A SPECIAL REPORT: BOWL GAMES

HARD SELL: In the middle of the year-end bowl game rush is Anaheim’s Freedom Bowl. But with little tradition of its own, the Freedom has struggled at the gate since its inception in 1984. The best crowd was in 1986, when UCLA was invited. . . . Tonight, with No. 23 Tulsa playing unranked (but almost local) San Diego State, organizers expect a crowd of about 40,000.