One of my favorite things about college baseball is how the majority of people at the College World Series don't understand how teams make the College World Series.
"What do you mean there's a 64 team playoff? I thought this WAS the playoff!"
College baseball is a weird, obscure, off the beaten path sport that not everyone understands and I love it.
In Omaha many believe the college baseball season begins in Mid-June when the CWS starts and ends just two weeks later. But the select few who've joined this little cult we call college baseball fandom understand what a hidden gem of a sport it is. The initiated know college baseball is so much more than a scorching two week social event in June where you show up, take a few selfies, eat a hot dog & then leave in the 5th inning.
We exist everywhere, though you might not always see us. We're perfectly capable of pretending it's a perfectly normal Monday at work when deep inside we're walking on air because Nebraska just got a HUGE conference road sweep. We know Bob from accounting doesn't give a crap that our right-fielder is leading the Big Ten in home runs so we just smile sweetly, as if we know something he does not, and text our friends instead about how clutch our Friday night guy was.
For me personally college baseball is about how my February gets warmed up a little bit when I get to spend a few afternoons each week at work listening to the Huskers play in California or Arizona while I look out the window and see snow.
There's a lot of games and so many ways to take them in. Sometimes I play online video games for a few hours with the volume turned down low & the game on the radio turned up. Sometimes I sit out on my apartment balcony on a Tuesday night listening on the radio while enjoying the quiet evening before bed and then another day at work. When the weather warms up I like to take my portable radio and go for a walk all the way around Lake Zorinsky in Omaha. It's a quiet, reflective time spent enjoying nature & getting some exercise. If the weather isn't nice enough, I'll get my exercise by listening to the game on a treadmill for an hour or two.
You see, college baseball isn't about the intense action or the rowdy crowds. I get my fix of that during football season. Our cult is a peaceful one. No, instead college baseball's about the quiet moments. Sure, we still go crazy for the big plays, the ballpark can still get pretty packed and there certainly is no tension in all of sports quite like a full count with 2 outs and the bases loaded. But just enjoying a beautiful day while Nebraska cruises to a 4 run victory over Northwest Nowhere A&M can be just as special to me as a clutch conference series win.
Try spending a spring Saturday or Sunday at Haymarket Park. It's a pretty laid back environment in a small, but beautiful ballpark. And that's precisely what makes college baseball so much more special to me than the big leagues.
It's the small, but gorgeous ballparks. The cozy, inclusive and accommodating environment. My grandma, who has trouble climbing the stairs of Memorial Stadium, can go to a game at Haymarket Park no problem. Children who would normally grow restless in the individual seats at a football or basketball game can go behind the berm and play catch or run around in the playground behind right field. My wife, who never really watched the sport before meeting me, could go to a game with me while we dated. Even though she was still learning the game, she could still enjoy herself as we stretched out a blanket in the outfield berm & enjoyed the sun and fresh air while she took cutesy little photos like this one.
While I don't mean to put down the MLB, it lacks these extra elements that make the college game special to me. Most major league games are played in corporate stadiums named after banks & insurance companies. Berm seating is pretty scare if it's even there at all. Kids can't stretch their legs when they become restless & there's way too many games for me to become invested enough in each one.
I know this is a minority opinion. The MLB is very special to many people and that's great! It's just not to me. That's all.
Instead I cherish this niche sport that I can enjoy & share with a few like-minded people. And I enjoy befuddling the others who can't quite understand why I get so worked up over this college baseball team that just can't seem to get it figured out in the post-season AGAIN.
My brother once told me he cared about Nebraska football & baseball equally. I thought that was a bit odd at first. I loved baseball too, but I always thought of it as a great way to kill time until football season. Football was king for me. Perhaps it still is, but as I get further away from the "living in the now" sentiment that make up the teenage years and sail further into a reflective adulthood I realize it really is hard to top a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark.
I need my baseball season as much as I need my football season.
Baseball isn't for everyone. Some think it's boring and that's fine. The people who enjoy it, though, enjoy savoring the quiet moments in-between the action. Baseball can have its intense and exciting moments, but the majority of it is slowed down and relaxed. In that way it's a good metaphor for life. At times a fast-paced, always on the go life can be exciting, but sometimes you need to slow it down and unwind. College baseball fills that void for me.
"What do you mean there's a 64 team playoff? I thought this WAS the playoff!"
College baseball is a weird, obscure, off the beaten path sport that not everyone understands and I love it.
We exist everywhere, though you might not always see us. We're perfectly capable of pretending it's a perfectly normal Monday at work when deep inside we're walking on air because Nebraska just got a HUGE conference road sweep. We know Bob from accounting doesn't give a crap that our right-fielder is leading the Big Ten in home runs so we just smile sweetly, as if we know something he does not, and text our friends instead about how clutch our Friday night guy was.
For me personally college baseball is about how my February gets warmed up a little bit when I get to spend a few afternoons each week at work listening to the Huskers play in California or Arizona while I look out the window and see snow.
There's a lot of games and so many ways to take them in. Sometimes I play online video games for a few hours with the volume turned down low & the game on the radio turned up. Sometimes I sit out on my apartment balcony on a Tuesday night listening on the radio while enjoying the quiet evening before bed and then another day at work. When the weather warms up I like to take my portable radio and go for a walk all the way around Lake Zorinsky in Omaha. It's a quiet, reflective time spent enjoying nature & getting some exercise. If the weather isn't nice enough, I'll get my exercise by listening to the game on a treadmill for an hour or two.
You see, college baseball isn't about the intense action or the rowdy crowds. I get my fix of that during football season. Our cult is a peaceful one. No, instead college baseball's about the quiet moments. Sure, we still go crazy for the big plays, the ballpark can still get pretty packed and there certainly is no tension in all of sports quite like a full count with 2 outs and the bases loaded. But just enjoying a beautiful day while Nebraska cruises to a 4 run victory over Northwest Nowhere A&M can be just as special to me as a clutch conference series win.
Try spending a spring Saturday or Sunday at Haymarket Park. It's a pretty laid back environment in a small, but beautiful ballpark. And that's precisely what makes college baseball so much more special to me than the big leagues.
While I don't mean to put down the MLB, it lacks these extra elements that make the college game special to me. Most major league games are played in corporate stadiums named after banks & insurance companies. Berm seating is pretty scare if it's even there at all. Kids can't stretch their legs when they become restless & there's way too many games for me to become invested enough in each one.
I know this is a minority opinion. The MLB is very special to many people and that's great! It's just not to me. That's all.
Instead I cherish this niche sport that I can enjoy & share with a few like-minded people. And I enjoy befuddling the others who can't quite understand why I get so worked up over this college baseball team that just can't seem to get it figured out in the post-season AGAIN.
My brother once told me he cared about Nebraska football & baseball equally. I thought that was a bit odd at first. I loved baseball too, but I always thought of it as a great way to kill time until football season. Football was king for me. Perhaps it still is, but as I get further away from the "living in the now" sentiment that make up the teenage years and sail further into a reflective adulthood I realize it really is hard to top a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark.
I need my baseball season as much as I need my football season.
Baseball isn't for everyone. Some think it's boring and that's fine. The people who enjoy it, though, enjoy savoring the quiet moments in-between the action. Baseball can have its intense and exciting moments, but the majority of it is slowed down and relaxed. In that way it's a good metaphor for life. At times a fast-paced, always on the go life can be exciting, but sometimes you need to slow it down and unwind. College baseball fills that void for me.
So if that sounds appealing to you, come give it a try. Me or someone like me might give you a hard time for not understanding how the post-season works, but we'll be delighted as you slowly become initiated into our little cult & learn what a true gem the college game of baseball is. Soon you might find yourself spending an afternoon at one of these small, cozy ballparks with friends and family or taking a long walk with the radio. Perhaps you'll find yourself sitting on your deck with the radio on while holding a cold drink, cracking open some peanuts and thinking:
"Damn, if this isn't the life."
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