Wow, I'm a bit charred. Can you guys smell that? I just wanted to spice things up a little bit, so I sent out an e-mail about the Bud song. Zoom. . . .I got flamed from all directions. Well, I started the whole Bud thing, so I think I should have the last say in the matter (with no follow-up flames). I'm sure we've strayed too far from the issue of hockey anyway. This isn't about a "beer" song, as many of you think. (In case someone out there thinks that we haven't heard just about enough "cheesehead" or "drunk Wisconsinite" jokes in our lives. . .save it.) It's about our song. Yeah, we call it "Bud", but what do you want us to call it? "Hey, play that 'When you say Wisconsin, you've said it all!' song." See what I mean. . .it's a little wordy. As you can tell from the responses of Andy Wagner and Eric Lentz (members of the Wisconsin Band) there's a certain pride that goes with that song. It's as big a part of Wisconsin sporting events as Harry singing "Take me out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field. Most people would feel like the experience was incomplete without it. I know that many schools play the song, but does it really MEAN anything to any of you? Hopefully, no one took my message as a serious attack. I don't think that anyone did (except, possibly, some sarcastic RPI Alumni). It originated because of an article that appeared in the Milwaukee Sentinel during the Final Four two years ago. A reporter interviewed Shawn Walsh re: the Bud Song. Walsh stated that he had asked the band director earlier that year to play the song during Black Bear games to stir up the crowd. Then, with 17,000 Badger fans at the Bradley Center, it seemed logical to him that the people would need to choose a team to cheer for. Walsh wanted to make sure that it was Maine, so he asked the band to play the song in Milwaukee. That's what made me bring it up. I knew of the origination of the song (the way Eric Lentz describes it occuring during the 1972-73 season at a Wisconsin Hockey game). Can anyone else say that they know the story of how their band came to play the song and when??? Some of you took my "plagiarism" rap a little too seriously. I never claimed that someone at Wisconsin wrote the song or that we had sole rights to it. I'm just saying that we used it first, we play it best, and it means the most to us. As Mike Machnik wrote: "No one plays it like the Wisconsin band, that I have heard. . ." And if you've ever had the opportunity to hear them, I'm sure you'd agree. I say this as objectively as I possibly can, but I don't think that anyone plays anything like the Wisconsin Band. Year in and year out, they are the most talented and entertaining band I've ever heard. Few bands can stir emotion, but I've gotten chills while listening to the theme from "2001: A Space Oddity" when belted out by the Badger Band after a big win. If 77,000 fans showed up at Camp Randall Stadium to see a Big Ten game and neither team showed up. . .2/3 of the people would stay to watch the band for 3 hours. Face it. Each school has songs and cheers that are trademarks of their school and/or teams. How would Minnesotans feel if, after a goal, Badger fans started cheering W_I_S_C_O_N_S_I_N, Wisconsin, Wisconsin. . .Heeeeeeeeyyyyy Badgers!? There'd probably be a riot. I stand by my statement. It's our song. Regardless of whether or not it came from a beer commercial. We use it for something else. So, back to college hockey. I appreciate your comments. Many of them were amusing. Let's put the Bud Song to rest. But first, my next topic. . .Hey, Cornell, RPI, BU, Detroit Red Wings and the former Soviet Union. Give us back our colors! We had 'em first! Chuck GO BIG RED!! =========================================================================== Chuck Sackett 4840 Chicago Ave. South, #4 [log in to unmask] Minneapolis, MN 55417 Minneapolis, MN (612) 825-4176 (612) 943-0401 (work) Varsity, Varsity, U-Rah, rah Wisconsin Praise to thee we sing Praise to thee our alma mater U-rah, rah Wisconsin ===========================================================================