Quote:...Playing to the home base this past Friday, Massaro sent a letter addressed to Blue Raider fans in conjunction with the beginning of another school year. Rightfully so, the sixth-year AD touted the success of Blue Raiders athletics in recent years, especially noting MTSU has won the Bubas Cup — the annual award for overall team achievement in the Sun Belt Conference — three straight years and seven of the last 11.

Massaro wrote, "We are very proud of our accomplishments the past few years: three straight Bubas Cups, seven in the last eleven years; back to back bowl games, three bowl games in five years; women's volleyball in the NCAA tournament five straight years; men's golf in the NCAA tournament four straight seasons; women's basketball postseason eight straight years. Academically, we had three of our programs, football, men's tennis, and men's golf, recognized by the NCAA for being in the top ten in the country for their Academic Progress Rate (APR). ... "

Much to the delight of MTSU fans, then came some good-natured ribbing on Massaro's part concerning the rivalry between MTSU and WKU and the recent successes on the Blue Raiders' side of the equation in football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

Massaro wrote, "As of September 1, it has been 1,021 days since our rival Western Kentucky has beaten us in football, 961 days in women's basketball, and 592 days in men's basketball."

Do the math, Hilltoppers. You don't like how it all adds up.

Don't you just love it?

Full disclosure: Like both of my parents, I attended Western Kentucky. Conversely, daughter Grace started classes this past week as a freshman at MTSU, making me a Blue Raider parent.

Alive and well, the rivalry between MTSU and WKU rekindles on Thursday, Oct. 6 when the schools play a nationally-televised football game at Floyd Stadium.