CWS 2011. Some lasting impressions

Okay stitch-heads out there. The calendar has now just turned into July and I finally completed my drive home from Omaha back to Los Angeles. And guess what? Yep, the worst part of the drive was the portion from Barstow into L.A. Bumper-to-fuggin-bumper… Shocking, I know. Anyway, there are a bunch of pictures and accompanying [...]

It’s South Carolina.

… again.

It's all Beachballs and Dogpiles: This one says it all. Ben McMahan walks off the field dejectedly as the Gamecocks celebrate the title.

The Gamecocks jumped on Florida freshman Karsten Whitson for three runs in the 3rd inning and stiff-armed the orange and blue from there, never leaving much of a crack in the door for UofF to harbor any hope. The Gamecocks were simply impressive from pitch one to out No. 27.

College World Series – Day 8

Wow. I mean… just wow. South Carolina put on a Tom Emanski-like defensive skills clinic – starring 2nd baseman Scott Wingo – and choked out rally after rally by Florida  to win 2-1 in 11 innings and move to within a nine innings of another national title.

All Hail the Mighty Price!: Matt Price picked up his 19th save of the season in tonight's win.

Incredible.

Eight for Omaha in 2012

Okay, get ready to yell your ass off at me. Go ahead, get the pipes warmed up. Because I am about to officially announce my “Eight For Omaha” for 2012 and chances are probably 90-to-95% that you’ll disagree with me. But that’s okay, I’m ready for it.

Get used to seeing this. The Florida Gators could be ready for Double-A level baseball by this time next year.

Why do this now? Two reasons. One, It gives me something to do as I sit in my motel in Tyndall, South Dakota, my place of escape for the time between bracket play and the title series. And two, I like to get mine posted early, then accuse everyone else of plagiarizing my picks when they get around to posting theirs.

College World Series – Day 7

Sonny Gray shows the pains of giving up 12 hits and walking five.

After nearly a week where the only real drama was whether or not the stadium was going to go up in a funnel cloud with Auntie Em, Friday provided a pair of nail-biters that helped determine the two teams that will play in the championship series. They also determined who would leave Omaha with the biggest heartache.

College World Series – Day 6

Creighton’s heroic, awe-inspiring and highly-revered 1991 College World Series team was honored before tonight’s game on this, the 20-year anniversary of that historic run to Rosenblatt from the school that hosts the event every year… oh, and Virginia eliminated Cal.

The 1991 Creighton baseball team was honored before tonight's game and the biggest applause was saved for Virginia coach Brian O'Connor, who was a reliever on that '91 team.

College World Series – Day 5

Elimination day. One of my favorite days of the College World Series. Not because someone will go home in tears, which they always do, but because the stakes are so freakin’ high.

Just one game today from The Big Tiddy, but it was a biggie. Vanderbilt re-established a dominant look and eliminated North Carolina by a 5-1 score, meaning there will be three teams from the Eastern Division of the SEC in the Final Four in Omaha. Impressive.

"Outlined against a blue-gray June sky, the Tarheels rode once more." UNC takes the field at the Big Tiddy for the last time as a battleship gray sky welcomes them for warmups.

College World Series – Day 2

South Carolina continued its knack for knowing how to send its fans to the brink of insanity before pulling out a jog-off win. Earlier, Virginia broke open a tight game with pesky Cal in the late innings to pull out an uneventful win.

Scott Wingo (left) finished up a perfect 4-for-4 day with a game-winning hit for South Carolina.

College World Series – Day One

Vanderbilt and Florida both came from behind in their first games of the 2011 College World Series and are all set to collide for the fifth time this season in the winner’s bracket game on Monday at The Big Tiddy in downtown Omaha.

The new downtown stadium saw over 48,000 fans file through the turnstyles in the two games.

CWS – Final pics from Rosenblatt

Okay, so here’s a sweep-the-kitchen of some pics that I have yet to post from the last 10 days in Omaha and the final College World Series in Omaha. Check ‘em out…

Carolina players with their national title trophy.