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