Mayor Alan Autry's new gig (starting Sept. 29) as host of a talk radio show on KYNO, AM 1300 has me stumped.

How is he going to do it and maintain his oath to uphold the City Charter?

The Bee's Rick Bentley reported on Autry's moonlighting job in today's paper. Bentley writes: "[City Attorney James] Sanchez said Autry has a right to seek employment in the private sector. Autry will have to recuse himself if any issues with KYNO radio come before the Fresno City Council."

"On, Wisconsin!" is the University of Wisconsin's best-known school song, and one of the great fight songs in all of sport.

"On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin
Plunge right through that line, ..."

According to the Badgers' Web site, the song was composed in 1909 by William Purdy, with words by Carl Beck. The latter once studied at Wisconsin.

Saturday's Wisconsin-Fresno State football game at Bulldog Stadium is officially a sellout, said Paul Ladwig, Fresno State associate athletic director for broadcasting/external relations, in an e-mail late Tuesday afternoon.

He said a limited number of "standing room seats" will be sold Wednesday through Friday.

"I will not make the place uncomfortable for fans," Ladwig said.

Here's a statistic that Fresno State can aim at: Attendance for Wisconsin's seven home football games at Camp Randall Stadium in 2007 averaged 101.78% of capacity. This ranked No. 12 among the 119 football bowl subdivision (formerly Division IA) schools.

Home attendance at 24 football bowl subdivision schools last year averaged 100% of stadium capacity or better, according to NCAA statistics.

Wisconsin's average home crowd of 81,747 ranked No. 15. Camp Randall Stadium's capacity is 80,321.

Attendance for Fresno State's six home football games at Bulldog Stadium in 2007 averaged 88.45% of capacity, No. 55 among football bowl subdivision schools. Fresno State in this category ranked ahead of such well-known BCS schools as Missouri (No. 56), Arizona State (No. 58), UCLA (No. 62) and Stanford (No. 71).

Fresno State's average attendance was 36,291, No. 65 among 119 schools. Bulldog Stadium's capacity is 41,031.

Only Hawaii (43,514) among Western Athletic Conference schools topped Fresno State in average home attendance in 2007.

Wisconsin's football program brought in $34.1 million in the 2006-07 school year, compared to $7.9 million at Fresno State. The Badgers are in a Bowl Championship Series conference, while the Bulldogs are a mid-major with upwardly mobile ambitions.

But how does Wisconsin football compare to its peers in the struggle for riches? Turns out the Badgers are among the elite of the elite.

According to federal reports filed by the schools and posted on The Chronicle of Higher Education's Web site, Wisconsin football's revenues ranked No. 18 among 66 BCS schools in 2006-07, the most recent year available.

Some highlights from the 2006-07 reports:

* No Pac-10 football program topped the Badgers. Washington led the Pac-10 with $33.7 million in football revenue, with USC second at $31.7 million. Washington State was last at $10.5 million.

* Five Big Ten programs topped Wisconsin: Ohio Sate ($59.1 million); Michigan ($51 million); Iowa ($45.3 million); Penn State ($44 million); and Michigan State ($40.8 million).

* Virginia Tech ($40.6 million) was the only Atlantic Coast Conference school to top Wisconsin. Notre Dame (an independent in football) was at $63.7 million.

* Texas of the Big 12 Conference was No. 1 among all BCS programs at $63.8 million. The only other Big 12 football programs to top Wisconsin were Oklahoma ($37.3 million) and Texas A&M ($37.1 million).

* The Southeastern Conference is the big money league. Seven of 12 schools had football revenues topping Wisconsin: Georgia ($59.5 million); Florida ($58.9 million); Auburn ($56.8 million); Alabama ($53.2 million); Louisiana State ($48.1 million); Arkansas ($42.1 million); and South Carolina ($41.3 million).

* Total revenues for the Western Athletic Conference's nine schools were $46.9 million. Nine BCS schools topped that mark.

Let's take one last look at the Fresno State football team's season-opening victory at Rutgers on Sept. 1, as seen through the eyes of coach Pat Hill. The quotes are from his Sept. 2 media conference at Fresno State.

What's the value in looking back? Only this: It may give us an idea of how the Bulldogs will perform on Saturday when No. 10 Wisconsin of the Big Ten Conference comes to Bulldog Stadium.

In other words, Rutgers was the real deal.

* "A 24-7 victory on the East Coast -- that's a really good start for this football team."
(Context: And against a quality Big East opponent. Hill is 8-4 in season-openers, including five straight wins from 2004 through 2008.)

* "It was a very quiet plane coming home. Those guys were tired. That was a physical game."
(Context: Wisconsin is known for its big, tough linemen, especially on offense. Rutgers couldn't hold its own in the Big East without some size and toughness of its own.)

* "As the game went on, we adjusted really well and took control of that game. I think, as you can see, it's not easy traveling. Tennessee found that out going to UCLA."
(Context: Wisconsin is coming across two-thirds of a continent. Fresno State traveled all the way across the continent.)

* "We went in there expecting to win. There were no people dunking each other with water or jumping up and down [at the end of the game]."
(Context: The Bulldogs know they belong on the Big Stage. Such quiet confidence has become part of the culture in Hill's program.)

* "Rutgers last year gave up only one rushing touchdown when their big personnel was in the game. And we went in there three times on them."
(Context: A strong offensive line and running back Ryan Mathews can make a big difference.)

* "We just lined up and said we're going to beat you."
(Context: The Bulldogs' offensive philosophy was simple near the Rutgers goal line -- then they executed.)

* "I thought ball security was very, very good. And our backs were getting tagged."
(Context: The Bulldogs had no turnovers in 63 offensive plays. It's not easy getting Hill to smile during the season. This is one way.)

Some notes on Saturday's Wisconsin-Fresno State football game:

* It's not just old-timers like myself who view the game as something special. Fresno State senior Casey Singh, a kinesiology major from Modesto, was sitting at the Student Union on Monday afternoon. "It's the biggest game in the history of Fresno," he said.

* Sitting not far from Singh was Aaron Maldonado of Dinuba, a second-generation Fresno State student. His mother (as well as uncle and aunt) also attended the university. Maldonado, a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering, sees the strategic value of the Wisconsin game: "It shows that small schools can compete with big schools and maybe get into a BCS bowl game."

* Kirby Bittner, a 20-year-old junior majoring in advertising, was in line at the Bulldog ticket office late Monday morning. "My father said it's going to be a huge game, and I've got to go." She said she has watched on TV the spectacle that is college football. "It'll be kind of cool to go to a game that's on ESPN and be a part of that," she said.

* If it's not already, the game almost certainly will be a sell-out. What's the gate plus parking and concessions for a marquee game with 42,000-plus fans?

I pitched $3 million or more to Paul Ladwig, Fresno State associate athletic director for broadcasting/external relations. He thought a bit, then said, "Maybe a little high."

My thinking: $60 average ticket price (less for students and general admission season-ticket buyers, more for season-ticket holders in red chair seats and suites) equals $2.5 million; then add about $10 per person for parking, food, soft drinks, game programs, souvenirs.

But even if the haul is in the $2 million-plus range, the Wisconsin game is pivotal to the athletic department's bottom line. In 2006, for example, Fresno State football took in $7.9 million in revenue for a six-game home schedule. That's an average of about $1.3 million per game.

The Bulldogs have only a five-game home schedule this year. That's why Fresno State officials say sellouts (or near-sellouts) are important for the Bulldogs' four Western Athletic Conference home games.

Another reason why I'm excited about Wisconsin coming to town for Saturday's non-conference football game against Fresno State: January 1, 1963.

That's when the Badgers and USC met in perhaps the greatest bowl game of all time. It was the Rose Bowl, with a crowd of nearly 99,000. USC, undefeated and ranked No. 1, prevailed over No. 2 and once-beaten Wisconsin, 42-37.

The Trojans, led by quarterback Pete Beathard and split end Hal Bedsole, led 42-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Badgers, led by quarterback Ron Vander Kelen and split end Pat Richter, scored 23 unanswered points. The reeling Trojans were saved by a clock that ran out of time.

Not that third-year USC coach John McKay was a gracious winner. Said McKay after the game: "We're still No. 1 and they're still No. 2."

I was a few weeks short of my 13th birthday, living in Lindsay. My older brother, attending Fresno State College, was home for the holidays. We watched the game on black and white TV. It was one of the great TV sports dramas, and a memory my brother and I still share.

We always followed Fresno State football with great interest. In fall 1962, the Bulldogs went 7-3 under coach Cecil Coleman and played a schedule that included Whitworth, UC Santa Barbara and Los Angeles State. Ratcliffe Stadium was home.

We were big West Coast football fans, too. We rooted for the Trojans that New Year's Day 1963, but greatly admired the Badgers' courage. USC - as well Cal, Stanford and UCLA - were familiar to us. But Wisconsin and the Big Ten Conference were distant and mythical. With their huge stadiums filled to capacity on fall afternoons and powerful programs full of tradition, they represented college football at its best.

In less than a week, Wisconsin comes to Bulldog Stadium. So long, Whitworth.

A tip for Fresno State men's basketball fans: Keep an eye on 6-foot 7-inch freshman forward Paul George. He looked good Thursday afternoon at the Save Mart Center during an hour-long skill development session authorized by the NCAA.

Coaches can work with only four players at a time, so George didn't have an opponent in his face. But he's fast and strong, hit the 3-point shot with consistency and drove to the basket with authority. He's an unusually quick leaper.

A quick study, too.

In one drill, players took turns getting a pass on the wing, about 25 feet from the basket, then driving to the hoop. On his first turn, George hustled to the designated spot and held out his hands in front of his chest, as if to say, "put the ball here."

"No, no, no," Cleveland said. "You'll be going against guys 6-2 and quicker than you. At this level, you'll never get that pass right here." He motioned to his chest.

Cleveland showed George how to extend his left hand away from the defender, giving the point guard a safe target. On his next half-dozen possessions in the drill, George looked like a veteran.

Fresno mayoral candidate Henry T. Perea sat in a cool corner at Starbucks in Fig Garden Village on Thursday afternoon and described what his administration would do to help owners of the financially-ailing Grizzlies pro baseball and Falcons pro ice hockey franchises.

Grizzlies partners aren't happy with their lease at city-owned Chukchansi Park, saying their $1.5 million annual rent is too high. Falcons partners say the franchise can't survive for long if it continues losing $1 million a year (as it did at the Save Mart Center the past two years) once the team returns to city-owned Selland Arena this fall.

City Hall would have to take over either franchise if it failed.

Perea made four points:

* "I'm sure people will be asking themselves: 'Are we going to lose the Falcons?' No matter what, it would appear to me that the Falcons have to be here. The question is, 'How do we create the right mechanism for the Falcons to be successful?' We need to keep all options on the table. The Falcons provide not only good entertainment and are a source of pride for our community, but they can also do a lot of contributing back to the community."

* (Will his administration help the Falcons ownership transition to a non-profit?) "I would need to do my homework to see where it has been done in other cities. At the end of the day, we need to look at several options as to what we need to do to ensure that the Falcons are going to be around for a long time."

*(Will he support revising the stadium lease?) "Going into this, everybody knew what the deal was, everybody knew what was expected of them. We need to stand by that deal. I do think the city of Fresno can work with the Grizzlies to increase attendance so that more people are there, enjoying the park and at the same time helping to pay the debt service on these bonds. I think that probably is the more prudent way to go. Renegotiating the contract would be the easy way out, but I would not support that."

* (Will any contract discussions with Falcons and Grizzlies owners during his administration be held in private or in public?) "It's good for council members and staff to do their homework on their own. But everything we do is in open session. That's the way we've always done it and that's the way I'll continue to do it."

We all know the conventional wisdom. Fresno State of the Western Athletic Conference is the mid-major fighting for a place in the sun. Wisconsin of the Big Ten is the aristocratic BCS program intent on maintaining the status quo.

With only nine days until the Badgers football team invades Bulldog Stadium, let's take a look at the budgets of both athletic programs. Do they confirm the conventional wisdom?

The numbers are from federal reports filed by each university and posted on The Chronicle of Higher Education Web site. The reports are from 2006-07, the most recent year available:

PARTICIPATION
Wisconsin
* 12,714 males undergraduates (46.71%); 14,505 female undergraduates (53.29%)
* 471 males athletes (47.96%); 511 female athletes (52.04%)
* 10 men's teams; 10 women's teams.
Fresno State
* 6,330 male undergraduates (41.71%); 8,848 female undergraduates (58.29%);
* 221 male athletes (40.63%); 323 female athletes (59.38%);
* six men's teams; eight women's teams.

FOOTBALL
Wisconsin: Revenues -- $34,105,991; Expenses -- $19,771,064.
Fresno State: Revenues -- $7,902,336; Expenses -- $5,905,529.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wisconsin: Revenues -- $14,332,269; Expenses -- $5,315,234.
Fresno State: Revenues -- $2,646,266; Expenses -- $2,372,229.

MEN'S TOTAL PROGRAM
Wisconsin: Revenues -- $55,330,459; Expenses -- $35,471,885.
Fresno State: Revenues -- $10,845,569; Expenses -- $10,032,838.

WOMEN'S TOTAL PROGRAM
Wisconsin: $4,675,075; Expenses -- $14,526,826.
Fresno State: Revenues -- $279,831; Expenses -- $4,961,607.

RECRUITING BUDGETS
Wisconsin: Men's teams -- $460,073; Women's teams -- $286,993; Total -- $747,066.
Fresno State: Men's teams -- $260,833; Women's teams -- $141,868; Total -- $402,701.

SALARIES/MEN'S TEAMS
Wisconsin: Average for head coaches of men's teams -- $327,647.
Fresno State: Average for head coaches of men's teams -- $354,617.

SALARIES/WOMEN'S TEAMS
Wisconsin: Average for head coaches of women's teams -- $168,366.
Fresno State: Average for head coaches of women's teams -- $115,691.

There was talk during the 2007-08 Fresno State men's basketball season that the Bulldogs' non-conference schedule had gone stale. Weak. Boring. Fan-unfriendly.

It wasn't this way in the old days, critics said.

Let's take a look at the record, a decade of highs and lows on the Fresno State schedule. A case can be made that all coaches like a cupcake or two.

2007-08 (Steve Cleveland)
* Marquee home opponent -- Fresno State 75, Pacific 58
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 65, Presbyterian College 39
* Marquee road opponent -- Stanford 55, Fresno State 48 at Stanford.
* Discount road opponent -- Cal State Bakersfield 65, Fresno State 64 at Bakersfield

2006-07 (Steve Cleveland)
* Marquee home opponent -- Stanford 69, Fresno State 67
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 85, Winston-Salem State 63
* Marquee road opponent -- Fresno State 74, Oregon State 69 at Oregon State
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 82, Montana State 77 (OT) at Montana State

2005-06 (Steve Cleveland)
* Marquee home opponent -- Fresno State 80, Oregon State 73
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 75, Cal State Northridge 60
* Marquee road opponent -- Fresno State 84, Iowa State 77 at Iowa State
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 85, Cal Poly SLO 77 at Cal Poly

2004-05 (Ray Lopes)
* Marquee home opponent -- Oregon 83, Fresno State 82
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 83, Maryland-Eastern Shore 42
* Marquee road opponent -- Fresno State 71, USC 68 at USC
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 90, East Tennessee State 73 at East Tennessee

2003-04 (Ray Lopes)
* Marquee home opponent -- USC 65, Fresno State 62
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 68, Arkansas-Monticello 55
* Marquee road opponent -- Oregon 80, Fresno State 67 at Oregon
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 66, Pacific 51 at Pacific

2002-03 (Ray Lopes)
* Marquee home opponent -- Fresno State 70, Santa Clara 55
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 91, Sacramento State 53
* Marquee road opponent -- Oklahoma State 71, Fresno State 61 at Oklahoma State
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 74, San Francisco 71 at San Francisco

2001-02 (Jerry Tarkanian)
* Marquee home opponent -- Fresno State 65, USC 58 (Preseason NIT)
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 91, Savannah State 52
* Marquee road opponent -- Fresno State 63, Michigan State 58 (Preseason NIT in New York City)
* Discount road opponent -- San Diego State 93, Fresno State 78 at San Diego State

2000-01 (Jerry Tarkanian)
* Marquee home opponent -- Fresno State 80, Georgia 61
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 107, Norfolk State 80
* Marquee road opponent -- Fresno State 82, North Carolina State 63 (Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic in Springfield, Mo.)
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 64, Santa Clara 51 at Santa Clara

1999-00 (Jerry Tarkanian)
* Marquee home opponent -- Pepperdine 70, Fresno State 68
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 96, High Point 65
* Marquee road opponent -- LSU 95, Fresno State 85 (Hawaii Thanksgiving Classic in Honolulu)
* Discount road opponent -- Fresno State 90, Florida International 75 (Hawaii Thanksgiving Classic in Honolulu)

1998-99 (Jerry Tarkanian)
* Marquee home opponent -- Fresno State 66, Temple 63
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 82, Utah State 77
* Marquee road opponent -- Duke 93, Fresno State 83 (Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage)
* Discount home opponent -- Fresno State 82, Alaska-Anchorage 79 (Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage)

Money explains the unique structure of the Las Vegas Classic, the men's basketball tournament this December that includes Fresno State.

The Bulldogs will play four games. The first two -- Northern Colorado on Dec. 18 and South Carolina Upstate on Dec. 20 -- are at the Save Mart Center.

The final two -- Creighton on Dec. 22 and DePaul or Saint Louis on Dec. 23 -- are at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

According to the contract signed last summer, Fresno State is paying $120,000 to Las Vegas Tournaments, Inc. to land the Northern Colorado and South Carolina Upstate home games. That's $60,000 for each game, due within 30 days after the games are played.

Fresno State "will be entitled to sell all tickets for the games at its home site and retain all revenues from those ticket sales," the contract says.

But, the contract adds, the two games at the Save Mart Center are the "sole property" of tournament organizers. That means they get "all revenues arising from tournament-related ticketing, sponsorship, signage, promotion, and advertising."

Tournament organizers promise that their sponsors' signage won't cover the Save Mart Center's existing sponsor signage.

Any guarantees to Northern Colorado and South Carolina Upstate will be picked up by Las Vegas Classic organizers.

Dave Lowenstein, director of UCLA's central ticket office, says there's an easy way for Fresno State football fans to get tickets to the Sept. 27 Bulldogs-Bruins football game in the Rose Bowl: Online.

"Go to Ticketmaster.com," Lowenstein says. "Plenty of tickets for good seats are still available, and Fresno State fans can sit together."

The online process at Ticketmaster.com is simple, Lowenstein says. In the search box at the top of the home page, type in "Rose Bowl" and hit "search." That'll take you to a page with two options: "Rose Bowl" and "Rose Bowl Aquatics Center."

Click on "Rose Bowl" and that'll take you to a page listing six UCLA home football games. Bulldogs football fans merely need to click on "find tickets" next to the UCLA Bruins vs. Fresno State Bulldogs heading, then follow the instructions.

One other tip: When you get to the UCLA Bruins vs. Fresno State Bulldogs ticket page, you'll see an option at the bottom titled: "Fresno State Fans." There's a box next to it asking for a password. Lowenstein says it's "fsufan."

UCLA sent an allotment of about 9,000 tickets to Fresno State for sale at the ticket office at Bulldog Stadium. Those tickets are gone.

Lowenstein says fans can also call at 310-UCLAWIN to buy tickets. But, he emphasizes, he'd prefer people to buy online to save staff time.

The UCLA game could be one of the most important in Fresno State history. The Bulldogs, with BCS bowl aspirations, opened the season on Monday with a 24-7 victory at Rutgers. They host Wisconsin on Sept. 13 and travel to Toledo on Sept. 20 before heading to Pasadena.

The Bruins under first-year coach Rick Neuheisel upset visiting Tennessee in overtime on Monday.

Fresno mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin early Wednesday afternoon briefly discussed what her administration would do to help owners of the financially-ailing Grizzlies pro baseball and Falcons pro ice hockey franchises.

Grizzlies partners aren't happy with their lease at city-owned Chukchansi Park, saying their $1.5 million annual rent is too high. Falcons partners say the franchise can't survive for long if it continues losing $1 million a year (as it did at the Save Mart Center the past two years) once the team returns city-owned Selland Arena this fall.

City Hall would have to take over either franchise if it failed.

Swearengin made four points:

* "I firmly believe in good partnerships between local government and between the private sector. But at the end of the day, we must remember where that line is, and we must remember why it is we collect taxes in the first place: To pay for essential services, and make sure those things are covered first and foremost."

* (She was asked if the public should pay more of the $3.4 million annual debt service on stadium construction bonds.) "I think we would have to evaluate all of the options. If [paying] more money in the short term could somehow produce better results in the immediate term, it might be worth doing. But obviously we have to look at this with a magnifying glass and make sure that we're not getting dragged into a deeper hole."

* (She was asked about the Falcons' future; the franchise's partners want to donate it to a still-to-be-created non-profit.) "Just because the public is in a contract with a private entity doesn't necessarily mean that we have to go all the way down the path with that private entity."

* (She was asked if City Hall contract discussions with Falcons and Grizzlies partners under her administration will be held behind closed doors or in the public.) "The public's business should be done in the public. It's not my business, it's not City Hall employees' business. It's the public's business, it's their money. We have to tend to, and oversee, and make decisions with their money, in the public."

Tomorrow: Mayoral candidate Henry T. Perea on the same issues.

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Fresno State football fans were still walking up to the ticket office at Bulldog Stadium and buying tickets to the Sept. 13 home game against Wisconsin.

But they weren't buying tickets at that site for Fresno State's game against UCLA on Sept. 27 at Pasadena's Rose Bowl. Two hand-written signs on the ticket office wall said UCLA was sold out.

A clerk at the ticket window explained: Fresno State received an allotment of about 9,000 tickets, and it's those tickets that are gone. The clerk suggested that fans contact UCLA about buying tickets through that university.

Is that possible? Hard to say. I called UCLA's game management office early Wednesday afternoon and got transferred five times until I landed in voice mail.

I've left phone messages at UCLA and Fresno State about the issue. I'll post an update when someone calls me back.

The Rose Bowl seats about 90,000.

(6th of 6 blogs on Falcons/Grizzlies.)

And we haven't even discussed how downtown revitalization, the Fuego soccer team, the proposed Legacy Downtown residential-commercial project, the debt-ridden city parking division and Sports Town on Kern Street are all connected to the fates of the Grizzlies and the Falcons.

Maybe the outgoing Autry administration will tie up all loose ends before Jan. 2, 2009, handing a clean slate to the new mayor.

I'm betting not.

Instead, it'll be a test of the first order for the new mayor.

What are you proposing, Ashley and Henry?

And, just as important, will the search for solutions once you're in the mayor's office be held behind closed doors or in front of the Fresnans whose votes you now seek?

(5th of 6 blogs on Falcons/Grizzlies.)

Second, Glover makes no secret that Grizzlies partners want to revisit the stadium lease.

Stadium construction was financed with bonds. The annual debt service is $3.4 million, $1.5 million from the Grizzlies, the rest from the city.

Arriving at this division of responsibilities was not easy. It came after a nearly decade-long debate about the role of public support for private enterprise. The debate tore the community apart, and was resolved only after the Fresno Diamond Group (the Grizzlies' original owner) promised to bear its share of debt service.

In October 2000, after the council approved the stadium financing package by a veto-proof 5-2 vote (Jim Patterson was mayor), Council Member Tom Boyajian said: "I hope they \[stadium supporters\] can make this thing work."

Nearly eight years later, Glover says of the lease: "It's the worst."

Says Souza: "We're in ongoing perpetual discussion on ways to improve that lease so that both of us can get more value out of that stadium."

Yet, what improvement is possible? Bondholders must get their $3.4 million. The Grizzlies are fed up with paying $1.5 million. City Hall in 2000 promised taxpayers they wouldn't pay more than $1.9 million.

Again, one thing is for sure: City officials can't afford to see the Grizzlies fail. In addition to taking over the franchise, they'd lose the Grizzlies' rent with no guarantee that operational revenues would fill the gap.

(4th of 6 blogs on Falcons/Grizzlies.)

City Hall and the new mayor could find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place.

First, as Glover acknowledges, it's not easy creating a non-profit, staffing it, and capitalizing it. Glover says he has been talking to Andy Souza about these issues because the city manager is well-versed on bureaucratic organization.

But they're not close to coming up with answers, Glover says. There's no non-profit on the horizon to take over the Falcons. So, he's asking the public for ideas: "Maybe it's time to say, 'We need some help putting this together.' And the best people to ask are the people in the community."

One thing is for sure: City officials can't afford to see the Falcons fail. In addition to taking over the franchise, they'd lose the Falcons' rent with no guarantee that operational revenues would fill the gap.

(3rd of 6 blogs on Falcons/Grizzlies)

What's all this got to do with City Hall?

The city went into debt to ensure that the Falcons and the Grizzlies have good home venues. City Hall borrowed millions of dollars to renovate Selland, including a new $1.5 million ice floor that has no value unless the Falcons play on it. And in October 2000, the City Council voted to borrow $41 million to build the downtown baseball stadium now called Chukchansi Park.

Long-term leases were signed to protect the public's investments. The Falcons and the Grizzlies can't move or change ownership without council approval. If either franchise goes bankrupt, the city takes over, permanently or until a buyer is found.

Needless to say, Fresno City Hall has not been in the business of operating pro baseball or ice hockey franchises.

(2nd of 6 blogs on Falcons/Grizzlies.)

To recap: Brian Glover, a partner in both franchises, says he'd like someone to create a non-profit so the Falcons can be donated to it. Proceeds from the Falcons' operation would benefit local children.

The Falcons, on the eve of returning to Selland Arena after playing five years at the Save Mart Center, are losing $1 million a year, Glover says.

Glover says the intent isn't to stick a kindly non-profit with a money-loser. He says the Falcons are on the verge of a bright financial future. The Selland lease is reasonable, more sponsorships can be sold, and the smaller venue will attract more fans, he says.

Glover says the Falcons as a non-profit could net $500,000 a year for Fresno-area children.

Why give away such a franchise? Glover says some Falcons' partners are involved in management of the Grizzlies franchise, which isn't making money, either.

Says Glover: "We have a big enough issue supporting the baseball team."

(1st of 6 blogs on Falcons/Grizzlies.)

If it's not already, the financial stability of pro sports in Fresno should be made into a high-profile issue in this fall's mayoral campaign.

Granted, there are only two franchises of note: the Grizzlies Triple A baseball team and the Falcons ice hockey team. But both have money troubles, and neither figures to get well without City Hall help.

Yet, any help most likely will be a public policy challenge and a political hot potato. With Mayor Alan Autry four months from being termed out, the search for solutions will fall on the shoulders of the survivor of the Ashley Swearengin vs. Henry T. Perea battle to be Fresno's next mayor.

The smell of taxpayer money is in the air.

How often in the past month or two did Fresno State football fans drive by the ticket office at Bulldog Stadium, give a snap thought to the Sept. 13 home game against Wisconsin, and decide not to stop?

Didn't want to buy a season ticket quite yet. Wanted to wait until single-game tickets for the Badgers went on sale. Figured there'd be plenty of available seats in early September. Never thought the Bulldogs could win at Rutgers.

The bill for such thinking is coming due. The historic Wisconsin game is less than two weeks away, Fresno State has dispatched Rutgers by 17 points and Bulldogs running back Ryan Mathews looks like an All-American.

A telephone recording at the Bulldogs ticket office warns that, as of Friday, fewer than 3,000 tickets remained unsold for Wisconsin. The Badgers are the first Big Ten Conference opponent to play at Bulldog Stadium.

The recording said the Bulldog ticket office opens at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the old days, fans prone to last-minute buying decisions probably would've started lining up an hour or two early.

But this is the digital age. How many of those 3,000 or so will be sold online before Tuesday's sunrise?

Does that final score -- 24-7 -- in Fresno State's season-opening victory over Rutgers ring a bell? That also was the score when coach Jim Sweeney's Bulldogs beat USC in the 1992 Freedom Bowl.

There are other similarities. The halftime score was tied: 7-7 vs. USC, 0-0 vs. Rutgers. All of the Bulldogs' touchdowns were on the ground: One each from Lorenzo Neal, Anthony Daigle and Ron Rivers vs. USC, three by Ryan Mathews vs. Rutgers.

A quick look at the Bulldogs media guide shows two other 24-7 victories in Fresno State football history: at home against Wyoming in 1997 (coach Pat Hill's first season) and at home against Sacramento State in 1972 (coach Darryl Rogers' last season).

One more oddity about 24-7 scores in Fresno State football history when the Bulldogs come out on top: Each game was a season bookend. Sacramento State was the season-opener, while USC and Wyoming were season-enders.

Analysis is the lifeblood of fantasy football. But one area often gets short shrift: league structure.

Take, for example, the Super Bowl. My current league plays it in Week 16 of the 17-week schedule. A majority of owners said too many starters see limited or no playing time in the regular-season finale. It's not fair for the Big Game to pivot on backups purchased four months into the season, the majority said.

Fantasy football is all about the character of franchise owners. In my first league, the Super Bowl was always in the regular season's last week. The winner was the owner capable of drafting wisely in late summer and adjusting quickly to the oddities of week 17 personnel moves. In other words, to the stout-hearted as well as sharp-witted.

Another example: The playoffs. In my league last year, only four of 12 teams made the cut. Inevitably, half of the owners were out of the running by mid-season and lost interest. The league suffered. In my first league, everyone made the playoffs. Granted, Nos. 11 and 12 met in the Toilet Bowl, but it was something to fight for because the winner got a tiny bit more of league wealth than the loser.

Too many fantasy leagues have a jackpot mentality. Win the Super Bowl and clean up. The best fantasy leagues put a premium on maximum participation for the entire season and widespread distribution of post-season rewards.

Even if those rewards are matchsticks.