Colleges Nicknames- Wild, Wild Horses

Today, we conclude our looks at the nicknames of 96 different colleges, most of which will be going to post-season play in a sport besides college basketball (I'm making fun of an ad for the NCAA which shows most student athletes going on to become chemists instead of becoming NBA superstars).

The three schools pictured here are the Boise State Broncos from Idaho, which have a highly touted football and women's gymnastics program, the Bucknell Bison from Lewisburg, Pa., which has a competive wrestling team and one of the very few water polo teams on the east coast, and the Iowa Hawkeyes, from the Big Ten.

In addition to Boise State, there are two other teams from the Mountain West Conference, including the San Diego State Aztecs, which is nationally ranked and a virtually certainty for a NCAA bid in men's basketball, and the Colorado State Rams, which are predicted to get an at-large bid.

Here are the teams, all of which are related to horses, knights, cowboys/cowgirls and Native Americans:

1. Army Black Knights, Patriot, West Point, NY.

2. Boise State Broncos, Mountain West, Boise, Idaho

3. Bucknell Bison, Patriot, Lewisburg, Pa.

4. Colorado State Rams, Mountain West, Fort Collins, Colo.

5. Iowa Hawkeyes, Big 10, Iowa City, Iowa

6. Illinois Fightin' Illini, Big 10, Champaign, Ill.

7. Oklahoma State Cowboys*, Big 12, Stillwater, Okl.

8. San Diego State Aztecs, Mountain West, San Diego, Calif.

9. Southern Methodist University Mustangs, C-USA, Dallas, Tex.

10. UNC-Greensboro Spartans, Southern Conference, Greensboro, NC

11. University of Southern California Trojans, Pac-12, Los Angeles, Calif.

12. Utah Utes, Pac-12, Salt Lake City, Utah.

*-Oklahoma State's women's basketball team is nicknamed Cowgirls

Things We Learned on Twitter This P.M.-Strange Crime Stories

"The Idaho Statesman" in Boise, Ida., is reporting (I saw this via Twitter) that a local man has admitted to the Boise Police Department that he stabbed himself and told a police officer that a passer-by had in fact stuck a knife in his chest. The police are considering filing chrages against the man who has not been identified to the press. The self-inflicted wound occured on Friday morning near a hotel in downtown Boise according to Lynn Hightower, spokeswoman for the Boise Police Department.

And, in our nation's capital, Ahmed Hassan, a man who is reportedly between the ages of 28 and 35, dropped his wallet after he robbed a bank on Connecticut Avenue. According to "The Washington Post," if anyone has any info about the crime, they are being asked to call local authorities.

SIDEBAR- If you see a Craig's List post for "Baby-Sitter Wanted in Istanbul," it might be the result of the fact that more mothers are working in Turkey, according to "Today's Zaman."

Silly Picture to Fill Space-Minor League Hockey Fight

Since we used an image of the Charlotte Checkers' mascot (a polar bear) for an entry in this series on our other blog, we thought we'd show the violent side of minor league hockey with this fight featuring a player from ECHL's Idaho Steelheads.

One of the Boys from Boise's next home game will be against the Boys from Salt Lake City (the Utah Grizzlies) when the two teams meet on the Steelheads' home ice on March 16.

The Steelheads have had an outstanding season from goalie Richard Bachman as has recent ECHL Player of the Week James Sixsmith of the Grizzlies.

In SLC, the Grizzlies will host the Stockton Thunder (from Stockton, Calif.) for three consecutive games starting on Friday. The other games will be on Saturday and Sunday.

The Grizzlies' actually have a Happy Hour, which seems startling considering that the team is in one of the reddest states in America. But, when one reads further they find out that in fact the Happy Hour means five-dollar concession meals from 6:00-7:00 p.m. only.

I could not deduce from the Grizzlies' web site if the team serves Bud Lite or any other alcohol products, not could I find out if Donnie Osmond has ever sung the National Anthem for them.

But, we wish the Grizzlies well against the Thunder. If I didn't live in Greensboro, NC, (which ironically no longer has a hockey team even though the city briefly served as home ice for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes before the tea permanently moved to Raleigh and won a Stanley Cup), I would be there to cheer on the Boys from Salt Lake City.

Besides, I don't care much for Bud Lite anyway.

Radford University is in the NCAA Tournament

After a week-long hiatus, we return to The Daily Vampire. I've had a major setback in my personal life, but we don't discuss such matters here.

But, I will talk about the Radford University men's basketball team, which go by the nickname of the Highlanders.

The RU Highlanders, who won the Big South tournament over VMI on March 7, will play the UNC Tarheels in Greensboro on Thursday. The tip-off time is 2:50 p.m.

I am excited that the game is close to home, but of course, there are some factors which are seemingly going to prevent me from going the game, including work, ticket prices/availability and parking. Hmmm...there are probably about 15 more which I left off.

All of which proves I'd almost be better off if they were playing in Boise, Idaho (which is another first round tournament site).

The Highlanders, who are a 16-seed this time around, last got into the tournament a decade ago when we lost to Duke in the first round.

For my part, I hope to post a series of blog entries about the Highlanders team and the game this week.

Next week, we shall 'return to our regular program.'