A basketball fan was discovered at the Portland airport awaiting the arrival of the Trailblazers following a victory over the Lakers. He was attempting to scalp a couple of tickets to the next game--for a hundred and fifty bucks each. As he wormed through the crowd, he located a well-dressed man who listened to his offer.

“How much?” asked the gentleman.

“One hundred fifty,” he replied under his breath. “Not a cent lower.”

“Do you realize you’re talking to a plain-clothes officer of the law?” the man asked the scalper. “I’m going to turn you in, fella.”

Suddenly the seller began to backpedal. He talked about how large a family he had . . . how much they needed him . . . how he’d never ever do it again.

Looking both ways, the well-dressed man said: “Just hand over the tickets and we’ll call it even . . . now get out of here and I had better never catch you here again!”