One more day and the 2006 football season is here.

Of course, I'm talking about the high school season, with our Rams visiting Milne Stadium to face Highland. (See the game preview of page B-1.)

True football fans have been enthused since the NFL preseason began; that's hard to get worked up about, although I was happy to see former Clovis and Lobos star Hank Baskett doing well early for the Eagles. The Lobos, by the way, open up Sept. 2 at home against Portland State. I don't expect to see former Rams star Michael Love play this season; the Lobos have a talented stable of running backs and coach Rocky Long tends to red-shirt his freshmen.

The Young American Football League season is already underway, with Rio Rancho now having 15 teams representing it in six divisions.

I heard some great advice from a former NFL star on Monday morning, when I was out for a walk and listening to the "Bob and Tom Show" on the radio. The guys were talking to Archie Manning and his son Peyton and although it was an enjoyable, enlightening conversation to listen to, there's something Archie said that I'd like to pass along to you parents of high school, Mid-High, middle school and YAFL players.

Bob or Tom - I can't tell which one is which - asked Archie for advice on being a parent. Here's part of what he said: "Sit on the top row and keep your mouth shut."

Great advice, parents, especially the "keep your mouth shut" part. You can sit where you want; leave the advice to the coaches, leave the off-color comments about officiating in your head, and lose that "Blank sucks" I keep hearing.

At last week's scrimmage I could hear some male voices yelling the obvious (If you want to be a coach, start in the YAFL; you need to volunteer.) "Watch the pass."

Duh. It's third and long, dad. Don't you think the Rams coaches take that into consideration?

So just watch the game. Pursue victory with honor.

There's more to the game than winning.

Whining that the officials gave the game to the Rams' opponent doesn't help.

Here's something else along the line of the football season.

I'm not embarrassed easily. I'm the kind of guy who can roll with the punches, one who can laugh at himself as easily as he can laugh at others.

But I've got to admit I am embarrassed this week.

Here's what led to this red-faced admission: My alma mater was LAST in the nation among Division 1 football teams in attendance last season.

Last. Bottom of the heap.

What's up with that?

Bob Welch, Terry Collins, Pat Sheridan and Chris Hoiles played baseball at Eastern Michigan University. Dave Pureifory and Charlie Batch played their college football at EMU. A fellow named George Gervin played a couple of seasons for the EMU basketball team - and I was at quite a few of those games.

That said, Eastern Michigan University is no University of Michigan or Michigan State, but there are quality teams that play there.

Or, at least, quality teams back when I attended what we all referred to as a "suitcase college," because most of the students returned to their homes in Detroit's suburbs every weekend.

I went to almost every home football game for the eight years (just kidding; four) years I was a student at EMU, and I can still remember sitting in the stands during a blizzard in scoreless deadlock. I probably wouldn't even sit in a pressbox these days to see a scoreless tie, but that was then.

USA Today, which I call the greatest newspaper in the world, ran an item about college attendance last week.

Calling it the "dismal dozen," the numbers showed EMU averaged a mere 5,219 fans per home game in 2005. The Eagles - they were the Hurons when "The Ice Man" and I were there - were 4-7 overall and in last place in the Mid-American Conference's West Division.

New Mexico State wasn't very far ahead, averaging 12,557 fans. Of course, as dismal as the Eagles were, they were no Aggies, who lost all 12 of their games.

Only two of the dismal dozen had winning records in 2005: Bowling Green went 6-5 and averaged 14,929 fans, while Akron was 7-6 and attracted an average crowd of 10,893, more than double that of EMU.

I still receive alumni news-letters, and Homecoming game events are always detailed. I can't tell you why EMU can't attract decent crowds, having moved from Michigan in 1975.

But common sense tells me if you're not an alum but a college football fan, if Michigan and EMU share a Saturday afternoon, you'll do your best to get to the Big House.

There is a common thread between my association with EMU, where I managed to attain a BBA in Marketing, and my time here in Rio Rancho: I'd love to see both schools multiply their attendance figures.

Face it: There's no major university a mere 11 miles away, as is the case in Ypsilanti, about that distance from Ann Arbor.

Let's fill the stands next Friday when the Rams entertain St. Pius X, which has a fairly large and loyal fan base.