What's up with the crowd at California?

The attendance listed was 5,233, but that might be if you count everyone two or three times. The reserved section, at the 50-yard line under the press box, was more than half-empty. The visiting sideline, where I was, had maybe 100 people in it. Cal says the stadium holds 6,500, meaning it was 80 percent full. It wasn't, I assure you.

OK, none of that matters. But it's too bad that a Thursday night game between two nationally-ranked schools couldn't draw diddly-poo. I guess it was a bad night to go up against a meaningless Steelers exhibition game.

And for what it's worth, hearing the Cal band was refreshing. They actually play songs appropriate for a football game. They actually cheer along with the crowd. I never heard "Ghostbusters" once. Kudos to them.