OT - Globetrotter insults entire state
 

As I mentioned in another thread, the reruns of "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" that were running on cable here in Portland this past week featured the Harlem Globetrotters playing for charity - the Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the Friday show, the bonus question was "What state has a beaver on its state flag?" Gee - do you think it might be Oregon? The Globetrotter deliberated out loud and said he knew that the University of Oregon's mascot was the beaver, so it must be Oregon.

Sure, he got it right, but saying the U of O has a beaver for a mascot would cut to the bone of every U of O and Oregon State University alumni and supporter. Here in this state, there is a huge level of animosity between the two schools to the point of having their annual Pac10 football game called "the Civil War". The only thing that modified the "insult" was that one of his teammates corrected him on the subject.

Actually, I'm surprised the local cable channel even let it on the air. :rolleyes:

BTW - thanks to the Globetrotters for winning a lot of money for Make-A-Wish, a great organization of which my wife has been a long-time volunteer.

Cute Little Guy ...
 

you sound like the coach, player, or fan who complains about the call you just made....THAT BENEFITED THEIR TEAM.....

really? you're complaining that he answered the question correctly and earned money for charity?

He's not complaining about anything. He posted a fun story on a slow day to generate discussion.

Sheesh newbie, get a life.

I guess you didn't read my last sentence in that post. Complaining? Are you crazy? As far as I'm concerned, he could have cheated to get that right. I think Make-A-Wish is one of the greatest charities we have. I've seen some of those kids and the way their faces look when they are ready to leave on their wish trip is priceless.

BTW - thanks for the support, BBR.

BFF's (Brief Friends Forever), Right ???
 

Hey Mark Padgett? You know that you always have my full support? Right? And also the left one.

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbn...80de8e8c076218

Is that yours? I see an IAABO (I Am A Ballsy Official) patch on it. Oh yeah, the tag says size XS. Must be yours. :D

This reminds me of a Hollywood Squares question: "Which of the following colleges have the Wildcats as their mascot?"

Caroline Rhea tried to answer "Arizona" before hearing the three choices, one of which was the correct answer, Kansas State. Rhea just answered "Kansas" -- which was not one of the choices -- and the contestant disagreed, but Rhea was ruled correct (and the contestant wrong) with "Kansas."

I'm sure that ruffled a few feathers where the buffalo roam, but outside of that, few people would care enough to make a fuss.

Confused In Connecticut ???
 

The differences between these twin-named universities confuse me. Here in Connecticut, we have a very large, public university, the University of Connecticut (UCONN). We also have a very small, private college, Connecticut College. No one would ever confuse them. I am also aware that Pennsylvania has two universities, Pennsylvania State (Penn State), a very large, public university, and the University of Pennsylvania, a private, Ivy League university.

What's the story on other twin-named universities: Oregon, and Oregon State; Kansas, and Kansas State; North Carolina, and North Carolina State, etc.? Is it a matter of public, versus private, as it is in the examples I gave above, or is it something else?

I don't know the full story on Oregon and Oregon State, but both are large public universities. Oregon is in Eugene and Oregon State is in Corvallis. Oregon State started as an agricultural school and, I think, was originally called Oregon Agricultural College. Some Oregon fans still call the Oregon State teams the "Aggies" as a put down. The rivalry between the two schools is intense and Oregon also has a pretty big rivalry with the University of Washington. We also have Portland State University, a public school, and the University of Portland, a private religious-sponsored school.

I think you''ll find that a lot of states have U of <state> and <state> State Univiersity....and that many of them follow that same heritage....agricultural and mechanical (vocational like) vs. the more broad university (physics, literature, psychology, etc).

We All Scream For Ice Cream ...
 

Interesting. The University of Connecticut (UCONN), the largest public university in the state, started as an agricultural college, and still has a very active agricultural department. When we're having trouble with pests in our gardens, or want our soil tested, UCONN has the expertise to help us out. They still have a very active farming department, with their own herd of dairy cows. They serve ice cream made from the milk of these cows at a diary bar on campus. It's the best ice cream in New England. Better than Ben and Jerry's.

Holy cow!
 

Must be the northeast, as Penn State University has a similar program:

Most visitors to the Berkey Creamery at Penn State know only of its famous ice cream, sherbet, and cheeses sold at the store or over the Internet, but what they don't know is that it is the largest university creamery in the nation.

Each year approximately 4.5 million pounds of milk pass through the Creamery's stainless steel holding tanks. About half comes from a 225-cow herd at the University's Dairy Production Research Center, and the rest is purchased from an independent milk producer.

Home &mdash; Penn State Creamery

The things you learn on the Forum.....OT that they are! :p

I know with Iowa and Iowa State, both are public. As is bracket-busting Northern Iowa. Most of the states in this part of the country have the twin Universities (Michigan, Oklahoma, etc.) It's a bit different than other states that have their main university system and each school is named by the campus site (UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UC-Berkley). Some states have both (UC-Boulder, Colorado State). It seems private schools named after states are typically less known (Penn being an Ivy League exception).

It seems the "State" Universities (Iowa State, Kansas State, West Virginia State) tend to be "Land Grant" universities in heritage (often began as Ag universities). They seem to have a tendency to be "second" public universities in their given states. It's not universally true, though.

Minor correction - I think you mean "Land Grant".