Born to be mild
on December 23rd, 2011 at 8:00 amBlue 2 a big hit for Butler basketball
(This is the last of a four-part series on Butler basketball)
By John Ring
He was born to be a star and when 70,000 fans are cheering inside an arena, the adulation, naturally, is for him.
At least that’s the approach of Blue 2. He’s the British Bulldog mascot for the Butler Bulldogs.
Mike Kaltenmark is Blue’s handler. Kaltenmark took Blue on the basketball court at The Astrodome after Butler defeated Virginia Commonwealth in the semifinals last year at the NCAA Tournament. It was pandemonium on the court and the noise factor was enormous.
“I took Blue out on the floor and it was like he owned the place,” said Kaltenmark. “70,000 fans are screaming, kids are jumping on the floor and the CBS cameras got into Blue’s face. On the television screen, it showed the final score of Butler’s win with Blue’s face in the background. Blue’s got on his sweater and he’s panting and just soaking it all up.”
“But one crack of thunder,” added Kaltenmark, “and he’s going to run and hide.”
Butler has mascots that go back forty years but many of them lived with fraternities, which meant their care was hit and miss. They were “unofficial” mascots named Mike or Sam. But in 2000, the University relations Board made an appeal that was accepted to obtain an official bulldog mascot. An Indiana breeder donated the dog but after four years, the dogs’ owner moved to Washington State and it was determined it would be best for the dog if he stayed with her.
Kaltenmark, a 2002 Butler graduate, knew the breeder would donate another dog and he volunteered to take care of the new one, named Blue 2. “I got him when he was seven weeks old and the first day, he came to campus. He’s been coming back ever since.”
“He’s like walking George Clooney on a leash. Students on campus stop us all the time, wanting to get a photo of him. We can’t go anywhere fast because of that. And in today’s society, everyone has a camera on them.”
Blue 2 is your typical bulldog except he’s a celebrity in Indianapolis. An Indianapolis poll of the best 13 things about the city found Blue cracking the Top 10; he has 8,000 followers on twitter. Blue charms everyone he meets. The hotel booked in Houston (The Intercontinental Houston) for the Final Four had a policy for no dogs allowed but Blue got a penthouse suite. The hotel also named a drink after him and proceeds from it went to charity. Decorations featuring Blue blanketed the hotel. “We had the red carpet treatment,” said Kaltenmark.
“He really does have a great disposition,” said Kaltenmark, who now works for Butler in web marketing. “He embraces the role he has. He knows how to act at an elementary school and he knows what to do on the court. It’s two different settings but he knows what to do in each one.”
Kaltenmark needed a lot of support to get Blue to Houston and he got it. “Southwest Airlines had to get the dog on the plane, the Indianapolis Police Department had to clear another dog even being in the airport and getting us through security but it was well worth it. We got a lot of media exposure and we were the only school that had a live mascot at the Final Four.”
Bulldogs are “high maintenance” said Kaltenmark. “They’re very expensive to purchase and to own and maintain because of health issues.”
Blue gets plenty of treats from his adoring fans. “His favorites are ice cream and frozen yogurt and he’s crazy about plain spaghetti noodles and just plain white rice. Bland things are what he loves the most.”
During the interview, Blue was inundated with his fans. Again, he soaked it up. He posed still for pictures, was petted by numerous fans and every once in a while, he would pant and slobber would run down his chin.
Kaltenmark is right; this dog thinks he is the center of the universe.
And why not? When Butler basketball players are introduced before the game, each one of them runs out on the court to pet Blue 2, who barks right along with the fans giving a standing ovation.
Blue is right in the middle of it. No, he IS the center of it.
Good dog, that Blue 2.
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