Late last August Otto and I (and the whole family) got tickets to a Buffalo Bills pre-season game. The game honored Billy Buffalo's 10th birthday, and all his mascot pals played their own football game at halftime... below, Otto cheers as Billy makes a touchdown:
Otto in the endzone... performing at Ralph Wilson Stadium:
My friend and I posing with Billy Buffalo after the game. Happy Birthday buddy!
A few weeks later (early October) - Otto and I got up REALLY early to take a drive out to Bristol, CT -- yes, that's right, we went to ESPN. It was an awesome day around the campus.. clearly, Otto was very excited:
While at ESPN we filmed a "This is Sportscenter" commercial with Dwight Freeney and some of the Sports Science guys... you can watch here. 
After the shoot, they let Otto tour around the ESPN campus stopping by the cafeteria and the SportsCenter studios.
After the shoot, they let Otto tour around the ESPN campus stopping by the cafeteria and the SportsCenter studios.
In between Christmas and New Years (as I'm sure you've heard) the Syracuse football team played it's first Bowl Game since 2004... and we won. Otto and I headed down to Yankee Stadium for a few days to help cheer on the team. 
My credentials that let me take that really cool picture on the field (above).
Game day came a few days after a horrific east coast snow storm... teams worked around the clock to get the stadium in shape for the game, but there was still snow left on the sidelines... which Otto used as a podium to liven up the crowd.
Otto's flag is my favorite.
It was a tough, back-and-forth game, but in the end, with some really exciting plays and some true Syracuse magic, we pulled out a sweet victory, and the team took to the snow-banks to greet the fans (and their families).
Otto didn't leave without some further stadium exploring though. It was really neat to play the first-ever Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium and to have some all access passes. You can watch Otto getting ready for the big game here -- the video shown on the jumbotron at the stadium pre-game.
Mayhem on game day as Cheer, Dance, Band and Otto lead a pep-rally for our fans outside Yankee Stadium.
My credentials that let me take that really cool picture on the field (above).
Game day came a few days after a horrific east coast snow storm... teams worked around the clock to get the stadium in shape for the game, but there was still snow left on the sidelines... which Otto used as a podium to liven up the crowd.
Otto's flag is my favorite.
It was a tough, back-and-forth game, but in the end, with some really exciting plays and some true Syracuse magic, we pulled out a sweet victory, and the team took to the snow-banks to greet the fans (and their families).
Otto didn't leave without some further stadium exploring though. It was really neat to play the first-ever Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium and to have some all access passes. You can watch Otto getting ready for the big game here -- the video shown on the jumbotron at the stadium pre-game.
Mayhem on game day as Cheer, Dance, Band and Otto lead a pep-rally for our fans outside Yankee Stadium. 
Otto and I took a couple trips to NYC this year for some neat events...we went to this Alumni bowling event- where Otto was a big shot on the lanes (knocking down a total of two pins) and behind the counter - giving everyone their bowling shoes. This was an incredible event in the heart of Times Square (who knew there was a bowling alley this classy in Times Square?) with some really fun alumni.
Otto's attempt at bowling (his opponent was Don McPherson, so we knew we were done before we started).
One afternoon in NYC we took Otto out exploring central park... next thing I know that darn Orange "borrows" a sled from a local kid and does some good runs down the slippery hill.
We also dropped by SU's home in NYC - the Lubin House on East 61st Street to say hi to our friends and alumni there. It's a beautiful brownstone right near the park and whenever I'm in town for work, I love staying there.
The first weeks of January brought a flurry of excitement as Otto was selected to be a part of UCA's national mascot competition. We built props and skits and edited music to get ready for a trip to Disney World's Wide World of Sports. An awesome weekend overall, we all were able to spend some time at the pool and in all the parks..
And to top it off, Otto won 10th place!
For now, Otto is resting up before our basketball team makes a big run in the tournament... I can feel it coming!
Otto's attempt at bowling (his opponent was Don McPherson, so we knew we were done before we started).
One afternoon in NYC we took Otto out exploring central park... next thing I know that darn Orange "borrows" a sled from a local kid and does some good runs down the slippery hill.
We also dropped by SU's home in NYC - the Lubin House on East 61st Street to say hi to our friends and alumni there. It's a beautiful brownstone right near the park and whenever I'm in town for work, I love staying there.
The first weeks of January brought a flurry of excitement as Otto was selected to be a part of UCA's national mascot competition. We built props and skits and edited music to get ready for a trip to Disney World's Wide World of Sports. An awesome weekend overall, we all were able to spend some time at the pool and in all the parks..
And to top it off, Otto won 10th place! 
For now, Otto is resting up before our basketball team makes a big run in the tournament... I can feel it coming! As always, Go 'Cuse! #ForeverOrange
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