My most recent work trip to Omaha just so happened to coincide with Game #8 of the College World Series, and I wasn't about to pass on that. It was a nice opportunity to take our client out for a ballgame and relax a little bit. We had seats down the right field line near the pole, about half way up on the field level, and got to see Oregon State come back and beat North Carolina en route to their title run which was completed last night. This was the 3rd time I had been to a CWS game in my life, and all 3 times I ended up seeing the eventual NCAA champion (South Carolina in 2010, Coastal Carolina in 2016, and OSU this year).
This was also my 3rd overall visit to TD Ameritrade Park, and I certainly do not remember it being this poor of an operation on my previous visits. I ended up missing a good chunk of the action in my combined two trips to the concession stand. First of all, I practically needed a passport just to get a beer. I understand using the wristband system at a festival, but at a ballpark it is just not necessary - and if you're going to do it, don't make me go to some separate folding table staffed by an old lady that is not marked in any way. Just give me the damn wristband at the actual beer stand. And after all of that, the prize options awaiting me were either Coors Light or Miller Lite. Secondly, it took me over a half-hour just to receive a sandwich. Granted I did order a specialty item (which was a pork tenderloin sandwich that was actually quite good), but I had to wait in a line to order and pay, and then go wait in a separate line to receive the food. The worst part was the poor people behind the counter shouting out food order numbers to people who didn't even receive tickets with a number on it, so nobody knew what was going on. I'm not sure if this is a staffing problem or if they just needed more concession stands, but there's no reason an event that the city has been hosting for 50+ years should have this many issues. There were probably more people in line waiting for food at one point than there were total number of fans at the Creighton game a couple months ago. The entire ordeal caused me to miss several innings and was enough for me to remember to smuggle my own food and beverage in next time I come, hearkening back to my younger pre-metal detector days at Miller Park.
Aside from my passion for timely concessions, I did actually enjoy the part of the game I did see. We actually left in the 8th inning because it started to rain, and the Tarheels were leading 6-3 when we left. I got to my hotel just in time to catch the final out of the 11-6 Beaver win. I missed 8 unanswered runs and once again fell victim to breaking my own sacred rule of never leaving a game early. The star of the game and of the entire tournament was OSU catcher Adley Rutschman. He went 3-5 with 4 RBI and hit nearly .400 in Omaha. The general consensus is that, barring injury, he will be a top 3, if not top overall draft pick next year and is already drawing comparisons to Buster Posey. OSU also featured two 2018 1st round picks - 2B Nick Madrigal and OF Trevor Larnach, who went to the White Sox and Twins respectively. They combined for 4 hits and 3 runs on the night. This game featured pretty poor pitching and had a lot of extra-base hits, two things that one is not accustomed to seeing at this ballpark. Neither Luke Heimlich nor Cooper Criswell made it out of the 3rd inning. Heimlich has been in the news a lot recently for his off-the-field troubles, namely pleading guilty for molesting his 6-year-old niece as a teenager. He went undrafted because of this fact despite being named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. The Royals have been kicking the tires on perhaps signing him, much to the chagrin of pundits everywhere.
On that note, so concluded another eventful trip to Omaha for me. TD Ameritrade Park recently announced that it will host a major league game to kickoff the 2019 CWS, so hopefully I will have another project in town by then.
park rankings and statistics:
see original post from June 2016
starters - Cooper Criswell (UNC) v. Luke Heimlich (OSU)
opponent - North Carolina Tar Heels v. Oregon State Beavers
time of game - ??
attendance - 21568
score - 11-6 OSU
Brewers score that day - PPD
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.29:
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.29:
Brewers 47-33, +2.5 (4 @ Reds, 3 v. Twins, 4 v. Braves)
Reds 34-47, -13.5 (4 v. Brewers, 3 v. White Sox, 3 @ Cubs)
Twins 35-42, -8.0 (3 @ Cubs, 3 @ Brewers, 4 v. Orioles)
2018 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 4 (+9 worked)
Peter - 10
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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