A few years ago I was on a plane and I happened to be sitting next to a gentleman who told me that he worked for ESPN2. At the time, he was on his way to work a college football game in one of the major conferences. He wasn't on air personality - he was one of the technicians that worked behind the scenes making sure that the broadcast was delivered properly to viewers around the world. When he spoke, I noticed that his voice lacked enthusiasm, and quite frankly I had assumed since he had such a plum job he would be bubbling with excitement. He told me that it wasn't the job it was the assignment. He loved his work, he just didn't look forward to working major college football games because he felt that the sport had traded it's simplicity and beauty for money and prestige. So I asked him, out of all the sports and venues in which he had worked, what was his favorite. He wasted no time telling me the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
I have to admit, when he told me this, I laughed inside. I'd played baseball when I was a kid and usually I found that it suited my ADD like personality quite fine. I would work center field and just drift off and day dream while the game went on. When the cheer of the crowd awoke me to reality, I usually snapped to in time to make a play. Then I would retreat back to my daydreaming. For me, during that time, and the subsequent years to follow, although I loved baseball, well, I found it somewhat boring. My deepest love for baseball usually peaked during the Major League Baseball's Championship and World Series. But for the most part, my interest in baseball usually waned until October.
This year, though, I had the opportunity to take in the second game of the College World Series finals between The University of Florida and South Carolina University. I happened to be in Omaha on business and through a friend, lucked into some tickets. And honestly, from the first pitch to the final out, I realized why that ESPN2 employee had touted this event as his favorite. There weren't 100 thousand rabid fans in the crowd. There were no head butting, helmet crashing nor bone jarring hits. But there was excitement and plenty of it. And the twenty thousand or so fans in the stands gave it the same passion, respect and enthusiasm as fans of the BCS National Championship Game or the NCAA Basketball Finals. I enjoyed my evening in Omaha, Nebraska. The fans were passionate, but respectful. The game was exciting. And at the end, one team celebrated the National Championship - The South Carolina Gamecocks. It was well deserved.
And it was fun to watch.
