There is no CRACK. There are no broken bats or even splinters. No multi-million dollar deals, and certainly no steroid juicing.
The crowds are smaller, but tend to have just as much excitement, even more in some cases, at ball games.
The players are younger, full of raw talent. They celebrate every home run as if it were their first.
I'm talking, of course, about college baseball. Less popular among many campuses around the country, but just as exciting at times as watching a Michigan-Ohio State football game.
Sure, the rules are different. Runners can't intentionally break up double plays by sliding into a fielder and they can't railroad catchers in an attempt to reach home safely.
Wooden bats are replaced with aluminum at this level, and the DH is used across the board for every conference.
Maybe this does take a little bit from the game, but for me it's a small subtraction in a college sport which has yielded some of the greatest games I have ever seen.
What other major NCAA sport has the Rice Owls as a national champion? In what other sport is the Big West Conference a national powerhouse?
- B/R Ticket Guide
Players are inclined to give everything they have and then some in an attempt to make the June Draft and sign that six-figure contract. They are not concerned with endorsements or contract extensions, and certainly not with covering up any type of illegal substance use.
You might say these players have a true love for the game seemingly less present in some major leaguers.
"Quit" isn't a word any are used to. It's Omaha or die.
And "bust" is an unsuitable word for players who long to share the same spotlight that Will Clark, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Jeff Brantley did in the College World Series.
What about the College World Series?
It's a double-elimination bracket format with a best-of-three series for the final two teams standing (which my Gamecocks could have taken perhaps with their amazing pitching staff of 2002).
Not quite the MLB format, but just as exciting. Omaha comes alive once a year as teams duke it out, often in extra-inning thrillers, to earn the right to be called "Champion."
So which eight teams have a shot at making it to Omaha this season? Any number of teams really can make it, but here are my eight as we begin to reach the mid-point of the season.
1. Arizona State (22-1)
2. North Carolina (18-4)
3. UC Irvine (16-2)
4. Vanderbilt (14-6)
5. Texas (16-6)
6. South Carolina (15-5)
7. Miami (FL) (17-2)
8. Wichita State (14-3)
These rankings are not based on any type of ability. By season's end they should all have very similar records. All eight are close in ability and could easily make it to Omaha should they avoid the early round upset (i.e. No. 1 Vanderbilt's Regional loss to Michigan last year).
Other teams with a shot to make it to the College World Series include Florida State, Long Beach State, Rice, Kentucky, Arizona, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, California, Florida, and Mississippi.
comments (3) write a comment »
write a new comment
8 months ago
Great article! I agree, college baseball doesn't get the attention it deserves. Unfortunately ESPN doesn't say one word about it until the CWS. While I am thankful they cover the CWS, it would be nice to see scores and highlights from time to time. Instead of the same old MLB and NBA crap. I personally think Florida is the team to beat in the SEC, while Kentucky and Ole Miss are pretenders. Time will tell!
8 months ago
I like it. Good stuff. Best thing for college baseball was the hockey strike a few years back, got the games on tv anyway. College sports are always brimming with passion and a pure love of the game, kids have more vested in every inning and every pitch than grown men with millions in their banks. College baseball needs more action on tv, a step in the right direction was taken last year with the draft actually being on, lets hope it continues. Of course, criticism is the name of the game, and I will be more constructive this time around... Like I said, it was a solid piece, good read, just possibly refrain from mentioning your favorite team. It works just as well to say the Gamecocks are filthy and have a chance just as they did in '02 without saying "my beloved," you remained a writer and not narrator until that point, which doesn't really hurt the piece, but could do without.
All in all, nice job, keep it up.
7 months ago
Great stuff and I couldn't agree more with you about this sport. I've been watching my beloved Anteaters regularly since they brought the program back in 2001. I have always felt that this is a sport that deserves a lot more ink than it gets. I'm new to this website and I plan to give college baseball and CWS the credit it deserves.
write a new comment