Unfortunately, I didn't really have the chance to blog live from Omaha as I said I would, because I didn't get back to the hotel until very late Monday and Tuesday night. However, it really doesn't matter, because everything I planned on writing can still be written and not lose its relevance. So, it's a little late, but here it is; my "Live From Omaha" special.
Day 1 (Monday, June 28th)
My brother and I got to the stadium around eleven in the morning, because we were going to get in line to upgrade our tickets. This would assure that not only my brother and I, but also my dad and other brother (who were at my brother's baseball tournament) would also get a seat at the game. My brother was smart enough to bring along a camera so that we could document our experience waiting in line, so you can watch the videos below to hear more about that.
After we got our upgraded tickets, we essentially had about six hours to kill. Since our dad was at my brother's game, we had no car and about a mile around Rosenblatt Stadium to work with. After going to the flea market for about an hour, we did the most reckless, exciting thing we could think of for the next two and a half hours; sit under a tree by the porta-potties. You'd think that sitting by twelve steaming portable toilets under a tree with very little shade would keep the ticket scalpers away, but you'd be mistaken. Eventually, most of the scalpers went across the street to the flea market, as they must have figured out that standing in the sun for five hours to make a two dollar commission on tickets is not the most effective way to make money.
At around three in the afternoon, the Fan Fest stuff started to set up outside the stadium. My brother and I decided that the Coke girls were much better looking than the Mello Yello ladies, so we spent the next hour or so walking around the Coke station taking free shots of Coke Zero. After about an hour of walking around pointing out the dimes, we found an area with picnic benches under shade. These picnic benches were not as intriguing as the porta-potties we sat by earlier, but nevertheless, the shade was nice. While sitting at the table, some older woman came up to us and asked us if we wanted a sticker. This is the point where I became a South Carolina Gamecocks fan. No UCLA fan was smart enough to adopt me for the series, and my brother had already bought a South Carolina hat, so it seemed okay to me as long as I made sure not to place the South Carolina sticker over the Ohio State logo on my shirt.
After the picnic tables no longer seemed like the hot place to be, we began to walk around again. A coach bus arrived in the parking lot, and my brother insisted on walking over to it, because he believed it was carrying the South Carolina team. This is the first of two times on the trip that I disagreed with him and he ended up being right. The sting of me being wrong (it stings because it's rare) was alleviated slightly by the fact that I became more pleased with my choice of adopting South Carolina as my team, as I noticed that South Carolina had the better looking female fans. This may have been because 75% of the fans at Rosenblatt were rooting for South Carolina, but it also could have been because no UCLA girls wore shirts that read "I Heart Cocks".
After the players got off the bus, we went back to the picnic tables to sit. At this point our patience was being tested, as we had been waiting for over five hours for our dad and brother to show up and they informed us that the team had decided to go back to the hotel before heading to Rosenblatt. Eventually they showed up, and we got in line (the short one, though, because we had upgraded our tickets) to get into the stadium.
When we got inside, the first thing we did was buy food. Now, before I go on, let me ask you all a question: When was the last time that your food cost more than your ticket? That pretty much sums up the story on the food, although to be fair, it was really good.
And now, for the game. It started out...no, I'm just kidding. This isn't about the game. It's about the experience, and (for the first game, at least) nothing happened worth noting in the stands. That pretty much wraps up Day 1.
Day 2 (Tuesday, June 29th)
We knew that Day 2 was going to be completely different than Day 1. My brother's game was later in the day, which meant that we didn't have to go down to the stadium and wait all day for my dad and brother to show up. However, that also meant that immediately after we got to Rosenblatt, we had to go get in the "General Admission" line behind the stadium because we didn't have reserved seating. I didn't believe that the line formed until around four, but that was the second of two times that I was wrong and my youngest brother was right. However, the sting of this one was not alleviated, as my brother was far more of an ass after we found out he was right. So, we walked behind the stadium and got into the line. We waited in line for about an hour or so, which wasn't that bad because four chicks with E,S,P, and N written on their shirts were by us and kept us busy. I would have preferred that "Entertainment" and "Network" had gone somewhere else, because it was pretty obvious from their girth that we really only came for the "Sports Programming", but I guess you have to take both the good and the bad.
Eventually we got into the stadium, and South Carolina was taking batting practice. Since we were in the General Admission section rather than the Reserved Seating section, I quickly noticed that the douche bag-to-normal people ratio was much higher than the night before. However, we got extremely lucky, as one gentleman sitting a few rows in front of us was easily the funniest fan I have ever witnessed at any sporting event. There are no words to describe him; you just have to see him for yourselves.
It didn't end with Barry. These videos aren't very good, as our camera is broken and you can't actually see what you're filming, but it's still worth watching. If you can't figure out what it is, look up "Erin Andrews Look Alike Streaking" on YouTube.
As I said before, this blog isn't really focused on the actual games, but my brother did get footage of the game winning hit, which I think is worthy of being posted.
That pretty much sums up my trip. Now that I've had a chance to experience the College World Series, I'm going to miss Rosenblatt Stadium. Personally, I don't think they really needed the new stadium. The majority of the people that come to College World Series aren't even true fans of any of the teams participating (myself included). They come for the atmosphere of Rosenblatt, and with the new stadium likely going to make ticket prices skyrocket, it's not going to fill up. They had a great thing in Rosenblatt, and it's cliche, but it will no longer be the same. I'm just glad I had a chance to experience The 'Blatt before it's gone.
- K. Becks
Showing posts with label national championship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national championship. Show all posts
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Someone Teach Me How To Play The Piano...
...So that I could play that little piece that they play when they're about to go to a commercial break during the Masters. I personally prefer the CBS Sports College Basketball theme song, but I'm not really up for learning about four different instruments.
Big week in sports so far, and I haven't posted very many entries to talk about all the events that have taken place. Why? Honestly, because all the events bundled into one post looks a lot longer and therefore a lot more professional. Also, I feel that people like to play the percentages game when deciding whether or not to read something. For example, if the piece of writing is long, people may say "I can probably skim this and find something that I think is interesting". But if the piece of writing looks a lot like an article in People Magazine, they are probably more inclined to say "I'll look at the pictures....Oh, there are no pictures? Well then this isn't really worth my time". I learned this from Mark Titus, who feels it is necessary to write a book every time he posts a new entry. Also, yes, to answer the question you're probably asking yourself right now, I am promoting his blog in hopes that maybe he'll read mine and send some of his readers my way. Did you read that Mark? Something like that is what Axe would've preferred you write.
Speaking of college basketball players, how about the National Championship? I know it's been a few days, but that game was probably one of the better ones that I have ever seen. I heard a lot of people complaining that the tournament wasn't as interesting once the big boys like Kansas and Kentucky went down, but as far as I'm concerned, these people were still bitter about losing five dollars in bracket pools. The national championship came down to the last shot, which is fitting considering the way the entire tournament played out. Butler making it to the championship game was not a fluke, either. It really comes down to two things: Butler was a terrific team all year, and was overlooked largely because of the conference they play in. When was the last time that a preseason Top 10 team was considered an underdog if they reached the National Championship? Never, as far as I know. Secondly, no team was that much better than any other team this season. In past years, we've had the North Carolina's and Florida's who have seemingly dominated from November until April. Coming into this year's tournament however, there were probably eight to ten teams who had a legitimate shot of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
With everything else going on in sports this week, Major League Baseball beginning play has kind of taken a back seat in importance. Those who did pay attention to Opening Day however, likely saw one of the better plays that will be made all season. Add in a budding star hitting a home run in his first at-bat, and it looks like this season will be full of action. At least to some, apparently. Umpire Joe West thinks it's "pathetic and embarrasing" that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox games take so long. Most baseball insiders are shrugging this off as a comment made by a loudmouth (basically, West is the T.O. of umpiring), but he does bring up a valid point. Causal fans often use the "baseball is so boring to watch on TV" excuse as to why they are not avid fans of the game. It's not hard to stay interested in a three hour game if you're at the stadium, but it's a whole different matter if you're watching the game on TV. West may not just be blowing hot air here.
Finally, the Masters. Even if you're not a golf fan, you've undoubtedly heard about the tournament in Augusta, or more specifically, how Tiger is doing. After a strong first and second round, Tiger looks like he is in contention for the win at this point. This is probably the best thing that the PGA could have asked for. Casual fans were drawn in because of the Tiger saga, and now that he's doing well, they'll probably tune in to the final two days as well to see if he can win. Eat your own words, Billy Payne, because contrary to what you say, if Tiger wins this weekend, he hasn't disappointed me at all. To us, Tiger Woods is a golfer. Mickey Mantle wasn't exactly a role model, and neither is Kobe Bryant. Hell, even Tiki Barber just left his wife for some hot intern. The point in naming all those athletes is that even though they have had their darker moments on display for the public, we still love them because of their contributions to their respective sport. Besides, Mr. Payne, who are you to talk? You don't even let women join your country club.
Notice to the left of the writing I have replaced the NCAA Tournament tracker with a Masters leaderboard. That way you can spend your whole afternoon on the blog!
- K. Becks
Big week in sports so far, and I haven't posted very many entries to talk about all the events that have taken place. Why? Honestly, because all the events bundled into one post looks a lot longer and therefore a lot more professional. Also, I feel that people like to play the percentages game when deciding whether or not to read something. For example, if the piece of writing is long, people may say "I can probably skim this and find something that I think is interesting". But if the piece of writing looks a lot like an article in People Magazine, they are probably more inclined to say "I'll look at the pictures....Oh, there are no pictures? Well then this isn't really worth my time". I learned this from Mark Titus, who feels it is necessary to write a book every time he posts a new entry. Also, yes, to answer the question you're probably asking yourself right now, I am promoting his blog in hopes that maybe he'll read mine and send some of his readers my way. Did you read that Mark? Something like that is what Axe would've preferred you write.
Speaking of college basketball players, how about the National Championship? I know it's been a few days, but that game was probably one of the better ones that I have ever seen. I heard a lot of people complaining that the tournament wasn't as interesting once the big boys like Kansas and Kentucky went down, but as far as I'm concerned, these people were still bitter about losing five dollars in bracket pools. The national championship came down to the last shot, which is fitting considering the way the entire tournament played out. Butler making it to the championship game was not a fluke, either. It really comes down to two things: Butler was a terrific team all year, and was overlooked largely because of the conference they play in. When was the last time that a preseason Top 10 team was considered an underdog if they reached the National Championship? Never, as far as I know. Secondly, no team was that much better than any other team this season. In past years, we've had the North Carolina's and Florida's who have seemingly dominated from November until April. Coming into this year's tournament however, there were probably eight to ten teams who had a legitimate shot of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
With everything else going on in sports this week, Major League Baseball beginning play has kind of taken a back seat in importance. Those who did pay attention to Opening Day however, likely saw one of the better plays that will be made all season. Add in a budding star hitting a home run in his first at-bat, and it looks like this season will be full of action. At least to some, apparently. Umpire Joe West thinks it's "pathetic and embarrasing" that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox games take so long. Most baseball insiders are shrugging this off as a comment made by a loudmouth (basically, West is the T.O. of umpiring), but he does bring up a valid point. Causal fans often use the "baseball is so boring to watch on TV" excuse as to why they are not avid fans of the game. It's not hard to stay interested in a three hour game if you're at the stadium, but it's a whole different matter if you're watching the game on TV. West may not just be blowing hot air here.
Finally, the Masters. Even if you're not a golf fan, you've undoubtedly heard about the tournament in Augusta, or more specifically, how Tiger is doing. After a strong first and second round, Tiger looks like he is in contention for the win at this point. This is probably the best thing that the PGA could have asked for. Casual fans were drawn in because of the Tiger saga, and now that he's doing well, they'll probably tune in to the final two days as well to see if he can win. Eat your own words, Billy Payne, because contrary to what you say, if Tiger wins this weekend, he hasn't disappointed me at all. To us, Tiger Woods is a golfer. Mickey Mantle wasn't exactly a role model, and neither is Kobe Bryant. Hell, even Tiki Barber just left his wife for some hot intern. The point in naming all those athletes is that even though they have had their darker moments on display for the public, we still love them because of their contributions to their respective sport. Besides, Mr. Payne, who are you to talk? You don't even let women join your country club.
Notice to the left of the writing I have replaced the NCAA Tournament tracker with a Masters leaderboard. That way you can spend your whole afternoon on the blog!
- K. Becks
Monday, April 5, 2010
And Then There Were Two
For the second time in two years, a team playing in their home state will face off against an ACC opponent in the Division 1 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship. This is the classic David vs. Goliath story; the real life Hoosiers. At first glance Duke seems like the bigger, more athletic team, but are they? Butler guard Gordon Hayward may be the best NBA prospect on the floor tonight, and forward Matt Howard has the ability to match up with Duke center Brian Zoubek.
Also, with four white players starting for Duke, and Butler's two best players being white, the athleticism seems pretty even to me. Talk about putting Miracle Whip on your Wonder Bread.
If I were Butler coach Brad Stevens, I would make my speech to the team short and sweet. It'd probably go something like this:
Well guys, this is it. The National Championship. Be honest, how many of you guys had us going out in the Sweet 16 on your brackets?....You guys are a bunch of liars. Well, as most coaches say, you guys are going to have to play this game. I can't play it for you, and neither can the other coaches. Of course, if I put a uniform on, they probably wouldn't question it.
Anyway, gentlemen, you have the chance to do something today that no other Butler University basketball player has ever done before; win a National Championship. Let's get after loose balls, stay focused, take smart shots, and play our game. No matter what happens tonight, remember that you have elevated yourself beyond everyone's expectations. But let's win this one and become more than underdogs, cause I'm pretty goddamn tired of people asking me where Jimmy Chitwood is. That's about as funny as people yelling "Run, Forest, Run" to a marathoner.
Inside Lucas Oil Stadium tonight, roughly 75% of the crowd will be rooting for the hometown team. Something tells me that probably holds true for the entire nation as well. Not only do Americans love the underdog, but after seeing Duke receive possibly the easiest road to the Final Four, as well as seemingly receiving lots of calls from the refs, they are almost the equivalent to the Evil Empire. With that being said, here are my thoughts on the game.
Let's go Butler. Destroy the Blue Devils. You've had more than just one shining moment, but tonight you have the chance to capture the brightest one of all.
- K. Becks
Also, with four white players starting for Duke, and Butler's two best players being white, the athleticism seems pretty even to me. Talk about putting Miracle Whip on your Wonder Bread.
If I were Butler coach Brad Stevens, I would make my speech to the team short and sweet. It'd probably go something like this:
Well guys, this is it. The National Championship. Be honest, how many of you guys had us going out in the Sweet 16 on your brackets?....You guys are a bunch of liars. Well, as most coaches say, you guys are going to have to play this game. I can't play it for you, and neither can the other coaches. Of course, if I put a uniform on, they probably wouldn't question it.
Anyway, gentlemen, you have the chance to do something today that no other Butler University basketball player has ever done before; win a National Championship. Let's get after loose balls, stay focused, take smart shots, and play our game. No matter what happens tonight, remember that you have elevated yourself beyond everyone's expectations. But let's win this one and become more than underdogs, cause I'm pretty goddamn tired of people asking me where Jimmy Chitwood is. That's about as funny as people yelling "Run, Forest, Run" to a marathoner.
Inside Lucas Oil Stadium tonight, roughly 75% of the crowd will be rooting for the hometown team. Something tells me that probably holds true for the entire nation as well. Not only do Americans love the underdog, but after seeing Duke receive possibly the easiest road to the Final Four, as well as seemingly receiving lots of calls from the refs, they are almost the equivalent to the Evil Empire. With that being said, here are my thoughts on the game.
Let's go Butler. Destroy the Blue Devils. You've had more than just one shining moment, but tonight you have the chance to capture the brightest one of all.
- K. Becks
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Big One
After two and a half weeks of bowl games, we have finally come down to the season finale. It's a bittersweet day for me; I love the college bowl season, and seeing it come to an end is always a little depressing.
I won't forget to mention last night's game. It ended up being very entertaining. Not only was it a shootout, but it took a comeback in the 4th quarter and two overtimes to decide it. Central Michigan ended up winning, and not only did it cap off a great college career for Dan LeFevour, but it also sealed my win in my College Bowl Mania group. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with the Chippewas last night.
Now, without further ado, my pick for tonight's game.
BCS National Championship presented by Citi
Alabama vs. Texas
This is the game everyone has been waiting for. Both teams feature extremely talented defenses, with many future NFL stars for each team. Texas has the best rush defense in the nation, and Alabama gives up just 11 PPG and 242 total yards. This will probably come down to the quarterbacks. Whoever can avoid the pass rush better and find open receivers will have the advantage in this game. I think that Alabama QB Greg McElroy will be the difference in a very tight game, but don't count out Colt McCoy and the Longhorns. If Texas can shut down McElroy and limit the big plays by Mark Ingram, they can win. Last time Texas played in Pasadena, they were the underdogs. We will likely see some magic from one of these quarterbacks tonight, just as we did back in 2005.
Final Score: 27-24 Alabama
I have Alabama for 15 points in the College Bowl Mania game, but it no longer matters. I will be watching this one purely for the love of the game. It's been a great season; hopefully, we can cap it off with a great National Championship.
- K. Becks
I won't forget to mention last night's game. It ended up being very entertaining. Not only was it a shootout, but it took a comeback in the 4th quarter and two overtimes to decide it. Central Michigan ended up winning, and not only did it cap off a great college career for Dan LeFevour, but it also sealed my win in my College Bowl Mania group. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with the Chippewas last night.
Now, without further ado, my pick for tonight's game.
BCS National Championship presented by Citi
Alabama vs. Texas
This is the game everyone has been waiting for. Both teams feature extremely talented defenses, with many future NFL stars for each team. Texas has the best rush defense in the nation, and Alabama gives up just 11 PPG and 242 total yards. This will probably come down to the quarterbacks. Whoever can avoid the pass rush better and find open receivers will have the advantage in this game. I think that Alabama QB Greg McElroy will be the difference in a very tight game, but don't count out Colt McCoy and the Longhorns. If Texas can shut down McElroy and limit the big plays by Mark Ingram, they can win. Last time Texas played in Pasadena, they were the underdogs. We will likely see some magic from one of these quarterbacks tonight, just as we did back in 2005.
Final Score: 27-24 Alabama
I have Alabama for 15 points in the College Bowl Mania game, but it no longer matters. I will be watching this one purely for the love of the game. It's been a great season; hopefully, we can cap it off with a great National Championship.
- K. Becks
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