Ultimate Competition

I'm going to take a step back from big league talk with all but four teams having off days to talk about the College World Series. Personally I've always been a fan of the Tar Heels (in baseball only) and I'll admit that I do like Rice as well.

During the time that I played baseball competitively I played some very intense, hard-fought, heart breaking games but none of these compare to the 'hanging on to every pitch' style of play that goes on in Omaha, Nebraska. Everyone loves seeing the massive pigpiles that ensue after every game and the ultimate college experience that goes into every at bat on this big stage.

The thrill of playing in a Championship game in any sport is unparalleled but something really gets the adrenalin flowing when you think that Roger Clemens pitched on this mound I'm standing on, or Barry Bonds shagged flies in this outfield.

Some of baseball history's greatest moments have happened at Rosenblatt Stadium that few people remember or know of. How about I take you back to 1987? First off I wasn't born for this but that doesn't stop me from knowing about the happenings on that fateful June day. The number 56 will be forever embedded in Baseball, Yankee, and Joe DiMaggio legacy but Robin Ventura 1-upped him (actually 2-upped him but the catch phrase didn't work with 2). Robin Ventura entered the College World Series riding a 56 game hitting streak. He hit safely in his first two games in the CWS and then had a matchup against future teammate Jack McDowell. The hitting streak came to an end with an 0-5 performance but the national spotlighted streak put Ventura on the map for what was a long and proficient career.

Anyone remember Warren Morris? I certainly do. Back in the 1996 CWS Morris entered the bottom of the ninth, and his team down 1 with a runner on third and 2 outs, having not hit a homerun the entire year. One of his LSU teammates realized this as well and proclaimed that very statement. Well that changed on the first pitch and the title was theirs. Don't believe me? Check it out! The third baseman lying on the ground was a dejected Pat Burrell

With one more what we'll call retro play (it's only retro because I wasn't born) why not dig out the old Hidden Ball Trick? Oh it happened all right. 1982 Miami Hurricanes vs. Wichita State which I am convinced is the inspiration for the key scene in "Little Big League", the pitcher fires a throw to the first baseman to which he leaps over the runner and bolts towards the bullpen to where the ball skipped away. The clearly rehearsed play also included two relievers pointing the Right Fielder sprinting and the Hurricane ball girls jumping out of the way. The baserunner takes off for 2nd in a mad dash and by the time the runner realized that the pitcher had the ball the whole time and calmly thrown it to second the play was executed flawlessly.

Who knows whom and when the next big play/ hit is going to come from but this is the stuff dreams are made of and it doesn't get much better than this.

Stay Tuned

Ryan