College World Series Tickets

Fresno State "Underdogs" win national title

There have been many Cinderella stories over the years in college sports -- the basketball championship runs of North Carolina State and Villanova in the 1980's always seem to leap to mind.

But for all the great stories of the little guy rising to the top of the heap, none can be matched by the run of the Fresno State Bulldogs, who completed one of the more unlikely roads to the title by beating the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 in the third and final game of the College World Series championship Wednesday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Fresno State squad started the season in a pure funk, losing 12 of their first 20. They had to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament just to get a bid in the NCAA tournament, then entered the toughest regional as a No. 4 seed.

Fresno State held off elimination long enough to win the Long Beach regional, only to find itself on the road in one of the toughest places to play -- Tempe, Ariz. They lost their first game to fourth-seeded Arizona State, then ran off two wins in a row to pull off the upset and earn the trip to Omaha.

Even the road to Omaha wasn't smooth sailing for these gritty Bulldogs. They flew in bad weather and endured a bumpy flight before touching down in Omaha. Once they hit the pavement, though, all this team did was win when it needed to.

And it should be only fitting that the most battered of the Bulldogs, Steve Detweiler, be the man that carried Fresno State to the title. Playing with a completely torn ligament in his thumb, Detweiler smacked a pair of home runs and a double and accounted for all six RBI's to lead his team to the title.

Detweiler's first blast came in the second, as he took a Nathan Moreau pitch just over the wall in right to give Fresno State a 2-0 lead. He would add an RBI double in the fourth and a three-run blast to left in the sixth to put Fresno State in command.

The big cushion was more than enough for starter Just Wilson, who threw 129 pitches on three days rest and went eight innings for the Bulldogs. His only mistake came in the eighth when Georgia's All-American shortstop, Gordon Beckham, hit a solo homer to left field. The round-tripper gave him 28 for the season, tying him with LSU's Matt Clark for the most home runs this season.

It was a great effort by the Georgia Bulldogs to get to the championship series. They dominated their half of the bracket, knocking top-seeded Miami into the losers bracket and finishing the four-team double-elimination part of the tournament undefeated. They won the first game of the series and were in command in the second game before Fresno State made its amazing comeback.

And if you want to put Fresno State's championship run into perspective, consider that they were the No. 4 seed in their four-team regional. By comparison, if the baseball brackets were seeded as they are for the NCAA basketball tournament, Fresno State's seeding would have been the equivalent of a team seeded No. 13 or lower. The lowest seed to win an NCAA basketball championship was Villanova, who was a No. 8 seed when they beat Georgetown in 1985.

It was an amazing finish to what was yet another exciting College World Series, and the end result is one that will capture the imagination of underdogs in every sport for many years to come.

Tournament Results

Saturday, June 14 -- Stanford 16, Florida State 5; Georgia 7, Miami 4

Sunday, June 15 -- Fresno State 17, Rice 5; North Carolina 8, LSU 4

Monday, June 16 -- Miami 7, Florida State 5 (Florida State eliminated); Georgia 4, Stanford 3

Tuesday, June 17 -- LSU 6, Rice 5 (Rice eliminated); Fresno State 5, North Carolina 3

Wednesday, June 18 -- Stanford 8, Miami 3 (Miami eliminated)

Friday, June 20 -- North Carolina 7, LSU 3 (LSU eliminated)

Saturday, June 21 -- Georgia 10, Stanford 8 (Stanford eliminated); North Carolina 4, Fresno State 3

Sunday, June 22 -- Fresno State 6, North Carolina 1 (North Carolina eliminated)

Championship Series

Monday, June 23 -- Georgia 7, Fresno State 6

Tuesday, June 24 -- Fresno State 19, Georgia 10

Wednesday, June 25 -- Fresno State 6, Georgia 1 (Fresno State win CWS championship)

Omaha business wants naming right to new stadium

An Omaha financial company has expressed an interest in securing the naming rights to the new downtown baseball stadium that will replace Rosenblatt Stadium as the host site for the College World Series beginning in 2011.

The Omaha World-Herald reported Wednesday that TD Ameritrade has made their interest known in a letter to David Sokol, chairman of the Metrpolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA). MECA is handling all aspects of the new stadium, including naming rights, as part of its management agreement with the city.

TD Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia told the newspaper that the company is hoping to get the naming rights, and when asked if the company was willing to pay the estimated $750,000 that is being projected as the asking price for naming rights, he told the World-Herald that the figure is in the neighborhood.

The World-Herald also reported that if TD Ameritrade secures the naming rights, they would be willing to make a contribution toward the $43 million in private fundraising that would help pay for construction of the $140 million stadium.

Omaha, NCAA to sign CWS contract today

The 2008 College World Series is on the minds of most Omahans today, but Mayor Mike Fahey will be looking ahead to the future of the tournament today.

The city of Omaha and the NCAA are expected to formally sign an agreement today that will keep the College World Series in OMaha through 2035, with the tournament being played in a new stadium downtown near the Qwest Center beginning in 2011.

Additionally, the Omaha City Council is expected to ratify an agreement with the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) to build and run the new downtown stadium. The council is also expected to approve several measures regarding the new stadium, including the approval of increases in the city's car rental fees and hotel tax, which would help fund the new $140 million stadium.

A sudden change of heart over hotel tax rates

As human beings, we have the opportunity to form an opinion on a subject, with the option of reassessing and even changing our belief based on new information.

This, however, is simply amazing.

Three months ago, as the concept for a new downtown stadium in Omaha was gaining ground, Mayor Mike Fahey said that part of the funding for Rosenblatt Stadium's replacement would come from a 1 percent increase in hotel taxes.

Judging from the response at that time by the Metropolitan Hospitality Association, you would have thought the end of the world would arrive if this tax increase went through. Omaha already has one of the highest hotel tax rates in the country, they said. It would drive convention business away from the city, they worried. It would make other cities more attractive to people looking to grow their business in bigger markets, they claimed.

Three months later, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the MHA had decided that the hotel tax wasn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, it was such a GOOD idea that they asked the mayor to increase it by an ADDITIONAL half-point, with the revenue from that extra increase going to the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau to fund promotion of Omaha as a destination point.

Good heavens -- somebody could sprain something doing a 180-degree turn that quickly. Are you kidding? The MHA has gone from being AGAINST a 1 percent increase in the hotel tax to being IN FAVOR of an increase that is actually HIGHER than the original suggestion?

Of course, the hotel tax is a good idea in that it would help eliminate the need to raise property taxes in a city that is already taxed out. People who were initially against the new stadium worried about the effect it would have on property taxes, but the stadium funding will come from hotel and car rental taxes, keno revenue and stadium revenue.

We just find it strange that an organization that was so adamantly opposed to a hotel tax increase, suddenly, is now not only in favor of it, but wants to see it raised higher than originally announced. We wonder what would cause such an immediate 180-degree turn in the thinking of the MHA.

Team Feature: Vanderbilt Commodores

Last year they came up short. This year they're hoping to take that next step and get the folks in Nashville excited about the College World Series.

Vanderbilt had a breakout year last year, winning the Southeastern Conference title and taking the No. 1 ranking into the postseason. Their hopes for making the College World Series for the first time were derailed, though, as they were upset in the regionals by Michigan.

The Commodores were looking good heading into the 2008 season, but their hopes took a dip when two-time All-American Pedro Alvarez went down with a broken hand during an opening-weekend tournament in Arizona.

Through it all, coach Tim Corbin and his troops have persevered, and they find themselves in the conversation of teams that could make their way to Omaha this summer. They carry a 35-15 record into their final regular-season series at Florida and will be one of the favorites to win the SEC tournament title next week.

Pitching has helped keep Vanderbilt in the hunt this season, led by Caleb Cotham. The righthanded freshman is 7-3 on the year with a team-best 3.28 earned-run average and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 3-to-1. They have also received some solid efforts from Mike Minor (5-3, 4.07) and Nick Christiani (5-3, 4.37), with Russell Brewer leading the bullpen with five saves and four wins in relief.

Offensively, the Commodores have managed to make up for the temporary loss of Alvarez (who has since come back to hit .322 in 29 games). David Macias leads the team with a .375 batting average, and Ryan Flaherty has been the powerhouse in the lineup with the top team marks in homers (12) and RBI's (53). Dominic de la Osa has proven to be an effective weapon on the basepaths, recording 23 steals on the year.

The Commodores recently lost a series to Georgia that should secure the SEC tournament top seed for the Bulldogs, but don't count Vanderbilt out of the hunt this postseason. They are a very solid team and are hungry to make the trip to Omaha after coming up short in 2007.

Top five unchanged in Baseball America rankings

The top five stayed put and only one team dropped out in this week's Baseball America Top 25 rankings.

Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, Arizona State, Florida State and Nebraska still lead the way going into the final weekend of the regular season. Georgia and Cal State Fullerton both moved into the top 10 as San Diego and Stanford both fell out of the top 10.

The only new team this week is Tulane, which replaced South Carolina and comes in at the No. 25 slot.

This week's Baseball America Top 25 is as follows (record and last week's ranking in parenthesis):

1. Miami (41-6, 1), 2. North Carolina (42-9, 2), 3. Arizona State (40-9, 3), 4. Florida State (43-8, 4), 5. Nebraska (38-9, 5),

6. Rice (39-11, 7), 7. Georgia (33-17, 11), 8. Cal State Fullerton (32-17, 12), 9. Texas A&M (42-10, 9), 10. Oklahoma State (35-12, 10),

11. San Diego (39-15, 8), 12. UC Irvine (33-13, 13), 13. California (32-16, 16), 14. Stanford (29-18, 6), 15. Missouri (34-17, 15),

16. Louisiana State (35-16, 22), 17. Michigan (38-11, 20), 18. St. John's (39-11, 21), 19. Vanderbilt (37-15, 18), 20. North Carolina State (35-16, 19),

21. Kentucky (38-14, 23), 22. Wichita State (38-14, 14), 23. Coastal Carolina (41-11. 24), 24. Texas Christian (35-16, 25), 25. Tulane (36-15, NR).

New stadium may lose old tenant

One of the assumptions with building a new stadium to replace Rosenblatt Stadium has been that the Omaha Royals would play in the new stadium when the College World Series isn't in town, as they have throughout their history.

That may not be the case, though. In fact, there is concern that the Royals may leave Omaha for a new home.

Recently, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the team's management was not commenting on reports that the team has drawn the interest of suitors in the Texas cities of Sugar Land, Katy and McAllen, as well as Vancouver, British Columbia.

Team president Alan Stein told the newspaper that the only entity the team is negotiating with is the Metropolitain Entertainment Convention Authority, which will run the new downtown stadium in Omaha. They have had no formal or informal negotiations with any other city or group interested in bringing the Royals to their city.

Having the Royals as a tenant at the new stadium was part of the financial plan set forth in the new stadium agreement. How a Royals departure would affect the new stadium's plans remains to be seen, but there is always the possibility the city could lure another minor league club. They could also field a team in the American Association, which includes franchises in Lincoln, Sioux City, Sioux Falls and other area cities.

Miami leads Baseball America tourney projections

Baseball America has projected the field for the NCAA Div. I baseball tournament that begins with regional play later this month.

The SEC has seven teams listed and the ACC has six teams on the Baseball America list. Miami (Fla.) is listed as the No. 1 seed right now, according to the magazine. The other top eight seeds are Arizona State, North Carolina, Rice, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Stanford.

Two of the 16 schools projected as top seeds would give up the host site because of stadium issues. San Diego would have to travel to Michigan for its regional at Ann Arbor, Mich., while Coastal Carolina's regional would be hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, N.C.

Baseball America's latest projected "field of 64" for the Div. I baseball tournament is as follows (national seed in parenthesis):

Miami (Fla.) Regional -- 1. Miami (Fla.) (1), 2. Florida, 3. Tulane, 4. Florida Atlantic

Columbia (S.C.) Regional -- 1. South Carolina, 2. North Carolina State, 3. Charlotte, 4. Jackson State

Athens (Ga.) Regional -- 1. Georgia (5), 2. Georgia Tech, 3. College of Charleston, 4. Jacksonville State

Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional -- 1. Florida State, 2. Southern Mississippi, 3. Ole Miss, 4. Bethune-Cookman

Tempe (Ariz.) Regional -- 1. Arizona State (2), 2. St. John's, 3. Dallas Baptist, 4. Dartmouth

Irvine (Calif.) Regional -- 1. UC Irvine, 2. Arizona, 3. Texas, 4. Army

College Station (Texas) Regional -- 1. Texas A&M (6), 2. Vanderbilt, 3. Houston, 4. Texas-San Antonio

Ann Arbor (Mich.) Regional -- 1. San Diego, 2. Michigan, 3. LSU, 4. Wright State

Cary (N.C.) Regional -- 1. North Carolina (3), 2. UNC-Wilmington, 3. Elon, 4. Stony Brook

Greenville (N.C.) Regional -- 1. Coastal Carolina, 2. East Carolina, 3. Virginia, 4. Monmouth

Stillwater (Okla.) Regional -- 1. Oklahoma State (7), 2. Wichita State, 3. Arkansas, 4. USC

Corvallis (Ore.) Regional -- 1. Oregon State, 2. Long Beach State, 3. Oklahoma, 4. Canisius

Houston (Texas) Regional -- 1. Rice (4), 2. Missouri, 3. TCU, 4. Louisiana-Monroe

Lincoln (Neb.) Regional -- 1. Nebraska, 2. Kentucky, 3. Oral Roberts, 4. Kent State

Palo Alto (Calif.) Regional -- 1. Stanford (8), 2. Pepperdine, 3. UC Davis, 4. Lipscomb

Fullerton (Calif.) Regional -- 1. Cal State Fullerton, 2. Cal, 3. Clemson, 4. Fresno State

New stadium to be huge lift for Omaha, CWS

College baseball fans can breathe a little easier now, knowing they aren't going to have to worry about finding different hotels, restaurants and watering holes to hang out at during the College World Series.

The "memorandum of understanding" that was signed between the NCAA and Omaha officials means that the College World Series will stay in Omaha well into the 21st century. The current agreement will have the tournament at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010, with the tournament moving to a new downtown stadium for a 20-year run that will keep it in Omaha until 2030.

It has been an interesting 12 months since discussion of a new downtown stadium first started. With cost estimates, controversy surrounding the city's reluctance to give out any details about the stadium and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes with such a project, it's a relief to see that the NCAA has come to realize the crown jewel it has by keeping the College World Series in the same city that has served as the tournament's host for almost 60 years.

This is a unique situation for the NCAA. Normally, their national championship tournaments rotate from city to city, with cities usually getting the tournament for no more than two or three years in a row. The Final Four in both men's and women's college basketball is in a different location each year. The NCAA Div. I wrestling tournament has had its tournament in St. Louis the past two years, but normally rotates it around the country as well. Only the Div. I College World Series stays in the same location every year, and much of that is a testament to what the people of Omaha bring to the table every year and the enjoyment fans have in coming to the middle of the country every year to cheer on their favorite teams.

Certainly, moving to a new stadium is going to be met with some resistance. The people living around the stadium are going to miss out on charging $20 to allow fans to park in their front yards, and some of the traditional atmosphere will be lost in a new stadium. But the positives -- improved parking, better access to hotels and the overall downtown atmosphere near the stadium in the Old Market -- is going to bring a new, exciting vibe to what is arguably college sports' biggest event.

The new stadium will provide a much-needed lift to Omaha's revitalized downtown region and will be a nice complement to the Qwest Center, which was built just a few years ago and is already becoming a top-notch facility in its own right. This is going to be a huge lift, not just for the city of Omaha, but for the College World Series as it continues its long, storied tradition in Omaha, Nebraska.

It's official: College World Series in new stadium

The i's have been dotted and the t's are crossed -- the College World Series will stay in Omaha.

The NCAA and Omaha officials announced late Wednesday that they have put the finishing touches on a memorandum of understanding that will keep the College World Series in Omaha through 2030. The two-week national tournament will be played in a new stadium that will be built in downtown Omaha in two parking lots located just northwest of the Qwest Center.

Currently, the NCAA is holding the College World Series in Rosenblatt Stadium. A five-year agreement that runs through 2010 will mean the tournament will have been played in the same location for 61 years when the contract runs out. The first tournament in Omaha took place in 1950.

By 2011, the new $140 million downtown stadium will be ready and the College World Series will move to its new location. The NCAA agreed that it will keep the College World Series in Omaha for 20 years. There had been speculation that the agreement would be for 25 years, but Omaha officials are happy to get a 20-year agreement.

The last sticking point between Omaha and the NCAA was how the money would be split up. This ultimately went Omaha's way, as they agreed that revenue generated by the new stadium would be used in the following priority:

1. annual payments on construction debt

2. stadium and CWS operating expenses

3. payments to a capital improvement fund for future stadium repairs

4. leftover funds would go to the NCAA.

The city hopes to pay the new stadium debt off in about 20 years, using a combination of stadium receipts, private funding and increases in hotel and car rental taxes.

The two sides spent the better part of two days negotiating the final terms in Omaha earlier this week. NCAA president Myles Brand is expected to sign the agreement in a few days, and the Omaha City Council will have to approve construction contracts and agreements within the next six weeks.

Team Feature -- Cal Golden Bears

One of the teams out west that has really come on strong is the University of California Golden Bears.

The Bears started the year hot, winning 13 of its first 15 games. They have found their way into Baseball America's Top 25 rankings and look to be the top contender to knock off preseason Pac 10 favorite Arizona State.

The Bears have done it with pitching so far this spring. As a team, they have a very impressive 3.87 earned-run average and a team strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1.

Kevin Miller has been sensational on the mound for coach David Esquer's Bears, going 5-0 with a 0.86 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 41 innings of work. Matt Gorgen has been solid out of the bullpen with 28 strikeouts in 24 innings and six saves so far this season.

Offensively, the Bears have a couple of solid bats leading the way. Infielder Josh Satin is hitting for average and power, leading the team with a .435 average and second in home runs (12) and RBI's (37). He trails first baseman David Cooper in those two departments, as Cooper is batting .385 with 15 homers and 42 RBI's so far this season.

The Bears played well early in the season, playing highly-ranked Missouri tough and beating preseason top 10-ranked San Diego in early March. They also swept a solid Long Beach State team in late March and took two of three from two-time defending College World Series champion Oregon State.

The Bears still have a key series coming up with Arizona State, and we'll find out then whether or not this team will be on the radar of potential teams that could reach the College World Series.

Update on downtown stadium issues

There are still a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up on the issue of a new baseball stadium in downtown Omaha.

The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority approved an agreement earlier this week that will allow a new stadium to be built in Lot C and Lot E, two parking lots located northwest of the Qwest Center.

The city gave up some property that will be used by MECA for future parking and hotel opportunities. Construction on the parking lots should begin this summer, pending Omaha City Council approval.

Mayor Mike Fahey and other Omaha officials will head to Indianapolis next week to work out a long-term agreement with the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha past 2010. Reports have varied on the length of that contract, but expect it to be a minimum 20-year agreement that the city will ask for.

There are still some other outstanding issues, though, that are going to need to be addressed before the stadium is a go.

First is the future of Creighton University and the Omaha Royals, both of who are expected to use the facility when the College World Series isn't in session. The Omaha World-Herald reproted that Creighton has tentatively committed to playing its home games in the new stadium.

The Omaha Royals, though, aren't quite on board yet. They have benefitted from a sweetheart deal with the city over the years, paying just $5,000 a year to use Rosenblatt Stadium. They also get to keep all the proftis from concessions sold during their games, and get a 9 percent cut of College World Series concessions. The city also pays the Royals $100,000 to vacate the stadium during the College World Series. MECA officials are confident they can generate enough revenue, regardless of whether or not the Royals stay in Omaha or move somewhere else.

The Omaha City Council will be the final hurdle to the stadium project. Sometime this summer, they will begin discussion on a variety of contracts relating to street reconstruction, land purchases and construction of the new stadium. At least two City Council members have expressed their intent to vote against any stadium-related proposals, but it's expected that there will be enough support on the council to make the stadium happen.

Then there's the little item of a recall petition to have Fahey run out of office. Supporters of the effort need to collect 21,734 signatures by next Tuesday. They aren't saying how many they have, increasing speculation that there isn't enough support for a recall election to take place. If one does take place, it would actually happen during the College World Series, which would be something of a black eye for the city to experience in a setting of national interest.

MECA to decide on agreement today

Today, the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority will discuss the agreement its board chairman reached with the city regarding the downtown baseball stadium issue.

If the MECA board approves it, it will mark the next step in the process of building a new baseball stadium that would replace Rosenblatt Stadium as the host site of the College World Series.

A committee working on a new stadium site selected parking lots C and E northwest of the Qwest Center as the ideal location for a new baseball stadium, a decision that did not sit well with MECA initially. After several months of negotiations, an agreement was finally reached last week between Mayor Mike Fahey and MECA chairman David Sokol.

The agreement includes naming MECA as the administrator of the stadium, as well as giving MECA property south and west of the Qwest Center to develop for parking and a new hotel. It is expected that the five-member MECA board will approve this agreement, allowing the process to continue forward.

Once that agreement is approve, Fahey will meet with officials from the NCAA in Indianapolis to hammer out a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha. The current contract runs through 2010, and it is expected that the new contract would include a minmum 20-year agreement to continue the College World Series in Omaha, the tournament's host city since 1950.

After an agreement is reached with the NCAA, it will fall upon the Omaha City Council to approve the items needed to make the new stadium happen. The first vote, expected in early summer, is to approve contracts to demolish the former Swanson plant at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue. That property would then be turned over to MECA for development of parking and hotel space.