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See you in Omaha for the CWS!

Virginia Team Photo

Courtesy of Randolph

Get out of the rain!

Head across the street to Stadium View Sports Cards. They have it all on the corner of 13th and B.

It's dry in here!

Today

It's a quiet day of watching some practices and enjoying the surroundings on 13th street. We'll be making a run to the store to stock up.

Everything get's going tomorrow. 13th street is going to be rocking!

See you all at Stadium View Sports Cards on the corner of 13th and B! Don't get your merch anywhere else.....come get a T and a free beer/soda.

PS it has started to rain...

Brewburgers!

We Crushed both the Cheesey Sacramento and The Canadian Beef Sandwich. You have to hit up!

CWS Brackets

First Pitch is Saturday!!!!

SATURDAY
1PM CST. CSUF vs. Arkansas
6PM CST. LSU vs Virginia

SUNDAY
1PM CST. NC vs. ASU
6PM CST. Texas vs. So. Miss.

Get your full brackets here: NCAA BASEBALL

Scalping CWS Tickets

People always ask me how I get tickets to CWS games. I always tell them that it's not like the Final Four or the BCS Championship, you can always get a ticket. Just show up. This is truly still a hidden gem among sporting events even if it seems to be growing in popularity every year.

TICKETS! TICKETS! most of the time slurred or spoken under the breath by scalpers. You can always find them, they can't be missed. Same scalpers every year...even if they get arrested every year! They come from Kansas City, Austin, Houston and Arizona just to make a buck. Of course you have the Omaha scalpers that regulate the turf on 13th Street between Zesto and King Kong Burgers.

These scalpers normally buy tickets under face or for face and you can normally buy them for just above face from Scalpers on the street. If you want to play the game and don't want the front row you can always wait for the first pitch because the scalpers start scrambling to unload the extras at game time.

This year the NCAA and CWS has signed on with Ticket Exchange to be the official reseller of tickets. Looks like the scalpers have some new competition out there, besides from Stub Hub, Ebay and Craigslist.

Be aware of General Admission tickets. They don't guarantee you a seat or admittance to any game you choose to go to. There has to be room for you in the bleachers. If you have GA tickets get there early to claim a seat.

Good luck to everyone looking for tickets. Don't worry, be patient. There is always a good deal to be had.

TWITTER!

Come follow us on our trip to The Big O! We will be Tweeting from Omaha June 11-17.

http://twitter.com/EXPtheCWS

Our Blog will also be updated on a continuous basis.

Come along for the ride!

New CWS Stadium has a name.

I've been reluctant to discuss the new stadium because of my love for The Blatt and it's surroundings. I know change is usually good, but it will never be the same. Check out this article below about TD Ameritrade signing a 20 year pact to be the name on the New Omaha Baseball Stadium.

FROM THE SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL TODAY

TD Ameritrade titles new home of College WS
By TERRY LEFTONStaff writer
Published June 08, 2009

Online broker TD Ameritrade has signed a deal that will put its name on the new 24,000-seat stadium in Omaha, Neb., that will house the College World Series. Sources put the 20-year deal at about $750,000 a year, with annual escalators, for the $128 million downtown ballpark set to open in 2011.
What will be known as TD Ameritrade Park is being financed by the city, with some private funding. The venue hopes to attract as many as 70 events a year, with roughly half of them being the NCAA Division I baseball championship. The event will move from Rosenblatt Stadium to the new field in two years. The plan to build the stadium convinced the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha, where it has been played since 1950.
The TD Ameritrade deal includes signs, suite and club seats, additional tickets and hospitality, and the use of the facility for corporate events. At one point there was some thought the deal would be packaged with an NCAA corporate partner package, but TD balked at the accompanying $10 million annual rights fee. Media on ESPN’s College World Series telecasts is not included.
The TD Ameritrade deal is significant since it represents a naming-rights deal at a time when the market has soured, and one being done by a financial services company, most of which are under pressure to shed any marketing expenditures, especially sports marketing.
With its headquarters in Omaha and thousands of local employees, the deal was largely done to demonstrate hometown support.

The plan to build the stadium, set to open in 2011,kept the College World Series in Omaha.
“The College World Series is big already and has great potential to grow,” said Bill Gerber, TD Ameritrade executive vice president and CFO. “Hopefully those collegiate ties link us to customers, and as they graduate and start making money, they have to invest. I would still tell you this isn’t about generating a lot of new accounts, as much as it is recognition of our headquarters community, and because it is the right thing to do as a local corporate citizen.”
Rob Yowell’s Gemini Sports negotiated the deal and will plan activation with agency of record status for TD Ameritrade. “Ideally, the College World Series will turn into a larger and longer event, a celebration of baseball and America, and TD will be a big part of that,” Yowell said.
Rob Prazmark at 21 Marketing, Greenwich, Conn., said his company’s research shows that more than 80 percent of naming-rights deals are done by companies headquartered in the same municipality as the venue. “The genesis of these relationships are almost always local,” said Prazmark, whose firm is representing LandShark Stadium in Miami for naming rights after the current deal expires in January.
The TD Ameritrade ad campaign with actor Sam Waterston is a fixture on NFL and college sports telecasts, but this is the company’s first sizable sports sponsorship. TD Banknorth, which once owned TD Waterhouse, has naming rights to the home of the NHL Boston Bruins and NBA Boston Celtics as TD Banknorth Garden, although that name is changing to TD Garden next month in deference to a merger and subsequent renaming of the bank.
TD Waterhouse itself held naming rights to the home of the Orlando Magic, paying $1.6 million a year for the TD Waterhouse Centre 1999-2006. During the original Internet bubble, rival online brokerage house E-Trade was a heavy spender on sports, including a three-year run as sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show broadcast from 2000 though the 2002 NFL championship.

Two Newbies Make the CWS!

Congratulations to So. Miss. and Virginia advancing to the CWS. So. Miss overcame a 6-1 deficit to sweep the #8 seeded Florida.

A special congratulations goes out to local product, Brian O'Connor. The University of Virginia Coach grew up in Council Bluffs, IA and pitched for Creighton University.

TCU plays Texas tonight for the last spot in Omaha. The game is on ESPN2 at 7Est.

Time to start packing, wheels up in 3 days.

Zesto!

Just ran into a ZESTO in Clarksville, IN

Saturday June 6th Schedule

We might have our first tickets to Omaha punched today as the Road to Omaha continues with all regions in action.

For the next two days TV Coverage is going Regional on ESPN. Check out the coverage maps.

If you can't watch your team on TV you can catch all the action on ESPN360.com.

(all times Est.)
Noon

Florida St (0-1) vs. Arkansas (1-0)
Mississippi (1-0) vs. Virginia (0-1)
East Carolina (0-0) vs. North Carolina (0-0)

3pm
Southern Miss (0-0) vs. Florida (0-0)

5pm
Cal St. Fullerton (1-0) vs. Louisville (0-1)
LSU (1-0) vs. Rice (0-1)

6pm
TCU (0-0) vs. Texas (0-0)

9pm
Clemson (0-0) vs. Arizona St (0-0)

Today's Super Regional TV Schedule

Who else is skipping work today to watch the Super Regionals? Here's today's schedule!
(all times Eastern)

Noon, ESPN - Arkansas Vs. Florida St.

2pm, ESPN2 - Virginia Vs. Mississippi

7pm, ESPN - LSU Vs. Rice

10:30pm, ESPN2 - Louisville Vs. Cal. St. Fullerton

Get breakdowns on all the match ups this weekend here.

No Game?

Everyone asks me what we do on a day with no games. Well, there's plenty in the Omaha area to keep you busy.

Animal Lovers
The easy place to kill a day is The Henry Doorly Zoo right next to The Blatt. It is widely considered one of the best zoo's in the nation, consistently ranking in the top 5. Kids wil love the petting zoo.

Downtown
Another fun day can be spent wandering around The Old Market downtown. It consists of about 5 blocks that are flush with bars, restaurants, antiques and unique stores. We've spent many days and nights here enjoying every aspect of The Old Market. Check it out!

Riverboat Casino
If you are a gambler and know when to hold 'em and fold 'em hit the Casinos across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, IA

Harrah's

Horseshoe

NCAA Football

Football fans should make the hour drive to Lincoln and visit historic Memorial Stadium where the Huskers play. Don't forget to check out the Bowling Alley where the 2009 NCAA National Champion Bowlers practice and compete.

Kids

It's a great time for adults too! Check out Fun Plex at 70th and Q Dude! Water Slides, Bumper Boats, Wave Pool, Putt Putt Golf, Go Carts, Sand Volleyball and Video Games. Your kids will have a blast here! PS - They also serve beer!

I will continue to add more fun activities as the CWS get closer.

Omaha Info - Get the lowdown before you go

If you are new to visiting Omaha or returning for your 11th year in a row it is important to have as much info as possible when you arrive. It's best to have a game plan going into the week. Map out your seats, hotel, restaurants and bars with these great resources. Check out my favorite all around CWS info site. It tells you everything you need to know about Omaha and the CWS. It has ticket info, seating charts, maps, and hotel info. Everything you need for your Omaha adventure.

Other sites worth checking out:
Omaha News
Omaha Nightlife Happenings
Omaha Weekly - Highlighting Local Events
Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Reader


See you in the Big O!

Super Regionals Set

With three of the top eight national seeds eliminated in Regional Play last weekend, this weekends Super Regionals are sure to be full of surprises.

BRACKETS/TIMES

Omaha Cuisine

In anticipation of trying new restaurants in Omaha I can't forget to mention the "gotta go to" places during the CWS.

Zesto's by the Blatt for burgers and ice cream.

Pauli's for the beer garden. This is where the ESPN crew hangs after games.

Orsi's Italian Bakery for the best Pizza near Rosenblatt Stadium.

Johnny Sortino's for more great Pizza!

Stadium View Sports Cards on the corner of 13th and B St. for the best selection of CWS merchandise. The reason a merchandise store is on this list is because the Owner, Greg Pivovar, dishes our some mean food free to customers purchasing CWS gear. If you're lucky he'll throw in a beer. All free of charge after your purchase. (We'll be hanging here all week!)

and don't forget about the parking behind the store...

Drover for juicy steaks. It's a great place to cut into some Nebraska Beef!

Lo Sole Mio for great Italian food and wine. Reminds me of some Italian joints I've been to in Jersey City.

Upstream Brewery for local craft brews and outstanding brew pub food with a flair. You can't go wrong here.

Spaghetti Works in the Old Market - Another Classic Omaha Spot.

La Mesa for some Tacos and Margaritas! FIESTA!

Diners Drive-Ins and Dives
Last year while we were in for the CWS we heard that Guy Fieri from The Food Network was in Omaha filming his Diners Drive Ins and Dives show. Because of my obsession with this show we now have some new places to check out this year.

From the Show:
Amato's Cafe

Big Mama's Kitchen

Brewburger's - DDD Video

California Tacos & More - Reviews, DDD Video

Dixie Quicks Magnolia Room - Review I guess I better make a reservation!!!!!! DDD Video

Joe Tess Place - I've been here before and have no desire to return.

The anticipation is killing me!

IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS PLEASE PASS THEM ALONG.

Louisville Cardinals!

The Cards will play Fullerton in the Super Regional next weekend.

Check out this story about the Louisville Cardinals and Coach Dan McDonnell on ESPN.COM

GO CARDS!

The Festivities Begin June 11th

when we touchdown in Omaha for our 11th straight year. Hopefully everyone will find our blog interesting and fun because we always have a good time In THE BIG O!!!!

Trust us, you are in for a treat once we land in The Big O!

Check back later for updates.