Pack (four sections of) The House

Yeah, so Fresno State's "Pack The House" women's basketball promotion didn't go over so well. Only about four sections of the arena could be considered packed (attendance was announced at 2,509).

But 3/4 of the Bulldog Bounce crew showed, with a few take-away points we'd like to list:

--Where were you guys? Tom Brandstater, Marlon Moore, Moses Harris and Damion Owens all showed up.

--All those nerdy fans who used to flock to the arena just to see Stacy Johnson-Klein stomp around putting dents in the hardwood with her leather boot heels would probably be just as happy as fans of director of basketball operations Kelsi Bond.

--Hawaii has dislikeable players in women's sports too! We've experienced plenty of uncalled for taunting and cheap shotting from former Warriors/Rainbows/Wahine in Anthony Carter, that one men's guard a few years ago who looked like Ellen and most of the football team -- and now this. Ebony Jones, at 6-foot-1, flagrantly shoves Fresno State's Emma Andrews (who would have a tough time passing the heighth test at Magic Mountain (seriously) onto the floor, drawing a technical foul.

--And most importantly, the 'Dogs women put on a great show. They play hard, drive to the basket, seem like good teammates and have a bunch of impact freshmen. Oh, and Tierre Wilson rivals Mirenda Swearengin as the most impressive women's player in school history. She might be able to start alongside Kevin Bell for the men's team (they do need a replacement for academically ineligible Bryan Harvey now right?)...

Some b-ball cheers...

Just in case you'd like to join in, here are some individual b-ball cheers that are great for the 'Dogs players. Every time someone scores or pulls down a rebound, shout for:

--Kevin Bell: "Slamma lamma, DING DONG!"
--Hector Hernandez: "DOOOOUUUUBBBBLLLLEEEE H!"
--Eddie Miller: "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!"
--Bryan Harvey: "OHHHH B-Harv!" (Austin Powers cadence)
--Tyson Parker: (Make gobbling turkey noise...for Tyson Farms)
--Alex Blair: "Alex WOOOOOO (Ric Flair style) Blair!"
--Shawn Taylor: "He's Taylor...Made!"
--Nedeljko Golubovic: "What does everybody want!? NED!!!"

Just like the good 'ol days (for a split second)...

That's how I felt last night, using the depths of my voice, yelling from the belly up and out, cheering with all my heart. Waving my arms in and upwards motion while jumping up and down, trying to get the rest of the Save Mart Center crowd on its feet and screaming just as loud.

And then BOOM! Just like that, the Red Wave gushed its passion toward the hardwood and it felt just as feversish and edge-of-your-seat intense as in the Tark and Boyd Grant days at Selland Arena.

But before I had a chance to say, "Look what I did, the crowd's going nuts!" I realized it wasn't me at all. It was Bryan Harvey. He hit two straight 3s to bring the 'Dogs within six points of recently No. 24 St. Mary's (seriously, I'm not joking, the Gaels were in the top 25).

I miss those days, where I got just as pumped for Fresno State b-ball as I did for football. What changed? Do all the sanctions and scandals and off-the-court nonsense have fans too busy trying to spit the bad taste out of their mouths to come back out and support the team?

I think so. And I think it's time we got behind Steve Cleveland and made Fresno State one of the toughest campuses for opposing teams to visit again. Save Mart Center is capable of being far louder than Selland Arena ever was. So here's the challenge -- just show up. Grey hairs with season tickets, rich people with luxury suites, diehards in the upper deck, and most of all STUDENTS! Let's all come together and chant in unison nonstop. Make it near impossible for opposing teams to concentrate. The b-ball team will be good again very soon -- trust Coach Cleve. And you'll be able to say you were there in the stands all along contributing.