Squirrel Thoughts

Today, while I was tending to very important work-related matters on Facebook, I came across this article several Griz faithful had reposted.

While I don’t really care about the rest of the article, this quote from the South Dakota quarterback, who recently played Nebraska in front of more than 85,000 people in the Cornhuskers’ stadium, piqued my interest:

“Coming here, we thought this would be the loudest crowd we’ve ever faced,” quarterback Thomas O’Brien said. “But I’d say Montana was quite a bit louder.”

That’s right, biotches. Despite your big-name stadiums that hold two or three times as many people, the 26,000 fans who pack Washington-Grizzly Stadium will still blow you out of the water.

The fact that Wa-Griz is basically in a hole surrounded by sound-deflecting mountains may significantly contribute to the acoustics that enable this deafening crowd noise. However, that is not the point. The point is that Montana is awesome, and every other team that plays in every other stadium can suck it.

Washington-Grizzly Stadium (egriz.com photo)

This also proves Montana pretty much has the best fans in the country. And you know who’s behind every good fan base? Why, the mascot, of course! So go vote for Monte in the Capital One Bowl Mascot Challenge. He’s in a tight battle with that damn nut from Ohio State, who’s trying to get sympathy votes because he can’t defend himself from a Bobcat.

Griz Nation, I’m sure you’ll agree that’s just pathetic. Please, for the love beans, don’t let him lose to that.

Well kids, it’s official — I’ve taken my obsession with mascots to a whole new level.

This is perfectly normal. Trust me.

“But Squirrel,” you may inquire, “how, pray tell, is that even possible?”

Oh, it’s possible, people. It’s possible because I found out this morning that I am the official blogger representing the University of Montana in the Capital One Mascot Challenge.

If you don’t already know, UM mascot Monte is in the running for National Mascot of the Year accolades (a crown he’s won twice in the past, a feat no other mascot has accomplished ever in the history of the world). The Capital One folks teamed up with Danielle Smith at extraordinarymommy.com to present the Capital One Mascot Challenge Blogger Contest, and they chose me as the official blogger to represent UM! This means I am practically famous now!

But it also means it’s my job to get out the word on voting for Monte in the mascot challenge. You can do so here or by texting “Monte” to 69866. (Because the competition was so fierce last week in the matchup between Monte and Old Dominion’s Big Blue, Capital One adjusted the rules so you can only vote 250 times an hour. But still … )

So stay tuned for the most in-depth mascot news Squirrel Thoughts has ever provided! And get out there and vote, people! And you may as well spread the word about the contest while you’re at it. Let’s show the rest of the country what Griz Nation is all about!