Can't wait to read Pat Hill's next tweet

Ah shucks, Pat Hill isn't on Twitter yet? Well what are we waiting for Coach!?

Look at this recent message from USC coach Pete Carroll's Twitter account:

oh, one more thing... here's the fall camp practice schedule... open to the public! come on out! http://bit.ly/mwYE23:41 PM Jul 1st from web

So simple, yet so effective. I mean I don't have market research and statistical analysis of how much fan buy-in and interactivity Carroll's tweets lead to, but I do see that he's got more than 30,000 followers on Twitter -- that has to result in some plusses in fan relations and building a connection with the community.

As much as I dislike USC and the pompous attitude that program stands for, and as much as I'm irked by Carroll's hesitance to schedule Fresno State, I have to applaud him for being on the cutting edge.

Tweeting, texting, facebooking, video-ing ... it's the marketing and advertising wave of the near future. Coach Hill, let's get it done ... our fans are welcome to fall camp too, right? Let's get the word out and builid a more connected, larger and stronger fan base.

Thanks for coming out Red Wave!

It's rare for a Bulldog Bounce blog headline to get an exclamation point, but this one deserves it. Fans flocked out to Pete Beiden Field at Fresno State this weekend for the season-opening series. It started with a sellout Friday, about 2,900 on Saturday and more than 2,100 in wet weather Sunday -- and the Diamond 'Dogs didn't disappoint despite their youth taking the series two games to one.

It was great seeing all those new fans out there. And contrary to what you might have seen on the front page of The Fresno Bee Saturday morning, it's not important whether you were there every game last year or no games at all. What's important is growing the fan base and getting any fans who used to come out and don't as often anymore to return.

A young lady was pictured holding up a sign at the opener reading, "Where were all of you when we were 8-12?" Well, I'll tell you what (and this comes from someone who was indeed there when we were 8-12)...everyone becomes a fan at some point. The only thing that matters is keeping them coming. That's how this whole thing works. The team wins, attracts more fans and new fans, you get 'em out to the ballpark, you make the experience enjoyable for them and you hope they want to keep coming back.

I mean, I don't get the "where were you" attitude? Do you not want more fans to come? What if someone asked you where were you in 1991? Or 1988? Maybe you were there then too? But maybe you weren't.

The important thing is you were there on Friday evening. Or Saturday or Sunday afternoon. And that you plan to keep coming.