College World Series

I am in Omaha, Nebraska attending a number of meetings and our host has arranged for us to attend the College World Series that is on at the same time. As a baseball fan, this is quite an event to see and I have been very excited to be here and to be part of the atmosphere.

Everything is done first class; what one would expect with a NCAA tournament. I saw two games today...North Carolina Tar Heels beat the Rice Owls 6-1 in the afternoon and defending champion Oregon State Beavers beat UC-Irvine Anteaters 7-1 in the evening match. The atmosphere in and around the ballpark (Rosenblatt Stadium) is phenomenal, and it is one big party surrounded by a major sporting event.

Part of the best part of the day was that I was with a number of close friends and colleagues and that made it enjoyable. The baseball was great...at the senior college level the fundamentals of the players was very evident. These guys can play.

I predict that you will hear more about Dustin Ackley down the road. A freshman at North Carolina, this kid was above his peers and he dominated with a homer that clinched the game for NC.

It was amazing to see 29,000+ people in the stands for the games. They came with the college rah-rah attitude that made it a fun place to be. This continues for 10 full days until the winner is determined this weekend. My guess is that Oregon State Beavers will repeat as champions...they were the most impressive team that I saw.

I jumped on the bandwagon of the UC - Irvine Anteaters. First of all their name is great; they are back after shutting down their baseball program for over 10 years, they beat Arizona State last night, and that victory was their second walk-off victory after being behind by a large number of runs late in the game. They were the cardiac kids. I bought a hat to show my support, but they are out now as they were over matched by Oregon State.

This is a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. For a big baseball fan to be here is a pretty good experience! I also had great seats; row two behind the dugout on the first base side, and I was close to the action with a great view.

It doesn't get any better than that.