bluecrewprez

I don't know what the OBC is or what the G would stand for, but it's good to be remembered! Dad and I still have season tickets so I'm at every home game still! Talking to kids at the game Saturday (2012 grads vs my 2007) about the good ol' days and them not caring about Anthony Drejaj's 3 pointer at the buzzer during the 2004 NIT made me feel old (at which I broke my nose rushing the court)...and having to explain to them that yes, Danny Brown did play for SLU. Those kids don't know the pain and TRUE dedication required that comes with 9-21 seasons...spoiled kids... Now Im starting to understand how all you old guys feel

My dad and I flew up for the game and though we didn't win, it was awesome getting to see them all together again. I forgot a few times that this wasn't a random post-graduation tournament; they played all out and just as aggressively as if it were a game during March Madness, getting as worked up and involved as I'm used to from them. The calls didn't do our way at the end and I blame that. Seeing Jordair put his hands on the refs shoulders standing face to face was pretty funny (can't do that in college ball). Getting to do kwamain's chant and seeing their reactions to hearing their old SLU chants brought me right back to the good ol' days. If only we could have put Chris Sloan in and see how he would have done...he seemed content to be in the stands though... Yes, we lost, but I'm so glad I flew up for it! This is a great idea for a tournament and an excuse to get the band back together again (speaking of which, let's get the pep band or at least a trumpet and a drum there if they do it again next year). And being me, I have to give big props to the fans that came out. 1/2 of the stands were SLU fans and we were on our feet screaming. I'm always super proud to be a Billiken, but I'm especially inspired by our unity as a fan base. GO BILLS!!

I remember after I graduated in 2007, my parents took me to a nice dinner at Tony's downtown. After we finished and were stuffed with all this amazing food, I offered to buy my parents and brother a beer at Humphrey's. We walked into the bar in our Sunday best and ordered a round for my family. A second later, Jan came up to me and said, "Oh Diane! Come meet Rick Majerus!" My dad and i walked over and Rick was sitting in the corner just inside the door on the right with all his assistants finishing a rather large meal. Jan said, "Coach, this is Diane. She was the president of Blue Crew and just graduated. She's one of the biggest billiken fan you'll ever meet." He stood up, shook my hand and my father's hand and without skipping a beat said, "It's great to meet you. Here..." reached into his back pocket and pulled out a package and said, "have a sausage." That Tony's dinner was nothing compared to a lukewarm sausage from the back pocket of Rick Majerus. RIP Coach.

You know, if that Dayton game had been played in Chaifetz (with OUR refs), it would have been a different outcome. THAT SAID, I am very excited about tonight's game. It's going to be a great match up but I definitely think we have the upper hand. Not just because of home court advantage, I think that we are fired up and we've got some things to prove tonight. Can't wait!!

When I was in the Blue Crew and it was a STUDENT-RUN ORGANIZATION the fee to be in the Blue Crew was $35. That covered tickets, pizza, t-shirts, events, transportation and any other random events that would come up throughout the season. Now the cost is, what, $105 and all they get is a seat and a t-shirt? NO ONE is benefiting more on this than the Athletic Department. If they are charging each student 300% more than what we originally needed to run the organization, where the hell is all of that money going? It's sure as hell not going to events to promote the students going to the games. Now THAT'S a question to ask the administration. Way to leach off of the students, SLU. I get it, I'm in marketing for a living. The thing is that we're talking about it and there is a buzz going, people are getting fired up, they're trying to get more focus on the students. I GET IT! But changing the name is not the answer...PROMOTION is the answer. There are a million other way to get people talking. For any Billiken basketball fan graduate in the last 10 years, ask yourself which do students respond better to: the administration telling them what's cool or other students telling them what's cool? Exactly. YOU CAN'T CREATE TRADITION! If you CREATE tradition, it sure as hell ain't tradition...it's a marketing ploy! Way to alienate alumni who have been waiting YEARS for an arena and for the organizations they we're involved in to be what they always wanted them to be. Way to go AD. Way to go.

The name "Billikens" also have a connotation to it that's not so positive, as we can all admit. Now that we're winning and going to have more recognition on the national stage, we are all able to say "I've been a Billiken fan before it was trendy." Same goes for Blue Crew. A student section is a student section, whether kids show up or not. Changing a name that has been a tradition for a decade (whether you like it or not) is a slap in the face to those 5 fans who actually went to games while we have losing records over and over again. Those 5 fans are more dedicated fans than 95% of the kids that are showing up now. Being in the Blue Crew is a SLU tradition, and just b/c we change the name doesn't mean those annoying kids who heckle the student section are going to stop squaking at them and it doesn't mean anyone on this board is going to talk about them differently. I realize the Athletic Department is going for a full makeover of the basketball program, but changing a tradition is disconnecting alumni from the current student population. How are they supposed to build the tradition they want so badly when they're trying to CREATE traditions rather than nurture them?? Nice move AD.

My friend e-mailed me the link to the story about the Blue Crew being re-named through a campus contest and I've been gathering my thoughts about it all day. For anyone who doesn't know my history with the Blue Crew, I was President from 2005-2007 (the last 2 years of the Soderberg era...and still in the Scottrade Center). During my time in the Blue Crew and the three years since, I'm not sure anyone has thought more about what being a student fan means than me (just ask my dad). I have a lot more to say, and I'm sure I'll come up with more, but this is what I feel off the bat. I went running in Forest Park tonight wearing a Blue Crew shirt and it only made me more angry at what is about to happen... Maybe it's just me not wanting to see my era of being a student fan end, or maybe it's my own pride of never being able to tell my kids, "I was the President of the Blue Crew" and they ask me what the heck that is, but I think that the name "Blue Crew" sums up everything that has to do with being a true Billiken Basketball fan. In my day (yeah, I just said that), the Blue Crew were the most dedicated student fans...the ones who would meet up 1.5 hours before game time, ate pizza, painted up, GOT ON A BUS and drove to see our team...even in our 9-21 season. Granted, that may have not been many students every time, but we were there. Blue Crew is a term of true Billiken pride. (Love them or hate them, you cannot knock the fans who actually showing up just because you wish there were more of them). It's amazing for me to go to games in Chaifetz and see what "Blue Crew" has become. The first time I saw the Blue Crew in action in the Chaifetz Arena I teared up (actually, it was the Xavier game and the White Out while they were body surfing the Billiken from the front row all the way to the back of the student section. That was amazing *sniffle*) To rename the Blue Crew is to nullify the work of and the TRUE fans of Billiken Basketball. If you're going to rename the Blue Crew, you might as well change us from the Billikens to some other mascot. By renaming the Blue Crew, I will feel no personal connection with the student section anymore. It is just one more way that the Athletic Department is taking over what was once a STUDENT-RUN organization. To rename the Blue Crew is to negate everything that students did before that to build the program to what it is today. Changing the name of the Blue Crew to something else will NOT make kids show up anymore then they already do. To rename the Blue Crew is to nullify everything that the founding members and the decade of student fans that have come and gone in an effort to build the student section. "Blue Crew" is a name that was created by a diehard handful of students who said to themselves, "We need a student section." I think they should honor the TRUE fans who didn't NEED an arena and most times didn't even need a RIDE to Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade Center (probably since most times the buses were never there). I think they should honor the students who worked to get the Arena and build the excitement. If you're going to rename the Blue Crew, you might as well change us from the Billikens to some other mascot. By renaming the Blue Crew, I will feel no personal connection with the student section anymore. It is just one more way that the Athletic Department is taking over what was once a STUDENT-RUN organization. To rename the Blue Crew is to nullify everything that students did before that to build the program to what it is today. When I was at SLU, the Athletic Department promised the "Blue Crew" a home in the Chaifetz Arena. Change the name, break that promise, turn your back on the fans that showed up before the idea of an arena was even possible...but then again it's the SLU AD. (P.S. I've come to terms with the fact that I will most likely never work for the SLU Athletic Department lol)

I completely disagree with you. It was a quality win, but the kids that were making their threes have always made their threes....props go to Majerus to MANAGING his players and MANAGING who goes on the foul line.

WR benched for mouthing off during practice and having an attitude. Apperntly it's noted as "conduct detrimental to the team."

What does this say about my family: I got my dad the Billiken Band CD for Christmas....he got me the same thing. We turned off the Christmas music and put on the SLU Pep Band CD. Merry Christmas!!!

I think 16 is a good call. I'll tell ya, it's a different game when Kwamain is in the game....

I'm not angry with the MSU students. I felt demeaned as a Billiken fan and I'm irate that the student section would be opened up to an opposing teams fans. I'd rather have an empty student section that a student section filled with opposing teams' fans.

Well then, let's start promoting the games to the high schools that they went to and their alum.

I ran around asking multiple people wearing blue in the student section to come down to the front, and all of them said something like, "Oh, i'm waiting for someone else to get here..." or "Oh, I'm fine." I talked to a few MO State kids, and they said that they road tripped for the game. Tickets should be free for students...like at Dayton. I'm sorry, but you cannot charge kids to go see a team that they don't know or care about. It's cuts the income down a bit, but it's a long-term strategy. Get the section so packed that you HAVE to charge students. Ridiculous.

Thanks for the heads up...I'll definitely follow up on that.