The Road to Omaha (The College World Series)

When baseball season starts in March there is only one thing on the minds of baseball players all around the country, The College World Series. When spring training starts and the season begins to take off. Every game that is played, every run that is scored and every out that is made is in hopes to get to this one place.

No other sport in college has a playoff system or a series of games like college baseball. It is one of the most prestigious place to be if you are a college baseball athlete and only 8 teams will make it to the tournament and only ONE will survive to be the champions.

This summer my husband and I had the joy of getting to experience this awesome event in college sports. My husband went to the first 4 sessions in the first weekend and then we came back to catch the first game of the championship between North Carolina and Oregon State. It sure was a great experience and one I will never forget.

I must first start by saying that I am a baseball fan, but I am not a huge baseball fan. Every game seems the same unless it is the post season of big games. So coming to this I really did not have high expectations. My husband talked about how cool this was but I really could not grasp it until I showed up in Omaha the day of the big game.

As you read my other journals you find more on the things I will touch on in this overview. We got to Omaha very early in the day and the game did not start until 6pm. Of course I thought this was silly and going to be miserable with a little child. Well I found out that there is no other way to do the college world series than to come early and experience everything that goes with it. To start off you walk down this long street and all you see are t-shirt vendors, one right after another. So we had to stop and buy a few shirts and get our fan gear for the big game. I have to admit when we got there I had no clue who was even playing, but as the day continued I found more interest in one particular team. (that story later).

Quick Tips:

...continued from Highlights:
So after buying shirts, we headed over to the ESPN Play Zone where there are tons of activities going on to make the time go by and enjoy the all day festivities of the event.

So the day went by like nothing and our son did well despite the heat and I as well enjoyed myself. It was then time to go to the game and fight the crowd to get in. Now to the story about the teams. I had no clue who was even playing to begin with, as the day went on my husband and our friends were telling me about the two teams; North Carolina and Oregon State, neither team had previously won a college world series championship. I knew this would make the game that much more important. North Carolina is pretty well known for basketball and wanted people to know there was more than basketball. Oregon State making only its second appearance in the college world series ever and not being a baseball state had to overcome some early obstacles losing in the first round of the college world series to teams that later lost out. So both teams putting everything on the line to win. Well of course I got into this and even became a fan of Oregon State.

Well to get to the point. The game was an intense one and a great one at that. North Carolina won in a nail bitter that was close enough to go either way. Oregon Came back to win the series and take home their first College World Series Title a few days later. It was a match up that displayed two of the greatest teams battling for one dream.

If you can’t get excited about that and become a fan after that experience than I don’t know that you ever will. I defiantly have to say I have a greater appreciation for college baseball now.

Quick Tips and Suggestions:

I am going to list my suggestions and tips because I think I can organize my thoughts better that way.
1.Get there early
2.Make sure to pay attention to parking signs.
3.Do not bring food or drinks into the stadium
4.Be prepared for lots of people
5.Make sure and check out the t-shirt stands
6.See Ron (for tickets)
7.Try the curly fries
8.Have a great time

Best Way To Get Around:

There is really only one way to get around and it really is the easiest. That is to walk. Find a parking spot, there are some that you do not have to pay for and you’re your car there and walk the rest of the way. Everything is pretty close so you should not have to walk to far. Just make sure you read all the parking signs, or you will get towed.

The ESPN Zone is filled with activities and games for kids to play while waiting for the games. The College World Series (CWS) may be the biggest sporting event I have ever been to. It was bigger than the High School State baseball tournament and any other baseball game I have been to. Since people come from all over the place and are here for the whole week ESPN offers a variety of games and activities for passing the time. There is a basketball 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 shoot out a batting cage, football throwing, and some other games.

You can register to enter competitions in all these games and try to win prizes. There is also a hall of fame corner where you can go and read about the history of the College World Series. There you can enter to win a season pass to the CWS tournament next year. You will also see several camera guys from ESPN walking around filming stuff for the introduction of the games. My son and I got stopped and were asked to be filmed. We did not make it on TV but it was still neat to be asked.

Also outside the stadium is a band set up playing music to help pass the time. The whole CWS experience is the whole experience; meaning getting there several hours before the game and checking out everything. It’s a good thing ESPN had the ESPN Zone and there is music. It makes the experience that much more fun.

Normally I find stuff like this kind a waste of time to write about, but there were some neat foods at the concession stands at the College World Series. The first thing that is well known up there and everyone must try at least once is the huge fries bucket. I kept being told it was so big and you can’t finish it on your own. Well I had to see this and check it out for myself. The bucket of fries is big. For $4.50 you get a huge (2 people split ours) boat of fries. Not just any fries though, these were thinly slices fried fries that were so good. They are a little greasy but well worth the fun of trying to eat them. They pile the fries up about 2 inches off the boat and they are all hanging off. I do not know how you can eat them without losing at least some. Even loosing some you still get plenty to fill you up.

The other treat I found that I think is worth writing about is fresh squeezed lemonade. Now I have never been to a baseball game and gotten fresh squeezed lemonade so I was excited. Not only was it great lemonade but part of the cost went to a fundraiser for some local charity. The glass was like $3.50 I think. I love fresh lemonade so this was a great treat for me.

Now between those two things I did not need anything else to eat. However, my son did have a hot dog and my husband had some nachos. Both were also delicious. The concession stands had many choices and different things at each one. Of course as always the prices are a little high but you will have not choice on food and drinks when you come to Rosenblatt Stadium since they do not allow any food or drinks what so ever in the stadium. There are huge trashcans at the front door for you to dump and throw away anything you might have, including water.

When you pull onto the main road that goes to Rosenblatt Stadium you will see stand after stand after stand selling T-shirts. The strip of road that these stands are on is about a half mile long. They are all lined up one next to the other with a few stores in between.

Most of the stands have the same shirts and the same prices. They sell shirts for each team in the tournament and as that team gets eliminated the shirts are reduced in price. They also sell several different styles of College World Series shirts. Many of the shirts are about $15-$20 depending on the shirt, team and where you get it from, and the sizes can vary from kids to adult, including women and infants. Infant sizes are more rare but you can find at least one shirt in infant sizes. If you get lucky or try you can negotiate and bargain with some of the sellers if you buy multiple shirts or something. A friend we were with got all his shirts for $10 because he bought 10 of them. I got 2 free drinks with one of my shirts and got the shirt for $5 less than another place (the shirt was for a team playing that day and in the playoffs, and it was the last one).

You will also see people selling and buying tickets to the games and trying to sell you other junk as well. You have to be aware of what is legit and what is not. Also along this road you can buy all sorts of baseball and CWS souvenirs. Everything, from bracelets, hats, socks, jerseys, bats, balls, programs, bags, etc. you name it they probably had it. You could also buy food and drinks while walking around trying to find the best deal on shirts. We picked up some ice cream (pink panthers) while walking because it was so hot and we needed to cool off.

My experience of the college World Series is one that I will never forget and will hopefully not be my last. When I got married I knew I married into a crazy baseball fan family. My husband and his dad of course being the worst. Well that was fine since I really did not hate the sport. I gladly became a baseball fan by marriage and have enjoyed the things I have learned over the past few years.

Since my husband was a little boy all he wanted to do was go to the College World Series in Omaha Nebraska. I am sure as a young kid that desire was to play in it, but as he got older it changed to going to watch the games. With that in mind, him and a friend decided to see if they could get tickets. Tickets are very hard to get and they usually see out with in 15 minutes of going on sale. They were lucky enough to score some tickets and decided to sell what they did not need and buy the tickets they needed from other people selling tickets. This went on for about a month and they finally ended up with tickets for both of them to the first 4 sessions.

Well I guess that was not enough. They wanted to come back, on our way back from a week in Minnesota to catch the first game of the championship series. So my husband got up early went to the Mall of America and purchased tickets for the three of us. Oh boy wasn’t I excited (sense the sarcasm) I could have cared less about going to the College World Series but I knew it meant a lot to my husband and it would be fine.

So it’s the Saturday of the big game. We arrive in Omaha pretty early that day and begin to check out T-shirt stands and buy our souvenirs. We all got shirts and a few hats and so gifts for other people. About an hour before the game started we checked out the ESPN Zone which is pretty close to the front gate, we walked around there for a little while and when the gates opened we headed in. Now being the not huge fan that I am I was not really routing for any team and really had no clue who was even playing (if I am being honest). So of course after being briefed and informed of all the useful info I needed for the game. I was able to choose a team to go for. I actually got excited for the game once I heard the story about the two teams playing. I know that sounds stupid and you are probably thinking I just jumped on the bandwagon, but you have to start some where to become a fan and I got pumped up when I thought about who I would really like to see win.

I mentioned in the overview briefly about the two teams. Oregon State and North Carolina were the two teams playing and neither had won a college world series before. Oregon was making only its second appearance ever in the schools history and that part of the country is not really know for baseball. When I watched a few of the first round games Oregon lost pretty bad to some top schools who have been contenders in the past of the championship. This left Oregon in a bind, having to come back and win almost every game and every match up to make the finals. North Carolina came in with a strong team and pretty much beat every one they played they did not loose a round. Matching these two teams against each other in the championship round.

Well it would be clear to any one who the winner would and should be but that was only the beginning. I choose to cheer for the underdog, and I liked the orange and black beaver thing better than that Carolina blue. So that was the team for me. This first game that we went to was an incredible game. Both teams played extraordinary and in the last inning Carolina took the lead and won the game. A little disappointing but nevertheless a great game. The next match up would put the pressure on Oregon State. Well that was no problem for them they took the game easily that time and then we were on to another game. By now I am on the edge of my seat and a fan for sure. Getting into the intense match up between two schools that are obviously great teams and both wanting to win more than anything.

In the end Oregon State went on to win their first College World Series Title a game I will never forget. The intensity and the pressure that was involved, the heart and hard work these boys must have had to endure paid off in a victory. So it seems my fan ship was not a total lose and I am so excited for next years College World Series. I think this is much more exciting than anything else I have ever experiences sports wise. I will never forget it and am glad my husband drug me to the game.

"Eight Teams, One Dream"