With extra time to kill until the game -- normally I'd be leaving the house right now but not tonight.
Color guy Bob, former player from the 70's: "Here's who I think the Eight for Omaha will be by season's end."
PBP guy, Doug, who over-researches every game and constantly throws out meaningless stats you can't digest: "Well, Bob, I don't think that's a complete sentence. Could you finish it, please?"
Bob: "Finish what?"
*chairs scrapping in the background; unintelligible conversations*
Doug: "Here with me now is one of our more recent former players, Zach."
Doug: "Zach, I know you keep up with college baseball since finishing your less than stellar career shortened by having 4 TJ surgeries in 5 years, but who do you think the Eight for Omaha will be by season's end."
Zach: "That's a great question, one I've never heard before. Let's see. First, I'll assume Vandy gets the Top 8 seed they're in sight of by winning their 2 remaining home series against Bama and Kentucky, which, of course, as everyone knows, but I'll say it anyway because I get paid by the word, just like Kyle Petersen, means they'll host both a regional and a super regional should they win the regional which they will because it will be at home and we're a great home team, disregarding Arkansas, of course, because if you subtract that series then Vandy is 23-1 at home, that ridiculous loss to Little Middy being our only blemish at The Hawk."
Doug: "Are you ever going to get off tangents and give us an answer?"
Zach: "Yeah, well, I ran out of breath after that sentence and my arm which went through 4 TJ surgeries is aching a bit because of all the rain."
Now it's time for fan interaction, which, someday, will be possible as we watch an upcoming ESPN game, because it'll be just like the Paul Finebaum show but you won't have to use your phone, just speak loudly into the screen of your smart TV which, as we all know, is much smarter than we are. Just like our refrigerator, car, and even our phone. Also, unlike Paul's show, it will not be all about Auburn and Alabama football even during baseball, basketball, and bowling season.
I'll start by giving my Eight for Omaha after everything plays out the 2nd weekend in June.
Left bracket:
#1 Texas vs. #8 Arkansas
#4 North Carolina vs. #12 Oregon St.
Right bracket:
#2 LSU vs. #10 UC-Irvine
#6 Vandy vs. #14 Coastal Carolina
[we will have beaten Georgia at home in the Super Regional]
As you can see, the Selection Committee designed things so that the SEC could not be a part of every game played in Omaha on opening days.
Also, there are 5 National Seeds left, which is the average for the CWS since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999. (I've done my research)
Clemson, of course, will have lost a Super Regional again, this time to Coastal. The Selection Cmmt will be thwarted once again in designing it to have Vandy play Clemson -- Tim vs. Erik, Obi-wan vs. Luke Skywalker
Texas-Arkansas will be rematch of the series this weekend in Fayetteville (which I think Arkansas will win 2-1) so this will be a grudge game for them.
OSU is an independent now and they've not played anyone of significance although they will have to upset #5 Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional. (yes, I'm very petty when it comes to Tennessee and Notre Dame beating them in the SR a few years ago is one of the highlights of my many college baseball games watched)
LSU is LSU so they'll be there because their fans love to waste money going to baseball games despite not being about to pay the rent on their doublewides. Irvine will have upset Florida State in the SR, only because I love the Dirt Bag Anteaters, all self-imposed names.
Vandy-Coastal will be a rematch of last year's opening game in the Clemson regional where Vandy stunk things up big time and got crushed. Will it be different this time now that Coastal has a new coach?
So, lot's of story lines their for Karl, Kyle, and Eduaro (the guy who knows everything -- except how to make it big in the MLB and lives, basically, off his dad Tony's reputation and HOF career. Where's Mike Patrick when you really need him? Probably at the corner bar watching a baseball game, I suppose, drowning in his sorrows: "If only I hadn't got drunk and gone on the air at the 2014 College World Series, oh how my life would have been different." **slugs down another whiskey sour**
So, what's your Eight for Omaha?
Color guy Bob, former player from the 70's: "Here's who I think the Eight for Omaha will be by season's end."
PBP guy, Doug, who over-researches every game and constantly throws out meaningless stats you can't digest: "Well, Bob, I don't think that's a complete sentence. Could you finish it, please?"
Bob: "Finish what?"
*chairs scrapping in the background; unintelligible conversations*
Doug: "Here with me now is one of our more recent former players, Zach."
Doug: "Zach, I know you keep up with college baseball since finishing your less than stellar career shortened by having 4 TJ surgeries in 5 years, but who do you think the Eight for Omaha will be by season's end."
Zach: "That's a great question, one I've never heard before. Let's see. First, I'll assume Vandy gets the Top 8 seed they're in sight of by winning their 2 remaining home series against Bama and Kentucky, which, of course, as everyone knows, but I'll say it anyway because I get paid by the word, just like Kyle Petersen, means they'll host both a regional and a super regional should they win the regional which they will because it will be at home and we're a great home team, disregarding Arkansas, of course, because if you subtract that series then Vandy is 23-1 at home, that ridiculous loss to Little Middy being our only blemish at The Hawk."
Doug: "Are you ever going to get off tangents and give us an answer?"
Zach: "Yeah, well, I ran out of breath after that sentence and my arm which went through 4 TJ surgeries is aching a bit because of all the rain."
Now it's time for fan interaction, which, someday, will be possible as we watch an upcoming ESPN game, because it'll be just like the Paul Finebaum show but you won't have to use your phone, just speak loudly into the screen of your smart TV which, as we all know, is much smarter than we are. Just like our refrigerator, car, and even our phone. Also, unlike Paul's show, it will not be all about Auburn and Alabama football even during baseball, basketball, and bowling season.
I'll start by giving my Eight for Omaha after everything plays out the 2nd weekend in June.
Left bracket:
#1 Texas vs. #8 Arkansas
#4 North Carolina vs. #12 Oregon St.
Right bracket:
#2 LSU vs. #10 UC-Irvine
#6 Vandy vs. #14 Coastal Carolina
[we will have beaten Georgia at home in the Super Regional]
As you can see, the Selection Committee designed things so that the SEC could not be a part of every game played in Omaha on opening days.
Also, there are 5 National Seeds left, which is the average for the CWS since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999. (I've done my research)
Clemson, of course, will have lost a Super Regional again, this time to Coastal. The Selection Cmmt will be thwarted once again in designing it to have Vandy play Clemson -- Tim vs. Erik, Obi-wan vs. Luke Skywalker
Texas-Arkansas will be rematch of the series this weekend in Fayetteville (which I think Arkansas will win 2-1) so this will be a grudge game for them.
OSU is an independent now and they've not played anyone of significance although they will have to upset #5 Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional. (yes, I'm very petty when it comes to Tennessee and Notre Dame beating them in the SR a few years ago is one of the highlights of my many college baseball games watched)
LSU is LSU so they'll be there because their fans love to waste money going to baseball games despite not being about to pay the rent on their doublewides. Irvine will have upset Florida State in the SR, only because I love the Dirt Bag Anteaters, all self-imposed names.
Vandy-Coastal will be a rematch of last year's opening game in the Clemson regional where Vandy stunk things up big time and got crushed. Will it be different this time now that Coastal has a new coach?
So, lot's of story lines their for Karl, Kyle, and Eduaro (the guy who knows everything -- except how to make it big in the MLB and lives, basically, off his dad Tony's reputation and HOF career. Where's Mike Patrick when you really need him? Probably at the corner bar watching a baseball game, I suppose, drowning in his sorrows: "If only I hadn't got drunk and gone on the air at the 2014 College World Series, oh how my life would have been different." **slugs down another whiskey sour**
So, what's your Eight for Omaha?
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