see that they spell BLUE. I want you to remember BLUE, Butler Blue, to do things the right way—what is sometimes called the Butler Way.

Are these four points really part of what it means to be Butler Blue? Can they in some way connect you all, today and in the future? Are they worth remembering, as I think they are? How could I prove such a statement? How could I make your last class at Butler stay with you?

I have an idea—a friend of yours and mine whom I’ve asked to come to commencement just to make this call.”

This is the part where I made my grand entrance and found my spot on stage next to Dr. Vibbert and the podium, amid the cheers, laughter and clapping. It was quite fun.

Really, I was probably on display for a minute, but like Dr. Vibbert, I think it drove home the point and maybe made that one of the most memorable speeches in all of Butler’s 152 commencement exercises.

In all, the University conferred degrees on 877 students – 275 from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 196 from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 185 from the College of Business Administration, 120 from the Jordan College of Fine Arts and 101 from the College of Education.

Dr. Susan Solomon, a senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was the keynote speaker. She was part of the group that won the 2007 Nobel Prize for their efforts "to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

I don’t really know anything about that, nor will I pretend to. When it comes to climates, I just know that I’m the sort of breed that pretty much has to live in a temperature controlled environment, thus, I need a very mild climate…i.e. indoors.

Anyway, Dr. Solomon got an Honorary Degree during the ceremony. I did not, however get an Honorary Degree. That’s okay, I’m probably only deserving of an “Ornery Degree.” I know…bad joke.

In other news, fellow Butler Bulldog and IndyCar Series driver, Ed Carpenter, did make the field for the Indianapolis 500 on the first day of qualifying this past Saturday. He will start the 92nd running from the 10th position. Go Ed!

Before I sign off on this post, I want to wish my good friend Kirby the best of luck in Minnesota. His mom graduated on Saturday so I have to bid farewell to my good friend. Thanks for leaving me your purple wading pool too, Kirby! I’ll put it to good use like I did my blue one last year.

Bye Kirby…I’ll never forget the great times we had together!

Blue II

The Hook Up!

This week has been pretty fruitful for me. For whatever reason, I’ve been getting the hook up! It all started on Monday when the department secretary for Political Science, Linda Cooley, brought me a bunch of new toys and a ton gourmet treats from Three Dog Bakery. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I don’t know what I did, but it was awesome! Linda’s a big fan. Thanks Linda!

One of the toys Linda brought me was a stuffed polar bear. It was by far my favorite toy of the lot. I pretty much destroyed it all week. Check out the pictures and video…

Then on Wednesday, my good friend Arni Sribhen of IndyCar Series fame, hooked me up with some IndyCar swag, including a leash and a jersey. They’re perfect for this time of year…May in Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500.



Naturally, I’m rooting for 2003 Butler graduate, Ed Carpenter…driver of the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Go Bulldogs!

On Thursday I went to the ground breaking ceremony for the new pharmacy building on campus. We were under a tent for the event, but it rained steadily all day and during the event so I got a little wet on that venture.

Later in the day I got to visit with the senior class at their champagne toast and class picture. That was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being in their class picture, primarilly because this is the first class that I've seen all the way through at Butler. In other words, they were freshmen when I was a freshman, so it was sentimental for me.

Unfortunately, graduation means that one of my best friends, Kirby, is going to be leaving. His mom, Jessica Butler, graduates tomorrow and she is moving back home to Minnesota, so that means Kirby won't be around anymore. That makes me very sad!

I guess that's kind of what graduation is all about...picking up and moving on. (Someone should have told my dad that because he graduated from Butler in 2002 and he's still there!) Sometimes graduation means leaving family and friends and going out in the world to practice what you've learned, but knowing that still doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to my friend Kirby.

Tomorrow I get to go to commencement exercises at Hinkle Fieldhouse to see the class of 2008 graduate. I actually will play a special role in tomorrow's graduation ceremony, but I don't want to give away the surprise just yet, so I'll have to post sometime after with a recap of the events.

For now, I'm going to rest up and get ready for the big day.


Blue II

Red Rooster Romp

Yesterday I got things started by destroying one of the favorite toys that I received for my birthday...the Red Rooster. Perhaps its the warmer weather, pent-up agression, or the desire to onery, but whatever it is (maybe some of all three), I just felt the need to get my morning off on the right paw via a little toy destruction. Perhaps you saw some of it on Blue2TV: http://go.butler.edu/lifeatbutler/?pg=4731

My dad decided to get a little footage of the massacre. In the first video you'll see me began to tear off the rooster's appendages. You'll also notice how proud I am of my accomplishments.

In this next video, you'll see that my dad and Uncle Kyle enjoy mocking me and how I take that out on my kill, or rooster.

After pulvarizing the rooster into a soggy slobbery mess, it was time to head over to the College of Education for a freshman recruiting event. Of course, I always enjoy being invited to a social activity, so I was happy to mix and mingle with the guests. Unfortunately, I just missed out on a piece of Papa John's pizza and a cookie that fell of someone's plate and onto the floor.

Had I been able to get my mouth around that pizza, the event would have gone from good to great. Oh well, maybe next time I'll be so lucky.

We had to leave that event early to head downtown to the Scottish Rite Cathedral for a Rotary Club meeting that Bill Ervin invited me to. Rotary has established a scholarship at Butler for the Student Sociology Association/Butler University Chapter of the John Weidner Foundation for Altruism. So the scholarship recipient was presented at the meeting and I got to be the Butler ambassador on hand for support.

On the way back to campus, I got to enjoy the spring air blowing on my face as dad rolled down the windows for me. Once we got back to campus, I took a long nap to rest back up, then went to work again on my rooster. As you can see in the picture, I did pretty good for a day's work. In fact, I clearly felt satisfied enough to move on to my bone (in mouth).

Today things got going with a welcome party for a new staff member in the alumni office. That was cool because they had bagels from Panera and I got some.

Once I got settled in at the office , I got started again on a little rooster activity. I finally got all appendages off and went to work on the inards and stuffing. By the end of the day today, the rooster is basically just a wet, floppy shell of a stuffed animal. Job well done!

Later in the day I got to go outside for a bit and enjoy the weather and some fun with my best friend Kirby. We had a great time running around the campus mall and doing our usual rough-housing. Good times.

I concluded the day with another new staff member party in the Office of Conferences and Special Events and a trip to the HRC for my dad's workout.

All of that pretty much left me down for the count for the entire evening, both last night and tonight. It's hard being me!

Tomorrow should be another typical day in the office. I'll find another stuff animal to terrorize, try not to get too wet outside from the rain that's supposed to move through, and take a couple of naps. I also get to go to the Dawg Pound end-of-year celebration to help hand out the fan of the year award and other fun stuff.

I thought I would be a good candidate for Dawg Pound Fan of the Year. After all, I did get on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing my Dawg Pound shirt! That's national Dawg Pound exposure! Unfortunatley, I don't think I qualify given my canine status. Oh well, I'll let you know how it goes.

Blue II

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, another birthday has come and gone and after four years, I’m now 28 years old. It’s true. Do the math. This is the one time that my dad and I will be the same age. In just a month or two, I’ll surpass him.

I must say that this has been the best birthday I’ve ever had since this was the first time that a university-wide party has been thrown in my honor. For my first birthday, we had a staff party down in the basement of Jordan Hall amongst the University Advancement staff and some friends, but since then, nothing formal has really been done until now. That first birthday part was fun…maybe a little too much fun….hence the video on www.youtube.com/butlerblue2 of me throwing up part of the cake I got. Oops. Too much of a good thing, I guess.

Thanks to the Butler University Student Foundation (BUSF) with some assistance from the Student Government Association (SGA), the first-ever Blue II Birthday Party was held on campus for all students, faculty and staff to join in. I’m biased, but I think it was a raving success! I didn’t even regurgitate anything this year either!

The party was from 11-1 and setup in Starbuck’s just off the bookstore in the one and only, Atherton Union. By 10:55 a.m. there was a line and I had not even made a grand entrance yet. By 12:30 p.m., all 480 cookies and 240 cupcakes were consumed. Luckily, SGA came in with back up supplying soda and other giveaways.

Congratulations to Nolan Yeakley for winning the “Guess Blue II’s Weight” contest. Nolan’s name was drawn from all the entries that correctly guessed my weight at 60 lbs. If you had your picture taken with me on the staff’s digital camera, please email jmjones@butler.edu to obtain a copy of that file.

I think there was a line the entire time for guests to get their picture with me. Many of them found out the hard way that if they are holding a cookie while trying to get their picture with me, I’m going to try and eat it. I am a dog, who acts on instinct, after all.

As advertised, there was a oversized card for guests to sign and there was the “pin the tail on the dawg” game as well. Here’s a little video for reference of all of the aforementioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svezCbvhonw

I also want to thank Stephanie Smith who brought me several gifts the other day, my best friend Kirby who brought me a basketball, Olivia who got me a bone, Anabelle who made me a card, everyone else that stopped by the party and/or got me a gift, and BUSF, SGA, and the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs for throwing me a party. You’ve all kept me very spoiled!

It means a lot to be appreciated like that. Everyone should be so lucky, at least once in their life. As far as dogs go, I’m one of the luckiest and it’s something I don’t take for granted, so I thanks to everyone for making a big to-do over my date of birth.

Also, I want to give a big shout-out to my Shih Tzu cousin, Murphy, in Columbus, Ohio who shares the same birthday with me…happy birthday Prince Murphy Alouicious!

In other news, the University of Tennessee Volunteers lost to the Louisville Cardinals last night in the NCAA tournament. You may remember the Volunteers knocked out the Bulldogs last Sunday in overtime. The Cards destroyed the Vols 79-60! Dude, they lost by 19 points…I want another shot at the title. Way to represent. (That’s sarcasm.)

Granted, the Cards are good, but are they that much better than Tennessee? I wouldn’t think so. I sure would like to see how the Bulldogs would fair against them. Oh well, it’s a moot point now.

What can I say? I’m still a bitter Bulldog after last Sunday’s defeat.

Thanks again to everyone for the great birthday! Let’s do it again next year. Have a great weekend, watch the IndyCar Series race on ESPN2 on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. (EST) and be sure to stop and smell the roses…I always do!

Blue II

The Graves Touch and Three Days of Fun

First of all, my apologies for not updating the blog until today, however, I've been so busy over the last three days that my little paws haven't had time to navigate the QWERTY. Second, be advised that this is a long post...you young readers might want to break it up in sections. I'll make it easy for you and categorize my recent adventures based on the day.

However, before I begin, I still could use your help in the BISSELL MVP contest. Please take a second and vote for me here: http://www.bissell.com/redirect.asp?page_id=47101&Pet=4900.jpg

Thank you, and now on to my usual canine insights...

Thursday, February 28:

The best thing about this day was the Butler men's basketball game against Wright State at Hinkle Fieldhouse. If you noticed, my friend and videographer Kelly, from The Indianapolis Star was on hand to shoot some additional footage for my video profile which is due on their web site sometime this month.

Also, for as much trash as I talked about Rowdy the Raider, I actually got along great with the guy. I guess it's easy to do when you're winning, but it surprised even me. I don't know if you can call it a "Reagan and Gorbachev" relationship by any means, but it's something anyway.

The Dawgs won the game and as a result, sealed the regular season Horizon League championship...a feat they have done six times out of the last nine seasons! They celebrated by cutting the nets down in Hinkle and posing for pictures with the Dawg Pound and yours truly.

Friday, February 29:

Leap Day! I told my dad that technically we shouldn't have to go to work that day because it was an extra day and that wasn't in our contract, but he made us go anyway. I suppose it was a good thing as we got some things accomplished.

One thing we did was created a YouTube page for me so that I can upload all of my Emmy Award winning home videos for everyone to enjoy. Check it out and save it to your favorites: http://www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.

I will continue to post videos periodically so check back early and often.

Then, the mail arrived with a special package for me, from Amazon.com. It was a web cam. Or as I like to call it a "Blue II Cam," or a "Blue TV." That's right, if my blog and YouTube.com sites weren't enough for all of you devoted fans, soon you'll be able to watch live streaming video of me doing exciting things like sleeping.


My dad got the web cam all hooked up and ready to go and I think we'll use ustream.tv to host the broadcasts, but YouTube just announced that they are venturing into the lifestream hosting realm, so we may end up switching. Unless ustream.tv comes up with a significant multi-thousand dollar contract to keep us. Regardless, I'll let you know when we go live with the video stream.

After all of that, it was KIRBY TIME! Kirby is my best friend and every other week or so, on Fridays, he comes to the office to visit. Named after the late Kirby Puckett of Minnesota Twins fame, Kirby is a one year old Maltese/Shih Tzu mix and belongs to Butler student, Jessica Butler (no relation to Ovid). Although, I look more like Kirby Puckett than Kirby does.



We're kind of like the Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon of doggy friends, but it works. Kirby likes to bounce around and bit my neck rolls and ears while I like to growl and bark at Kirby and dare him to get the toy that's in my mouth. It's strange, but we like it.




I have some video of Kirby and I up on my YouTube site. In case you are really lazy, I'll include one for your viewing pleasure below. Keep in mind, we are just "play fighting." It looks and sounds a lot worse than it is. No Michael Vick activity ensued.

After playing with Kirby, I was exahausted, so I pretty much slept for the remainder of the work day. But, later that evening it was back to work with an appearance at the HRC for Butler's annual Freshman Skits.

I was asked by Kappa Kappa Gamma to be a part of their skit. Typically I get asked each year to be in somebody's skit and I'm happy to oblige. I will upload a short video of that on my YouTube page.

Saturday, March 1:

After getting to bed late, I was up early and headed back to the HRC for Butler's 16th annual Bulldog Jog. The Butler University Student Foundation and Alumni Association put on the 5K race as a fundraiser for student book scholarships. I'm all for literacy and physical fitness so it seemed worth my time.


In spite of the event's name, you'll see no actual Bulldogs jogging. I would venture to say that my 3.1 mile time would be somewhere north of an hour, so I left the running to everyone else, including my dad. I was mainly on hand for PR.


Dick Wolfsie of WISH-TV CBS Channel 8 was on hand doing live spots from the event so I got a little TV time as well. Again, see my YouTube site for some video of that.

The race went well and participants exceeded the 200 mark, which was great! Race results can be reviewed here: http://www.butler.edu/alumni/index.aspx?pg=4393

After that, it was a quick nap and back to campus for the Butler men's basketball game against Detroit. It was Senior Day at the game as well as Hinkle Fieldhouse's 80th birthday. I even did tricks at center court during a timeout, ran after my bone a couple times, as well as took pictures with the seniors and their families, but perhaps the most noteworthy event was the fact that senior guard, A.J. Graves, actually pet me during the announcement of starting lineups.

You may remember my earlier post regarding A.J. and his desire, or lack thereof, to pet me during starting lineups. Well, he decided that Senior Day and some 120 starts were as good of time as any to show me some love.

The event was so monumental, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star wrote about it in his Butler Notebook as well as his Butler Insider blog, and the folks on the Butler Basketball message board took note too.

In spite of additional cheers from the crowd for finally giving me a pat on the head, A.J. went for only two points, the lowest of his Butler career. Oops. Sorry A.J. At least you tried it once. You don't have to pet me ever again. It's cool . I'm not mad at it.

But, it seems to have worked for other players. Take for instance, Pete Campbell who started, gave me a pre-game rub down, and then went off to make 8 of 12 three pointers. Nicely done, Pete.

So what does all of this mean? Nothing.

The first day of the month also means that the Butler News Flash was sent out to email inboxes world wide. If you don't receive the News Flash, you should. Email me at blue2@butler.edu and I'll make sure we get you signed up.

Okay, I think that covers just about everything for now. Today, I think I'll mainly rest and spend the day at home getting ready for next week and the Horizon League Tournament. I feel a bath in my future, but my mom said that if I was good, then I might be able to get the skateboard out for practice. We'll see.

Finally, the sound of chirping crickets and my lap top cooling fan is deafening...please feel free to use the "comments" feature. I enjoy the feedback and questions.

Blue II