We have put another College World Series in the books. Again, there was a lot to love and hate at the same time.
My family has been attending the CWS since the upper red seats at Rosenblatt were General Admission. AKA, it has been a long, long time. We got our season tickets at some point in the late 70s or early 80s.
A lot has changed over the years. A lot has stayed the same.
THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE CWS
The view from TD Ameritrade Park is great. I loved the full moon over right field Wednesday night.
I love the fans from the other states. After Arkansas lost Wednesday in a heartbreaker, I heard many of those wearing the maroon A saying, "What a great game." They couldn't wait to get back at it on Thursday.
The opening ceremonies are exciting. I can only imagine how the adrenaline is flowing through the players as they enter the field for the first time. This year, LOCASH put on a great show.
Here is a video of the LOCASH performance.
The pulled pork nachos from the Famous Dave's tent in right field is a guilty pleasure. I have them at least twice each year. One of my favorites.
THINGS I HATE ABOUT THE CWS
Speaking of the food, one thing I hate about the CWS is the cost. It runs me about $100 to take my son to a game.
2 tickets .... $70
Parking ..... $10
2 sodas ..... $12
2 hotdogs ... $8
Total ..... $100
That doesn't include my wife joining us. Or the frozen lemonade he "needs". Or the $5 to replace the sunflower seeds they wouldn't let me bring in. Or any souvenir like the $15 program.
I understand the need, but really hate the security screening process. Is it really necessary to scan through the entire bag of the 70-year-old lady in front of me? Is she packing heat or smuggling in a flask? Then we need to wand her as well? Really? Why can't the line move any faster?
I hate the fact that they clear the stands between games and only allow 55 minutes. That isn't nearly enough time. When we went to opening night, fans from the first game didn't make it back into the stadium until the bottom of the 2nd inning. Ridiculous. Games were double-headers in the past. Much easier. (Just less money for the NCAA.)
It's too bad that the home runs are reduced due to the orientation of the stadium. Rather than sticking with the traditional Northeast orientation of a baseball park, the city wanted the view. Therefore, the wind blow in from the river most times preventing home runs. I think I saw 3 over the 7 games we attended.
Finally, I hate that it is all about television. Starting the games simply due to the tv availability makes me want to stay home. Television helped change the tournament from a true bracket tournament into the pool play we have now. Television forces the CWS to get games played at any cost simply to keep the tv schedule on time. It is also due to television that there is only a short 55 minutes between games. Gotta stay on time.
I just want to enjoy a baseball game. Instead, we can't throw the first pitch of the inning until ESPN is ready.
For the most part, we had a good time. We'll see if we spend $1,400 on season tickets again next year. My living room is free, air conditioned and comes with a soda, hotdog and nachos for about $1.12.