Apparently, some students at the Delta Upsilon fraternity at Northwestern are in trouble for hiring the Half Pint Brawlers to "entertain" at one of their parties. The Daily Northwestern, a vastly inferior newspaper to the in-state rival Daily Illini (Warning: Your editor is helplessly biased), is shocked, SHOCKED to find little people wrestling on their campus.

"There's no place for such vulgar events at Northwestern. Students at this university are known for their intelligence — NU has some of the top students in the country — and midget wrestling is not something with which this university should be associated."

Sometimes, we wonder if every single editorial at Northwestern features the phrase, "Students at this university are known for their intelligence — NU has some of the top students in the country." Say it enough, kids, and you'll feel better.

Anyway, a truly intelligent student of the world knows that they don't need to be told that midgets bleed for our enjoyment; they just understand it, intrinsically.

Midget Wrestling Rage At Northwestern [The Wizard Of Odds]
Half Print Brawlers

(Note: It's worth noting that among the little people community, the word "midget" is considered a slur.)

College basketball is slowly tipping off, with a bunch of high-profile schools taking turns writing a check to places like Savannah State and Florida A&M and letting the backups get some work in while cruising to uninspired 25-point victories. (Our Illini begin this process tonight against old nemesis Austin Peay.)

But sometimes this can backfire, as Northwestern found out this weekend when the Wildcats lost at home to freaking Cornell. We don't know much about the Wildcats this season, other than that they're expected to finish 16th in the Big Ten, but when we look at this team picture, uh, well, we're not exactly surprised they're expected to struggle this year.

They look like the JCC winter-league champions, or maybe the Indiana state basketball champs from 1954. Greg Oden will be awfully fun to watch against these guys. Sheesh.

Long Range Shooting Dooms Wildcats In Opener [Daily Northwestern]
Illini Off To Running Start [Decatur Herald & Review]

The death is another in a bizarre string of athletic-related deaths at Northwestern. Former football player Rashidi Wheeler died on the practice field in 2001, and his mother later brought a suit against the school (and Walker). And former basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong was killed during a random hate crime spree in 1999.

Northwestern Coach Walker Dead At 52 [Chicago Tribune]

(UPDATE: There's a legitimately touching message board discussion of Walker going on at the Wildcats' Rivals.com page.)

(SECOND UPDATE: SI.com's Stuart Mandel, a Northwestern alum, has an excellent react column as well.)

It's a funny, cute little site, but, sadly, the object of its affection does not share in the fun. According to the Daily Northwestern — which, while a fine paper, will never reach the heights of the Daily Illini — Lane isn't too pleased by all the attention.

"There are some things on that site that could be offensive to some people in the program, and I don t really want to have anything to do with that. People tell me it s got to be flattering it s kind of flattering, but at the same time, it s weird."

Dude. You're a freshman at Northwestern, and you have a Web site devoted to you. Let's try to perk up a bit, OK? Careful, though, Ross ... gays are gonna get ya!

The Ross Lane Fan Club [Official Site]
Site For Sore Eyes [Daily Northwestern] (via Towleroad)