OMAHA, Neb. — You can feel the town's love affair with the game as soon as you step off the plane. Omaha is baseball.
Signs in the airport greet players and fans, welcoming them to one of college sports' purest events. As I stepped out of the humid air and into a hotel shuttle van, the driver — who coincidentally hails from Tempe — explained the energy in the Nebraska's largest city during the College World Series.
"This time of year, everything here is electric," he said. "This whole town comes alive."
That energy surges fans forward as they ascend up Bert Murphy Avenue to the place they call "The Diamond on the Hill." Throngs of merchants line the sidewalks, selling enough hats and T-shirts to clothe a small — heck, a large — army.
It has the vibe of a county fair, with seemingly every type of fried food available to satisfy each fan's whimsical desire. The tailgating is reminiscent of a Saturday morning in the parking lot of a college football stadium, with groups eager to invite a newcomer to the party. The whole experience has the feeling of a trip in the DeLorean to baseball's simpler times, where appreciation for the game and the young student-athletes who play it reigns supreme.
Rosenblatt Stadium, affectionately coined the "The 'Blatt," by enthusiasts past, is a sight fit for postcards. A bed of lush, green trees rest behind the center field wall, providing the backdrop for the scene of a 25,000-person party. They are packed into the narrow aisles like sardines, some emptying their wallets for standing-room-only tickets for the outfield catwalks.
But they all seem to be having too much fun to care about their personal comfort. And so it will go on for the next 10 days, when the 2010 national champion is crowned. The town gathering in droves to celebrate the game it loves.
