A Clean Dog is a Happy Dog

It's true, a clean dog certainly is a happy dog and thanks to my pals at Good Dog Hotel & Spa in Broad Ripple, I will be both clean and happy for a long time to come!

Of course, I've been those things for a long time, but now I've got the sponsorship support to make my cleanliness that much easier to come by as I'm pleased to announce that Good Dog Hotel & Spa is now the exclusive and official groomer for Butler Blue II (that's me!).

During all of that March Madness stuff I got a call from Jen Funk, a fellow Butler grad who worked at Good Dog Hotel & Spa and wanted to recognize Butler's advancement to the Final Four. To commerate the occasion, she was planning a "Bulldog Party" and was offering a discount to all bulldogs (four legs) in the neighborhood that wanted to get cleaned up for the big game.

Of course, she invited me to attend as an appearance fee, she granted a full-service grooming. You may remember the occasion being televised by many of the local TV stations and featured in print thanks to The Indianapolis Star. (http://photos.indystar.com/galleries/9232-blue-ii-spa-and-party)

I still have people telling me they loved watching my spa treatment and frankly, I loved it so much that I wanted to come back for more. So the kind folks at Good Dog Hotel & Spa were happy to oblige and now I get to come back whenever I want! To know me, is to know clean and happy from now on!

In case you missed out on the excitement of the aforementioned Bulldog Party, Good Dog Hotel has PHOTOS and VIDEO on their website (www.gooddoghotel.com) for viewing. Be sure to check it all out!

I'm looking forward to partnering with Good Dog Hotel & Spa on may projects and special events in the future. They are good bunch over there and I'm happy to add them to my sponsor lineup which includes...

Woodland Animal Hospital (Dr. Kurt Phillips)
WellPet & Holistic Select
City Dogs Grocery (Susan Smith)
VCA Animal Hospitals (Dr. Deb Rowley)
Good Dog Hotel & Spa

Many thanks to Good Dog Hotel & Spa, owner Matt Kurtz, my contact Jen Funk, and all of the great people there. Here's to a great partnership!

Now get your dog to Good Dog!

Blue II

P.S. Don't forget to follow Good Dog Hotel & Spa on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/gooddogindy and look for them on Facebook too!

P.S.S. I've got another partnership to announce very soon and there's potential for even more on the horizon! Stay tuned!

When a Moral Victory Becomes the Greatest Victory

I don’t know about you, but I’m still hung-over from the week that I just had and that NCAA National Championship game. It was the best week I’ve ever had and the worst week that I ever had.

You can’t have joy without sorrow/pain (a wise soul told me that). So be it, but it’s how you handle it that determines your character, your legacy. Butler University head coach Brad Stevens and our magnificent men’s basketball team taught us that, if nothing else, over the past few days.

But before I get ahead of myself with all of that deep reflection let me just speak briefly about the week itself and the schedule I kept. I cannot even begin to exhaustively list all of my experiences and media appearances. Just know that they were extensive and plentiful, highlighted by…

-Sitting on the court following the Butler/MSU semi-final, just owning it, while CBS concluded its coverage of that game. (see: www.flickr.com/butlerblue2)

-Sitting on the lap of CBS Sports analyst, Seth Davis, during their semi-final pre-game coverage alongside Greg Gumbel and Greg Anthony. (see: www.flickr.com/butlerblue2)

-Appearing on the Bob & Tom Show and licking the Miller High Life guy’s face.

-Meeting Peyton Manning at the National Championship game. (see: www.flickr.com/butlerblue2)

-Having my mug in The Indianapolis Star, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, among countless other newspapers, all in one day.

-Tearing up a Michigan State Spartans hat on the CBS Early Show.

-Appearing in CBS’ “One Shining Moment” following the National Championship game.

-Being on the court during player introductions for both the semi-final and championship games; just like back at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

-My spa treatment at Good Dog Hotel & Spa in Broad Ripple.

-Staying at a hotel.

-A police escort.

-Watching members of the media act like normal fans while waiting in line to get their picture taken with me. (see: www.flickr.com/butlerblue2)

-Representing Butler on the biggest stage ever in the school’s 155-year history. I will always be THE Bulldog to have represented Butler in its first-ever Final Four and National Championship game.

There was just so much more than the baker’s dozen listed above which reminds me, if you aren’t following me on Twitter or at least checking in on my Twitter feed on a daily basis, you’re missing out! You can find that here: www.Twitter.com/ButlerBlue2.

What is amazing is that before the NCAA Tournament started I probably had a little over 1,000 Twitter followers. Today I have north of 1,700!

You might also want to check out my Flickr photostream at www.Flickr.com/ButlerBlue2 which chronicles my adventures from the week or so. The interesting fact there is that my Flickr photostream has garnered more than 9,000 views on each of the last two days. Staggering.

But it’s not all about me, no, credit goes to the men’s basketball team and their coaching staff for making it all possible. Without them, I’m just another English Bulldog who happens to be a mascot. Today, I’m Butler Blue II, the cute bulldog mascot of Butler University.

My face and my name aren’t just recognized these days, but they are now synonymous with “Butler University.” That was always the goal, but America finally got the message loud and clear over the last few days. Coach Stevens, his staff, and his team delivered that message. Thank you, gentlemen!

You know, I’m just a dog, but again, I was heart-broken over that loss. With around 13 seconds to go, I thought victory was ours. My Bulldogs had found a way to win all season. I had no reason to believe that they wouldn’t this time either.

When Gordon Hayward’s last shot didn’t go in, I was whisked off of the court and taken behind the scenes and out of harms way. My dad tried to get a rise out of me. I wasn’t talking. I was tired, I was hurt, and I was mad. As a dog, I felt the collective hopes, dreams, and positive energy being sucked out of Lucas Oil Stadium faster than a Shelvin Mack scoring run.

As my dad described it to Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated, I was “stone cold.”

I’m a dog and most things just roll right off my back. There’s not much a treat and a new toy won’t fix, but this one stung.

My biggest question at that moment, “What am I supposed to learn from this?” I mean, I already knew that life wasn’t fair, but this just seemed offensive.

So in the last 24-48 hours I’ve been looking for answers. I realize they all won’t come immediately, but there is something that is becoming very clear as I remove the layers of Butler insulation and begin seeing the world through fresh canine eyes.

In my doggy wisdom, it's becoming evident to me that in the championship game, Duke won the contest to score as many points as possible in 40 minutes. They got a nice trophy for that. But it was Butler that actually won the overall affair.

I mean, the President of the United States of America never calls the losing team and nor does the losing coach get interviews on the Late Show with David Letterman. Those things just don’t happen.

Outside of a small pocket of folks in North Carolina and the Duke alumni across the world, I don’t think anyone else even cares that Duke won that game. The media coverage since the final buzzer sounded confirms that notion.

I almost feel kind of bad for Duke, but not really. Congrats to those guys. That’s a great program, with great talent and they certainly earned the title, but I guess I’m not sorry that they never got the spotlight that is typically reserved for champions. No, that light is shining bright on Butler’s campus these days.

Watch out, I’m going to get real metaphoric on you now, but, I think that beam shining on campus is merely a reflection of the light our team used to illuminate the sort of ideals and actions we’ve come to know as “The Butler Way.”

Gordon Hayward’s last-second half-court shot didn’t need to go in for our team and our university to be considered champions. By that point, that goal had already been accomplished and it almost had nothing to do with basketball at that time.

When there were just about 13 seconds to go in the game, I really did think victory was ours. Little did I know, it already was.

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

One More Lesson for the Final Four

So since my last post, I turned six years old, had the best birthday ever, earned a berth to the Final Four, made some television appearances, got my mug featured in The Indianapolis Star, etc., etc., etc.

It's all been overwhelming, surreal, hectic and most of all, FUN!

As you know by now the Butler University Bulldogs men's basketball team has won the West Regional Bracket of the NCAA Tournament and has boldly gone where no Butler Bulldogs have every gone before...The Final Four!

And if that wasn't enough, this year's Final Four is being held in our back yard; Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium!

Look, it's almost a fairy tale story...the only thing left is two more victories for it to include a fairy tale ending. And while I stated in The Indianapolis Star that my only birthday wish was to earn a berth to the Final Four, what I failed to mention that for each of my years on this earth, I wanted an NCAA tournament victory. Four down; two to go.

You don't need me to recite the story lines. Just a basic Google news search will yield a plethora of articles on journey back home to Indianapolis and what may lie ahead.

But when it comes to all of this stuff and me, well, I'm probably in a similar place as you...I'm looking for my way into Lucas Oil Stadium for Butler's matchup between the Michigan State Spartans at 6 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 3, 2010.

You see, it's been my understanding that the NCAA does not allow live mascots in tournament sites. Thus the reason I did not make the trek to San Jose, Calif, or Salt Lake City, Utah the past two weeks.

However, now that the Bulldogs have made it to the Final Four and it's in our own backyard, we've got a whole new ballgame! I'm looking for access!

The irony here is, when the NCAA announced that Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium would be the 2010 host of the men's basketball Final Four, they asked host school, Butler University, to attend the press conference inside Lucas Oil Stadium and bring the cheerleaders and yours truly along for photo-opportunities.

So as far as being allowed inside Lucas Oil Stadium is concerned; been there done that. So in my opinion, it's now up to the NCAA to find it in their hearts to literally open doors for me.

Moreover, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing Georgetown's bulldog, Jack, at the Final Four a few years ago.

Thankfully, I've got the Butler Nation on my side so I think the message will be delivered loud and clear. I've got university staff working on my behalf, but without solicitation, my good friend and Butler beat writer for The Indianapolis Star, David Woods, included it in his blog submission on Sunday.

You can read David's thoughts on the matter here: http://blogs.indystar.com/butler/2010/03/ncaa_blog_17_let_blue_ii_appea.html.

I think David sums up well when he wrote, "What would it hurt if players pet Blue during introductions, and then Blue went charging across the floor to get his giant bone? That's good TV, folks." Thanks David!

So here's to hoping I find my way into the stadium for the game on Saturday.

As for ticket info, events, merchandise, make sure you follow me, my pal Hink, and Butler University on Twitter this week at the following locations:

www.Twitter.com/ButlerBlue2

www.Twitter.com/HinkTheBUDog

www.Twitter.com/ButlerU

It would also be in your best interest to checkout www.butlersports.com and www.butler.edu/alumni.

I've got tons of birthday stuff to share, but I'll save that for later...forgive me if I don't even get to it until next week, although I'll try put up a birthday re-cap this week.

What is more important right now is living in the moment. I hope all of our Bulldog alumni, students, faculty, staff, fans and even our newest members to the "Bulldog Nation" will show their patience, passion, and presence this week.

After reading back through my recent post which shared "What I've Learned" over the past six year's, I realized that left out an important lesson I learned recently from the likes of The Avett Brothers; a folk-rock type band that my pops listens to all the time.

The Avett Brother's song, "Murder in the City" ends with the lyric, "Always remember there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name."

In this case, that shared name is "Butler" and that love is "Butler love." It's running rampant these days and it's something that all of us Bulldogs should revel in.

A Final Four berth is precious, even for the most dominant of basketball programs, so enjoy every bit of the experience.

There truly has never been a better time to be a Butler Bulldog and fortunately for me, there's never been a better time to be THE Butler Bulldog. And as we get into the thick of the hoopla that comes along with appearing in the Final Four in your own hometown, just "remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name;" the Butler name.

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

Extreme Makeover: Blue II Edition

Just a quick post today to show off a little video that my good buddies at CMC Media Group put together of myself and P.I.C., Hink, at the ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition video shoot held at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Many thanks to the kind fellas at CMC Media Group for doing this! You guys are good in my book!

Anyway, the video is below. I think it will give you a bit of a glimpse of the atmosphere on Wednesday night in Hinkle, and set the scene a little bit better than my poor story telling and weak photography. Enjoy...



A quick mention of congratulations to Butler men's head basketball coach, Brad Stevens, who was deservedly awarded a contract extension this week. He's scheduled to be at Butler now until 2014-15. In his first two years as head coach of the Bulldogs, he boasts an impressive 56-10 record. To put that into perspective, only North Carolina's Bill Guthridge (58-14 from 1997-99), had more victories in his first two years. (The credit to David Woods of The Indianapolis Star for that stat.)

This weekend is the opening weekend of the IndyCar Series 2009 season with a race in St. Petersburg, Fla. Why does that concern me? Well, my dad is there for one, but also because fellow Bulldog and 2003 Butler grad Ed Carpenter will once again be in the field behind the wheel of the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing machine. Check him out on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS!

As for me this weekend, I'll be heading back up to Wabash, Ind. with my mom to visit the grandparents. I'm seeing a four-wheeler or tractor ride in my future!

I hope you enjoy the spring weekend as well!

Blue II

The Face of March Madness

Ok, well "The Face of March Madness" title might be a little presumptuous, but for Indianapolis and central Indiana, I might as well be as my mug is front and center on the front page of today's Indianapolis Star!

Joining me in the cover shot are Butler athletic director, Barry Collier; head men's basketball coach, Brad Stevens; my mascot counterpart, Hink; Butler's 20th president, Dr. Bobby Fong. The headline reads "THE BUTLER WAY" and the following article includes an analysis of Butler's campus-wide winning philosophy as interpreted by David Woods.

Log on to www.indystar.com/butler to check it out and to read additional Butler coverage by Mr. Woods and Curt Cavin. Good stuff!

And if you've yet to see the front page of The Star today, or you don't live in the area, then here it is in all of it's glory...

Today's the big day, game day, so let's talk a little Butler hoops for a minute. Remember, the No. 9 Bulldogs open up NCAA Tourney play today on CBS at 12:20 p.m. from Greensboro, North Carolina versus the No. 8 seeded Tigers of LSU. It's been a highly touted game with college basketball analysts and experts teetering on the outcome.

With the experts and public opinion in question regarding just who will be victorious in the Butler/LSU match-up today, perhaps we should just put all of that aside and pay attention to one man's picks, our Commander and Chief, Barack Obama.

I'm not one to be politcial, but the guy is the President of the United States of America and he did pick Butler over LSU. Two things come to mind here. 1.) President Obama has some of the best intel in the world at his disposal and; 2.) If anyone has the power to "fix" the outcome of a game, I would think it would be this guy.

Ultimately, depending on how you voted in the fall will determine whether you think Obama's backing is a good or bad thing, but I'm a dog and I don't vote, so whatever. I'll take the support!

The Butler men's basketball team arent' the only Dawgs in action on the hardwood today, as the Butler women make an appearance in post-season play this evening in the WNIT at Duquesne.

The women tip at 7 p.m. (EST) in what will be their first appearance in the post season since 1998. A win tonight would give them their 20th win of the season!

Good luck to all of my Dawgs today!

If you know how to work the Twitter, or just like seeing my Twitter updates on my blog, then be sure to follow me all day today as I "tweet" updates regarding the games from my spot on campus. And for the upteenth time, no, I am not at the games because the NCAA does not allow live mascots at their tournament sites. Their loss.

For some additional coverage of Butler hoops besides the usual suspects:

• http://www.butlersports.com/

• www.indystar.com/butler

Also check out http://horizonleaguenetwork.blogspot.com/ for some great behind the scenes coverage!

Eventhough today is all about Butler hoops, I did want to leave you with a couple of other blogs that I've been following that highlight some of the amazing talents, efforts and abilities of Butler students and faculty.

The first blog revolves around some of Butler's Media Arts students and their creative work. The blog is designed to showcase the student's work that they complete for class assignments. Just have a look and checkout some of their stuff. It's some pretty impressionable work!

• http://www.butlercreative.blogspot.com/

The second blog is written by Butler College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences professor, Mike Roscoe and revolves around his life as a medic with the US Military while stationed in Iraq and his attempt at serving his country and his students all at the same time. It's a humbling story of courage, discipline, honor and pride. Keep up the great work, Mike!

• http://www.buprofessor.blogspot.com/

Whether you went to Butler, sent kids to Butler, had relatives attend Butler, work at Butler, once worked at Butler, just like bulldogs, the color blue, or whatever, it doesn't matter. We're all Butler Family today, so lets pull together and get ourselves a couple of victories in post-season play this afternoon!

Go Dawgs!


Blue II

The Search (and Publicity) for the Butler Bulldog Mascot Costumes Continue

Aother day is in the books, and still no missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes have surfaced. I can't say that it isn't for lack of effort on my part that these costumes have yet to be found. From viral internet campaigns to morning radio shows, I did my fair share of hitting the beat today.

This morning my dad and I did an hour-long stand on the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL-FM, 99.5. Milk Bones to Dave Smiley (pictured), KJ (pictured) and Weedman for having us on the show. It was a great segment that included an investigative report by Smiley, heavey breathing and barking from me, commentary and the facts from my father, and a call-in phone interview with Marion County Prosecuter, Carl Brizzi.

I expect to have a link to the audio from the radio interview in the near future and once I have that, I'll be sure to post it here for all to listen.

Then while I was doing my radio gig, my good buddy Brad Ward in the Office of Admission was simultaneously uploading a video he shot and edited of me looking around campus for the mascot costumes. You can scroll down to my previous post from today to watch that or visit Blue2Tube at www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.

Evidently that video prompted our rivals and fellow Horizon League member, University of Wisconsin Green Bay and their mascot Phlash to do a costume hunt (video below). Unfortunately, their exhaustive search produced no results and thus, it has been determined that the Butler Bulldog costumes are not in Green Bay, Wisc. Thanks for looking anyway, Phlash!

The story continued to generate attention in the media/news again today. It even got some national coverage! Keith Olbermann (pictured) of MSNBC picked up the piece and ran it in his “Oddball” segment on his Countdown show. You can view that here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26649166

Locally, it received a follow-up story in The Indianapolis Star. In fact, it was front and center with a color picture in the Metro/State section. Here’s a screen shot of that in case you missed it:

You can read the article here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809100352

It’s worth a quick read and it brings up some quick points of note/clarification.

First, the Butler Bulldog mascot costume is NOT named “Butler Blue,” or “Blue.” People (students, university officials, media) have used that name quite a bit in the last couple of days and I think that’s what’s generated most of the frantic calls to my parents from friends and family that think I’ve come up missing.

The name “Butler Blue” first came about in 2000 when Frank and Jeane King of Kong King Kennel, Lizton, Ind., donated Butler Blue I to the university. “Butler Blue” was the name that received the most votes in a “name the new live mascot” contest and thus the reason why I’m known as “Butler Blue II” today.

So I just wanted to take the opportunity to clear that up.

Also, at the end of that Indy Star story, it reads, “The new costumes could arrive as early as Nov. 1, Tuell said. Until then, students will have to rally around the school's other mascot, a real live bulldog known as Butler Blue II who does not dance.”

Well just call me “Blue II the belittled!” I’m so sorry that the university only has this mangy old mutt to serve as mascot for the next several weeks. Sure, I might not be able to dance, but I do have a fine repertoire of tricks and at least I do not smell like B.O.! Last time I checked, many colleges, universities and high schools have a costumed mascot, but only a fortunate few have the privilege of having the real thing to represent their school. The condescending Heather Gillers is on my list!

Oh well, as long as it continues to make the news, well then I’ll continue to shamelessly stump for the cause online, on-air and wherever I can. We just couldn’t buy this kind of coverage otherwise! I can’t say exactly why media/news outlets keep covering the story. I’m sure there are lots of reasons, but if it distracts us for just a moment from political campaigns, hurricanes, oil prices and foreign fighting, then I suppose it serves a purpose.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I attended another home volleyball match last night in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. After all, I am the only mascot we have at the moment so I’ve got to make the rounds. My good friend Mike Freeman took me out on the court for starting lineups in our matching against the Sycamores of Indiana State University. I had a great time and I even came home with a mini-volleyball (pictured) signed by all of the Lady Bulldog players!

Below is some footage from the event…

Good times! I am definitely ready for my first home football game on Saturday!

Be sure to check back to the blog often for more info, updates and news regarding the search for the missing mascot costumes. In addition, text “follow butlerblue2” to 40404 (Twitter.com) for daily updates from yours truly.

Blue II.

More Chelsea Clinton

When I published my post last night, these tidbits were not available, so I thought I would update the blog with them today.

You can't actually see me in this video, but you can hear Chelsea acknowledge me at least. I'm not sure that's worth anything, but it happened, thus, I'm posting it. You only need to watch about the first 15 seconds, unless you are really bored.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3dRftmeq8E

Also, The Indianapolis Star has photos up at http://www.indystar.com/ in the "multimedia" section. Below is the one with me in it that Charlie Nye.

That's me, Sean Astin and Chelsea entertaining a nice photo-op on the Butler Seal.

Blue II

Next Up...Smokey

Congratulations to the Butler men's basketball team and their 81-61 victory over South Alabama today in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. "Pickums" results hold true yet again.

Next up...Smokey and the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday afternoon. I took Smokey down once last season in the pre-season NIT at New York's Madison Square Gargden. I'm looking to go 2-0 on the old hound.

Game time is 2:30 p.m. (EST) on Easter Sunday. I'm already excited!

In addition to my video profile that was created by Kelly Wilkinson on IndyStar.com's multimedia section which can be found here: http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-indianapolis-532-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=immersiveplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=689727112

Kelly also put up an album of still photos that she took while she was shooting that video. You can see those here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA

Look for the album titled, "It's a dog's life...Butler Blue II."


I hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter that includes a Butler victory!

Blue II

I Made the Cover of Sports Illustrated!

I wouldn’t say my life as a mascot is complete just yet, but a major notch in the wood has been made with the news that yours truly graces the cover of the Sports Illustrated (SI) NCAA March Madness issue.

You may remember each year that SI does a collage of photos for their March Madness issue, well this year, I was included in the collage. Albeit, a half-inch by inch spot, but I am quite visible in the top right hand corner of the cover wearing my Dawg Pound shirt and carrying my bone.

I can only speak for the canine eye, but I’m told that the upper right hand corner of any printed page is always where the human eye goes first in reading in English, and is considered “prime real estate.” I’ll take it!

You’ll see me and fellow Bulldog, A.J. Graves on the cover, but A.J. also has a two page spread inside the issue as well. He’s doing cartwheels at center court. That’s not a joke. Also on page 67, blog reader and senior Drew Streicher is shown for making SI's All-Tournament Brainiac Team.

As elated as I am with my cover shot, I am almost as equally deflated with it. Let me explain. So last night, my pops and I hop on the internet to check out a bit further. We go here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/specials/ncaa_tourney/2008/cover_challenge/

And what do you know, they have ME, Butler Blue II, the Butler University Mascot, listed as “Drake Bulldog – Drake Bulldogs Mascot.” Are you kidding me? I get my shot at big time national exposure and SI mistakes me for “Spike,” the Drake Bulldog!

C’mon SI, it’s sports…that’s what you do! You can’t be getting mascots incorrect, and on the cover no less! That would be like listing Indiana’s D.J. White as “Purdue Pete,” or labeling UNC’s Tyler Hansborough as “Mike Kryzewski.” People would have you taken behind the wood shed for that sort of thing.

I’m just hoping they didn’t list me that way in the actual print edition because that would be a dog-gone shame. Pun intended.

(And yes, the University Relations staff at Butler is informing SI of their mistake.)

I am willing to forgive them for the whole thing and put it behind me if they are willing to write up a nice multi-page profile about me in a future issue and they consider giving me another cover shot, much like UGA’s a while back. (And to anyone with Nike connections, yes, I would like a custom Butler Nike jersey like UGA's Georgia version.)



Yesterday I got to go to the “send-off” pep rally for the Butler men’s basketball team over at Hinkle Fieldhouse. We sang “The Butler War Song,” did cheers with the cheerleaders, and just let the team know how proud we are of them before they headed to Birmingham, Alabama to take on South Alabama in the NCAA Tournament.

One thing of note from the rally, Butler President, Dr. Bobby Fong, gave A.J. Graves a hug when he went through and shook hands with each of the players. I’ve got no problem with that, unless A.J. goes for only two points in our game on Friday. If that happens, I bet nobody gives Dr. Fong the same harassment I received when A.J. touched me on “Senior Day,” then went for a career low. I’m just saying, fair is fair here, people.

You can see a photographic documentation of the rally on IndyStar.com with photos taken by one of my favorite photographers, Kelly Wilkinson. Go to the multimedia section or here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA

You’ll notice there’s a couple photos in the collection of dad and I. Since the NCAA won’t allow live mascots at tournament sites, I’ve been pretty bummed about not getting to go to the game. So dad tried to be funny and throw me into the cargo bay of the bus and sneak me down to Birmingham. His accomplice is Carl Heck. Both are now on my "list."

While you are also in the multimedia section, you can see the debut of my profile video that Kelly shot as well! You may remember me posting about that a while back. Well, it’s finally finished and ready for viewing. Look for the video titled “Butler’s mascot” and check it out here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=videonetwork

Unfortunately, it’s only about three minutes long. Kelly actually shot enough footage to probably put together an hour long piece, but oh well; I’ll take what I can get. Great job, Kelly! I love it and thank you!

Today, I’ll be shooting another documentary at the office. It’s true, a group of students from a media arts class had to pick something to do a documentary on as a part of a class project. They chose me and shooting starts today. It should be fun.

I think that’s about it for now. Oh, I almost forgot, I have a couple of announcements before I sign off. First, don’t forget to vote for me again in the Bissell MVP challenge. I’m still trying to get on this vacuum box and I’m running out of chances so help me out!

Hopefully Bissell wouldn’t list me as the Drake Bulldog on their vacuum box. I can’t let it go. Anyway, click here to vote for me: https://bumail.butler.edu/owa/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bissell.com%2fredirect.asp%3fpage_id%3d47161%26Pet%3d1449

Second, I have a birthday party coming up! I turn four on Thursday March 27th, and the nice students in the Butler University Student Foundation (BUSF) are throwing a party for me during lunch time over at Atherton Union. They will be playing “pin the tail on the bulldog,” figuratively, not literally, as well as a “guess the weight of Blue II” contest and other fun stuff. I’ll let you know how that all goes.

Finally, don’t forget to clear your afternoon schedule tomorrow for the Butler NCAA Tournament game at 2:45 p.m. (EST). There are plenty of Butler viewing parties around the country which can be found here: http://www.butler.edu/alumni/?pg=4781

Besides being the first day of spring, it’s also the “most wonderful time of the year,” as today is the official beginning of “March Madness.” Make sure the volume on your computer is up loud so all your co-workers can hear it. It's time....

http://www.ilovewavs.com/TV/Sports/TV%20Theme%20-%20CBS,%20NCAA%20Basketball.wav

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