OMAHA, NE – This past week I made a pilgrimage to one of the most holiest of shrines in baseball. No I did not head to Cooperstown, New York, I headed to Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha is the the home of the College World Series. Every college team has a chance to make the round robin post season tournament based on their regular season record. There is a three week tournament that commences in Omaha with the best of the best. This season the Arizona Wildcats swept the two time defending champions South Carolina Gamecocks two games to none. The hungry Arizona squad won every game they played in Omaha which is a great accomplishment since most teams have to face top ranked opponents on a daily basis.
Frankly though, calling the whole thing a “World Series” is a stretch. The world series is a grand moniker. Let’s compare the College World Series versus the other world series of our time:
MLB World Series: Let’s be honest, there is only one world series which stands up to the claim as the world series of baseball. MLB has the best players in baseball but no one from Kansas City cares to hear that this is an international game. The biggest negative in this event is that some teams can afford to spend $200 million to win this trophy while others have to try to compete with 1/4 of the budget. Still the true test of champions. Grade: A-
College World Series: Omaha, Nebraska hosts this event every season and I was lucky enough to attend this season. The new stadium is awesome with perfect site lines. To be honest the use of aluminum bats greatly diminishes the thought that this is a sanctioned baseball event. Kinda like using Viagra. Sure it can get to third base quicker but is it worth having to hear that silly pinging noise every time you get waved in by the third base coach? Oh yes they don’t serve alcohol at this event which can be seen as a rationale for the artificial stimulus. Grade B-
World Series Of Poker: This takes zero athletic ability but actually has more viewers than the college world series. WHY? Let’s just say it is easier to pull pocket aces than go from first to third for most of the contestants of this event. Sunglasses are a featured accessory at this event as are mullets and inflatable girlfriends. Grade C+
Little League World Series: Easily the best representation of international competition of all the world series. There is no way to cheat at this level unless you were born outside of the United States or play in the Bronx. Even then there are plenty of foster children ready to sell their identity for a fistful of tater tots. That is how Short Matt made it into this land. What a country! Grade A
Stay tuned tomorrow for Angry Ward, who made it into this country from the Czech Republic on a hand ball visa.
