The Best Thing That Happened This Week: Who Let the Dog Out?

Photos istockphoto.com

So we’re all used to how colleges have animal mascots who go to games as good-luck charms: There’s Stella, the Temple Owl; Uga, the Georgia Bulldog; Bill, the Navy Goat; Sir Big Spur, the South Carolina Gamecock. … Most such mascots are cute and photogenic and make brief public appearances before heading back to the hennery or kennel. Well, Moravian College, up in Bethlehem, has cute animal mascots, too: a brace of greyhounds. They race across the field at the start of football games, and on Wednesday, they happened to be among the (few) fans in the bleachers at a women’s basketball game. With just seconds remaining in the first half of a tight contest, one hound, Benny—”a 15-month-old rescue greyhound who is still full of energy, obviously!,” Moravian PR guy Michael Corr tells us—came thundering onto the court and thumped the living daylights out of a visiting Drew University player. (Video here!) She wasn’t hurt (nor was the dog), and Drew rallied in the end to win by two. But we think Moravian is onto something. If a mere dog can cause such consternation, imagine the possibilities if St. Joe’s were to set a few dozen hawks free at the Palestra, or Ursinus unleashed a bear, or Villanova sprang a real wildcat in the final minutes of a close one (preferably against Duke). Hey, all’s fair in love and basketball.