The mystique of Omaha is shattered

Well, we are 2 hours south of Omaha, and thins are not boding well.  We have received word that due to anticipated large crowds, the CWS experience will be much different than ever before. 

For the first time ever, they are telling folks that to try to buy a reserved seat, you have to get in line at midnight the night before the game, and stay there all night.  Then, with a numbered wristband, you get to go stand in another line at 8 AM on game day and hope you can get to the front of the line while they still have tickets available.  And the CWS folks make no promises that you will get a ticket even  if you stay all night.

Same thing with General Admission tickets.  You can line up at midnight if you already have GA tickets, and then you can stay there until the first game.  Again, if they hit max capacity before the game, sorry...thanks for playing.  We have a nice big screen tv in the parking lot you can watch things on.

And speaking of parking lots, they are putting the screws to tailgaters as well.  They have a perimeter.  If you have a parking pass, you may set up your tent.  BUT you must keep your cooler by your car, and everything must be struck after the game, and can not be set up before 8 AM the following morning.

Not sure how this will affect the outcome of the CWS, but will really be a bummer for all the festivities.

More info when I get it.

Countdown to Looking Glass

Actually, that is the title of a movie I saw back in the 80's, but the title has stuck with me, and the whole "Countdown to Omaha" and "Road to Omaha" thing has been overdone.

So everything is locked and loaded, and we are ready to roll.  Still got to change the oil and rotate the tires, but that is what Wednesday is for.  Finally got all the rooms reserved and released the extras.  Got everyone set up for the staggered arrival dates.

We are hoping to set camp Thursday night after we arrive, but it could be as late as Friday night after the opening ceremonies.  When we do get set, I will post the location so if anybody is following this and gets to Rosenblatt, you will know where to find us.

Watch for tweets from the road.  and photos.  And maybe I will even do like our buddies from Florida State and put together a CD to commemorate our trip.

So we are not T-minus 30 hours and counting til we make the trip to Omaha to see Rosenblatt for the last time.

Thoughts on a hiting streak

Well, since there is a weather delay in Coral Gables, I have decided to tackle the sticky subject of "The Streak".  Now unless you have been of on some deserted island like the folks on Lost, you are aware that Garrett Wittels is in the midst of a 56 game hitting streak.  It is the third longest in NCAA baseball history,  and the second longest in NCAA D1 history, behind Robin Ventura and his 58 game hitting streak for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys in 1987.

And as you also should be aware, Florida International University, the team Wittels plays for, ended their season yesterday in the Coral Gables Regional.  This is where the debate begins.

The season is over, the streak is not.  Do you put an asterisk by the streak if it continues in 2011, or do you just let it go unnoticed?

I think you have to look at it from two perspectives:  longest consecutive single season hitting streak, and longest consecutive game hitting streak.

First , from the single season consecutive game standpoint, the 2010 season is over, and that streak ends at 56 games, which  is nothing to sneeze at.  Ventura continued his streak into the College World Series, which was a continuation of that season.  So in my mind, feeble as it may be, I think the single season hit streak still belongs to Ventura,  Sorry Garrett.

Now lets look at it from the consecutive game hitting standpoint.  Since Ventura's streak only lasted one season, the record is only for that season.  Should Wittels continue his streak in the 2011 season, I see no reason to highlight it, note it or asterisk it.  It is a CONSECUTIVE GAME hitting streak, NOT a SINGLE SEASON consecutive game hitting streak.  Both players, Ventura and Wittels, would still be recognized as record holders; one for single season consecutive games with a hit, an one for most overall consecutive games with a hit.

So both men are winners.  Except in the Robin Ventura - Nolan Ryan bout ...which is a topic for another blog

Championship Sunday.....Maybe

Well, here it is.  Day 3 of the NCAA regionals.  Unfortunately I was not able to go anywhere this weekend, but I did immerse myself in as much baseball as I could.  Got to admit, there are some interesting regionals out there.

First, let me say I am glad ESPNU has decided to televise games.

Now let me say guys, get some real announcers.  Other than Kyle Petersen, Morgan Ensberg, and Clay Matvick, the rest of the crew sucked.  In the east coast games, Eric Byrnes may have been a good collegiate player at UCLA, and good enough to hang around MLB for 11 years.  But in the booth, he should have been cut the first day.  His time in the booth reminds me of Dennis Miller on MNF.  He was there for his own edification.  I was thankful for the MUTE button.

And what is it with Justin Kutcher?  Is it required English 101 NOT to pronounce "T" in the the English language?  I got tired of hearing about the "Ti-ans" of Fullerton, and "Allbri-un" of New Mexico.  Come on "Ju-in",  You can pronounce the T in your name.  How about pronouncing it everywhere else it appears.

Ranting aside, how about that Fullerton Regional.  Standford goes 2 and out.  Minnesota goes 2 and Championship game.  Who would have thought Fullerton would be playing New Mexico in the elimination game Sunday.  What is tat chant everyone is learning?  Sota, Sota, Goooooo Phers!

Another thing I noticed this weekend, is the amount of long balls being hit.  Arkansas hits 9 in their opening round game.  Breaks out with 1 guy hitting 3, and 3 guys hitting 2.  OK, so the competition was Grambling, not known for their baseball prowess.  But how about the kid at Miami jacking 3 against Texas A&M.  Are we looking at a World Series  like the one in 1998 when the championship game was 21-18 or something like that?


Saturday was not kind to the SEC.  From winning all 8 of their games Friday, the conference went 3-5 Saturday.  Florida, Arkansas, and South Carolina held serve.  Auburn lost at home, and the rest lost on the road.  Can Alabama, Auburn, LSU, tsun, and Vandy come back and win 3 in a row on the road to advance?  Only time will tell.

Anyway, enough from me.  I think I will sit back and turn on some tunes, mute The Clown Prince of Baseball, aka Eric Byrnes, And watch how things play out.

More later.

Kinda falls under the baseball category.....

And now for something a little different from the world of Baseball.  You got to read this article.

It has begun

It is Friday June 4.  11:30 AM in the Central Time Zone.  The Road to Omaha has started with a vengeance.  Texas A&M is playing Florida International down at Coral Gables.  First inning and it is 2-1 TAM.  Want to keep up with the game live?  Click here for the tracker.

Also, follow Mark Etheridge as he is at the Atlanta Regional.  You can catch his updates by clicking here.

So what am I doing today?  Well, I am working.  Got to catch up from last week at Hoover.  Might try to sneak over to Auburn this weekend to see my alma mater USM play some baseball if everything works out.

Until then, I will be like you...hovering around the net and ESPNU catching what I can....at least until June 17, when I head north to Omaha!!

More later

Just a collage of shots from the Championship game of the 2010 SEC Tournament. LSU vs Alabama. More collages to come.

Baseball, Plato, and Socrates

Just watching CNN discuss the perfecto that wasn't from last night in Detroit.  Armando Galarraga was one out away from the first perfect game of his career.  Ground ball on the infield, Galarraga covers first base.  Replay clearly show he had the ball on the bag before the runner reaches.  Ump calls him safe.  Galarraga smiles and walks back to the mound.  Bedlam ensues.

After the game, the ump emotionally admits, after watching the replay, that he made the wrong call.  He even went so far as to look up Galarraga after the game to admit his error, and to apologize.  Does not change anything at this point, although there is speculation/fantasization that the commissioner of baseball COULD step in and rule that it was indeed a perfecto (the first in Detroit history) and make things all better.

So why the title "Baseball, Plato, and Socrates?  Well, on CNN this morning, one off the news anchors was interviewing a sports editor who brought up the Don Larsen World Series perfecto that ended with the umpire calling a third strike on a pitch that was clearly a ball.  The sports editor talked about ethics in the calls.  The news anchor, then attempts to retake control of the interview by sarcastically calling the sports editor "Plato", to which the sports editor responds "Socrates".

What does this have to do with the College World Series?  Nothing.  But it is what you get when I am up at 5 AM getting ready to get to work!!

Ain't blogging fun!!!