The Road to Omaha

Since 1950 Omaha, Nebraska has been the host city of the NCAA Men’s Division I Championship Baseball College World Series. Each year a coveted berth in the College World Series is a far away dream of young men across the County as they give their all for their teams in 60 some odd games while simultaneously earning their chosen college degrees. And each year this dream becomes a reality for eight teams who successfully navigate the famed “Road to Omaha” through Conference, Regional and Super Regional tournament play. Sixty-four teams enter 16 separate four-team double elimination Regionals. Winners proceed on to eight two-team, best-of-three Super Regionals. Finally the eight winners advance to Omaha for the NCAA Men’s College World Series.

For Omaha and her citizens, the CWS is a reliable boost to the local economy and a recurring opportunity for National spotlight. But moreover it has become a part of the local culture. Most everyone has been to a game and many attend regularly. You leave work at noon; grab your kids or friends or coworkers and head down to Rosenblatt Stadium for a double header. The fact that the two “local” teams, Nebraska and Creighton have rarely advanced to the CWS is probably a plus. Without a home team there is a genuine appreciation for good play rather than indubitable allegiance. And this, perhaps more than anything, is the priceless charm of it all…at least for me.

Denise and I usually try to attend a game or two each year. And this year was no exception. On Wednesday afternoon we left work and accompanied Chuck and Deb Olson to Game 9 between Arkansas and Virginia. But first we wandered into a pregame party tent.

As an officially sanctioned NCAA event, no alcohol is allowed within the ballpark. So the many “beer tents” on adjacent properties beyond the grounds of Rosenblatt Stadium are a popular attraction for the over 21 crowd. The word “tent” seems a bit casual considering the formality of tables, chairs, a full bar service, grilled burgers and brats and multiple large format high-definition plasma screen televisions broadcasting a live ESPN feed from the ballpark across the street. Departing this oasis to attend the game is almost a sacrifice. But after dinner and a few beers we relent, exit the tent and traverse the quarter-mile trek through the fun and folly of families and fans toward the ball park and our awaiting seats.

The Olson’s were fortunate enough to have snagged four excellent seats. We were seated in the first row along the third base line right above the Virginia dugout. Whoa! The sights and sounds from this near proximity of player and infield were incredible. However, the ever present danger in this location was that of being struck down at any minute by an errant foul ball off the end of a bat.

Despite the perfect weather and rich atmosphere we decided to leave the ball park at the top of the ninth inning. It was nearing 9:00 p.m., Virginia was ahead 3-1 and Arkansas showed little ability to stage a comeback. Besides we planned to watch the last few pitches from the beckoning beer tent.

Upon reentering the tent we quickly obtained the much needed refreshments and then watched in horror (or jubilation) as Arkansas center fielder Brett Eibner hit a two run homer with two outs to tie the game at 3 in what would have been the last pitch of the game. We quickly found a table and settled in for the extra innings.

After an hour we chose to leave the confines of the tent and listen to the end of the still tied game on the radio during our 20-minute drive home. Once home, I turned on the TV and continued watching as I readied myself for bed.

Finally the four hour and 46-minute marathon ended and Arkansas prevailed 4-3 with a game-winning RBI double from left fielder Andrew Darr. I turned off the TV and went to sleep vowing to never again leave a game before the last out.

A Nose Less Traveled

"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and I drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I'm thirsty."
-Lilly Bollinger

Denise and I love wine…BIG BOLD REDS! And we’ve tasted at maybe fifty or sixty wineries. But as interesting (or boorish) as that may seem, the truth of the matter is that our nose for wine has come mostly in the past two years. And with a few notable exceptions most of the “wineries” have consisted of one or two bays within an industrial park metal building or renovated airport hangar. Decent enough wine but they could use some sound advice on capital improvements from a reputable Architect. Maybe I know one.

And in all our travels we’ve never been to Napa, Sonoma, Lodi, Santa Cruz or Monterey. Nope…we’ve taken the road less traveled; and indeed it has made all the difference. We’ve learned slow and enjoyed every minute of it. We’ve been to wineries in Woodenville WA, Redmond WA, Walla Walla WA, Prosser WA, Coeur d'Alene ID, Louisville NE, Amana IA and Montalcino Italy. And our desire is to tour Napa and Sonoma in the coming years.

Since our college days, Denise and I have often ordered wine with dinner and have always kept a bottle or two on hand in the event that the moment commanded something other than soft drinks or beer. However, the “enjoyment factor” of our previous wine drinking was negligible and the “anticipation factor” was non-existent. On the other hand, the “affordability factor” of our wine in years gone by was off the chart. It is surprising (although it probably shouldn’t be) what kicking in an extra $10 or $20 or $30 per bottle has done for our sense of anticipation and enjoyment. And doubling that…forget about enjoyment. Try ecstasy!

We’ve also found that good wine (and bad) comes in different price ranges. And dollar spent does not equate to dollar earned. We’ve had fine $20 wine and ghastly $60 wine. Our challenge (or adventure) has been in finding good “every day" wine that can be enjoyed consistently and equally upon nose, tongue, palate and wallet. And fortunately we both seem to enjoy the same qualities in wine. Perhaps as our awareness ferments, we will “grow apart” in our tastes but that too could offer some rewards.

Today it seems that a $16 to $22 bottle of Red Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa or Sonoma has become our sweet spot for a high likelihood of every day balance; although it’s really more like every other day. Well, ok maybe sometimes it IS every day. And on the weekends we really look forward to kicking that up a notch. What’s another $10 or $20 on a Friday or Saturday night with friends. I can’t wait for those late summer nights on the deck…mmm-boy!

We fully realize that we remain in our infancy of wine knowledge but we have come to thoroughly enjoy the learning process and look forward to many more years of continuing education.