Let the Madness Begin

OK so it isn't exactly March Madness but if you like baseball at all the College World Series really is a great time. First of all I would encourage everyone who can to make it to at least one game, it is a fantastic experience all around. The first CWS game I ever went to was in 1995 it was LSU vs Miami in the winner take all national title game (this was before they went to the Championship Series format). Honestly I don't remember a whole lot about the game, after all I was like eight years old, but I knew I wanted LSU to win. The one thing I do remember, and will always remember was in the 9th inning, LSU was down but they had the winning run up to bat. His name was Warren Morris and he hadn't hit a home run all year (not because he wasn't good, but he had been injured, although he really wasn't much of a power hitter). It wasn't looking good for LSU and being an eight year old, of course I had already become heavily invested emotionally in the Tigers' fate, so I was getting upset at the prospect of them losing. I mean this could have affected my whole outlook on baseball negatively for the rest of my life. One bad childhood memory and its all over.

So to cheer me up, one of the guys I was with, he was a friend from church, told me to stick my glove as high in the air as I could so that Warren would see where I wanted him to hit it, and then he would hit it to me and the Tigers would win. Well I bought it (again, I was eight) so I stuck my glove as high in the air as I could, and what do you know, the very next pitch, Morris swings, the ball pings off his bat and comes sailing toward us a few rows deep in the stands. The ball ended up landing about four people to my left, and I turned to my friend and as everyone was jumping up and down and going crazy I said "He missed, but we still win right?" And the guy from church laughed and told me that we still won. With that I fell in love with baseball and became a lifelong fan.

By the way it is this start to my baseball fanaticism which causes me to supernaturally control the outcome of games, even from thousands of miles away. In case you need further proof, I am the guy who started wearing a different hat during the 2004 playoffs after the Red Sox fell into an 0-3 hole against the Yankees. The new hat prompted Boston to win eight consecutive games and clinch the World Series. You've probably heard of me, I was named MVP of the series by some baseball insiders. . . . that is if you consider me and my immediately family baseball insiders. Anyway, here is what you need to know about the College World Series from an Omaha native who has been attending the event for over a decade (me).


Your Guide to the CWS

First of all let's get the pesky things out of the way such as who is going to win the series, what surprise team to look for and all of that nonsense. After that I will get to the important things, such as what to eat, where to park, and how to make the right fielder cry.

I watched almost all of the Super Regionals in their entirety and I follow college baseball fairly closely during the regular season so I would like to think I have a pretty solid grip on who has a decent shot to take home the hardware. That being said, I have to go ahead and pick North Carolina to win it all. I really liked what they showed as far as the ability to come from behind in the Super Regionals against South Carolina. I was pretty impressed with their pitching staff and they hit pretty well too. It seems like just about everybody in their lineup can come up with a big hit and needless to say, its hard to beat a team like that, although Rice will provide them with a very tough test. I believe that Arizona State will survive the other half of the bracket to meet UNC in the Championship series. ASU had to beat a very tough UCLA team in their Super Regional and did so in the minimum two games. ASU's pitchers' won't blow you away but they are crafty and for the most part very effective. They pretty much epitomize what it means to be a good college pitcher, just don't go looking for most of them in the Majors in a few years.

The team everyone wants to know about is UC-Irvine. The Anteaters (I swear that's their real nickname) defeated a very talented Wichita State team to get to Omaha for the first time, so it's not like they were given a cupcake in the Super Regionals. That being said if you are looking for them to win the national title, keep on looking, because it won't happen. However they remind me a lot of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette team that was here several years ago. All of the fans from Omaha that don't have a particular team they're rooting for will likely latch on to UC-Irvine due to their obscurity and fun nickname (much like Lafayette, the Ragin' Cajuns, I'll admit, I bought a hat). Look for the Anteaters to ride this wave of pseudo-support to a couple of wins, giving everyone false hope that they could pull of that magical Cinderella story, before they are overwhelmed by a more talented and deeper ball club.

Now onto the important stuff. Let's start with parking, because honestly if you don't know what you are doing, it can be a nightmare. There are a few good options I would suggest. You can park in the neighborhood just south of Rosenblatt Stadium if you arrive somewhere between and hour and an hour and a half before game time (which you should do anyway to enjoy the festivities and to chat with the players as the warm-up). To park in someone's driveway you it'll cost you, but most of the time you can find a nice spot on the street and it is just a couple of blocks from the stadium. If you don't mind spending 30 bucks on parking, their are some parking lots and houses directly across the street from Rosenblatt that will be happy to take your money. If you come for a night game and it has cooled down a little bit, their is a large open area north of the stadium just across the interstate on your left hand side that is free to park in, but it is a bit of a walk so I wouldn't suggest parking their in the heat of the day.

As far as food goes, inside of the stadium there is really only one option aside from going the traditional route with hot dogs, which is always a good choice. Chicken tenders basket. The chicken is surprisingly not dry and you get several strips along with a half-basket full of fries, and all for under $7. It is literally the only thing I have ever bought at a ballgame that I didn't feel like I was getting ripped off for, it is very filling. For desert, funnel cakes are a must, that goes without saying, but you should also try Zesto's ice cream if you are an out of towner (of just a West Omaha kid) and have never been there. Zesto's can be found just south of the stadium, most likely hidden behind some sort of merchandise tent. It will be right on the way to the neighborhood where you parked your car.

Speaking of merchandise, if you are going to buy stuff at the CWS, which I always do (what can I say, I am an impulse buyer) I highly suggest you wait until the second day of the Championship Series. At this point everyone is just trying desperately to get rid of all the stuff they brought so everything is available at just an absurd discount. I am talking like you can get a couple shirts and a couple hats for $20 combined, absurd discounts. The only drawback is some of the more popular items are unavailable, so if you have to be trendy even at the CWS you will have to buy your stuff early in the week at full price.


That's everything you need to know about the College World Series, the pride and joy of Omaha, Nebraska. Don't forget, if your team is getting slaughtered walk across the parking lot and check out the Henry Doorly Zoo (the other pride of Omaha, Nebraska). It is world renowned and widely considered the second best zoo in the world to the San Diego Zoo, although some would claim ours is even better. Anyway hope you enjoy the series, and keep checking back at Big O Sports Blog for updates.