Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Somewhere in middle America......

This time of year I am glued to the TV watching the NCAA College World Series (CWS) from Omaha, Nebraska. There is something about the ping of the ball off the bat that you just don't get from the pros. As always, you have your national college baseball powerhouses in Omaha - Miami, Rice, LSU - but there is usually a cinderella story somewhere in the field of eight.

This year the Fresno State Bulldogs take the cinderella crown home with them no matter where they finish in the tourney. They are the first regional #4 seed ever to advance to the CWS. The NCAA baseball tourney starts with 16 regionals of four teams. If you win your regional you play in a super regional, you win that and you go to Omaha. Having a number four seed win the regional and super regional is equivalent to a 13 thru 16 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tourney reaching the Elite 8 during March Madness. It does not happen - ever. Until this year.

In fact, Fresno State has advanced all the way to the championship series against another set of Bulldogs - the Georgia Bulldogs. The Georgia Bulldogs won a squeaker in the first game of the series by scoring 4 runs in the 8th inning to come back from a 6-3 deficit and win 7-6. Game two featured a barrage of offense from both clubs with the Fresno State Bulldogs coming out on top by a score of 19-10. 29 runs and 34 hits in the game, proving that virtually no lead is safe with aluminum bats.

The deciding game is to be played on Wednesday evening and televised live on ESPN beginning at 7:05pm EST. Only one thing can be guaranteed at this point - the Bulldogs are going to win a National Championship on Wednesday night. Only time will tell if it's the good old boys from Georgia or the cinderella kids from Fresno. I am hoping Fresno State pulls it out. I always root for the underdog unless my Red Sox are involved.

Mood: Relaxed

Song of the Day:

"Omaha, somewhere in middle America....."

-Omaha

Counting Crows

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