I'll Second That

If you've never been to Omaha... go to Omaha.

If you've never seen the College World Series... go to Omaha.

If you've never seen Baseball Heaven... go to Omaha.

If you don't like college baseball / baseball period... go to hell. And that's not Omaha, that's in or around Gainesville, Fl.

But in all honesty... Omaha is more than you can imagine. The sheer rush you get while driving around that hill westbound on I-80 on your way out of Iowa (or, the newest addition to the Great Lakes), makes it worth it alone. Add to that a hundred thousand fans, a stadium as legendary as Uga, a steak town, a neighborhood that just screams "welcome," and locals who are calling you in with open arms, and you're in heaven my friend. I'm telling you, simply incredible. I don't think I said a word for the first 30 minutes we were parked in our tailgate spot. That tailgate spot happened to be the back yard of someone's trailer, but hey, $5 and a 10 minute walk? I couldn't ask for more, especially while drinking with the fellow Right Field Guys and the guys from the Left Field Lounge, some of the biggest Dawg fans around.

I was in Heaven, and I hadn't even been inside the gates of the stadium.

Standing in the ticket line a few hours later, my knees trembling in excitement and my hands sweating in anticipation, I realized that I had died and was born again. Well, that born-again feeling actually happened when I stepped into Section E. Just look for the time when your jaw hits the concrete at your feet, and that's when you'll feel it too.

At that point, I didn't care who won really. I didn't really care who was playing, either. I was just glad to be there, experiencing a slice of Heaven. So if you ever get the chance, go. No, actually, I don't care if you have the chance or not. Forget summer school. Take off from work. Spend the few hundred you have in your wallet. Make the trip. It will change your life.