Saw something the other night that ought to scare the bejesus out of Fresno State athletic department officials: Fans leaving after the women's basketball game, not bothering to stay for the men's.
The Save Mart Center parking attendant couldn't believe it either, asking an outgoing driver (just as I was entering), "Aren't you staying for the men's game?"
Apparently not. He shook his head and drove off. And he wasn't alone.
Fresno State isn't fooling anyone with its bloated attendance figures. They announced a crowd of 6,998 for Monday's 67-57 loss to Idaho even though there couldn't have been more than 2,500 butts in the lower bowl, which I'm told seats 10,500.
Saturday night's game against conference-leading Utah State (part of a doubleheader) actually drew a big crowd -- in the first half.
I'd guess there were about 5,000 people in the lower bowl at tipoff. But after the Bulldogs stunk up the joint, mustering just 15 first-half points, about half of those people got up and left.
And you know what? They're not coming back.
Sometimes, Marek, your glee is hard to hide.
I think Fresno State scans the tickets, so they know the actual butts in seats count, but they release actual tickets sold numbers. I guess this is an honest way to deal with it, but do you think they think they're fooling anyone? Maybe they assume we all will think we're missing something if 7,000 people are going to the games. I guess it's not working. Why not just give us the real count? Maybe we'll feel sorry for them and go to the games to help them out.