Some thoughts on a day off

Here's the front page of the College World Series section of Sunday's Omaha World-Herald showing the collision between USC's Whit Merrifield and Scott Wingo during Saturday's Clemson-USC game. 

Sunday served as a day to rest and also get enough laundry done to survive the remainder of the trip.

Here are some random thoughts about things so far:

* The people of Omaha really embrace the College World Series. The Omaha World-Herald newspaper gives outstanding coverage and also distributes the papers free. The picture above is just one example. There's also usually a poster-type shot on the back page. With the exception of a couple of the front desk personnel at the motel where we're staying, folks are thrilled to show their hospitality. We gotten good advice on restaurants from folks around us at the games.

* We've been to three steakhouses so far, and they're all family-type Italian restaurants. For Greenville folks, think Capri's on Stone Avenue, but bigger and with more emphasis on steak than pasta.


* There really are Maryland baseball fans. I saw two of them around Rosenblatt Stadium wearing Terps gear.

* If you wonder what the souvenir vendors do with merchandise left over from the BCS championship or Final Four, they mark the price down and sell it as "vintage." Many vendors also mark down the price of merchandise of CWS teams as soon as they are eliminated. For example, Clemson shirts costing $20 or more before Saturday's loss to USC were on sale for $10 afterward.

* Folks come from all over the country. I stood in one ticket line with a DHL pilot from Atlanta, a high school coach from Texas and a maintenance worker from Nebraska-Omaha and in another line with young women from Arkansas. Several guys from the Pee Dee Area of South Carolina sat near us during one game and said they've been driving up for the CWS the past 10 years.

* Lots of the attendees seem more interested in batting beach balls around or doing the wave than they are in watching the game. I wish they'd sit somewhere other than where I do.

* They don't allow any food or beverages to be carried into Rosenblatt Stadium, but you can take an empty plastic bottle in and  fill it with their water for free. Go figure.

* The Omaha police personnel seem to do a good job of crowd control and traffic control.