Omaha and the CWS

This to me is one of the greatest sporting events I have ever attended. It should be a must on every family's list of things to do, once in a lifetime experience.

My son attended twice in HS while playing summer ball tournaments in Lincoln.

Each time he returned home he said the same thing, I am going to play in Omaha in Rosenblatt Stadium some day. I am almost postive that experience helped him to quietly go about his business to help to reach that dream.

When deciding where to attend and play college ball, he chose Clemson, thinking that with the recruits Sully had signed he had a good chance. Ironically, the first year the school he also seriously considered but turned down (UF) reached Omaha while Clemson did not (one game away).

In 2006 Clemson won their super regional to advance to Omaha as the #1 seed. For those interested, these are some of the details that occured that June.

When a team wins to advance, the NCAA hands each member and coaches their packets, this includes papers to be signed, hotel information, flight times and other particulars. Parents scramble to make hotel reservations, preferable in the hotel that the team is staying in. This is so neat because each team hotel is decorated with team colors with booths with team gear and cute stuff. The hotel staff wore Clemson shirts and they want their visiting team to win.

The players are flown in a chartered plane, with with motorcade whereever they travel thoughout the city. They arrive on wednesday, on thursday each team is given an autograph session for the public along with plenty of local press and ESPN in attendance and batting practice on the field. It was so much fun watching people line up to wait for autographs from your player and we as parents waited in the line with everyone else. That evening there are opening ceremonies where each team enters the field seperately. As they enter, there is a film showing how they made it to Omaha. This was followed by the NCAA awarding individuals with team high GPA, introduction of coaches, etc, followed by a magnificent display of fireworks that lasted about 40 minutes. Beautiful.

Each team is assigned a sponsor, those sponsors are their tour guides as well as responsible for a luncheon. The organization that sponsored Clemson held a BBQ in a park in the middle of nowhere, which was beautiful and a quiet getaway from the crowd that you will find in downtown Omaha. Along with the team, parents and boosters, maybe there was around 100.

For much of the day, we didn't get to see our player that much so we had a lot of time to enjoy the city on our own. The vendors that supply teams with gear are there to supply the teams with more gear. They give the players so much stuff. As soon as a team loses they are gone, if early day, they leave that afternoon, if evening it is the next morning. As quick as you come, you go, so there is an incentive there to keep winning to remain as long as you can. The people of Omaha as the best, and truely great examples of those good natured mid west folks. There doesn't seem to be enough places to eat downtown as people who want to eat, so lines for dinner are pretty incredible.

The best way to describe the streets around Rosenblatt Stadium that week is "outdoor circus". Vendor after vendor with everything imaginable, the people who live on the street turn their backyards into beer gardens. and charge a fortune for you to park on their lawn. The main parking lot is like an endless tailgate, that goes on for days and days and days. Little leaguers in their uniforms, everywhere, and then there are games and challenges for every age.

I remember vivedly waling up to Rosenblatt and seeing everthing in real live that I had seen on TV for years. it isn't as imposing as it appears on TV, all it is, a minor league stadium. What is absolutely out of sight is the site from the rear, I had never seen on TV, there Rosenbaltt sits on a huge hill, all lit up, my son described it as baseball heaven. It truely is.



It recently occured to me that someday son may return to play AAA in Omaha, but not to Rosenblatt, that truely saddens me, because although there will be a brand new state of the art facility to house the CWS, it will never be like Rosenblatt.

Kind of bummed that Florida got out early, but hoping the Tigers reach the championship game.


Wouldn't that game be special!