Louisiana State is the 2009 national champion. The Tigers won 15 of their last 16 games to take home their first title since 2000.
Here are some superlatives as I look back on the College World Series that was.
Best Team: LSU
They won the College World Series.
Best Fans: LSU
This doesn’t require much of an explanation. The Tiger fans come in droves, and more importantly, they come with food.
CWS Team we will forget was ever here this year: Southern Miss
Cinderellas leave indelible marks… when they actually win games. The Golden Eagles went two-and-Q. We hardly knew ye, USM.
Best Soundbite: Pat Murphy.
It’s never much of a contest when Arizona State is in the field. His best bite of the bunch came after beating North Carolina. “Great win, great game… great pulled pork sandwich I had in the second inning…” Apparently he had someone buy him one at the concession stand during the game. Another classic soundbite came when someone asked him why he started pitcher Josh Spence instead of Mike Leake. “Brilliance,” he dead-panned.
Worst coach when it comes to delaying the game: Augie Garrido
Three hours and thirty six minutes. That was the average length of the games in this year’s College World Series. I would venture to guess that 20 minutes of that average can be attributed to Texas coach Augie Garrido. The guy sure knows how to keep an inning going. I’ve never seen a coach come out of the dugout to have multiple conversations with BATTERS during a game. What, is the third base coach not communicating properly?
Best media food: Burgers and Dogs
If members of the media were honest with you, they would tell you they look forward to the free media food more than they do the actual games. Games can be entertaining, but they do little to fill the belly. That’s where Maggie comes in. She is the fabulous backbone to the Centerplate crew that produces the nightly entrees. Pork tenderloin, chili dogs, chicken fried chicken, bbq pork and tacos were all part of the CWS cuisine. But Monday night’s “ballpark buffet” took the prize. A burger topped with all the fixings, coupled with a hot dog and beans? That is the key to my heart. And my heart was full after that night.
Most annoying aspect of dealing with the NCAA and ESPN: Standing in a rank stairwell after the championship game while waiting to go on the field.
There are so many rules and regulations to follow when it comes to covering NCAA championships. One being that at the end of the championship game, we are not allowed into the field until ESPN is off the air. So, as LSU was dog-piling at the pitchers’ mound, yours truly and 25 of his closest friends were jammed in the stairwell underneath the LSU dugout. NCAA rules actually permitted us to hang out in the dugout itself, but we were blocked by an official who pleaded ignorance. This stairwell was not only hot and humid from the outside temperatures, but also from the clubhouse dryers in use at the time, creating an atmosphere that would make the smell of a hockey locker room seem appealing.
Add your superlatives by clicking “responses” above.
*Note: This will likely be my last post for at least ten days. Vacation calls.