I participated in my first "whiteout" at the Cleveland State-Butler game. You're supposed to wear white, so it looks good on TV. Since the game started at 8:00, it was a good opportunity to eat at Becky's. Remember the burgers are fresh, never frozen, there. It seemed more crowded there than at the game, as the Coat Chairs were intact. A hugely disappointing crowd of 2604 showed up, probably half the size of last year's game. This shows CSU still has some marketing to do.

Rumor has it Butler came in with the #1 RPI. I have yet to see that, but everyone keeps mentioning it. They have no seniors on their squad and were picked for middle of the pack in the Horizon League. Their freshman play as much as Valpo's, but there is a major difference. Butler's are really good at this point. They played as many as three freshmen during much of crunch time and believe it or not, the ball movement of this team might be the best Butler has ever had. Really impressive.

The second half was the difference. CSU had a pretty decent first half and was up 27-20 at the half. All you need to know is CSU shot 14% in the second half. Yep, 14%! Combine that with 56% foul shooting and, well, there you have it. Butler cut down on the turnovers after halftime and crawled back in it and had a chance to win on a final shot. Zack Hahn hit a three-pointer with no time left to win it for Butler. That was a dagger! The hallmark of Butler teams is they never quit and they still don't, even with a whole new team.

CSU loses, 50-48, in a heartbreaker. Next up: Grab the coonskin cap. It's the Mountaineers and Couch Huggins of West Virginia.

Meal of Links

"The Big Lebowski" returns to the Cedar-Lee on Saturday. So, celebrate with a White Russian.

All about those Hollywood studio logos. I still love that fanfare on those Fox movies.

Roger Ebert has some words for Ben Stein. Uh, he basically hammers him.

Wes Anderson talks about his early films. BTW, "The Darjeeling Limited" is making the rounds on the HBOs this month.

CNN cuts its science/environmental unit. That means no more Miles O'Brien. The Weather Channel dumped their environmental group two weeks ago, as well. And we'll have more cuts locally at Channel 3.

Snub-Nosed Monkey alert!

Exercise Yard

The Knicks are the most valuable NBA franchise. The Cavs are fifth at $477 million. Thanks, LeBron.

Visitor

26 Across: Ranting comic _____ Black (5 letters) Answer: Lewis