FanPost

Left Field Sucks!

Gotcha there, didn't I? You clicked on this thinking it was going to be another in the endless string of OMG GAIZ! WHOO R Wii GIONG TO SINE?!?!?! fanposts. But no, no it isn't. And I got you.

As most of you know, I live in Omaha, Nebraska. One of the best parts of living in Omaha is the fantastic baseball scene. We have the Creighton Bluejays, who were led to the College World Series in 1991 by current Cubs general manager Jim Hendry. We have the Omaha Royals, the AAA affiliate of Kansas City. Minor league baseball is just a fantastic way to spend a summer evening. And of course, we have Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium and the College World Series.

The College World Series is, well, fantastic. It arrives in mid-June, just as the weather gets disgustingly humid and the bugs appear on the plains. The school-year has just ended and the summer doldrums start to loom over the city. And then the tents start going up and the RVs appear in South Omaha.

Omaha really is a small town. Sure, it's technically a "big" city with its 500,000 residents and Fortune 500 companies. At heart, though, it's a place where go on hay-rack rides on Friday nights. It's a town where, if there's something special you want to do, you wait until a Cornhusker game-day Saturday for the lines to disappear. Forget Warren Buffett, though; The CWS is Omaha's crown jewel. It's a two-week party and the place to be for every night of its run. The airport is over-run, the hotels full, and the street-parking a cutthroat free-for-all. I had a chance to go last year to watch Stanford play Georgia. We sat in the left-field bleachers. The sun drenched the outfield and the beer was just cold enough for the full house of 25,000+.

Even though the corporate sponsors have taken over the main stadium parking-lots, there are still plenty of chances to partake in the many traditions of the CWS. Pre-game (or post-game) burgers, frozen yogurt, and beer at Zesto's, which is only busy during the Series. Hanging out with the legions of LSU fans who swamp the city, even when the Bayou Bengals don't make it to Omaha. Screaming "Right field sucks!" when you sit in left-field and vice versa. Also, making fun of the infield grandstand with their fancy shade. Hooding the plastic flamingos as teams get eliminated. Tail-gating wherever you can find a few square feet of grass or pavement. Hitting the Old Market bars at night, already dehydrated from a long day in bleachers. Heading across the bridge to spend rain-outs at the Iowa casinos.

Next summer will be the 60th anniversary of the CWS' arrival in Omaha and the last tournament to be played at Rosenblatt. In 2011, the Series will move to a new ball-park in downtown built specially for the CWS. Who knows if it will measure up to the experience at Rosenblatt. I do know that I will never forget going to see Stanford play in Omaha. My question to you: what is your favorite baseball, or sporting, experience? I'm not talking about the game on the field. I'm talking about everything but. I'm talking about the scene. It could have been the first time you went to a game (Candlestick, 1994, Darryl Strawberry against the Mets) or a trip to a special venue. Tell the story. It'll help make the off-season go just a little faster.

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