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Take a look at this, fellow HL fans.  I'm sure it's the last time it will ever be put up for public display on the butler board:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0ApY4M_YB3zBBdEVjemE4NDEzcTQzaXNrZ0NwOXI4cGc&output=html

Remember all the criticism about our high school gym.  Well lookie here - no fewer than 5 A-10 venues smaller than the ARC, some WAY smaller.  Butler fans won't know who to ridicule first.  Think attendance is low at some of our venues?  Look at some of the numbers in the mighty A-10 - pathetic.  I see now why they call it the Atlantic-10.  They have 10 low mid-major east coast colleges that have duped 4 upstanding midwestern universities with strong athletic programs and good facilities to carry their water for them.  If I was a Butler fan, I'd be having the biggest case of buyer's remorse I've ever had in my life.  Then again, we musn't forget all the potential benefits like making the tournament more often (I forgot they go all the time now), or how about getting a higher seed (I forgot, done that), or being ranked (never mind that), or advancing farther in the tournament (true they're a basket away from having done that yet).  This is the best outcome they could think of in exchange for selling all their sports down the river in terms of travel time, time away from the classroom, limited ability of family and friends to attend away games, etc., etc., etc. 

Butler fans - you made your bed, now go die in it.  In the mean time we'll all be back here in the Midwest struggling along best we can without you.  This whole move is either laughable or pathetic.  I'm just not sure I can figure out which one...

While you figure that out, I'll try to figure out if you are pathetic or just have mental issues.

If Cheers back at ya!   

On a serious note, attribute it to whatever you want, but Valpo truly has stepped up their level of play and appear to be dominating on the recruiting front also.  Butler is struggling to close the gap on Valpo, but when Valpo is bringing in a multitude of transfers from BCS schools, I don't see how Butler can catch up by relying on their incoming class of 3 unproven high school kids. 

Not sure if we'll be around, but maybe in a few years when all your seniors and juniors are gone, Butler might be able to compete again.  I guess we'll see.

Butler has a 5th year senior joining them next year. He is one of the best 3pt shooters in the nation.

They still have some talent coming in with a lot of shooters. This will make them much harder to defend. No longer will teams be able to crowd the paint and dare someone from Butler to shoot.

I agree with Stax. It may be hard to accept, but I believe it is true.

Lots of reports floating around that this may be a done deal.  I expect Butler to move quickly, if indeed they do have an offer.  With all the national attention Valpo is getting for their league championship and NIT appearance, Collier knows the window of opportunity for a move like this is closing quickly.

I don't know if winning the HL regular season title will give much national attention

Thanks for the long winded response.  I was talking about the current situation.  We've only been in the Horizon for five years and took a while to get up to speed.  On a broad basis--across many sports, Valpo has gotten to a point where we are better than Butler.  As for taking players away, we could say the same thing.  Haanpaa, Bouchie, Wood?  Get the picture?

I never said our record in the NCAAs was better than Butler.  The validity of my statement is just fine, thank you. 

Didn't Haanpaa, and Wood graduate? I'm referring to Butler players that left for the NBA after their sophomore and junior year, not a different school or graduated... there is a bit of a difference.

Take Butler's NCAA runs out of the picture and you still have a better program. Valpo may be able to sweep some teams (this year), but Butler has swept the entire league and has dominated the league in years past. Valpo has much to be proud of with being the top team in the HL, but do it for a few more years, then compare the two.

Hopefully, if they do leave, it won't be until 2013-2014 and we will have one more year to show we have an athletic department that is every bit as good as the dawgs.  As I stated earlier, there is no "Valpo having more of a chance to rise to the challenge that Butler has laid down." We have been in the league for what? Five years? And, in the sports that matter,(football,men's and women's basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball) we outperformed the bulldogs in all of them other than football and women's basketball.  Even in the latter, we swept them this year. Of course we will continue to have the chance to beat them in football.

No sour grapes here, just the fact that our programs are every bit as good as theirs and in most cases better.  It took us a few years to bring in higher quality players but we did it and I suspect that record will continue.  I wish them good luck as well.  It will be too bad to lose our longest standing rival, but, life goes on...
 

I disagree with the men's basketball portion. Out performing the Men's Basketball team? Ya this year, but overall? You have to be joking.

Sweeping Butler in what is clearly their year of rebuilding does not prove much.
Look at their record.
                   Overall      Conference
2007-2008  30-4             16-2 1st NCAA Appearance
2008-2009  26-6              15-3 1st NCAA Appearance
2009-2010  33-5              18-0 1st NCAA Runner Up
2010 - 2011 28-10           13-5  tied 1st    NCAA Runner Up
2011-2012   21-14           11-7  tied 3rd   CBI Appearance

Valpos record
2007-2008    22-14          9-9   tied 4th CBI
2008-2009    9-22            5-13 9th     
2009-2010    15-17         10-8 tied 4th
2010-2011     23-12        12-6 4th        CIT
2011-2012    22-12         14-4 1st       NIT


Once Valpo's Men's Basketball team can make it to the NCAA tournament again and win a few rounds, then your statement will have a little bit more validity to it.

As stated here in this thread before. Just because you have had recent success against the benchmark team of the league, doesn't mean that the program is on the same level. Send Broekhoff and KVW, like Butler sent their would be seniors, to the NBA and see if Valpo can manage to stay on top.

[The A-10 will lose Temple in the fall of 2013 and must add a quality basketball program.]

This is disappointing, but understandable.    Butler needs to leverage their run twice to the Finals somehow.    Hats off to them.   
The good news is we might keep Butler in our league long enough for our strong senior class to square off one last season. 
As far as new adds to the HL....I really like the DePaul idea and it would help their non-revenue  sports greatly.    Actually I think Bradley might consider leaving MVC but I'm  not sure we in the HL gain much from adding the Peoria media market.    However, Bradley a much better add than Oak, IUPUI, or "Mastadons".   If you're Bradley don't you want to play in front of alumni in Chicago and Milwaukee more than traveling to the smaller more distant MVC cities.   

I believe if Butler does leave, they will still be in the Horizon League next year. According to the original quote from ESPN

Butler has expressed interest in joining the Atlantic 10 and replacing Temple, according to multiple sources. The Bulldogs are intrigued by the major media markets and, of course, the increase in competition with Xavier, Saint Louis and Dayton among others. The A-10 will lose Temple in the fall of 2013 and must add a quality basketball program.

I believe Butler wouldn't be a part of the A-10 till the 2013-2014 year. Meaning that the strong senior class of Valpo and the highly anticipated Dawgs will have a change to square off.

Well hopefully it is true. If they stick around in the Horizon League, I think Brad Stevens will move on. It really sucks that they would be leaving after their worst season in many years, but in my opinion it is the best choice for them.

I know this has been addressed, but I wonder if the Valpo Butler games will continue. I'm sure Valpo would want to keep the rivalry going, but I'm not sure Butler would. If they were in the A-10, then I'm sure they would find new rivals, especially Xavier. To be honest, from what I have seen, I don't think Butler has really ever considered Valpo to be their rivals (I'm sure that has changed this year). It seems to be a one way rivalry in my opinion. Call it being smug if you want, but I just think they have larger cross hairs on different teams. That doesn't take anything away from Valpo, however.

Depaul doesn't have baseball, but I imagine would be instantly considered. Edit:  I love reading the Butler board, and how several posters never look into the facts of our games, as they just love dumping on VU so much to really care to do so.  Our game was not a blowout, it was close the whole way until about 3:30 left in the game, when a six-man rotation couldn't keep up anymore.  It's one thing to not like another school, but at least research the game, rather than just going off of a score at the bottom of ESPN...

Who cares what Butler's Board said. It's a few people from a forum. Valpo played tough.

I just took a look at their board. I may be wrong, but I only see one person saying that Valpo was blown out. If there is truly only one person saying that then I don't see a need to add a comment on this board about it and refer to that one person as the Butler Board.

I would really like to see Butler stay in the Horizon League. With the talent they are going to have on their team next year, they should be a very strong team and possibly be able to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Would love for them to be a part of the Horizon League. However, it seems in the best interest for them to move to the A-10.

Gotta root on Butler and Detroit!

If Butler leaves (hope so) it will be because we drove them out. 4 in a row in MBB, and 2-0 in WBB this year. Now, a win in the PFL would be the icing on the cake,or the slobber on the Bulldog. GO VALPO!

One bad season for Butler Men's Basketball (Which has dominated the league the past few years) wouldn't mean that Valpo drove them out.

I think the decline in posts probably has more to do with their decline in relative position.  When you're seeded 5th in your conference tournament and don't know but what your season may end tonight, it's kind of difficult to gloat, brag, talk about moving to the Big East, ridicule other team's coaches and players, project what seed you expect to get in the NCAA tournament, praise the "Butler Way," criticize officiating, compare yourself to Gonzaga and Xavier, dismiss Mid Major polls as irrelevant, and oh, did I say gloat and brag?  What else is there for the typical Butler fan?  I'm sure everything will be back to normal once the world's best recruits return them to glory next year.

Do you honestly think you can take a few fans from a forum and say they are the "typical Butler fan?" I don't think so. If I took the members of this forum and called them "typical Valpo fans" do you know what I would think of the "typical Valpo fan?" They cry about Butler an awful lot. Just because a few on a FORUM act a certain way, does not define the typical fan of a school. I know a lot of Butler fans, outside of the Forums, I never hear, what I consider to be the typical fans, comparing Butler to any school like Gonzaga and Xavier. They find themselves to be there own team/school and don't need a comparison to have pride. They pride themselves in being Butler.

Ridiculing of other teams and coaches?  I don't know any Butler fans that ridicule other teams coaches, but again I'm sure a handful of fans do. To be honest, I heard good things about, Bryce Drew and Coach K from Duke (to name a few) from Butler fans. I drove down to Butler last year to watch the National Championship game at Hinkle on TV, and can tell you that I was extremely impressed by the fans. After playing a not so satisfactory game, the fans were cheering, chanting, and praising their school and team at the end. I never heard any derogatory statement about uConn or anyother school. Again, there probably were some people that did.

Criticize officiating? Do you honestly think fans don't criticize officiating? I have NEVER been to a game where opposing fans have not criticized the refs. Valpo does it, Butler does it, CSU, Detroit, etc. Every sport team in the world does. I don't see your point.

Gloating and Bragging? Really? They went to the national championship not once, but twice, consecutively . If Valpo accomplished what they did in those two years Valpo fans would be gloating and bragging too. Again, I'm sure there are some Butler fans that take the gloating way too far. Every school has those fans. If you think Valpo doesn't then think again. I went to the Butler Valpo game last year at Valpo and saw Valpo fans giving the bird to the Butler fans. Did I think "Typical Valpo fan?" No. Did I think less of Valpo? No. Why? Because a few people, in person or on a forum, don't define the school, or team, or town, or typical fan.

From what I have seen, there is plenty of things that the typical Butler Fan embodies. Taking the hundreds and thousands of Butler basketball fans and claiming the things you stated about them is just plain ignorant.