Max Riffner

The Parlor

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Go Eaters!

CWSOmaha.com is clicking right along; we’ve been watching and updating every game. A few of us have even had the opportunity to go to a couple games. I caught Rice beat the pants off North Carolina on Sunday in Game 6. Beautiful night at Rosenblatt: 80 degrees with a pleasant breeze. The seats were right behind first base. I took my father and brother for Father’s Day. It was perfect.

Many in Omaha are rooting for either Louisville or UC Irvine since both teams are making their very first appearances in the Series this year. The locals pick a team, usually an underdog. Personally, I usually go for the northern teams like Oregon State; they don’t get to practice all year long due to climate (the majority of teams that make it to the Series are from southern states).

This year, however, I’m rooting for UC Irvine. They lost their first game, headed to the loser’s bracket and staved off elimination yesterday by beating Cal State Fullerton 5 to 4 in overtime. At 13 innings, it ended up being the longest game in CWS history (a whopping 5 hours and 40 minutes).

Plus, they have the coolest logo. A strange mix of a classic baseball logo hovering over an anteater(?!), the logo gets the Gonzo vote (too weird to live, too crazy to die). Husker Hounds (the local Husker merch retailer) has apparently adopted UC Irvine as its home team this year and is selling all of its gear.

I’m heading there during lunch to get either a jersey (they just say “Eaters” on it – again with the Gonzo), or a hat with that crazy anteater on it. UC Irvine plays a tough Arizona State tonight in another elimination game. I would be watching anyway to update the site, but it will be nice to be invested in the outcome.

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