Saturday, February 18, 2006
You Lovable Huggable TreeBecause it's a brainy school, Stanford University doesn't have "ferocious Huskies" or "avenging Indians" for mascots. Instead, their mascot is a tree -- seriously, a redwood tree, based on the city of Palo Alto where it is located (The city's name means "tall tree" in Spanish). At football and basketball games, they have a woman dressed as a tree prance around as the band plays. It's hard to look menacing when you are a tree, so there is a lot of prancing and jumping, and not much else.
That's what you would think. Now the woman, Erin Lashnits, a senior student in biology, has been fired for being drunk on the job. Supposedly she was taking drinks from a flask inside the tree during a basketball game two weeks ago, and police said they could see the flask under the costume. They gave her a breath analyzer test and found that her blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit for driving. It didn't matter that trees don't drink and drive. A spokesman for the band said that "the tree's movement was consistent with that of someone who's had something to drink." Stanford people must know their trees better than most of us. Their decision was final: The tree was axed, and told to "leave."
I feel bad for Lashnits. After all, she was taking her job seriously to be like a tree, and obviously she needed to be watered. I am thinking to invite her to be a mascot for my household. The dogs are all in favor.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 6:33 AM
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See I have no problem with the tree, but don't understand what exactly the problem with a drinking tree is. Perhaps the wood will be too seasoned?
"The Tree is the anti-mascot mascot," said Matt Merrill, this year's edition of one of the most original, rebellious and flamboyant mascots in the country. "The thing is, the main reason people like the Tree is because he makes fun of other mascots."
The legend of the Stanford Tree had an inauspicious start 20 years ago when the school decided to change its name from the politically incorrect 'Indians.'
None too happy with the name change, Stanford's marching band took it upon themselves to create their own mascot, and the Tree was born.
Any embarrassment suffered during the reign of the Tree, however, is nothing compared to what one suffers through in the process of becoming the Tree.
The legend of the Stanford Tree had an inauspicious start 20 years ago when the school decided to change its name from the politically incorrect 'Indians.'
None too happy with the name change, Stanford's marching band took it upon themselves to create their own mascot, and the Tree was born.
Any embarrassment suffered during the reign of the Tree, however, is nothing compared to what one suffers through in the process of becoming the Tree.
John,
The Stanford brainiacs must think that it is not an authentic, scientific way for trees to absorb moisture.
Anon,
The infidels are everywhere!
Gueetar,
Hehe...
Sam,
Thanks for the research. The "process of becoming the Tree?" Sounds like a Barbara Walters special.
Jenna,
AA for redwoods. That's what we need.
The Stanford brainiacs must think that it is not an authentic, scientific way for trees to absorb moisture.
Anon,
The infidels are everywhere!
Gueetar,
Hehe...
Sam,
Thanks for the research. The "process of becoming the Tree?" Sounds like a Barbara Walters special.
Jenna,
AA for redwoods. That's what we need.
The mascot for Yale is a bulldog they nickname Handsome Dan. It is the ugliest beast among college mascots. I'd take the Tree any day.
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# posted by 
: 19 February, 2006 11:02
: 19 February, 2006 11:02<< Home
