The Indianapolis Monthly Interview - Uncut

The July 2010 issue of Indianapolis Monthly will forever be special to me as it was their annual pet guide edition and yours truly graced the cover.

Included in the magazine was Q&A that I did with Indianapolis Monthly and while I received a lot of compliments regarding my answers, what was printed was just a snipet of the actual interview. So, for your reading pleasure, here is the Q&A in its entirety...

IM: As the Butler mascot, what are your "job responsibilities"? And, are you compensated?

BB2: At the core of my “job responsibilities” is to truly be an ambassador for Butler University. I’ve found that if I stick to that, then the rest seems to take care of itself. Of course, you can find me at university sporting events, performances, dinners, receptions, admissions events, etc. You name it, I’ve probably done it. I’m also a bit of a spokesdoggy too, having done numerous media appearances and a great deal of community relations work.

As for compensation, well, I guess I’m well cared for and I have some great sponsors that fulfill almost my every need. So I’m compensated well from that standpoint. I haven’t, however, ever seen any actual dollars. I’m considering a change in personal agents and a revised contract.

IM: What training is required for you to do your job?

BB2: I took six, count them, six total “puppy obedience classes.” That’s it. I had a good teacher and learned a lot, but let’s tell it like it is here…I set foot on Butler’s campus before my parents even took me home. This is all I know. My dad taught me right from wrong, my mom taught me some awesome tricks, and Brad Stevens taught me the Butler Way. I may not be sniffing out bombs in airports or keeping the blind from walking out in traffic, but I like to think I do pretty well for myself.

IM: In addition to being present at basketball games, what other sporting events do you attend?

BB2: I tend to work all of the home men’s basketball games and football games. After that I get to the majority of home volleyball and women’s basketball contests as well. From there I try to get to at least one of each of the other team’s events during the year. That’s easier said than done, however and doesn’t always happen. My goal for 2010-11 is to make it to every sports’ senior day contests and to appear in all of the Butler team photos.

IM: Do you make appearances, such as giving autographs (paw-tographs?), photo with fans, on TV commercials, etc.?

BB2: I make countless appearances these days. I’ve always done appearances, especially as it relates to the university, but I’ve done my share of community appearances in my six years as well. However, since the NCAA Final Four, I probably get an appearance request on a daily basis. Everything from being a part of a student presentation, to serving as the grand marshal of parades, to book fairs, to private parties; you name it and chances are I’m being requested for it.
I get autographs on a daily basis too. The whole paw in ink thing doesn’t really work and is incredibly messy, so don’t ask for a “paw-tograph.” Not happening unless you’re really, really important. I’m happy to sign headshots and pictures, however, and I’m getting regular request for that as well.

Posing for photos with fans is probably my most requested activity. Anytime I’m out in public, it’s inevitable. I’m usually happy to do it, but sometimes I’m on the move and I don’t have time. I think it’s pretty cool that people would want to kneel down and get their picture with me. At the Final Four it wasn’t just fans making the requests either, I had everyone from CBS executives, members of the media and security folks asking as well! And when I got back on campus after those big games, it was funny how the student interest in photos picked up too!

I think the only TV commercials I’ve been on are Butler basketball promos for season tickets and for our games on MyNDY. But, I will say that I am available and affordable, so for those companies that want to align themselves with the Butler brand and have a really handsome spokesdoggy, then now is the time to get in on the ground floor while I'm still cheap!

IM: Any funny stories from your experiences as a mascot? Have you ever failed to give a high-five or run to the end of the court and get the bone? Any accidents on the court?

BB2: I’ve had my share of funny moments during my career. Like the time that I chewed up a Michigan State Spartan hat almost on cue on live national television while shooting for the CBS Early Morning Show. But, the funniest moment probably had to be when I accidentally (on purpose) tripped my two-legged mascot counterpart, Hink, as we ran the football team out onto the field. It’s tradition that Hink and I run the guys out onto the pitch before each home game. Normally the cheerleaders go first with their flags, then me, then Hink, followed by the team. Well, Hink took off at virtually the same time I did and well, I thought I’d have a little fun with that. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to run right under Hink’s feet and watch him tumble. You see, Hink’s line of sight is all of a matter of inches so he never saw it coming. Down Hink went and sometimes I was able to scramble loose and keep going. Don’t worry, Hink didn’t get trampled by the football team or anything. His pride may have been hurt, but there were no hard feelings; just a collective gasp from the crowd followed by lots of laughs. Thankfully my mom caught it all on her iPhone. Priceless. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL2Yn1x3RI0

IM: What are your favorite activities outside of your life at Butler?

BB2: I suppose I’m just a normal pet or dog outside of Butler. I love the outdoors and tend to think that I’m an farm dog. I love helping around the yard. I also enjoy going to visit both sets of my grandparents where I get to ride the four-wheeler and tractor, go boating, go to the hardware store, and of course, sleep.

IM: Favorite treat?

BB2: Ice cream. No question. Don’t get me wrong, I like all of the favorites such as peanut butter, cheese, filet mignon, etc., but ice cream is all the rage. Always has been, always will be.

IM: Favorite toy?

BB2: That depends on how you define “toy.” I have this thing called a Tail Wagon which is made by Burley. It looks like one of those nylon chariots you see kids being hauled around in, behind bikes on the Monon Trail. Anyway, I have one of those and it might be my most favorite toy/contraption that I’ve ever had. Ever. Outside of my tail wagon, I’m a huge fan of small latex chew toys, teddy bears and basketballs.

IM: And finally, please describe your experience at the NCAA Final Four. Were you at all nervous about being surrounded by 70,000 screaming fans?

BB2: My experience at the NCAA Final Four was incredible. That’s the best way that I can explain. There really are not words that exist that allow me to really describe the magnitude of that experience. It made me the most popular dog in America and it made Butler a household name. While Coach Stevens and the men’s basketball team were the focus of the Final Four, I like to think I played the role of best supporting actor. It was the best experience of my life so far and I certainly hope to do it again someday.

I wasn’t nervous to be in front of 70,000 fans. I think that was evident to anyone that was there or whom was watching at home. I live for this sort of thing after all. However, I will say that I did feed of the energy that was in Lucas Oil Stadium during those two games. There was so much positive directed toward Butler…the kind that makes your hair (or fur) stand up on end. I felt it as soon as we would enter the stadium each day…it swelled my broad chest with pride, perched my ears forward, heightened my tail-end, and gave me a strut that would make George Jefferson blush.

I will say that tend to carry and internalize the collective hopes and energy of the Butler nation. That may sound weird, but I’m a perceptive dog and I know what’s up. I knew what was at stake in Lucas Oil Stadium and I also knew what it meant when my pal Gordon Hayward’s shot didn’t go in at the buzzer. I, like the Butler faithful, was crushed. My dad tried to get a rise out of me moments after the championship game. Usually I’m the one doing the consoling, but this time I could sense the pain, anguish, sorrow and disappointment that saturated the heart. I was stone cold. I wanted that championship. I wanted to be top dawg. After sleeping that night I awoke that Tuesday morning still wishing that the outcome would have been different. I continued to contemplate on it. I even went to the pep rally at Hinkle Fieldhouse later that day. By the time I went to sleep that evening, I realized that I was top dawg after all. The score didn’t matter, Butler has already proved its worth. I’d still like to have that trophy, don’t get me wrong, but I think we may have taken home so much more. There’s never been a better time to be a Butler Bulldog, let alone THE Butler Bulldog.

What I Did Last Summer - The Summer Essay

(This blog post contains no images…for photos and video, please visit the following websites: http://www.twitpic.com/photos/butlerblue2 and www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.)

It’s late August (the last day in fact) and while, in my opinion, we should all still all be out hitting up bodies of water, golf course, outdoor amphitheatres, race tracks, or rolling on two wheels, enjoying a round of catch in the front yard, enjoying an afternoon nap in front of a fan and/or all of the other fruits of summer, instead we’re all hustling back to the halls and walls that hold us over the cold, dry winter months. We’re back to the rooms that hold as much knowledge and learning as they do daydreams and germs, but it’s the obligatory rite of passage in our lives as we know it, yes, it’s back to school time.

For my elementary, middle and high school counterparts, you’ve most likely done your settling in and by now there’s a good chance that your desk is already a mess, your locker stinks and you and classmates have worn the fresh wax of those hard terrazzo floors. We collegiate types like to put the return to campus off a bit more, like it should be (and much like I did my blog to this summer); and so the Butler Bulldogs returned to campus for the first day of class, last Wednesday, Aug. 26th.

At Butler, like most college campuses I would assume, the return to school is less dreaded than say at the secondary level. I wouldn’t know, I didn’t go to high school as I was a bit of a prodigy…going straight to college and all. But my parents went and they usually just groan when it’s referenced. But college on the other hand, now that’s some of the best days of your life and so why wouldn’t 18-23 year-olds want to leave their parents behind each summer to start a new season of fraternization and studies?

Combine that anticipated return to campus with a faculty and staff at Butler that’s a-buzz with the news that we’ve moved up in the U.S. News & World Report rankings AND our freshman class looks to be one of the best to ever step foot on campus!

Butler received its highest ranking ever of second in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges. It is also Butler’s 21st consecutive year being among the top 10 in this category. For all of the scoop, head here: http://www.butler.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=1256&z=22

And as for the freshman, well, we welcomed 958 freshmen when school began last Wednesday with a class slightly larger than the enrollment target of 915. The students making up Butler’s class of 2013 boast strong high school academic achievements and an average GPA of 3.74 (on a 4.0 scale). Eight are National Merit Scholars (up from 4 last year); one student is a National Achievement Scholar. Fifty-six of them were valedictorians; 19 were salutatorians. Twenty-nine are Lilly Scholars. More stats here: http://www.butler.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=1252&z=22

So anyway, about my blog…um, yeah, well, you see, once I found out this past spring that Butler’s president, Dr. Bobby Fong was taking something called a “sabbatical” for the next three months, which involved him not coming to campus, leaving the country and putting someone else in charge, I said to heck with it. I figured that while Dr. Fong may run the campus, I own this place so if he can take some time off, then I can too.

Unfortunately, the guy I come to work with everyday, my dad, yeah well he doesn’t get these so-called “sabbaticals,” (I called him a fool for not working that one out in his contract.) so we still had to report to campus every day. That being the case I had to find at least something I could take a sabbatical from and so I chose the blog (and the web cam and Facebook).

I still came to work every day, I still tweeted on my Twitter.com account regularly (@ButlerBlue2) and posted a couple videos to my BlueTube (YouTube.com) channel, but that was about it. Otherwise, I laid low when it came to the new media and self promotion. However, while I may have not been on the computer much (and neither should you have been…it’s summer after all!) it wasn’t like I was leading a completely sedentary lifestyle. In fact, I did some pretty cool things and so to tell you all about it, I’m going to write a little back to school summer essay. I’m sure you know what I’m referencing and maybe have even had to write one or two of them in your lifetime.

Yep, it’s the “Here’s What I Did Last Summer” essay, by Butler Blue II. Have fun grading, errr, reading it.

June

The month of June was rather uneventful, and perhaps the most noteworthy item of the month was settling in to an empty campus. Late May and June always bring the promise of a fun summer and the harsh reality that it’s going to be a lonely campus. I like the summertime and I also enjoy the peaceful collegiate atmosphere that only summer can bring to a college campus, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I preferred the hustle and bustle of the students shuffling to class.

Otherwise, my month of June was filled with appearances for the Office of Admission, photo opportunities with young campers on campus for everything from sports camps, music camps and even writing workshops. I also had a couple of extended stays at my grandparents’ houses which were pretty fun too.


July

The seventh month of the year might have been one of the best for me so far this year and most certainly marked the highlights of my summer.

I’ll start with the pinnacle of my summer which was a fine purchase by my parents known as the Tail Wagon by Burley. The best way to explain this thing is like having my own chariot to ride in which my parents can either hook up to their bicycles and tow or push like a stroller. And trust me, when you’re a heavy bulldog with little short legs and a general difficulty breathing, this is the best way to go for a “walk.”

In fact, there’s only two things wrong with the Burley Tail Wagon…1.) I don’t get to ride it near enough and; 2.) my parents didn’t buy it for me sooner. Now, I’m not sponsored by Burley or anything, but that’s a gig I wouldn’t mind either. Hint, hint. Hey Burley people, if you need a spokesdog or even just some happy pooch to grace your product packaging, then hit me up!

The month of July was cool too. And by cool, I mean as in temperature. In fact, it was something like the second coolest July on record in Indianapolis and while that didn’t sit well with some, it was certainly quite welcome by me. Think about it, I’m stuck wearing this fur coat no matter the weather conditions!

So with the cool weather and a new toy in the Burley Tail Wagon, you would have thought that would have been beating the pavement at every opportunity. Well, I did get out quite bit, but only when I could pull my dad away from watching Lance Armstrong peddle the Tour de France on VERSUS-TV or put down a book he picked up called “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” by Garth Stein. It’s a book about dogs, and auto racing, two of my dad’s favorite things, and top that off with the fact that the book is written from a dog’s perspective, much like my blog, and he was hooked on every word.

On top of that, July 20 marked the 40th anniversary that famed astronaut Neil Armstrong and colleagues Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins crewed the first mission (Apollo 11) involving a lunar landing. My dad is a big space geek as well, so of course he was all about commemorating that event by watching and reading the media coverage.

So I spent a lot of time on the couch with my dad watching rockets, bicycles and reading about racecars which was all just fuel on my own burning fire of desire to test the limits of my Burley Tail Wagon.

I suppose that with all of the good that July brought there’s bound to be a little bad as well. The bad came in the form of broken glass. Long story short, my mom was driving our family’s new Honda Ridgeline and I was on the backseats, chilling out in my seat cover/hammock. And by “chilling out,” I mean I was fast asleep. While cruising along the highway, suddenly, and with no warning, our sunroof just exploded. No, it did not crack, we did not hit a bump, it just exploded. Shards of glass were everywhere as it covered me, my mom, and both the interior and exterior of the truck. Thankfully everyone was fine and after I was able to get vacuumed off later that evening, I was good to go. Unfortunately the folks at American Honda did not deem the failure of the glass to be a warrantable occurrence (I find that to be leaning on the side of unethical.) so they didn’t pick up the tab for the damage. The didn’t even spilt the bill, so my parents were truckless and a little lighter in the pocketbook for much of July, but that’s life I suppose.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Honda makes a wonderful product, but I pinned them as one to stand by their product just a bit more than they actually did. After all, while there are known cases of sunroofs exploding in their vehicles, it does appear to be rare and often times caused by a manufacturer defect. But I’m just a dog, so what do I know?

July also saw a couple of our Butler Bulldog student athletes bring home some new hardware in the form of gold medals! Yep, our own men’s basketball players, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack won gold medals on behalf of the USA in the FIBA U19 World Championship in July. Not only that, but the pair were the talk of the team and represented Butler quite well. Read all about it: http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=967621


August

I was worried that with all the highlights brought about by July would leave August an absolute bore. But the “dog days of summer” did not disappoint either. In fact, August got started with a bang as 2003 Butler University grad and Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter put on an impressive display of driving in the IndyCar Series’ race at Kentucky Speedway on August 1st.

Ed put on the drive of his young career by charging from a 14th starting spot all the way up to lead the race for 34 laps and eventually battle with Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske in an exciting ten lap duel which ended in Ed taking second by just 0.0162 of a second! It was Ed’s best finish and most laps led in an IndyCar event. Of course, my dad works part-time for the team so I have a vested interest in all of it, even outside of Ed being a Butler Bulldog. I was proud of all involved.

Summer Etcetera

The promise of another academic year and the students returning to campus is definitely something that I look forward to in August. The return of the students brings a buzz back to campus that even I can sense and pick up on; adding a pep to my step. My social calendar picks up immediately and my desire and need for attention is met by students who adore me, and/or miss their own doggie that they left at home.

Of course, there were other noteworthy summer highlights as well and include the usual activities like swimming in my kiddie pool, trips to my grandparents’ houses, frequent visits to local ice cream shops and outdoor dining facilities like Boogie Burger, Greek’s Pizzeria and Yats, which are all in the Broadripple area.

Summertime is also the anniversary of my annual health checkup and vaccinations. So I went to visit my pal and Butler grad, Dr. Kurt Phillips of Woodland Animal Hospital in Carmel, Ind. Dr. Phillips gave me a clean bill of health, but was a bit concerned about my propensity to walk gingerly from time to time, specially as I tend to stiffen up after a hard play or romp. While I’m only five years old, I am now considered to be middle-aged and VERY active for a bulldog, so he thought it might be wise to put me on some arthritis medication as a preventative measure.

Not only do I like taking the arthritis medication each day as my parents cover it with peanut butter to get me to swallow it, but it actually works too. A month or so after taking the stuff, I’m feeling like a young pup again! So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.

So that was my summer, or at least that was my summer as summarized in essay form. I hope you enjoyed it.

Stay tuned to the blog as now that school is back in session, I’ll be more diligent about updating it early and often. Also, don’t forget to follow my Twitter feed as well: www.Twitter.com/ButlerBlue2 as I’m updating that on a regular basis and including photos as well.

Here’s to summer days gone by and now a great 2009-10 academic and athletic year on the campus of Butler University. So far so good!

Blue II

P.S. For pictures and video of my summer adventures, head to http://www.twitpic.com/photos/butlerblue2 and www.youtube.com/butlerblue2. Sorry, this post was already long enough without the imagery, so I just decided you can go check it out on your own.