Tag: College World Series

Omaha Interview: College World Series Pre-Game Press Conference, Omaha Mayor

OmahaNebraska.com interviewed Omaha mayor, Jean Stothert, after the College World Series Pre-Game Press Conference.

There have been many changes over the last many years from Rosenblatt to here. What are some of the more noticeable changes and what were your favorite changes?

Well, I mean we built a brand-new stadium, a brand-new state of the art stadium to keep the College World Series for 25 years. And so there’s been just a multitude of changes. But I think the most important thing is working with the CWS and the NCAA and MECA that we were able to create a state of the art stadium that will keep the College World Series here for years.

What my parts are my favorite? I would say I love this out here [motions to the entire stadium] that it gives people a lot more room to walk around. I love the big screen. I love how the seating is.  It’s just a beautiful stadium so it all works together.

Do you have any favorite baseball memories? I am sure that it’s hard to pick just one or two.

I can’t say that I have one favorite memory. I enjoyed coming in College World Series when it was at Rosenblatt.

I was here for the first game in the new stadium. I think from Omahan perspective, I think one of my favorite memories would have to be sitting in this stadium for the first time.

That’s wonderful. I know that it contributes quite a bit to the economic development of Omaha.

It’s estimated that the College World Series brings in between 75 and 80 million dollars.

And so you know, those years that we didn’t have it because of the pandemic . . . the trickle down was enormous because the hotels weren’t filled, the restaurants weren’t filled, bars weren’t filled. It made a big impact. I thought last year showed that because the first year was back in person we had record breaking crowds, and everybody just wanted to get out and be outside and enjoy some activity. And so, it really just encouraged people to be out again, and the College World Series is something that I think Omahans love and can’t wait for every year.

 It’s been wonderful to watch all these things grow and develop and now Gene Leahy Mall is getting its refresh. Can you tell us a little about what is coming up please?

Sure, there’s 90 acres of city owned property. It’s the Gene Leahy Mall. Go east Heartland of America Park and then you go north to Lewis and Clark Park Landing. That whole area. We are working in cooperation with the private sector. And when it’s all done, it’s going to be about a $400 million project and the city put in $50 million and the rest is private.  And so that just really shows that the good public private partnerships that we have in Omaha and the investment that is going on in Omaha right now.

The Gene Leahy Mall will open the first of July, and it’s fantastic. We’ve raised it up to the street level so it’s usable. It’s usable for events. The old mall was pretty, but you couldn’t use it for anything. I think when people get in it, they are going to love it.

I toured it the other day and it’s gorgeous. It has something for everybody. And then it will go on down to Heartland of America Park which will connect us right to the river. That’s our most important geographic feature we have. We live on the river, so that park will go all the way down to the river and then north to Lewis and Clark Landing where a beautiful new STEM museum will be down there that Kiewit is the major funder. That portion of it, Heartland and Lewis and Clark Landing, should be open by August of next year. So everything is moving along. They are right on schedule. They’re keeping it within budget. And it will be done. And it’s going to just spur development downtown and it already has. With Mutual of Omaha coming downtown now and there’s a new hotel in the Landmark. There’s a lot of other investors looking at downtown because of what we are building downtown. We are pretty much building a new downtown.

 It looks so different, but then a lot of the favorite features are still there.

Yes.

 Everyone is so happy that you kept the arch and the slides.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, we wanted to incorporate everything in there and it will remain the Gene Leahy Mall.

Thank you.

Omaha Event: 2021 College World Series- Food Favorites Return

UPDATE: I learned that this paired down list is not returning. CWS staff have been informed about the link below not listing the actual items that are offered. I took pictures of the concessions and will add them here later.

This year we have returning food favorites for the College World Series fans to welcome their return!

Here are some of the returning CWS  food favorites:
( There was no tasting this year, so we are using images and some of the descriptions  from the 2018 CWS Food Tasting.)

Wild Thing Burger-This burger has gone wild  escaping the  fluffy doughy confines of its bun with pineapple salsa, bacon, black pepper sauce, jack cheese and of course the burger itself.

Wild Thing Dog– This wild hot dog is back also with the same toppings as the Wild Thing Burger above.

Just a Bit Outside Dog– I say this dog is more than a bit out being that it is a footlong served on a regular bun. Yummy cheese sauce surrounds the tucked in the bun part of the dog.

Pickle Hitters-You guessed fried pickles but with a suprise smoky bacon dipping sauce.

Small Slider Dogs– A trio of tasty mini dog sliders. Also available for four times the flavor and fun as a set of twelve.

Smoke Rings– Smokey rings of onions will delight your palate. Sweet barbecue sauce copiously drizzled over perfectly golden onion rings. But that is not all . These golden beauties are sprinkled with pulled pork, smoked Gouda and bacon. But wait there is more. They are dusted with green onions and are sure to delight any fan.

All-American Pretzel– There are two surprises waiting for you with this already elevated Bavarian pretzel. Carmel apple dipping sauce and a fried pretzel add a twist to the pretzel. (This is one of my favorites.)

No Crying in Baseball Dog– There is no crying indeed even with all those onions. This hot dog is a wonderful combination of sweet and spicy meets hotdog with of course- plenty of onions. (This is one of my favorites.)

Impossible Burger– The mission, if you accept it, is to try this tasty burger. Chef Chris Myers took on the mission impossible in 2018 to create a veggie burger that has both the taste and texture of meat. Well done Chef!

Don’t forget-cashless concessions! Bring your credit card or use the reverse ATM to turn your cash into a card that you can use at the park.

For a full list of College World Series food offerings, please check out this link:
http://www.tdameritradeparkomaha.com/concessions

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

Hurray! The College World Series is back and it’s time for another interview with the Executive Director for College World Series of Omaha, Inc. This is one of my favorite Omaha events and Omaha interviews.

Thank you to Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc. for the interview for CWS 2021 update on 11 June 2021.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of College World Series of Omaha. This is my 33rd year working on the College World Series and we are thrilled that we are actually playing baseball this year.

I am so looking forward to it as well.

What new changes have there been with either equipment or the facility?

You know in terms of the facility, one of the biggest changes is that we through the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority-They have gone campus-wide to digital tickets-in other words, anyone attending the Swim Trials or were attending the basketball Creighton games this last winter. All the tickets are digital as they are TD Ameritrade Park.

That is a change but it just reflects what is happening nationally. Everybody whether it is an airline ticket or a ticket to a play or something along those lines. It seem like everything is going digital. So, we are joining that group too.

How will that work?

You know at this point, all of our season tickets have been offered to season ticket holders in a digital format. We had our advanced sale that started this last Monday, June 7th, and those were also offered online on https://www.ncaatickets.com/championship/college-world-series . So far we’ve even had one event sold out that would be Saturday night. So, apparently people figured out how to make that work.

That’s good.

Yes.

College World Series TD AmeritradePark Entrance and Statue

Are there any new security or safety measures or changes that the fans might need to be aware of ahead of time?

Well, MECA is certainly the experts in terms of commenting on which changes have been made during the age of COVID. Certainly, one of the ones that I am aware of  that fans will want to know about is that the concessions are cashless now. That means that obviously you’ll want to bring your credit card to the ballpark but also and if you are a fan that likes to use cash, there will be a revers ATM available. So, you can bring in cash and convert it into a debit type card that can be used at the ballpark and used else where after the College World Series.

Wow. That’s the first time I have heard of that. How does the reverse ATM work?

Basically for example, you will take, for example, a $20 dollar bill and feed it into the machine and then out pops something that looks and functions like a credit card but it is obviously limited to the amount of money that you load it on.

Thank you.

Any other changes for the fans?

You know there will be some other changes. For the first time and only for this year, the general admission-the outfield spaces will not be sold in the traditional general admission format. There are a lot of good reasons for that relating to the health and safety of the fans attending still in the age of COVID; recommendations that have been put in place from the NCAA’s advisory team.

So this year, those will be our lowest price reserve seats and the prices will vary depending on popularity of the game. But for example, the first weekend and the finals are the most popular. Those are $30 dollars this year plus ticket master fees. During the week nights, they will be $25 and then during the weekday afternoons they will be $20. The advantage, of course, is to have a reserve seat that we will actually be assigning people to specific section, row and seat number and the bench-style seats do have seat numbers. We actually utilized those as recently as the Major League Baseball game in 2019.

[To read OmahaNebraska.com’s interview with MLB Tiger’s GM Al Avila’s 2019 visit for that game, go to www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omahanebraska-com-interview-with-al-avila-vp-and-gm-of-the-detroit-tigers]

Thank you. What changes are there for the players?

Student athletes will be in a COVID tested zone. They’ll try to restrict their movements so that they are protected as much as possible to protect them from any environment in which they might be exposed to COVID. So, their movements will be more restricted this year. So as a consequence, we won’t be hosting an opening ceremony-type celebration for them this year. That’s another thing that we expect to have coming back in 2022.

Field of College World Series

Tell me more what will be different for celebrations or events at the College World Series.

I think this year the focus is on, “Isn’t it great that we are just back playing baseball again!”

[Interrupts] Yes! Yes!

It’s a kind of back-to-basics year. There will be a handful of other activities that will be occurring to enhance the fan experience. Of course we will have the opportunity for fans to bring their kids on a particular day, that’s Monday afternoon and where some kid’s music and concessions will be featured. We’ll have a throw-back day on Thursday where we hope to have basically fans wearing their most vintage College World Series apparel. And then Friday is a country night. Probably boots and cowboy hats or whatever attire- if you want to participate in that.

What does the College World Series mean to you and to Omaha?

I think this will be a huge emotional boost for Omaha that we have the College World Series back. In a way, it was a little bit last year like trying to image a Christmas without Santa Claus to image summer without the College World Series. I think we were all a little bit let down by the fact that we could not gather together and celebrate college baseball and celebrate the beginning of our Summer. And this year with that coming back, I think it is going to be a huge morale boost for the community.

I am so excited to have it come back and to be able to go and or course to be able to visit with you for the interview.

The last question is why is this “The Greatest Show on Dirt”?

“The Greatest Show on Dirt” is one of those iconic phrases that is associated with the College World Series and I think just reflects not only the fan experience but just the way the student athletes feel when they enter that field and play what could be the last games of their baseball careers and certainly their college baseball careers. They give it their complete 100 percent effort. They play with a lot of heart and I can’t imagine anything better to watch in the summer.

The one other thing that I didn’t mention that I think might be really helpful for people this year is there is a College World Series app that is put out by the NCAA. So, “NCAA Men’s College World Series” is how I believe how it is listed in the app stores. [Here is the link http://on.ncaa.com/MCWSApp] It’s probably the easiest way for fans to follow their favorite team, check the weather, get bracket and scoring information. It’s going to be a real asset for fans who kind of want to be kept up to date to the minute.

Thank you very much.

Would you like to read more stories and interviews about the College World Series? Visit later for new posts and check out the CWS posts below.

College World Series TD Ameritrade Park Game in Progress

Our Omaha blog stories on the College World Series by Year

CWS 2020

No CWS.

CWS 2019

College World Series Fans-Have You Seen the Scooters? (13 June 2019)
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/college-world-series-fans-have-you-seen-the-scooters

Omaha Event: College World Series Interview with Chris Myers, Executive Sous Chef, Levy Restaurants (12 June 2019)
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-event-college-world-series-interview-with-chris-myers-executive-sous-chef-levy-restaurants

College World Series Food Tasting, 12 June 2019
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/college-world-series-food-tasting-12-june-2019

Omaha Event: College World Series Interview with Jack Diesing, President, College World Series of Omaha Inc.
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-event-college-world-series-interview-with-jack-diesing-president-college-world-series-of-omaha-inc

Omaha Event: College World Series Press Conference, 12 June
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-event-college-world-series-press-conference-12-june

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc. (5 June 2019)
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-interview-with-kathryn-morrissey-executive-director-college-world-series-of-omaha-inc

CWS 2018

2018 Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of CWS Omaha Inc.
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-interview

What’s new in CWS food for 2018
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-media-tasting-2018-great-food-meets-the-greatest-show-on-dirt

2018 Interview with Chef Chris Myers
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-chris-myers-with-levy-restaurants-at-td-ameritrade-park-for-college-world-series

Tigers to Play Royals in Omaha! MLB Comes to Omaha!
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/tigers-to-play-royals-in-omaha-mlb-comes-to-omaha

OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Al Avila, VP and GM of the Detroit Tigers
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omahanebraska-com-interview-with-al-avila-vp-and-gm-of-the-detroit-tigers

CWS 2017

Al Martinez Hits First Home Run for College World Series- Before the First Game is Played!
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/al-martinez-hits-first-home-run-for-college-world-series-before-the-first-game-is-played

Omaha Interview with Kristi Andersen, Director of Communications at MECA
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-with-kristi-andersen-director-of-communications-at-meca

Omaha Interview with Marty Bilek at the College World Series Press Conference
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-with-marty-bilek-at-the-college-world-series-press-conference

Omaha Interview: College World Series of Omaha, Inc. (9 June 2017)
http://omahanebraska.com/omahainterviewcollegeworldseries

Omaha Event: College World Series Interview with Chris Myers, Executive Sous Chef, Levy Restaurants

Thank you for making such a wonderful and artistic spread for us.

Thanks for coming.

It’s going to be awesome. I noticed a lot of inspiration from gourmet cooking this year.

Yes.

What kind of hashtags are you looking for you “not hotdog” is a sandwich?

… More hashtags…It’s kind of a fun debate that’s out there.

[Using  #SandwichNotSandwich on Twitter  @inomahanebraska]

Your definition of a sandwich is?

Anything between bread.  It doesn’t have to be meat…A calzone maybe that’s more a pastry…

We had a debate actually among computer science students this last semester. “Is it a sandwich? What is a sandwich? What is the class, inheritance,  etc?” Calzones came out as a sandwich…

Then what do you call a pop tart? A pastry?

That was also part of the debate

Was it really?

Yes. That one wasn’t a clear winner either way for the debate on “is it a sandwich”.

No?

What is your most unusual one and what do you think will be the biggest sales one?

I honestly think the nachos and our new taco. We have them a  little more modern with braised beef. Nachos-they are a bigger version too. You get more with this.

I enjoyed your pun on Ty Cobb salad.

Yes. It’s fun.

Your pork wings? What is your inspiration for that?

I used them some years ago and popped up again somewhere. They are fun and easy to eat. They have handles. You don’t have to get as messy to eat them

Please tell me a little bit about your sauce on them.

It’s just our restaurant barbecue sauce. It’s in every Levy restaurant stadium in the country. The same barbecue sauce.

I had that last year it was really good.

Thank you very much.

[We hope to post more later. There were some technical difficulties with both recordings.]

 

College World Series Food Tasting, 12 June 2019

The College World Series Food Tasting took place today at TD Ameritrade Park.  It was another home run by Chris Myers and Levy Foods!

 

The Colossal Tot returns this year with an Italian spin to it with Italian sausage and marinara sauce. Only 50 of these are made per game and there is a countdown for these that you can watch. Order early to not be disappointed.

My surprise absolute favorite of the tasting was the Wonderboy Dog. The pickled purple cabbage and mustard smear with a thinly sliced piece of cheese with a savory dog was incredibly delicious. Even people in the room who weren’t mustard fans enjoyed this dog.

The Lithuanian Torte is a local Omaha favorite that now people from out of town can sample and enjoy.  If you have never tasted its buttery flaky layers with apricot and cream filling, you are missing out. Don’t miss out and try it.  I shared one just yesterday with my youngest. Indescribably good. Yum.

Number two on my list of favorites was also a surprise-the Baja Beef Taco. It was amazingly good. It’s a must try for the CWS. Another tasty taco was the Chicken Tinga.

I didn’t get to try this punny salad. For you ,younger folk, out there, Ty Cobb was a baseball player from the Detroit Tigers.  I am guessing this in honor of the Tigers coming here on Thursday. If you don’t have tickets, get some for tomorrow’s MLB game, a great appetizer for the CWS or for some the main course.

The Hot Dog Sandwich is a sandwich, Chris tells us. It has meat in the middle and bread on both sides of it.  Therefore it is a sandwich. This one is a BLT with a pickle and a tasty hot dog inside. #SandwichNotSandwich

The Grand Slam Nachos looked very good but I did not get to try them. Something to look forward at the game.

The Lobster Truffle Fries were a lot of people’s favorite at the tasting.

I didn’t get to try the Pimento Cheese Pretzel but it looked might good. Have to, of course, enjoy that they are baseball shaped and set near the baseballs.

These super meaty Pork Wings were a big hit with those who tried them.

The Texas Leaguer Tavern is a loose meat sandwich. It was so good it was hard to describe. Britanny helped with the words for this, “Perfect in every bite”. That summed it up. Each bite was perfect bite after perfect bite and perfect balanced.

The Omaha Smoke House is available in the Suites.

The Lemon Chicken Board is available in the suites.

Here is the menu for this year:

Stay tuned for  more CWS food photographs and an interview. They are coming soon.

 

Omaha Event: College World Series Press Conference, 12 June

The College World Series Press Conference was held this morning on 12 June at TD Ameritrade Park.

Jack Diesing, President of College World Series of Omaha Inc.

Jean Stothert, Mayor of Omaha

Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, President of Creighton University

Anthony Holman, NCAA Managing Director of Championships & Alliances

Roger Dixon, MECA President/CEO

Anthony Holman and Jack Diesing

NCAA and CWS will donate tens of thousands of dollars to help rebuild local ballfields for children.

Please return for more images and interviews.

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

Yay! It is here. It is time for the 2019 College World Series and another interview with College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

This is one of my favorite things each year, to talk with you and learn more about the College World Series.

It’s one of my favorite things to talk about, the College World Series.

I think you are nine years as director and 30 years with the College World Series?

31 years with working on the College World Series.

You must have seen a lot of changes over the years and some things that are absolutely important to stay the same.

Yes, you are right. It is always a delicate balancing act keeping the same that fans look forward to revisiting when they return as well as giving them some new and exciting reasons to come back.

What’s new this year and what’s some of the things that you have noticed that people look forward to throughout the years?

Well in terms of some of the newer things, we have some activities. This year, somewhat in recognition of all the extraordinary efforts that first responders made in relation to the flooding we have had in our area, we have added a First Responders Day… that is going to be for game number 5, Monday June 17th…at 1 o’clock and that is new. On the field, we will be recognizing some first responders. We’ll have first responders as part of our color guard…well deserved recognition for folks that have put in extraordinary hours and effort and still aren’t finished with the flood relief.

We have a Kids Day which is Wednesday June 19th. That’s the 6:00 PM game. So, that would be game number 9. That will be the first time that kids 12 and under will be able to run the bases after the game. That will be fun.

On Monday, finals one, June 24th, that’s are Veterans-Military Appreciation Day as well.

What will be going on for that one?

A flyover for one thing. We will also be recognizing some representatives from past conflicts. That’s one of the highlights.
That’s some of our special community days.

It’s not exactly in conjunction with the College World Series but there is a Major League Baseball game going on Thursday the13th and the [College World Series] teams themselves a day early this year so they can attend those games.

So the College World Series teams will be able to attend the Major League game?

Yes so the student athletes and a few members of the travel party will have tickets to the Major League Baseball game on June the 14th. So the student athletes and teams are arriving on Wednesday the 12th.

I am looking forward to that game too.

Yes, that will be exciting. It will be interesting to see how they make that TD Ameritrade Park look like a Major League Baseball park and then turn it around in about 24 hours to make it look like where we are going to have our fan fest set up and where we are going to have opening celebration day and autographs. Then have a big opening ceremony that night.


For opening night ceremony this year we have a band. We are very excited about them, the Eli Young Band [https://eliyoungband.com]. They are a country band and have charted. One of the band members is from Omaha.

That’s exciting too when someone comes home.

Exactly right.

What can you tell us about the teams that might be coming here and who do you think might be an upset team that has a good chance of coming out from behind?

At this point we are still waiting it out. As you know Creighton was eliminated this week. So we won’t see Creighton in action. The super regional competition is about ready to begin. The super regional starts tomorrow [add date] and the winners of the super regional then come to Omaha.

Anything new for vendors or the area?

That reminds me of some of the Little League teams that come in conjunction with the College World Series.

One is run by a gentleman who is local. That is called The Battle of Omaha.

There is another out of Colorado and is called The Stump Buster Tournament.

Last year they had more than 500 teams and this year I think more than 700 teams.

They come from all over the country. Last year I think they had 35 states represented and I am guessing more this year with those increased numbers.

Do they get to play on the field there [TD Amertrade Park]?

They do not. They use fields throughout the metro area. I know they use a lot over in Council Bluffs and in Omaha. They bring in thousands of young athletes and their families. It’s a tremendous economic impact to the city. What happens is they start before the College World Series games and run partly after we wrap up. So they bring in a couple of waves of kids that participate.

So they are playing kind of the same time as the College World Series?

They are and they do that intentionally. With our general admission program, they … can watch (when they are not playing) the College World Series.

That’s great for us because it exposes young people all over the country to the College World Series. Not saying that we don’t bring in folks on our own but these are people that may or may not have planned to come to this year’s Series but now that their team is playing they will definitely take in a game or two.

Please see our other stories:

2018

2018 Interview with Al Avila, VP and GM of the Detroit Tigers

OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Al Avila, VP and GM of the Detroit Tigers

2018 Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of CWS Omaha Inc.

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

What’s new in food for 2018

CWS Media Tasting 2018: Great Food Meets the Greatest Show on Dirt

2018 Interview with Chef Chris Myers

Omaha Interview: Chris Myers with Levy Restaurants at TD Ameritrade Park for College World Series

Tigers to Play Royals in Omaha! MLB Comes to Omaha!

Tigers to Play Royals in Omaha! MLB Comes to Omaha!

OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Al Avila, VP and GM of the Detroit Tigers

OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Al Avila, VP and GM of the Detroit Tigers

2017

Al Martinez Hits First Home Run for College World Series- Before the First Game is Played!

Al Martinez Hits First Home Run for College World Series- Before the First Game is Played!

Omaha Interview with Kristi Andersen, Director of Communications at MECA

Omaha Interview with Kristi Andersen, Director of Communications at MECA

Omaha Interview with Marty Bilek at the College World Series Press Conference

Omaha Interview with Marty Bilek at the College World Series Press Conference

College World Series: Press Conference Omaha

College World Series: Press Conference Omaha

Learn more about the College World Series at:
http://cwsomaha.com
https://www.ncaa.com/championships/baseball/d1

Major League Baseball Game to Come to Omaha

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2018
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TO STAGE REGULAR SEASON GAME IN OMAHA
LEADING INTO THE 2019 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Royals and Tigers Will Meet on June 13, 2019, Two Days Before First Game of the NCAA’s Men’s College World Series, in Exclusive National Telecast on ESPN Special Event Will Be Part of Newly Unveiled GEICO Summer Series

OMAHA, NE – Major League Baseball announced today that the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers will play a regular season game in Omaha, Nebraska on Thursday, June 13, 2019. Honoring Omaha’s baseball tradition, the first Major League game ever held in Nebraska will be televised nationally by ESPN and will be played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha – one day before the Opening Celebration Day of the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Men’s College World Series and two days before the event’s
first game. GEICO will be the presenting sponsor of the event as part of the new GEICO Summer Series. The game resulted from an agreement between MLB, the NCAA, Minor League Baseball, the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers and Omaha’s Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA).

Today’s announcement was made at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha and featured Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr.; the Royals’ Dayton Moore, Senior Vice President and General Manager, and Kevin Uhlich, Senior Vice President, Business Operations; the Tigers’ Al Avila, Executive Vice President and General Manager, and Duane McLean, Executive Vice President, Business Operations; the Mayor of the City of Omaha, Jean Stothert; Gary Green, Principal Owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Omaha Storm Chasers; Roger Dixon, President/CEO of MECA; and ESPN’s Karl Ravech, one of the network’s signature baseball voices at multiple levels of the game.

The 2019 game will follow other recent special events that have brought regular season play to nontraditional locales and have been telecast by ESPN. On July 3, 2016, the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins played at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a celebration of the servicemembers at the post and the first Major League game ever held in the state. On August 20, 2017, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals participated in the inaugural Little League Classic, which took place at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the home of the Little League World Series. The second Little League Classic presented by GEICO will be played this August 19th between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets.

The Royals and the Storm Chasers, who helped make this event possible, share the game’s longest relationship between a Major League Club and its Triple-A affiliate, spanning the careers of Hall of Famer

George Brett and other Kansas City greats since its franchise inception in 1969. Thirty-two Major League players all-time were born in Omaha, including Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Wade Boggs, and more than 100 all-time were born in Nebraska, including Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn and Royals’ three-time All-Star
Alex Gordon, a Lincoln native and a product of the University of Nebraska. Gibson pitched for Triple-A Omaha when it was a Cardinals’ affiliate. As a member of the New York Giants’ Minneapolis farm club in 1951, Hall of Famer Willie Mays was in Omaha when he was called up to the Majors. In 1889, Hall of Fame pitcher Kid Nichols was the ace of the Omaha Omahogs of the Western Association. The state of Nebraska has a long and distinguished tradition of Native Americans playing the game.

Commissioner Manfred said: “As fans enjoy the excitement of the College World Series, I am pleased to announce that we will be playing a Major League game in Omaha next season. We look forward to partnering
with the NCAA and all the various parties who have worked hard to put this game together. This represents
another significant step in our efforts to showcase the solidarity that links each level of our great game.”

Kevin Uhlich, the Royals’ Senior Vice President, Business Operations, said: “The bond that ties our ball club in Kansas City and the city of Omaha dates back to the first pitch ever thrown in organization history in 1969 when both the Kansas City Royals and then-Omaha Royals came into existence. Couple that with one of
the greatest spectacles in college athletics, the College World Series, and we’re ecstatic as an organization to participate in this historic game. So many of the athletes who have worn Royal uniforms have come through this great community either while starring for their college team or as a member of our organization. It’s only fitting that the Royals be a part of the first Major League game ever hosted by the city of Omaha.”

Al Avila, Executive Vice President and GM of the Tigers, said: “All of us with the Detroit Tigers are thrilled and honored to participate in the first-ever Major League game at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The College World Series is one of America’s jewel events and is truly an institution within the baseball world. We
are looking forward to showcasing the talent of our Major Leaguers on amateur baseball’s biggest stage.”

Omaha Storm Chasers owner Gary Green said: “We are very excited to not just be part of this historic first-of-its-kind event in Omaha next year, but that our parent club of 50-plus seasons will be participating as well. The city of Omaha has an incredibly rich history of professional baseball, and the large significance of this event taking place next year in this city cannot be overstated.”

Bill Brower, GEICO’s assistant vice president of marketing, said: “Omaha has played an enormous role in making baseball America’s pastime. GEICO is pleased to support this historic game and the timeless sport of baseball.”

Omaha has hosted the College World Series since 1950, at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010 and at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha since 2011.

# # #
Contact: Patrick Courtney or Michael Teevan, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878, mlbpressbox.com, @MLB_PR.

Come back later for our OmahaNebraska.com photos for the press conference held earlier today and for our interview with Al Avila of the Detroit Tigers!

CWS Media Tasting 2018: Great Food Meets the Greatest Show on Dirt

It was another outstanding performance of culinary expertise at TD Ameritrade Park for the College World Series at the CWS Media Tasting 2018. Levy Restaurants put forth some amazing delectable creations taking ballpark food up way beyond several notches.

As the saying goes, “you eat first with your eyes”.  Please enjoy our tasty pictures. Then go to the CWS and taste these wonderful creations yourself.

My personal favorites were:

No Crying in Baseball Dog-  There is no crying indeed even with all those onions. Chef Chris Myers has prepared a wonderful combination of sweet and spicy meets hotdog with of course- plenty of onions

Smoke Rings-  Smokey rings of onions will delight your palate. Sweet barbecue sauce copiously drizzled over perfectly golden onion rings. But that is not all . These golden beauties are sprinkled with pulled pork, smoked Gouda and bacon. But wait there is more. They are dusted with green onions and are sure to delight any fan.

All-American Pretzel- There are two surprises waiting for you with this already elevated Bavarian pretzel. Carmel apple dipping sauce and a fried  pretzel add a twist to the pretzel.

Impossible Burger- The mission if you accept it is to try this tasty burger.  Chef Chris Myers took on the mission impossible to create a veggie burger that has both the taste and texture of meat. Well done Chef!

 

 

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

Hurray! It is here. It is time for the 2018 College World Series and another interview with College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

Thank you to Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc. for the interview for CWS 2018 update.

Please tell us a little about the teams who are “on the road to Omaha.”

Well, right now we don’t know what teams will be here.

We are just getting ready to start the regional competition and the super-regional competition will follow that.

It’s an interesting field. There are some of the teams that we expect to see year after year that will be coming and then there are some new ones.

There’s some really good teams on the horizon that we haven’t heard so much before in the past like the Hatters. Those and other groups, we have heard from before and eager to see them if they make it that long.

How do upset teams happen?

I think there is a lot of parity in college baseball.

It used to be that especially some of the southern states almost had a collar around all of those big championship teams.

And any more some of the northern seats, Northern teams from northwest coast have made some in roads as well.

Just recently we saw in Omaha Minnesota do a really good job.

That would be a great fan base to bring to Omaha again.

I know the fans are really supportive. Do you have any fun stories?

We have fun stories from the past. It is always interesting to see who comes and what is on their bucket list. So toward that cause I am hoping that we will have some really good ones.

For example, now this goes back a ways…Mississippi, the state of Mississippi when we had Southern Mississippi participate a few years back, it felt like the entire state closed up shop and moved to Omaha for few days because they were so excited to be included in our activities.

So it’s hard to know what stories will come out this year.

Coastal Carolina is doing very well this year.

They were kind of a sweetheart, a Cinderella team from a few years back that went all the way.

Every year has its special story.

What is a good one from last year?

I am trying to think of one. The fact that we had the Florida team win after so many appearances was something that was a lot of the fans from the SEC were very pleased to see that activity.

There is always going to be those good stories. I’ll be eager to see if we have some new Cinderella teams coming in  this year.

Or if we have a team like Florida State. Mike Martin has been to the College World Series so many times. He is the current number one winning- has more wins under his belt as a Division One baseball coach than anyone in  history, but yet he has never won the College World Series.

He is a quite a gentleman. He has wonderful teams, but to use an old phrase, he’s kind of always been a bridesmaid and not the bride. So we are waiting to see if his team makes it this year.

Any new stories about  the fan or vendor side last year or ahead for this year?

We are always eager to here from Levy,  the restaurateurs that manage the food preparation at TD Ameritrade Park always come up with some really great offerings for fans during the College World Series. Things like the “South Omaha Taquito”  in the past and they have had some that probably can feed families let alone an individual. So we are really eager to see what they will come up with across the street.

I remember last year there were quite a few members of your family that could eat after some of those.

Last year, I think we had our first fruit kebab, a new offering. I don’t know if those will be back this year.

What was the attendance last year?

Last year’s attendance was a record. It was 357,646 which was really great.

Our average attendance per game was 22,352.

Has there been any equipment or facility or rule changes this year?

We have extended the netting.  We follow major league baseball’s lead in that respect and have extended it beyond where it has ended in the past.

Anything new with the facility or equipment? I remember one year the bats were changed.

No. It’s been a while since any of the equipment or facilities have been changed in terms of the balls and bats.

It was amazing there for a while when the stadium was new that-the first year we had issues at that time – we thought with a lack of home runs that happened to coincide with the first year of TD Ameritrade Park which was 2011 coincided with the first year that the bat had been deadened.

What transpired after that was that the baseball itself was made a little bit more lively and now we regularly see home runs. So I think there have been the appropriate adjustments and we should be all good now.

Are there any new security measures or changes that the fans might need to be aware of ahead of time?

I am really glad that you about asked that. This will be the first year that we will have had the clear bag policy in effect. Now that has been in effect at the Century Link Center starting this winter with Creighton basketball season. It has been ineffect Creighton baseball season at TD Ameritrade. And it was in effect last weekend with the Big Ten baseball tournament. It will be the first time we require clear bags for the College World Series.

We’ve  ordered 25,000 of them to be distributed for free in the area. They have already been delivered to our  season ticket holders to our club seat holders our suite holders as part of an advanced mailing. We are in the process right now of distributing them to various hotels, convention and visitors bureaus in the area.

For example, Council Bluffs and Sarpy County are  involved in that in addition to the greater Omaha area. So we think we are going to be doing a good job in making them available. Now that  enough clearly for everybody who is attending the College World Series. And, I want to make the point that you do not have to have the special clear bag that is branded with the College World Series. If you went to the grocery store and bought a Ziploc type bag- those gallon sized bags-those are equally as acceptable those with the College World Series logo on it. And similarly for a clutch size. 4 1/2 by 6 [inches] does not need to be clear.

Water bottles will need to be empty and clear as well. We have had that in effect. It’s kind of a nice fan amenity we have a great number of water stations  in addition to water bottle filling stations and drinking fountains.

They do need to be 20 ounces or smaller and clear and empty when you go into the  ballpark.

There are lots of free places to fill it up, before, during and after the games.

What about camera equipment?

We do have a media entrance, if you have media credentials but for the casual fan. They can bring in a small camera, a shorter lens. They can bring in their smart phones. Any larger equipment that might interfere with another fan’s enjoyment will not be allowed in. That is not a new rule.

So purses would have to be clutch size?

Purses would have to be 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch size or we have these larger clear bags, kind of a standard size now.

Any other changes this year?

We will be celebrating a great attendance milestone this year. Since 1950 we will now have a cumulative attendance of 10,000,000 fans. Which is quite an accomplishment. We should be reaching that on game number 3 on Sunday at 1 o’clock.

That is also  Father’s Day.  So bring your dad and be part of that 10 million day fan crowd.

How many games are scheduled?

The maximum number that we always  have available are 17,  but that includes several games that are tie breakers.

So this year, our tie breaker days would be Saturday June 23rd.

Those are days we may be playing no game, one game or two games depending on how the brackets play out and similarly  finals number 3 which would be if necessary  played on June 27.

Otherwise we got 14 games that we know will be played.

We are eager to get fans in there to enjoy themselves.

What are the nearest gifts shops or restaurants that might have promotions or items?

That’s a really good question. I think that North Downtown, here we got a lot of vendors who during this time of year kind of change up maybe their business plan a lot bit to to capture the excitement and activities that the fans bring to the area. I know there are lots  that open their doors in creative ways…trying to capture  some of that economic impact that comes every year through the College World Series.

Thank you very much.

Click here to read–Omaha Interview: College World Series of Omaha, Inc from 2017

What’s new in food for 2018
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-media-tasting-2018-great-food-meets-the-greatest-show-on-dirt

2018 Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of CWS Omaha Inc.
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-interview

2018 Interview with Chef Chris Myers
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-chris-myers-with-levy-restaurants-at-td-ameritrade-park-for-college-world-series