Bob Ike’s blog

When you punch “health greed” into Google translate with the output set to German, that’s what you get.  Kathy and I were talking about activities that make you feel so much more healthy that sometimes you approach them with greed for more.  At the time, we were out for a long walk in the woods, and sure were feeling better than when we set foot out our front door.  Thinking about all the calories burned, muscles used, molecules of insulin sensitized, and heart beats lowered, we thought why not do a whole lot more of this?  A veritable greed for that feeling and those benefits, to be sure.  I said there’s probably a term for it, and probably in German.  And sho’ ‘nuff.

Gesundheitsgier ist unersättlich. Immer noch etwas gesünder werden, mehr Wohlergehen, mehr Funktion statt Verschleiß – Gesundheit, das höchste Gut? Deshalb ficht die Finanzkrise den großen Gesundheitsmarkt bisher weit weniger an als alle anderen Branchen. Die Gesundheitsbranche als Konjunkturmotor?

Which Google translates says, in English

Greed is insatiable. Still getting a little healthier, more well-being, more function instead of wear and tear – health, the greatest good?  This is why the financial crisis has so far affected the large healthcare market far less than any other industry. The health industry as an economic engine?

The author is a German urologist*, who keeps quite an extensive blog.  You can read the rest of his page long comments here http://blog.lebenswandel.com/tag/gesundheitsgier/

I think his gist is that health becomes so important to people they get greedy for it and seek as much as possible from the medical system, taxing its resources.  He states that a wise doctor can modulate this by limiting his/her use of tests/procedures/medications and spending more time talking, explaining, and reassuring.  Hard to argue with any of that.  I like to think that’s the way I practiced.

*Dr. Günther Heinz Jacobi was an academic until 2008, when he opened his Urologic-Andrologic Medical Practice in Duisburg.  He’s been quite prolific, with 157 papers on Scopus, and several books, for both scientific and lay readers.  He attended Med School at Johannes Gutenberg-Universitāt in Mainz, Austria, in ’77, two years before I got my degree.  Austrian and German medical schools are 6 years, entered straight from secondary school, so ol’ Doc Jabobi and I are about the same age.

And another entry

tendenziell unersättliche Gesundheitsgier zu befriedigen. Zur Rettung des kollektiven Systems fällt einem, der ökonomisch kalkulieren kann, einstweilen nicht viel mehr ein als „Anreize“ dafür zu erfinden, es nicht oder nur sehr sparsam in Anspruch

translating to:

tends to satisfy insatiable greed for health. In order to save the collective system, one who can calculate economically cannot think of much more than to invent “incentives” for not using it or only using it very sparingly

But could we not turn this into something positive?  Sure, if our “Gesundheitsgier” has us clamoring to our doctors for more pills to make us feel more well and more unnecessary tests to find out why we’re not, so it can be fixed, that’s probably not a good thing, not only for the health care dollars it wastes.  More expense, more adverse reactions, more incidental findings unrelated to how we feel or worse, prompting more testing or even – gasp –  surgery.  Could that feeling not be turned into a motivation force?  My wife and I are both hungry for better health, so we watch what we eat, find ways to manage stress, do things that are fun for us, nurture relationships with others, and get lots of exercise.  Perhaps the doctor can have a role not only talking the demanding patient out of tests and treatment, but guiding them to those measures that will help preserve and promote the health they seek.  I think everyone should develop a good dose of Gesunheitsgier, then let it power those behaviors that will get us there.

While working on my book this morning, I’ve been diving deep into my “Writing and Philosophy” folder.  Here’s an item I found there that I thought worth sharing.  I know it’s baseball season, but college basketball schedules are being announced and it’s barely 2 months to kickoff at Michigan Stadium.  Off season is time to work on conditioning and fundamentals.  As a fan, you’ve got to know those team mascots, from Ace Purple to Zippy the Kangaroo.  So get going!

College and University Mascots A-Z Index

This is an incomplete list of U.S. college Mascots, consisting of named incarnations of live, costumed or inflatable Mascots.

College Mascots

College and University Mascots

• A – Ace Purple
• B – Baby Jay
• C – Cam the Ram
• D – DIBS
• E – Eddie the Eagle
• F- The Falcon
• G – Gael Force 1
• H – Hairy Dawg
• I – Ichabod
• J – Jack the Bulldog
• K – Kasey the Kangaroo
• L – Lafitte
• M – Mac T. Bulldog

• N – Nitro the Knight
• O – Objee the bear
• P – Pass
• Q – Q
• R – Racer 1
• S – The Saluki Dog
• T – T.C.
• U – Uga
• V – Vic the Demon
• W – Waldo
• X (none)
• Y – Yellow Jacket
• Z – Zippy the Kangaroo

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A

• Ace Purple – Official Mascot – University of Evansville (Evansville, IN) Purple Aces.
• Ace the Warhawk – Official Mascot – University of Louisiana at Monroe.
• Air Dunker – Inflatable Mascot – Murray State University (Murray, Kentucky) Racers. Cousin of Dunker.
• Albert E. Gator – Male alligator Mascot – University of Florida Gators. The female version is known as Alberta, commonly used for Lady Gator athletics.
• Alphie – Costumed wolf Mascot – University of Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack.
• Archibald Eagle – Official Mascot – University of Southern Indiana.
• Army Mules – Three mules that act as the Mascots – United States Military Academy
• Artie the Fighting Artichoke – Artichoke Mascot – Scottsdale Community College since the early 1970s.
• Athena – Female Mascot – Claremont McKenna College in California.
• Attila – Costumed duck Mascot – Stevens Ducks in Hoboken, NJ.
• Aubie – Costumed Tiger Mascot – Auburn.
• Avalanche the Golden Bear – The costumed bear Mascot – Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.
• Awesome Eagle – Costumed Mascot – Tennessee Technological University Golden Eagles.
• Azul the Eagle – Costumed Mascot – Florida Gulf Coast University.

B

• Baby Jay – Costumed sidekick and smaller version of Big Jay, the Mascot – Jayhawks – University of Kansas.
• Baby Owl – second Mascot – Temple University; more of a child-friendly Mascot
• Baldwin the Eagle – American bald eagle Mascot – Boston College
• Banana Slug – Mascot – University of California – Santa Cruz; replaced the sea lion in 1986
• Bananas – Black Bear Mascot – University of Maine
• The Battling Bishop – Mascot – Ohio Wesleyan
• The Bearcat – Name of University of Cincinnati Mascot.
• Beaker – Name of Morehead State University Mascot.
• Belle – Costumed female Mascot – Mississippi State University
• Ben – Bulldog Mascot – McPherson College
• Ben Franklin – Costumed Mascot – University of Pennsylvania, which looks like the real Benjamin Franklin, but wears school uniforms and sports a game face at athletic events.
• Benny – Beaver of Oregon State
• Bernie – Costumed St. Bernard dog of Siena College.
• Bevo – Live Texas Longhorn steer Official Mascot – Texas Longhorns.
• Big Al – Costumed elephant Mascot – Alabama Crimson Tide
• Big Blue – Lion Mascot wearing a blue king’s crown representing the Old Dominion Monarchs.
• Big Jay – Costumed Mascot – Jayhawks – University of Kansas.
• Big Red – Main Fighting Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas. Also the blob-like Costumed Mascot – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Daniel Boone like Costumed Mascot – Sacred Heart University Pioneers.
• Big Stuff – Eagle Mascot – Winthrop University.
• Bill the Goat – United States Naval Academy live goat and Costumed Mascot
• The Bird – Costumed Mascot – United States Air Force Academy Falcons
• Bison – Blue bison Mascot – Howard University
• Bison – Mascot – Lipscomb University and Oklahoma Baptist University.
• Black Jack – Costumed Mascot – United States Military Academy at West Point (Army) since 2000
• Blaze – Official Mascot – Alverno College Inferno.
• Blaze – Official dragon Mascot – University of Alabama at Birmingham.
• Blaze – Official maverick (stallion) Mascot – University of Texas at Arlington.
• Blitz – Official bearcat Mascot – Willamette University (OR).
• Blizzard T. Husky – Husky of Michigan Tech. The T stands –. Blizzard can usually be seen ice skating before home hockey games.
• Blue – Live bobcat, one of three Official Mascots – University of Kentucky. Unlike the other two, he never attends home games because of his species’ shy nature. He lives at the Salato Wildlife Education Center, a state-run facility in Frankfort.
• The Blue Blob – Blue fuzzy Costumed Mascot, is one of two Official Mascots for Xavier University (Cincinnati) and is especially popular with younger fans.
• Blue Jay – Johns Hopkins University, Polytechnic University.
• The Blue Devil – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – Duke Blue Devils.
• Bobby – Bearcat of Northwest Missouri State University
• Bobcat – Bobcat Mascot – Bates College.
• Bobcat – Costumed Bobcat Mascot – New York University.
• Boilermaker Special – a railroad locomotive replica Mascot (officially) of Purdue.
• Boko – Bobcat Mascot – Texas State University.
• Boll Weevil – Mascot – University of Arkansas – Monticello, named by school president Frank Horsfall in 1925
• Boomer – Bear of Missouri State University.
• Boomer – Bobcat Mascot – Quinnipiac University.
• Boomer – One – two white ponies – University of Oklahoma that pulls the Sooner Schooner (the other pony’s name is Sooner). There is both a live pony and Costumed Mascot.
• Boss Hogg – 9-foot tall inflatable Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas.
• Bruiser – Costumed bear – Baylor Bears & the Belmont University Bruins.
• Bruno – Brown bear of Brown University.
• Brutus – Grizzly Bear of Georgia Gwinnett College.
• Brutus Buckeye – anthropomorphic buckeye Mascot – Ohio State University.
• Bucky the Beaver – Stoic, determined, furry symbol of American River College in Sacramento, CA.
• Bucky Beaver – Nature’s engineer, the Mascot – California Institute of Technology, Caltech, in Pasadena, California
• Bucky The Parrot – Costumed parrot is Mascot – Barry University in Florida
• Bucky – Costumed bronc is Mascot – University of Texas – Pan American in Texas
• Bucky (or Bucky Bison) – Costumed bison Mascot – Bucknell University
• Bucky Badger – lovable but mischievous badger – University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Bullet – Live black American Quarter Horse Mascot – Oklahoma State University.
• Bully – Both the live bulldog and the costumed bulldog Mascot – Mississippi State.
• Burrowing Owl -Mascot – Florida Atlantic University.
• Buster Bronco – Official Mascot – Boise State University
• Buster Bronco – Official Mascot – Western Michigan University
• Butch T. Cougar – Cougar of Washington State. The “T” stands for “The”.
• Butler Blue II – Living Bulldog Mascot – Butler University.
• Buzz – Costumed Mascot – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

C

• Cam the Ram – Live male bighorn sheep Official Mascot – Colorado State Rams. It is also the name – costumed ram.
• Camel – Official Mascot – Connecticut College
• Captain Chris – Costumed likeness of Christopher Newport; Mascot – Christopher Newport University.
• Cardinal Bird – Costumed Mascot – Cardinals from the University of Louisville. Sometimes called Red Bird.
• CavMan, aka Chester – Official Mascot – University of Virginia.
• Cayenne – Costumed chili pepper – Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette.
• Cecil Sagehen – Vicious winged Mascot – Pomona College and Pitzer College in Claremont, CA
• Champ – Costumed Bobcat of Montana State University. Also the costumed Bulldog Mascot – Louisiana Tech University
• Charlie Cardinal – Cardinal Mascot – Ball State University.
• Charlie Oredigger – Official Mascot – Montana Tech.
• Chief Illiniwek – Official symbol – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini, retired on February 21st 2007
• Chief Osceola and his horse Renegade – Official symbols – Florida State Seminoles.
• Chip – Costumed buffalo Mascot – University of Colorado
• Clawed Z. Eagle – Costumed eagle of American University
• Clyde The Cougar – Costumed cougar Mascot – College of Charleston.
• Cocky – Costumed Mascot – Jacksonville State University Gamecocks
• Cocky – Costumed Mascot – South Carolina Gamecocks
• Colonel Ebirt – Costumed Mascot – College of William & Mary Tribe. The name “Ebirt” is “Tribe” spelled backwards and is a green blob dressed in colonial garb.
• Colonel Reb – Unofficial Mascot – Ole Miss Rebels. Colonel Reb was recently declared the Unofficial Mascot due to controversy over the nature – Mascot.
• Colonel Rock – Bulldog Mascot – Western Illinois Leathernecks. Commonly goes by the nickname Rocky.
• “Corey the Cougar“- Friendly Cougar Mascot – SIU
• Cosmo – Costumed Cougar Mascot – Brigham Young.
• Cowboy Joe – Live Shetland Pony Mascot – University of Wyoming.
• The Crusader – Official Mascot – Valparaiso Crusaders of Valparaiso University.
• Cubby – Second Mascot – Brown University. It is a young, hat wearing bear appealing to young children.
• Cy – Costumed cardinal that serves as the Mascot – Iowa State Cyclones
• Cyrus – Costumed (kilt-clad) Mascot – Presbyterian College Bluehose

D

• DIBS (Demon In a Blue Suit) – Blue Demon Mascot – DePaul University
• D’Artagnan – Captain – Musketeers – Guard is the Mascot – Xavier University
• Demon Deacon – Mascot – Wake Forest University
• Diego – Mascot – University of San Diego
• Donald Duck – Mascot – Oregon Ducks – University of Oregon
• Duke Dog – Costumed Mascot – James Madison Dukes
• Doc – Costumed Mascot – Towson Tigers
• Dominic – Rambouillet Ram Mascot – Angelo State University
• Don – mastodon of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne since 1970
• The Don – Mascot – University of San Francisco
• Duncan – Dolphin Mascot – Jacksonville University
• Dunker – Horse Mascot – Murray State University

E

• Eddie the Eagle – Mascot – Laney College
• Eli the Eagle – Mascot – Oral Roberts University
• Ellsworth the Golden Eagle – Mascot – SUNY Brockport
• The Explorer – Mascot – La Salle University from the La Salle Explorers
• Eutectic – Mascot – St. Louis College of Pharmacy

F

• The Falcon – Name – United States Air Force Academy Mascot
• The Fighting Okra – Name – Unofficial Mascot – Delta State University since the late 1980s. Has been featured in David Letterman’s “Top Ten Worst Mascots List”.
• Fighting Pickle – Mascot – University of North Carolina School of Arts since 1975
• Freddie and Frieda Falcon – Costumed Mascots – Bowling Green State University Falcons
• Freddy Falcon – Mascot – University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
• Friar Boy- Mascot – Providence College
• Flash – Mascot – Kent State University Golden Flashes
• Flying C – Mascot – Central Michigan University Chippewas

G

• Gael Force 1 – Knight Mascot – Saint Mary’s College of California.
• Gaylord – Camel Mascot – Campbell University
• General Scott – One of 3 live mule Mascots for Army
• George – Colonial Mascot – George Washington University
• Gladys – Squirrel Mascot – Mary Baldwin College (from the squirrel on their coat of arms)
• Golden Eagle – Marquette Golden Eagles
• Glycerin – Female Knight Mascot – University of Central Florida. The female companion to Knightro
• Golden Griffin – Griffin as a Mascot for Canisius College
• The Golden Knight – Costumed student representing University of Central Florida who rides a white horse, Pegasus
• Goldy the Gopher – University of Minnesota
• Gompei – Bronzed head of a now deceased goat the Mascot – Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• The Governor –  Mascot – Austin Peay University
• Gunrock the Mustang – University of California Davis
• Gunston -Green creature with a colonial tri-cornered hat named after Gunston Hall the colonial-period home – namesake of George Mason University
• Gus the Eagle – Georgia Southern University
• Gus the Gorilla – Pittsburg State University
• Gussie – Lve Northern Goshawk Mascot – SUNY New Paltz

H

• Hairy Dawg – Person costumed as a bulldog, University of Georgia (See also Uga below)
• Handsome Dan – Live bulldog, Official Mascot – Yale Bulldogs and the first Mascot adopted by a university in the USA
• Harry – husky Mascot – University of Washington
• The Hawk – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – Saint Joseph’s Hawks; the Mascot flaps its “wings” without interruption (even during halftime) throughout SJU basketball games
• Herbie Husker – Costumed Mascot – University of Nebraska
• Herky the Hawk – Costumed hawk Mascot – University of Iowa
• Herky the Hornet – Costumed hornet Mascot – Sacramento State
• Hey Reb – Costumed Mascot – University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Hokie Bird – iCostumed Mascot – Virginia Tech
• Hoot – Mascot – Rowan University Profs.
• Hooter – Costumed Owl Mascot – Temple University
• Hook’em – Costumed Longhorn Mascot – University of Texas
• Hoppy – Costumed Bluejay Mascot – Johns Hopkins University
• Hornets – Costumed Mascot – Emporia State University
• Howie the Hawk – Costumed Mascot – University of Hartford
• Howl the Red Wolf – newest Costumed Mascot – Arkansas State University

I

• Ichabod – Mascot – Washburn University representing its namesake’s first name.
• Iggy the Lion – Mascot – Loyola Marymount University.

J

• Jack the Bulldog – Live Bulldog – Georgetown Hoyas. There is a Costumed Mascot with the same name.
• Jay and Baby Jay – Are costumed Mascots – University of Kansas that are a mythical cross between a blue jay and a sparrowhawk.
• Jinx the Jaguar – Costumed jaguar Mascot – IUPUI
• Joe Bruin and Josephine Bruin – Bruins of UCLA
• Joe Miner – Pickaxe, pistol, and slide rule-toting Mascot – Missouri S&T
• Joe Vandal – Costumed Vandal Mascot – University of Idaho.
• John Poet – Mascot – Whittier College (both named after poet John Greenleaf Whittier)
• Jonathan – husky Mascot – University of Connecticut
• Judge – Live black bear Mascot – Baylor University. The name is also given to the inflatable Costumed Mascot.
• Jumbo – Elephant Mascot – Tufts University
• Junior Smokey – Second costumed blue tick hound Mascot – University of Tennessee that looks younger than the original costumed Smokey (see below), but considers himself as his brother.

K

• Kasey the Kangaroo – University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Costumed Mascot.
• Keggy the Keg – of Dartmouth College (Unofficial, proposed by the Jack-o-Lantern humor magazine).
• Killian the Gael – Mascot – Iona College.
• Knightro – Costumed Knight – University of Central Florida.
• King Husky – Live Husky Mascot – Northeastern University.
• Klawz Da Bear – Costumed bear – University of Northern Colorado.

L

• Lafitte – Costumed alligator in pirate garb that is the Mascot – University of New Orleans Privateers.
• LeeRoy the Tiger – Costumed Mascot – Trinity University (Texas).
• Leo and Una – Two live lion Mascots – University of North Alabama Lions.
• The Leprechaun – Mascot – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Lightning – Costumed blue Pegasus-like creature that is the Mascot – Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
• Lil’ Red – Inflatable-costumed boy Mascot – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Lord Jeff – Costumed student Mascot depicting the school’s namesake at Amherst College
• LU Bison – Costumed bison Mascot – Lipscomb University
• Lou Wolf – Live wolf Official Mascot – Loyola-Chicago Ramblers; got a major facelift in 2001
• Louie the Laker – Mascot – Grand Valley State University
• Lobo Louie –  the costumed wolf Mascot – University of New Mexico
• Louie the Lumberjack – Mascot – Northern Arizona University
• Lucy Lobo – Costumed female wolf companion to Louie Lobo – University of New Mexico
• Lulu – Female Bulldog Mascot – Gardner-Webb University

M

• Mac T. Bulldog Bulldog male Mascot – Gardner-Webb University
• Magnus – Current Mascot – Cleveland State University
• Marauder – Official Mascot – Millersville University (a marauder is a land pirate)
• Marco – Costumed Buffalo Mascot – Marshall Thundering Herd
• Mario the Magnificent Dragon – Official Mascot – Drexel Dragons
• Marvin the Miner – Colorado School of Mines
• The Masked Rider – One of Official Mascots – Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Mike the Tiger – Live Bengal Tiger Mascot – LSU Tigers, as well as the costumed tiger Mascot.
• Mingus – Costumed jazz cat – Official Mascot for Berklee College of Music.
• Mingo – Costumed Husky Mascot – Houston Baptist University.
• Miss Pawla – Costumed jaguaress – University of South Alabama. She is the girlfriend of Southpaw (see below).
• Mr. C (full name – Mr. Commodore) – Costumed Commodore Mascot – Vanderbilt University
• Mr. Wuf and Mrs. Wuf – Costumed wolf Mascots – North Carolina State Wolfpack.
• MoHarv – Golden Eagle Mascot – University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia.
• Mo the Mule – Official Mascot – University of Central Missouri
• Monte the Grizzly bear – University of Montana
• Montezuma the Aztec Warrior – San Diego State University
• Monty the Eagle – Niagara University
• The Mountaineer – West Virginia University student who dresses in pioneer costume as the school’s Mascot
• Musty the Mustang – Mascot – California Polytechnic State University

N

• Nitro the Knight – Official Mascot – FDU Knights
• The Nittany Lion – Mascot – Penn State Nittany Lions
• Norm the Niner – Official Mascot – University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• The Norse – Mascot – Northern Kentucky University, as well as Luther College

O

• Objee the bear – Coast Guard Academy’s Costumed Mascot and, until 1984, a live bear kept on campus.
• Ollie the owl – Brandeis University’s Mascot, carrying a gavel (as the nickname is the Judges).
• Oski – Costumed Mascot – California Golden Bears.
• Otto the Orange – Mascot – Syracuse University.
• Owsley – Costumed, burrowing owl Mascot – Florida Atlantic University.
• Ozzie – Costumed osprey Mascot – University of North Florida.

P

• Pass – Costumed Mascot – Furman University, who rides the white horse Goliath
• Paws – official Costumed Mascot – Western Carolina University Catamounts.
• Paws – Mascot – Northeastern University Huskies.
• Paydirt Pete – Costumed student who serves as a Mascot for University of Texas at El Paso
• PeeDee the Pirate – Costumed student who serves as Mascot for East Carolina University
• Peruna – A Shetland Pony who represents the Southern Methodist University Mustangs
• Pete & Penny – Two Emperor Penguins dressed in scarfs and stocking caps for Youngstown State University
• Peter the Anteater – Mascot based on the “ZOT!”-noise-emitting animal from the comic strip B.C. at the University of California Irvine since 1965
• Petey the Stormy Petrel – Costumed Mascot – Oglethorpe University
• Philip D. Tiger – Greyish yellow Bengal Tiger in a blue and white basketball jersey of St. Philip’s College. He is mainly on the walls and in promotional pictures of St. Philip’s College. The D. stands for “Da” as in the word “the”.
• Phoenix – Costumed Mascot – Elon University (formerly the Fightin’Christians) and – University of Chicago (nickname the Maroons).
• Pioneer Pete – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – California State University, East Bay (Hayward, CA)
• Pirate – Mascot – Seton Hall Pirates at Seton Hall & also Hampton University’s nickname -ir athletic department and Mascot.
• Pistol Pete – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – Oklahoma State Cowboys as well as Costumed Mascots – University of Wyoming and New Mexico State University.
• Polar Bear – Mascot – Bowdoin College
• Pork Chop – Kid-sized junior Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas
• porky – Javelina Mascot – Texas A&M kingsville
• Pouncer – Costumed tiger Mascot – University of Memphis
• Pounce the Blue Panther – Mascot – Georgia State University
• Pounce the Panther – new (for 2007-08) Mascot – Milwaukee Panthers. It is also the official Panther Mascot – Purdue University North Central since 2003.
• Power Cat – tiger Mascot – University of the Pacific
• Prospector Pete – inflated balloon Mascot – Long Beach State
• Prowler – Panther Official Mascot – Eastern Illinois University
• Purple Cow – Gold-spotted Mascot – Williams College
• Puddles – Official name – University of Oregon duck Mascot
• Purple Knight – staff carrying Purple Knight is the Mascot – Saint Michael’s College
• Puckman – animated hard-hat wearing walking hockey puck Mascot – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Purdue Pete – Costumed Mascot – Purdue University

Q

• Q – popular name of Spike Q. Gonzaga, a live bulldog, one of two Official Mascots of Gonzaga University. The “Q” is in honor of former Gonzaga basketball player Quentin Hall.
• The Quaker Man – aka The Fighting Quaker – Puritan-garbed Mascot – Guilford College.

R

• Racer 1 – Live horse Mascot during football games for Murray State University
• Raider – 1 of 3 live mule Mascots for Army and the Mascot – Colgate University.
• Raider Red – one of Official Mascots – Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Rally – Mascot – University of Vermont Catamounts.
• Ralphie – Live American Bison Official Mascot – Colorado Buffaloes
• Rambling Wreck – 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe Mascot – Georgia Tech
• Rameses – Live ram that serves as the Mascot – North Carolina Tar Heels. It is also the name of Costumed Mascot.
• Rammy – Mascot for West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
• Ranger II – 1 of 3 live mule Mascots for Army
• Razor the Shark – Nova Southeastern University
• Reggie Redbird – Illinois State University
• Reveille – Live collie that serves as the Mascot – Texas A&M Aggies and is taken care of by the Corps of Cadets
• Rhett the Boston Terrier – Boston Terrier representing Boston University
• Rhody the Ram – University of Rhode Island
• Ribby – Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas baseball team.
• RITchie the Tiger – Mascot – Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Riptide – Costumed Pelican Mascot – Tulane University.
• Roar-ee the Lion – Official Mascot – Columbia University. Created in October 2005.
• Roary the Panther – Official Mascot – Florida International University Golden Panthers
• ROC the Panther – Costumed Mascot – Pittsburgh Panthers.
• Rocky – Mascot for Widener University,PA. (Retired October 7, 2006.
• Rocky – Costumed yellowjacket, Official Mascot – University of Rochester
• Rocky the Bull – Mascot – University of South Florida.
• Rocky II the Lion – Mascot – Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pride.
• Rocky the Rocket – Mascot – University of Toledo.
• Rodney the Ram – Mascot – Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Rodney the Raven – Mascot – Anderson University.
• Rosie – Costumed elephant Mascot – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology “Fightin’ Engineers.”
• Roomie the Lion – Mascot – Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Roongo the Husky – Mascot for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
• Rowdy – Unofficial Mascot – Purdue University (for Official Mascot – see Boilermaker Special)
• Rowdy – a Roadrunner that is Costumed Mascot – California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB).
• Rowdy – a Roadrunner that is the Mascot – University of Texas at San Antonio.
• Rowdy Raider – Mascot for Wright State. It used to be a Viking, but was changed to a wolf in 1997.
• Rowdy the Riverhawk – is the Mascot for UMass Lowell.
• Rowdy the Red Hawk – is the Mascot for Southeast Missouri State University
• Rudy Flyer – Mascot – University of Dayton
• Ruckus – Red-tailed Hawk Mascot – University of Denver
• Rufus – Bobcat Mascot for Ohio University.

S

• The Saluki Dog – Live animal Mascot – Southern Illinois Salukis
• Sam the Minuteman – Massachusetts Minutemen and Minutewomen
• Sammie Seminole – Athletic logo – Florida State University
• Sammy Seahawk – UNC Wilmington
• Sammy Spartan – San Jose State University, San Jose, California
• Sammy the Owl – Rice University
• Sammy the Slug – Banana slug is the Mascot – UC Santa Cruz. Sammy was named Reader’s Digest best college Mascot for 2004.
• Sammy and Samantha Bearkat – Mascots of Sam Houston State University.
• Sasha – University of Houston’s female Mascot.
• The Scarlet Knight – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Scorch – Official Mascot – Minnesota State University, Moorhead.
• Scrappy – Owl Mascot – Kennesaw State University
• Scrappy – Eagle Mascot – North Texas Mean Green
• Scrappy – Costumed anthropomorphized mockingbird the Mascot – Chattanooga Mocs
• Scratch – Student in wildcat costume who is one of three Official Mascots – University of Kentucky, two of which attend games. Scratch is a more child-friendly version of “The Wildcat”, the other Mascot that attends games.
• Screech A. Eagle – Official Mascot – Northwestern College (Minnesota).
• Scottie – scottie dog Mascot – Agnes Scott College
• Scotty the Bear – A tartan clad highlander bear representing the University of California, Riverside.
• Scrotie – – Rhode Island School of Design
• Sebastian the Ibis – Costumed Mascot – Miami Hurricanes. The Florida ibis according to folklore is the last bird to leave the area before a hurricane and the first bird to come back after the storm. “Sebastian” once carried a corn-cob pipe in its beak.
• Seymour D’Campus – Costumed Mascot – Southern Miss Golden Eagles
• Shadow – Costumed Mascot – Monmouth University (NJ).
• The Shark – Mascot – UNLV. While the school’s teams are named the Rebels (Runnin’ Rebels – men’s basketball only) the Mascot is a shark in honor of former men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian nicknamed “The Shark”.
• Shasta – Mascot – University of Houston’s Houston Cougars  – Live cougar for many years; currently a costumed anthropomorphic cougar.
• Shooter – Second generation Red Fox Mascot for Marist College.
• Sir Big Spur – Live rooster at the University of South Carolina since 2006
• Skully – Giant red parrot sidekick – official “Marauder” Mascot – Millersville University
• Skully – Unofficial Mascot – East Carolina Pirates
• Smokey – Live bluetick coonhound, Official Mascot – Tennessee Volunteers. The name is also applied to Costumed Mascot.
• Sooner – One – two white ponies – University of Oklahoma that pulls the Sooner Schooner (the other pony’s name is Boomer). There is both a live pony and Costumed Mascot.
• Sooner Schooner – Scale replica of a Conestoga wagon pulled by two ponies and driven by the RUF/NEKS – University of Oklahoma.
• Southpaw – Costumed jaguar – University of South Alabama.
• Sparky – Maroon and gold devil Mascot – Arizona State Sun Devils
• Sparky – Eagle Mascot – Liberty University Flames. The name also applies to the dragon Mascot – Illinois-Chicago Flames.
• Sparty – Mascot – Michigan State University a comical representation of a Spartan hoplite soldier clad in green with an elongated head. Extremely buff but does not talk much.
• Speedy the Geoduck – Mascot – Evergreen State College (Washington).
• Spidey – spider Mascot – Richmond Spiders, inspired by lanky pitcher Puss Ellington in 1894
• Spike – Name given to several costume bulldog Mascots including Gonzaga, Samford,The Citadel Drake as well as the inflatably Costumed Mascot – University of Georgia
• Stag – Male Mascot – Claremont McKenna College.
• The Stag – Costumed Mascot – Fairfield University.
• The Stanford Tree – a dancing conifer of indeterminate species Official Mascot – Stanford Band Unofficial Mascot – Stanford University.
• Stanley the Stag – Costumed Mascot – men’s teams – combined athletic program of Harvey Mudd, Scripps, and Claremont McKenna Colleges.
• The Statesman – Official Mascot – Delta State University.
• Sunny the Sunbird Mascot – FPU
• Superfrog – Costumed horned toad Mascot – TCU
• Sue E. Pigg – female Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas.
• Swoop – Costumed Mascot – University of Utah Utes. “Swoop” is a red-tailed hawk, which is a bird native to the state of Utah.
• Swoop – Costumed Mascot – Eastern Washington University and Emory University – both are eagles.
• Swoop – Costumed Mascot – Eastern Michigan University Eagles. “Swoop” is a bald eagle whose distingiuishing characteristic is his fighting stance where he tends to poke his chest out in pure confidence.
• Swoop the RedHawk – Costumed Mascot – Miami University.
• Sycamore Sam – Happy forest animal costume of no particular species but looks like a blue fox or dog; Mascot – Indiana State Sycamores.

T

• T.C. – Costumed Mascot – University of Northern Iowa Panthers
• Techh – Live bulldog Mascot – Louisiana Tech University
• Temoc – Costumed comet – University of Texas at Dallas.
• Texan Riderr – Costumed cowboy – Tarleton State University.
• Testudo – Costumed Diamondback Terrapin – University of Maryland College Park.
• Thor – Thunderbird Mascot – Southern Utah University.
• Thresher – threshing stone Mascot – Bethel College.
• Thundercat – physical embodiment – Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm.
• The Tiger – Mascot – Princeton University; the first collegiate Mascot and subject – first organized, recorded cheerleading cheer in 1884. Name reaffirmed as The Tiger in a 2007 referendum
• The Tiger – Mascot – Clemson University
• Tim the Beaver – Mascot – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Timeout – Costumed Bulldog Mascot – Fresno State
• Toby – Costumed bear Mascot – Mercer University.
• Toby the Tiger – Costumed Mascot – East Texas Baptist University
• Tom the Tiger – Live tiger, son of Tom Sr. – University of Memphis
• Tommy Titan:the Mascot – University of Detroit Mercy.
• Tommy Mo – Costumed Saints Mascot – Thomas More College.
• Topper the Hilltopper – Mascot – St. Edward’s University
• Touchdown – Also known as the Big Red Bear Official Mascot – Cornell University was a live bear from 1915 to 1939 when it was replaced with a costume.
• Tough Louie – lumberjack Mascot – Northern Arizona University.
• Traveler – Live white horse the Mascot – University of Southern California who appears during all home football games.
• Tree – Mascot – Stanford band since 1975
• Triton – Mascot – University of California at San Diego
• True Grit – Mascot – University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
• Truman the Tiger – Mascot – University of Missouri and named for former U.S. president Harry S Truman.
• Tuffy – Costumed elephant – Cal State Fullerton Titans.
• Tuffy – Ashland
• Tusk – Live Mascot – University of Arkansas.
• Tyler the Tigerr – Costumed tiger Mascot – DePauw University.

U

• Uga – Bulldogs.

V

• Vic the Demon – Mascot – Northwestern State University
• Victor E. Bear – Mascot – University of Central Arkansas
• Victor E. Bull – Bull – University at Buffalo
• Victor E. Huskie – Mascot – Northern Illinois University
• Victor E. Panther – Former (graduated/retired) Mascot – Milwaukee Panthers
• Victor E. Viking – Mascot – Portland State University
• Vili – Villiami Fehoko, the Unofficial Mascot – University of Hawaii since 2000
• Vike – former Mascot – Cleveland State Universityy
• Vixen – Mascot – Sweet Briar College

W

• Waldo – Mascot – State University.
• War Eagle VI – Golden eagle Mascot – Auburn University.
• Wally Pilott -Mascot – University Of Portland a new Mascot is in production.
• Wilbur Wildcat and Wilma Wildcat – married Costumed Mascots – University of Arizona.
• Wild E. Cat – Official costumed Wildcat Mascot – University of New Hampshire.
• The Wildcat – Costumed student who is one of three Official Mascots – University of Kentucky, two of which attend games. It is also the Mascot – Davidson College, but is also named Mr. Cat.
• Wildcat Willy – the Mascot – Northern Michigan University.
• Will D. Cat – Costumed wildcat of Villanova University.
• Willie Warhawk – the costumed hawk Mascot – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
• Willie the Wave – Costumed Mascot – Pepperdine University
• Willie the Wildcat – Costumed wildcat Mascot – Northwestern University and Kansas State University. Despite having the same name, the two have very different appearances.
• Wolfie – Mascot – Stony Brook University and Western Oregon University.
• WuShock – an anthropomorphic shock of wheat; the Mascot – Wichita State University.

Y

• Yellow Jacket – (CU) Costumed Mascot – Cedarville University.
• Yeomen – (Oberlin) Mascot – Oberlin College’s Varsity Teams.
• YoUDee – (UD) Blue Hen a Costumed Mascot – University of Delaware.
• Yosef – (ASU) Mountaineer a Costumed Mascot – Appalachian State University.

Z

• Zippy the Kangaroo – Akron University

From https://www.ereferencedesk.com/education/mascots/

One of the many joys of living in Ann Arbor is the Amtrak service. So much more relaxing to take a train anywhere than to drive. Chicago is a favorite long weekend destination. But you don’t have to ride the Wolverine all the way to Union Station to have a good good time. About halfway there the station stop is Kalamazoo, as in the “Yes there is a …” T-shirt. I don’t got a gal there, but the one I got sure loves to go. It was the “big city” when I was growing up 15 miles south in little Vicksburg, and I’ve lived in much bigger ones since. But the ‘zoo is a rich and varied place, with much to see and do. To point out the fun of a Kalamazoo train trip to our fellows, I put together the little guide which follows, updated since then.

How about a little train trip ARB -> KAL and back?  Easy peasy and way fun.  Here’s some information to help you along.

Getting there.  Note that you can go to Kalamazoo and back in the same day if you time your trains correctly (1).

Most of the stuff I’ve listed here is accessible by foot.  Kalamazoo is a great town in which to stroll about.  They have a good bus system (2).   Their main transit center is right next to the train station, and many buses headed in all sorts of direction line up in a big lot just south of in.  If you want a car to explore the area, things become a little less convenient.  There are several agencies at the airport 4.5 miles to the south.  A bus directly there leaves from the transit center every 15 minutes and takes 20.  And there’s always Uber and Lyft.  Enterprise’s office is 3.3 miles west on West Stadium.  There’s a direct bus there, too, but it takes 30 minutes.  Enterprise will pick you up right at the train station if you call them (269-372-1234) at least an hour in advance of your arrival to remind them of the pickup you needed to have requested at time of booking.  Then you have to get your vehicle back to their office on Stadium before they close at 6.  If you’ve booked the 354 Wolverine, which leaves at 8:58, you’ve got those 3.3 miles to traverse, probably Uber time, unless you’ve got some local friends you can cajole.   Plenty of places you can eat and drink near the station to pass the time.  If you have a severe case of siderodromophobia (fear of trains), you can check into Bell’s for treatment, dosing as much liquid courage as you might require, which comes in many delicious varieties there.  It’s o.k.  You’re walking.

But I get ahead of myself.  You’ve just arrived

Pause for some coffee.  Right across from the train station, at the southeast corner of Rose (north-south street) and Kalamazoo (east- west street) is unfortunately closed Civil House.  Around the corner on West Michigan is the Rose Gold Coffee Company (3).  The same distance away, only left down Kalamazoo Ave is the cool Water Street Coffee Joint on a corner triangle lot (4).  By far the friendliest coffee shop is a block down the Burdick mall on South, Something’s Brewing.  They make their iced coffee with ice cubes made from yesterday’s coffee!  Of course, your Yelp will find you some Starbucks nearby, but give the locals a chance.  But I miss Civil House, the barista who used to serve me was niece of a Vicksburg ’70 classmate.

If you need a map, or just want to immerse yourself in a kind of place you just don’t see anymore, there’s a genuine full service papers and magazines and everything newsstand a couple blocks away on West Michigan, downtown Kalamazoo’s main drag (5).  In the picture on their website looking east, you can see the “spaceship” (explained below).

If you’ve taken the early train and still crave breakfast, check out Food Dance (6) for fancy and good.  Studio Grill (7) is an old fashioned diner which always satisfies located nearby on West Michigan right by the newsstand. Be sure to try their homemade hot sauce.

But you’ve come 100 miles on the train and I’m sure you need a beer.  Kalamazoo has many good options.

Bell’s (note they also have a music schedule).  This is a shrine, neigh a temple (they even have stained glass windows) to craft beer fans, where the whole Michigan scene began many years ago (8).

Arcadia Ales.  About a half mile East of Bell’s, just over the river.  This is a Battle Creek based brewery with a Kalamazoo outpost (9).

Saugatuck brewery, near downtown (10)

Final Gravity brewing, very close to the train station (11)

One Well Brewing, out by Portage (Uber or car).  13 minute direct bus ride from Transit Center.  Great little place.  Worth the trip (https://www.onewellbrewing.com/).

Going south on Portage, the beer destination always used to be Latitude 42, just past Centre. But since 2018 or so, the must stop is at Presidential Brewing, just north of Centre (13). The theme is good-natured politics, with beers named for presidents or their mates and pictures of Obama, Clinton, and yes, Trump, quaffing brews. Once the weather gets the least bit nice, there’s their lovely outdoor courtyard with a big fireplace where their good food seems to taste even better.

Latitude 42, further out Portage (7 miles from downtown, or an hour and 17 minutes on the bus with a transfer).  Great beer.  Good looking full menu.  I’ve eaten lunch there, and their stuff is passable, not nearly as good as their beer (14).

Discover Kalamazoo offers a Craft Beer Trail https://fun.discoverkalamazoo.com/checkout/242/discover-kalamazoo/1510/give-a-craft-beer-trail#venues which looks mainly like entering for credit in your phones and getting T-shirt.  The Kalamazoo Brew Bus makes the rounds of local breweries every Saturday for a mere 10 bucks http://www.kalamazoobrewbus.com/how-it-works.html.  Good for those spots too far apart to stagger to and from.

end of beers

The Burdick Mall isn’t what it once was (auto traffic has returned to Burdick), but most of the storefronts are occupied.   I own shoes and a watch from 2 of the stores. Its construction in 1959 was a historic event (17). The Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership has produced an interactive guide (18) to the many things to do there. Yes, there’s a lot. And all on foot.

A few places to eat in that neighborhood:

Rustica, with great European cuisine (19)

Principle right nearby. Equally good. (20)

Fandangos Tapas Bistro (21). Tastes of the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

Don’t forget Bell’s (8) when it’s time to eat.   Yes, Bell’s has great food now, too.  They’ve even put a dining area off to the side for those who want to get away from the supplicants at the altar (bar) to this shrine for beer.  And there’s those stained glass windows.

Hed and watered, might you be ready for a little touring? West toward the WMU and K-College campuses you can run into the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Parkwyn neighborhood, built in 1947 after a group of Upjohn scientists commissioned Wright for the project (22). Out that way is WMU’s Parkview campus, with all the tech and engineering buildings. Standing in front of one, much larger than life, is a statue of Einstein throwing a frisbee( 23). (Note there are many other out-of-the way Kalamazoo attractions described in this article).

If you head out towards Vicksburg on Portage Road, you’ll hit an old fashioned drive in right on a lake(24).  The “out of business” sign from earlier this year is down and it looks like there may be new owners.  The food is predictably greasy and the waitresses don’t come out on roller skates (but they do come out), but you can’t beat the atmosphere. Just a little north, also right on West Lake, is a much fancier place: The Cove (25). The place is in full flower when the weather allows use of the marvelous deck. But even in the dead of winter, you’ve still got the view plus some of the best fireplaces in the area crackling at your back. Time your reservation right and you’ll ve treated to a sunset over the lake.

A little farther south on Portage and you’ll come to what locals still call “Upjohn’s”, labs and manufacturing on east side with offices across the road.  Two other pharmaceutical outfits have since owned it, first Pharmacia and now Pfizer (26).  This is where Pfizer ginned up those millions of doses of antifreeze encapsulated COVID spike protein mRNAs.  Seems like a place Joe Biden should visit.  We used to go there for field trips.  Always smelled funny.

If you’re doing more than a day, you’ll need a place to stay.  Here are my favorites.   Kathy and I have stayed at them all and been satisfied with each one.

The Radisson (aka “Spaceship”)(27): a modern clean hotel right in the middle of things.  A little pricy, heavily booked as it hosts many group events

Kalamazoo House B&B.  Centrally located just south of the park. I’ve stayed there and it is nice (28).

The Henderson Castle.  Elegant place located up by Kalamazoo College campus.  I’ve stayed there and it is nice.  They’ve added some features since then, like a winery (29).

Between loft conversions in spaces above commercial buildings and new condo construction, there are quite a few living units around the mall and some owners let them out short term. It’s worth consulting AirBnB. Rates are seldom more than, say, for the Radisson and amenities can be quite nice.

Downtown Kalamazoo has a web site you can peruse (30).

Just East of the train station is the Arcadia Festival Place, which often has things going on (31).

And if you’re getting tired of reading, here’s a couple videos. The first, produced by Pure Michigan, has a young guy taking in the town, surprised at all he sees (32) The second is an 8 1/2 minute drone’s eye view of the place(33)

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a semi-pro baseball team that plays at a nice little park East of town (34)

Down the path toward the river is a collection of sculptures known to some as “Kalamazoo’s Stonehenge” (35). Formally titled “The Circular Ruin”, the pillars were erected just before the turn of this century and feature objects representing different eras of Kalamazoo’s history.

The Airzoo is an aerospace and science museum located out by the airport (maybe 5 miles from downtown).  Probably Kalamazoo’s biggest tourist attraction.  Kathy and I can vouch for it (36).

The Gilmore Car museum is a fur piece from Kalamazoo, about 15 miles from the station to little Hickory Corners, but it’s the biggest car collection in N. America (37).

And if you want to make a pilgrimage 15 miles south and see where Dr. Ike first became an academic superstar (38). So far as I know there are no memorials.  One day the old abandoned paper mill there will become a huge deal (39). A beautiful writeup in the monthly Kalamazoo booster magazine Encore showed the project, and described the hopes of the developers, in great detail (40).

I’m sure everyone will want to go.  When I first wrote this in ’20, they said they’re aiming for first pull in Fall 2021.  I know I sure will be there whenever it happens.  And right “downtown” on Main street around the corner from the Tastee Freeze (now a bakery) where we used to hang out in the late 60s is an honest-to-God brewpub with really great beer (41).  They have no food, but let you bring it in, like from  Jaspare’s Pizza across the street (42), and fried chicken from the Dawg House right across from my old high school (43).  There is a fancy-looking new place where I’ve never been on Prairie the south main drag into town: Michelle’s (44).  They serve only breakfast and brunch, closing at 3. Just around the corner west from the 4 corners, where once 4 stop signs in a 55-gallon drum served as a substitute for a stoplight, on the inlet to Sunset Lake Vickers’ Lakeside Tavern (45). Named for John Vickers, who in 1831 threw a dam across what was a waterfall on Portage Creek to make a log and grist mill, local grammar nazis appreciating the correct placement of the apostrophe. The backflow from the dam became Sunset Lake, to the delight of generations of water enthusiasts who proceeded.   While the food doesn’t always match the surroundings, its deck is the ideal place to wile away a summer day, provided the mosquitos aren’t too thick. For a more cerebral venture, the Vicksburg Depot Museum at the old train station (46) takes you back to a time when this Village was a stop on freight and Grand Trunk passenger lines. I recall back in high school boarding a Grand Trunk at the local station to take me to Detroit to visit my Aunt Dorie. Trains are still important in the fabric of the village, and not just for occasional traffic tie-up. Those distant whistles inspired the naming of the local brewpub, and what kid hasn’t lain awake at night listening to that whistle wondering where the train might be going, perhaps he/she with it.

So allow me to close out this visit to my beloved ‘burg with a video put together by some Vicksburg kids, helped out by someone much more famous (47).

So I hope my descriptions have piqued your interest in Kalamazoo and environs enough so that you actually make the trip.  I still consider myself to be from there, even if I only lived 5 years in Vicksburg before splitting for Ann Arbor and never looking back, spending all but 8 of my last 50 years here.  I’m fortunate to still have many friends scattered throughout Kalamazoo County and get back there every chance I get.  Of course, Kalamazoo was the big city to escape to for us Vicksburg kids.  It’s been great to see Kalamazoo develop into the magnet it is now.  In 2004, former Governor Jennifer Granholm named Kalamazoo one of Michigan’s “Cool Cities” as part of that boondoggle.  For Kalamazoo, even though it’s no longer official, that title’s very appropriate.  I hope you can go and see for yourself.

References

1. Amtrak. https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
2. Metro. https://www.kmetro.com/
3. Rose Gold Coffee Company. https://www.rosegoldcoffeecompany.com/
4. Water Street Coffee. https://waterstreetcoffee.com/location/downtown/
5. Michigan News Agency. http://www.michigannews.biz/
6. Food Dance. https://fooddance.net/
7. Studio Grill. http://www.studiogrillkalamazoo.com/
8. Bell’s Eccentric Café. https://bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/
9. Arcadia Ale Co. Kalamazoo. http://arcadiaales.com/kalamazoo/
10. Saugatuck Brewing Co.Kalamazoo. https://www.saugatuckbrewing.com/location/saugatuck-brewing-company-kalamazoo/
11. Final Gravity. https://www.finalgravitybrew.com/contact-kalamazoo-craft-beer-store
12. ONE WELL BREWING. https://www.onewellbrewing.com/
13. Presidential Brewing Company. https://www.presidentialbrewing.com/
14. Latitude 42 BREWING COMPANY. https://latitude42brewingco.com/our-locations/
15. Discover ! KALAMAZOO. Give a Craft Brew Trail. https://fun.discoverkalamazoo.com/checkout/242/discover-kalamazoo/1510/give-a-craft-beer-trail#venues
16. Kalamazoo Breweries Michigan. Kalamazoo Brew Bus. https://kalamazoobreweries.com/listings/kalamazoo-brew-bus/
17. wttw. !0 StreaatsThat Changed America.#10 Kalamazoo Mall. https://interactive.wttw.com/ten/streets/kalamazoo-mall
18. Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership. Experience Downtow https://downtownkalamazoo.org/experience/
19. Rustica Kalamazoo. https://rusticakzoo.com/
20. Principle Food & Drink. https://principlekzoo.com/
21. FANDANGO TAPAS BISTRO. http://www.fandangotapasbistro.com/
22. Parkwyn Village. https://www.parkwynvillage.com/
23. Hidden Treasures. Encore Magazine 6/1/21. https://encorekalamazoo.com/hidden-treasures/
24. Yelp. West Lake Drive Inn. https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-lake-drive-in-portage
25. Cove Lakeside Bistro. https://www.covewestlake.com/
26. Pfizer. PGS Kalamazoo, Michigan. https://www.pfizer.com/products/pfizer-global-supply/us-manufacturing-sites/kalamazoo
27. RADISSON HOTELS AMERICA. Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center. https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-kalamazoo-center?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:us+h:MIKALAMA
28. Kalamazoo House. https://thekalamazoohouse.com/
29. Henderson Castle. https://www.hendersoncastle.com/
30. Downtown Kalamazoo Partnership. Supporting the Downtown Community. https://downtownkalamazoo.org/
31. Pure Michigan. Arcadia Creek Festival Place. https://www.michigan.org/property/arcadia-creek-festival-place
32. One Day in Kalamazoo | Pure Michigan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7zGX7BGvGQ
33. Drone Kalamazoo | Michigan | Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.  YouTube 1/7/22.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7zGX7BGvGQ
34. Official Site of the Kalamazoo Growlers. https://northwoodsleague.com/kalamazoo-growlers/
35. Mann S. Why’s That? Kalamazoo’s Forgotten “Stonehenge”. WMUK 7/11/19. https://www.wmuk.org/wmuk-news/2019-07-11/whys-that-kalamazoos-forgotten-stonehenge#stream/0
36. AIR ZOO. Aerospace & Science Experience. https://www.airzoo.org/
37. GILMORE CAR MUSEUM. https://gilmorecarmuseum.org/
38. VCS Vicksburg Community Schools. High School. https://www.vicksburgschools.org/schools/high-school/
39. Haroldson T. $50 million project unveiled for old Vicksburg paper mill.  Mlive.com 1/19/19.  https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2017/07/50_million_redevelopment_unvei.html
40. Mackinder L. Going in Big. Encore Magazine 10/19. https://encorekalamazoo.com/magazine/october-2019/. pp24-33 (&cover)
41. https://www.distantwhistle.com/
42. Jaspare’s. https://www.jasparespizza.com/
43. The Dawg House fka Fink’s Butcher Shop & Deli.  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/1vicksburdawghouse/
44. Yelp. Michelle’s Restaurant. https://www.yelp.com/biz/michelle-s-restaurant-vicksburg?osq=Restaurants
45. Vickers’ Lakeside Tavern. https://www.vickersbar.com/
46. Vicksburg Historical Society. Union Depot Museum. https://vicksburghistory.org/union-depot-museum/
47. Small Town – Vicksburg, Michigan. YouTube 10/29/07. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpwDXiOXgjA

I don’t mean to be a tease, but I’m so excited about an entry I’ll be posting later this week or early next, that I had to tender a preliminary. Below is an e-mail I sent to my friend Ana, an attorney in Santa Fe, friend of my brother-in-law Bob. After a very successful career suing doctors, she turned her considerable legal talents to the rights of those bruised by the COVID nazis, and boy are there a bunch of them in Santa Fe. She’s started a foundation www.nmstandup.org and assures me there are similar efforts in most states. Lawyers do save us from things from time to time and maybe this will be one of those instances.

So here’s what I wrote:

Hey Ana

I hope you and Guy are well and enjoying life.  I write to update you on a couple things on the COVID front here in AA.  Right now, I’m as excited as I used to get when I admitted a patient with a rare autoimmune disease.  It came about like this.  Last Friday, Kathy’s Dean announced the equivalent of a vaccine passport for the school, making it clear that life would be miserable for those faculty who did not comply.  We talked it over and decided to cave, knuckle under, roll up our sleeves, and join the sheeple.  We’d been getting concerned about our ability to travel abroad unvaccinated, too.  I had an artist friend lined up to gin us up some counterfeit CDC vaccine cards, but those wouldn’t get us past Kathy’s Dean.  The recent reports of myocarditis in young men who’d received an mRNA vaccine* had me real concerned, and spurned the digging that’s got me so excited.  A PubMed search of “COVID myocarditis” nets 734 citations. I pulled 37 from these, and they sit in a one inch stack to my left waiting to get read.  My skimming so far has me reassured that my senescent sexagenarian immune system isn’t going to respond as vigorously to that science fair spike protein as it did in those boys with their vigorous everything, so my ticker will probably survive these shots.  But I’m concerned with the subclinical stuff, like low grade heart inflammation that produces no symptoms now but leaves a flabby failing heart in 10 years.  COVID affects the heart in many different ways, most immune mediated, meaning a vaccine can potentially kick up the same stuff.  I hope to emerge from a dive into those 37 papers with a clearer understanding of just what those possibilities might be.  This’ll be a blog for sure, but maybe even a manuscript.  Rheumatologists have had a big role in understanding and management of COVID, what’s one more owning up?

I don’t know if you’re integrating this stuff into your legal work.  Surely, if I come up with a scary enough array of potential cardiac complications of COVID vaccination, that would be pretty good ammunition for any client of yours wishing to avoid.  If you like, I can let you know what I find out.

Best wishes

Bob Ike

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html

As the masks come off and normalcy begins to pervade, the issue of vaccination persists.  With the common trope at stores that masks are optional for the vaccinated, Kathy and I leave ours off as we’ve been vaccinated plenty over the years: polio, smallpox, measles, mumps, etc.  We continue to avoid these COVID science fair experiments out of concern for reactions and autoimmune diseases.  I spent a career taking care of folks with those things and have no desire for one of my own.  Reports of myocarditis in vaccinated young adults are hardly reassuring.*  But the real world intrudes.  We love to travel and it’s looking more and more that some sort of proof of vaccination will be a requirement, at least for entry into Europe.  We’ve seriously looked into acquiring a counterfeit version of the CDC vaccine record card.  Then close to home comes the hammer of the big U.  Kathy received an e-mail from her Dean Friday cheerily announcing the school’s version of a vaccine passport plus the existence of safety officers that will check into such things.  The unvaccinated must remained masked and distanced, including in class.  So we’ve decided to tuck tail, wear the star, and submit.  That was the motivation for me to finally review the vaccines.  I’d been looking at scientific papers, with descriptions of up to 60 vaccine candidates, including such scary things as adenovirus DNA vectors.  Turns out there are only 3 vaccines out there for us Yanks.  It’s a pretty simple choice.  Do you want some test tube RNA encapsulated in anti freeze or a bit of hair of the dog itself, safely (we hope) disabled but capable of delivering the information to make your cells make spike protein?  One shot or 2.  Here ya go.  Read ‘em and weep.

manufacturer	mechanism	regimen
Moderna	PEG encapsulated mRNA	2 shots, 28 days apart
Pfizer	PEG encapsulated mRNA	2 shots, 21 days apart
Johnson & Johnson	Viral vector (disabled virus which still delivers info to cell on how to make spike protein)	1 shot

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is not approved for use in the U.S. It has an even scarier mechanism of action. To get your cells to make spike protein, you’re injected with an adenovirus – a DNA virus that is one of the causes of the common cold – into which DNA that codes for the RNA that makes spike protein has been spliced. Once in the cell, the cell’s DNA transcribing enzyme makes spike protein RNA that is translated on the cell’s ribosomes into spike protein, just like the COVID virus has. Unlike RNA, which is rapidly degraded in the cell, DNA hangs around. AstraZeneca scientists say the viral DNA won’t integrate into the cell’s chromosomes as the virus doesn’t carry in the enzyme – integrase – it would need to do that. But I think the whole system is just asking for trouble. One spot of trouble that’s emerged already is an increased incidence of blot clots among those receiving the vaccine. Blot clots are a known and sometimes fatal complication of COVID-19 infection. But, hey, AZ is just one shot! Not for me, thanks. The goal for all these vaccines.is always to get your own cells to make coronavirus spike protein, the action arm of the virus that attaches to lung cells and gets things going.  When your own cells present newly made spike protein to your immune system, all arms are activated, as opposed to just the antibody response which would occur if you ground up virus and injected it, as all previous vaccines across the ages have been designed.  It is for sure a molecular biology tour de force and the labs that designed it are in for multiple Nobels.  I’m still a little wary of having my ribosomes hijacked to produce something they never were meant to make, to which a slightly too vigorous immune response might end up attacking my own organs.  We’re all part of a huge scientific experiment here and I hope that 5 years hence we’re just telling each other stories about the silly lockdowns and not comparing notes on our new ailments.  Time will tell.

*https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html

On the coffee table of Tony’s beach house, where we’ve been staying in South Haven, is Richard Applegate’s very entertaining pictorial history of the area Photographic Memories Grand Rapids: Josten’s Printing and Publishing, 1996.  In the section on sports, of which SH has a proud tradition (they always beat our asses), is a picture of 6 SH footballers sometime around 1900, before and after the game, p188.  I think Jim Harbaugh could use it for motivation

Mr. Applegate identified the combatants as C.O. Monroe, Harold French, Arthur Ryall, Howard Webster, Harold Webster, Calvin Donahue, and Arch Haven.  I’m sure their descendants are proud of them.

What could be better on a rainy Saturday morning than buttermilk pancakes, slathered with butter and drowned with maple syrup?  Add some bacon on the side and a big glass of cold milk to wash it down with and you’ve got breakfast heaven.  My late Grandpa Slater – Grand Rapids fireman who liked to entertain his #10 station mates with his cooking – was the first to present me with these wonders.  Standing by the griddle, all 6’4”of him smiling, he knew his charges were happy.  Of course, I wanted to make them myself, even at that young age, but he insisted his recipe was secret.  After he passed, I in my teens found a recipe for “sour milk pancakes” in my mom’s Joy of Cooking, which tasted pretty similar.  Ever since, whenever I’m looking for a breakfast crowd pleaser, I turn to that recipe.

This Saturday was one of those days.  We are sharing this luxurious beach house in South Haven for the week with Jeff and Deb, our doctor friends from St. Louis.  Jeff and I both love to cook, so we’ve been doing way more farmer’s market, butcher shop, and Meijer’s than local restaurants, although we did hit Captain Lou’s for perch.  I drew the straw for today’s breakfast.  Now Tony, the 747 pilot for Kalitta Air http://www.kalittaair.com/ who owns this place and rents it out when not in town, has a pretty well-appointed kitchen, he did not have some of the ingredients stocked that I would need in my pancake recipe.  Specifically, buttermilk, baking powder, and plain vegetable oil (he had olive oil, but that won’t do).  Getting those items at Meijer’s was on yesterday’s agenda, but between the wine/cider tour, a nap, the wooden speedboat ride, and tomahawk steak with morels and asparagus dinner, the window did not open.  Fine, I said.  I’m the earliest riser of the bunch, and Meijer’s opens at 6.  Seemed like a plan.  But gang aft agley, as we woke around 5:30 to the sound of pouring rain, realizing instantly that our top-down Wrangler was out in the driveway taking a bath in it.  Jeff and Deb did not leave their Prius keys in easy reach, so it was time to improvise.  I’ve had to improvise with this recipe before, but this would be the biggest yet.  Thanks to the internet, solutions are just a keystroke away, and they were here.

Buttermilk.  The stuff got its name as the sour stuff that rises to the top as milk is churned into butter.  With butter-making an industrial process now, the stuff is made by bacterial fermentation these days, slightly curdling the milk proteins and lowering the pH, hence the sour flavor.  With its live bacteria, it’s a wonderful drink to keep your microbiome happy, just like they love yogurt.  In pancakes, the lower pH promotes the reactions by the baking soda and baking power that make gas, which makes the flapjacks fluffy.  Buttermilk can be approximated by adding a tablespoon of plain vinegar to a cup of milk.  The curdling begins quickly, and the pH drop is instantaneous.  No bacteria are added, so you miss out on the health benefits, but that is not why you use buttermilk to make pancakes.

Baking powder is composed of sodium bicarbonate, which is known in chemistry as a base, paired with an acid, such as cream of tartar, which is a dry, powdery, acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. Its scientific name is potassium bitartrate, aka potassium hydrogen tartrate or tartaric acid.  When combined with water, the acid reacts with the sodium bicarbonate in an acid-base reaction and releases carbon dioxide gas.  This leads to the formation of bubbles, causing the mixture to expand, which adds volume to cakes, breads baked goods, and pancakes.  Baking powder is often confused with baking soda, which consists only of sodium bicarbonate and is missing the acid component. Therefore, it must be combined with an acid to have the same leavening effect as baking powder.  Omit this ingredient, and your flapjacks will be flat as a pancake.  Fortunately, there are at least 10 ways to substitute for this ingredient https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-baking-powder-substitutes#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2.  Some seek to address the chemical action. I chose one that simply seeks to restore the fluffiness: whipped egg whites, white of one egg per 1 C flour.

A bland lipid is necessary to hold everything together.  Lacking anything but olive oil, which has too much of its own flavor, I turned to the jar of bacon grease I’d been saving.  I’m so used to the hard consistency the saved stuff turns in the refrigerator; I’d forgotten the stuff is pretty liquid at room temperature.  As I’d been keeping the jar from this trip on the counter, I was reminded of that right away.  Hardly a flavorless lipid, but we were going to eat bacon with the pancakes, of course, and my eaters loved the flavor.  Maybe that’s why we had four strips left over from the two pounds of bacon I fried up for the 4 of us.

So, the product wasn’t quite as wonderful as the fluffy ‘cakes I whip up at home on my griddle using all the called-for ingredients.  But very passable, and still a good breakfast for our rainy Saturday morning.  Here’s how you can do it, both with and lacking the proper ingredients:

Can there be anything better than a bowl of fresh strawberries in June, bright red flecked with their little seeds like freckles, sparkling in a glass bowl? And that smell!  Like taking in all the wonder of a pretty girl.  The only thing better than that wonder is imagining the pleasure that will be yours when you can take advantage, which happens with the berries when you coax a bit of juice out of them, pour them over a hot shortcake, and squirt ‘em with some whipped cream.  Mmmmm.  Yep, strawberry shortcake!  One of life’s supreme pleasures. 

Getting there got to be a problem for my own pretty girl a couple years ago.  Since she started going a little keto (not whole hog, as it were), she totally lost her sweet tooth.  And this was a girl with a world class sweet tooth.  Nobody I’d rather take out for ice cream.  But no more, alas.  And how do you get the juice out of those berries?  Why, sugar, of course.  Might there be another way?  As we brainstormed this problem, we knew it was a simple chemistry problem.  An osmotic thing.  The juices moved out of the berry to sidle up to the sucrose molecules to make their concentration approximate that inside the berry itself.  There must be another compound with which we could accomplish that.  My girl with her 4 science degrees, 4 years as NASA’s chief scientist, and 22 years promoting knowledge at U of M went at it and quickly came up with something.  In the classroom she’s Dr.C, in homage to Mr. C – the late Joe Carpenito – family friend who died young of lung cancer after many years as a superstar junior high science teacher in Orlando.  The replacing agent was … balsamic vinegar!  And the results were terrific!  The slight tart of the vinegar complemented the natural sweet of the berries, and the juice was plentiful.  Here’s the recipe we used:

And the new astringent bath did not affect their looks.

You don’t need to serve them from a Mr. Coffee pot.  That’s the only glass vesseI could find in this South Haven beach house we’re renting.  But not a bad look, if I do say so.  Easy pouring over the shortcake.

They did perform superbly between their shortcake bed and whipped cream covers.  Bisquick no longer prints the shortcake recipe on their boxes, so here’s the recipe we used:

Easy peasy, and oh so good.  Hurry up, those berries won’t be with us much longer!

Of 169 graduates of Vicksburg High School in 1970, 4 went to the University of Michigan, a haul that has yet to be surpassed.  We all experienced Ann Arbor differently, but we shared football, sitting in the yet-to-be-filled stadium and watching Bo’s early teams grind out boring football, but winning, winning, winning, going 9-1, 11-1 (losing to Jim Plunkett’s Stanford in the Rose Bowl), 10-1 (deprived of a Rose bowl by Mike Lantry’s 2 field goal misses) , 10-0-1 (deprived of a Rose Bowl by a vote of the Big10’s ADs judging QB Dennis Franklin’s broken leg rendered us uncompetitive), and 10-1, shut out from Pasadena by a squeaker at the horseshoe.  The Boone’s Farm helped to dull the boredom, and we all still enjoyed singing “Hail to the Victors”.  Ross enjoyed the special perspective of the marching band.  Of course, we all were huge fans of Bo, who had slain Woody’s mighty Buckeyes the year before we got there, and had brought glory back to Michigan.  We have taken different paths since graduation: Con right back to VHS to teach for 30 years, Ross taking his dad’s Ford dealership west to South Haven, and Darai much farther west, taking her Natural Resources degree to seek her fortunes in the Golden State, ending up in school administration in sunny Southern California with two beautiful daughters and a burly husband whom I hope I never cross.  Oh, yeah, me to medical school and the training stops that followed.  We’ve of course stayed friends and have kept in touch, especially over matters Michigan.

So when Fielding Yost’s crucifixion came up, I had to tell them.  Responses were surprisingly mute, other than the comment to the effect that I in my elderly unemployed state might be the one with sufficient time to tilt at such windmills.  When the mob turned to Bo, even earlier than I predicted, I had to pass that on, too.  This did elicit a response, at least from Darai, who may love Bo as much as I do.  See us here posed at his statue a day before her birthday in ’19.

Still a pretty girl, eh?

She doesn’t read my blog, finding my torrent of words overwhelming.  So she didn’t see my post when I got into the medical details of Dr. Anderson’s practicing, putting them pretty much in line with standard practices of the day https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1611.  So I sent her an e-mail with the meat of that post, warning her first that it contained gross medical details (it did).

She wrote me back, asking “So wouldn’t one of the 3.2 million doctors at U of M medical school get the word the stick up for Bo for crying out loud?”

So I wrote back:

Regarding docs at the U stepping up: it’s no longer standard practice to do rectal exams on everyone.  I doubt any doc below the age of 60 does them anymore.  The two main reasons for a rectal are to check the prostate and obtain a stool sample to check for occult blood, meaning something is bleeding from higher up, anything from an ulcer to colon cancer. The PSA test has replaced the doctor’s finger as the way to screen for prostate cancer and for an occult stool blood test you just ask the patient to poop into a cup, take a popsicle stick and smear some on a card that goes in the mail if done at home or to the lab if done in the clinic.  The ball squeeze has been replaced by instruction in self-examination, like you ladies are taught to check out your own precious parts.  Trouble is, young guys don’t go to doctors much and seldom listen to anything when there anyway.  “Hands on” medicine has been dying for decades, the doctor’s touch replaced by reliance on tests.  It’s all horrible for the doctor-patient relationship IMHO, as a bond and trust can grow out of those physical interactions, not to mention gathering of information far cheaper to get than that from an expensive test.  Today’s young doctors seem happy to stare at a screen, type into an electronic medical record, and order tests, much to the approval of their masters. COVID only accelerated the process, as those “virtual” visits were the only way many could get care.  Docs could see a slate of patients – and bill for their services – sitting in an easy chair in their living rooms with a laptop, like I am now.  Nice work if you can get it.  I have an old girlfriend who went and got a DO from MSU after we broke up who now lives comfortably in Albuquerque tending to the big screen in her living room doing primary care.  Not how I’d care to do it that way.

Plus, speaking up is not encouraged at the MECCA, particularly when it flies in the face of the overriding PC mindset.  And believe you me, that midset is already convinced that Bo was a horrible man for letting all those boys get “abused” and then doing nothing.  So don’t expect any champions to emerge from my former colleagues.  Shame.

Kathy points out there may be some hope from one or some of Bo’s many previous doctors.  His main cardiologist, Kim Eagle, wrote a book about Bo’s medical struggles, and he had many, that came out in 2008, two years after Bo died The heart of a champion.  Kim saw the way Bo attacked his health problems and thought it could be an inspiration to others.   It is.  They were giving ’em away at the medical center for a while, so I have more than one copy.  It was free because Medtronic, a pacemaker company, paid for a bunch of copies.  I’d be happy to mail you one of my extras if you’re interested.

On the back of the book there’s a composite picture of the 12 doctors who took care of him plus co-author Fritz Seyferth and two women not wearing a white coat: Bo’s widow Cathy and his last secretary.  I scanned the picture, compiled a legend, and attach it here for your interest.  Maybe one or a few of those guys (and girl) will step up.

Left to right

Fritz Seyferth, fullback for Bo in his first 3 years (you and I saw him play in the less than full stadium), who rose high up in the athletic department.  Retired  in 2000 as executive associate athletic director (#2 guy) to start his own consulting company.  Co-author.  Still around town. Always a staunch Bo defender.

Dr. Eric Good, cardiologist.  Electrophysiologist specializing in sorting out heart rhythm disorders, of which Bo had several.  Still at the U.  Never met him.

Dr. Eva Feldman, neurologist (Bo had neuropathy from his diabetes).  She’s been a good friend of Kathy’s and was a valued colleague of mine, as we worked on some of the same nerve and muscle stuff.  Highly successful researcher and accomplished fundraiser.  Great lady.  Still around

Mary Passink, Bo’s assistant in the athletic department his last years (‘98-’06)

Dr. Fred Morady, cardiologist.  Fred’s an electrical guy, so he looked after Bo’s pacemaker and defibrillator.  I worked side by side with Fred for years in a small multispecialty clinic called the “Faculty Diagnostic Unit” since disbanded because some looked on it as elitist.  Fred’s very bright, kind of aloof (?shy) with a passion for flying.  We were always kinda buddies and grew closer when he heard about Kathy getting her pilot’s license.

Dr. Otto Gago, cardiac surgeon at St. Joes (the enemy!), where Bo went after his first heart attack.  Dr. Gago did his first bypass. He’s a god at St. Joe’s.  Very successful

Dr. Jeff Sanfield, endocrinologist, helped Bo look after his diabetes.  Split for St Joes from the U early on, but a contemporary of mine and I got to know him a bit before he left.   Nice guy.  Still in practice in town.

Cathy Schembechler.  She’s still around, although I think she lives in Florida now.  Imagine what she thinks about all this!

Dr. Kim Eagle, cardiologist.  The closest Bo had to a “primary doctor”.  Kim’s a fantastic doctor, excellent teacher, well loved by medical students and housestaff, with many celebrity patients.  He was the impetus behind this book as he saw that the way Bo handled his struggles could be an inspiration to others.  Still around.  If any of these docs steps up to defend Bo, it’ll be him.

Dr. Rudy Reichart, another St. Joe’s guy.  He was Bo’s cardiologist before decided to come over to the U.  Died 2014.

Dr. Dennis Wahr, interventional cardiologist.  Places some stents in Bo’s heart.  Left the U in 2000 for industry, now president and CEO of Nuvaira, a medical device company in Minneapolis

Dr. Jim Stanley, vascular surgeon.  Bo had blockage of circulation to his legs, likely from his diabetes, that required bypass grafting.  Retired

Dr. Jim Carpenter, orthopedic surgeon.  Until recently, chief of orthopedic surgery department.  Replaced Larry Matthews, who helped me get going with arthroscopy, to the dismay of many of his charges.

Dr. David Fox, rheumatologist.  David was my chief for a long time, ’90-’18.  Kind of a nerdy guy from MIT and Harvard, very smart, but not much of a sports guy.  But he loved to tell people about his association with Bo, particularly their first encounter when he diagnosed Bo’s gout, then showed him under the special microscope the diagnostic material obtained from his elbow.  Gout is diagnosed by seeing the urate crystals in the joint material, which appear yellow and blue under polarized light.  Bo got a kick out of that.

Dr. Hakan Oral, cardiologist.  Electrophysiologist.  Esteemed researcher with 318 publications to date.  Bo sure needed a lot of electricians to keep his poor heart beating!

Conspicuously absent from this composite picture is one Dr. Robert Anderson, who probably was Bo’s first doctor here mainly by virtue of being team physician.  Dr. Anderson was at Bo’s bedside in Pasadena when he had his first heart attack on New Year’s Eve ’69.  Once Bo started having health problems, Dr. Anderson sort of dropped out of the picture.  He’s only mentioned in this book in the first few pages, in the description of the events surrounding Bo’s first heart attack.  Dr. Anderson died 5 years before this book was written.

Reference

Schembechler B, Seyferth F, Eagle K.  The Heart of a Champion.  My 37-year war against heart disease.  Ann Arbor MI: Ann Arbor Media Group LLC, 2008. https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Champion-Bo-Schembechler/dp/1587264951/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2ECU0YH313OT0&dchild=1&keywords=bo+schembechler&qid=1623455533&sprefix=Schembechler+%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-10

This nonsense has to stop.  With the scalp of Fielding Yost not totally yanked off, they’re coming after Bo, starting with an affront led by his step son https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2021/06/09/michigan-football-matt-bo-schembechler-sexual-assault-1969/7627659002/.  Soon the whole Anderson affair, quashed successfully by some of Bo’s old boys during last football season when it should be by all rights have been the leading sports story of the time, especially given the absence of a football season.  The University had released its findings on Dr. Anderson long before, and established a victim’s fund which it actively promoted.  But no major press till this, conveniently on the heels of l’affaire Yost. So what did the “abuser” Dr. Anderson actually do?  He did rectal exams on all comers as well as testicular exams.  Sure, some guys might have been taken aback by having the doc stick his finger up their ass and squeeze their balls, but this was standard practice at the time.  I was taught, and I went through med school 10 years after Dr. Anderson, that all patients got a rectal exam, regardless of complaint, as so much could be learned from that.  Plus the ball squeeze: guess what the leading cause of death is in young men?  Testicular cancer!  Remember how it almost got Lance Armstrong?  Young men spend a lot of time in that area, but they don’t know what they’re looking for like a doctor would.  Maybe Dr. Anderson took a little too much relish in these exams, but what he was doing is no different from what any other doc might have done at the time.  And this is abuse? Bo likely had gone through many similar exams at his tender age of 38 – think of all those football physicals – so you can understand his advice to the “victims”, including his own stepson, to “toughen up”.  Probably explains his continued acceptance of whining from so-called abused players, for which he is about to be hanged, as so nonchalant.  Dr. Anderson was at Bo’s bedside when he had his heart attack  prior to the ’70 Rose Bowl.  So there must have been something about the guy he trusted.  Sure, open up the coffers for all those who weren’t pleased that Dr. Anderson squeezed their nuts. But please leave my dear Bo out of it.