Photo by John Workman

Lost in the U.S. Open, World Cup, and Wimbledon craziness over the week is an event that, as Omaha World-Herald sportswriter Tom Shatel says, is “the greatest secret in sports.”

The College World Series, which has been played in Omaha, Nebraska, for the last 60 years, is in its final year at Rosenblatt Stadium. It will remain in Omaha, but the two-week tribute to college baseball will be moving from this storied stadium to a new home away from the neighborhood that nurtured it and into the newly developed downtown area.

Its hometown charm and local ties are unlike any other college championship. The football BCS title game moves from place to place each year, as does the NCAA’s Final Four for basketball. Hockey’s Frozen Four is the same way. But Omaha, for as many times as the NCAA has looked to move the venue for more glitz and glamour, has continued to shine as a welcome and appreciative host.

If I sound a little biased, it’s because I am. Growing up in Omaha, most of my summer memories as a kid revolved almost completely around the College World Series.  It really wasn’t summer until the eight best baseball teams in the country made their way into our open arms. As I think back, I’d probably say many personal qualities of mine are due, at least in some part, to the CWS.

There was the time when I was about 9 or 10 years old when I was heading to the game with my dad. As we parked the car and got out, I closed the door on my thumb. It was throbbing so much I could almost hear my heartbeat from it. My dad said we weren’t going back home (and truthfully I didn’t really want to go either), so I spent most of the game with my thumb in a snow cone. We went through a few of them to keep the swelling down. All was fine, and a week later my nail came off. Sometimes, usually right about this time of year, I look down at that thumb. You can still see a tiny sliver of the old nail that never went away.

Then there was the time in 1986 when I got to sit right behind home plate during one of the CWS games. My mom and dad were sitting elsewhere, but somehow my dad arranged for me to sit there. All around me, I could see coaches from other teams, as well as scouts, watching the action along with me. To this day, it’s the best experience of my life watching a game. I was just sitting there taking it all in when a guy in a green Miami Hurricanes hat (I could tell he was some sort of a coach) turned to me from across the row, “Hey buddy, do you have a stick of gum I could have?”

I told him I didn’t. Then he said, “Well, if you get me a stick of gum, I’ll get you an autographed ball.” I was 12 at the time, so I tried to find the nearest college-age girl to see if I could use my little boy cuteness to my advantage. It worked to perfection, and the girl gave me the gum so I could hand-deliver it to the coach.

Former Miami Hurricanes coach Brad Kelley

The coach’s name was Brad Kelley, Miami’s pitching coach at the time. He said, “All right. Are you coming to our game tomorrow?” I said I was. I had no idea if I really was or not, but at that point I was ready to walk the five-plus miles to the game myself if that’s what it took. “OK, meet me at our dugout after the game, and I’ll get you that ball.”

The next day came, and my dad made sure I was at the game. Because of my close encounter the day before, I was obviously cheering for Miami. This was an elimination game, meaning whoever lost would be knocked out of the CWS, and unfortunately, it turned out to be a Miami loss. After the last out, I quickly ran down to the Miami dugout and waited anxiously for Coach Kelley to show his face with the ball.

There was no sign of the coach.

The team, after the deflating blow of having their CWS title hopes dashed, had walked straight from the dugout, under the grandstands and right onto the bus to leave.

I was crushed.

I’m sure my dad could see my disappointment. I’m not sure if I cried or not. I must have, because that’s how painful it felt inside.

We got home and after a couple days, my dad convinced me to write a letter to the coach. “It was a tough loss,” my dad said. “I’m sure it just accidentally slipped his mind. If you write him a letter, he’ll remember you.”

So I did, not really feeling like this letter had any shot of even making it into Coach Kelley’s hands. My dad had connections with the Omaha newspaper, so he was able to get the Miami Hurricanes baseball office address.

I sent mine in the mail, not knowing that my dad had slipped his own letter in with mine, I’m sure with a few firmer words used than mine.

The summer marched on, and I eventually forgot about the letter. Then, one day, a large package came in the mail to me from Coral Gables, Florida. I almost couldn’t believe it.

I opened it and lying inside was a practice jersey and hat from Brad Kelley. It was his personal jersey and cap! It even had his name and number on it, No. 18. He also wrote an unbelievably kind note to me saying how sorry he was that he had forgotten about me. I was in shock. The jersey had no chance of fitting me, so my dad took that. But the cap was all mine. Even though it was specially fitted, I took a safety pin and made darn sure I was going to be able to wear it.

I wore that hat every day that summer. I’m sure my dad’s letter probably helped Kelley see the error of his ways a bit, but I still like to believe it was the magic of Omaha that sent me that package. I took that hat to a summer camp once, and some jerk ended up stealing it out of my cabin. To this day, I sometimes think about how great that cap was—and what I’d do to the kid that stole it.

So while the nation watches the last College World Series at Rosenblatt, and the centerfield camera focuses in on the batter at the plate, I’ll be watching the hitter too. But I’ll also be peering beyond the batter and home plate at the best seats I ever sat in to watch a game.

I wonder if Brad Kelley will be watching too.

Do you have any memories of the College World Series, or a special game you went to? Do you remember any great CWS plays? Drop me a line at gerry.fey@erickson.com, or comment here!

Related materials:

Other College World Series memories at shoutomaha.com

Some amazing plays at the CWS, including one of the best phantom pickoff plays EVER

A quick trailer for “The Long Home Run,” a CWS/Omaha documentary narrated by Kevin Costner. I’m not suggesting you buy it, although I probably will. They will show it on ESPNU June 28 at 11 a.m. ET. Check it out if you get a chance.

ESPN’s nice tribute to Rosenblatt stadium.

What will happen to the Rosenblatt land after this year. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, one of the premiere zoos in the country, believe it or not, will be taking over the land that was Rosenblatt Stadium and basically turning it into parking space. However, they will be preserving part of the field area as a park with the original baselines, home plate and a picnic area. Thank goodness.

Current College World Series news from Omaha.com.