CWS unique
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right words.
“It’s big time,” Hochgesang said of
his second CWS experience. “Everyone
feels a little bit closer to the big leagues.
You’ve got the press conferences after
the game, you’ve got ESPN, the cam
eras, and die crowd that no one has ever
played in front of.
“That could bring a lot of pressure,
but I tmnk all the teams here are having
a lot of fun.”
Of course, the veterans do occasion
ally have to remind themselves - and
their teammates - that they’re not here
to have fun. They’re here to win a
national championship. The difference
between finishing second and finishing
eighth among the eight-team field is
minuscule. . ^
But when it comes right down to it,
the field is generally so strong that any
body can beat anybody on any given
day. Basic baseball fundamentals and
the mental aspect of a game often make
the difference.
“Baseball, it’s so mental,”
Hochgesang said. “It’s all in how you
approach things. The main thing I want
to get across to my teammates is after all
the hype and die cameras and the huge
crowd, it’s just baseball. Once you cross
the white lines, it’s what we’ve been
doing all year long. If we do that, we’ll
put ourselves in a good spot to win the
whole thing.”
me tans, on tne otner nano, aren t
always as concerned with who comes
out on top. Sure, you’ve got the backers
from each individual team - they really
care. They’ve driven hundreds and
sometimes thousands of miles to cheer
on their team.
'But mixed in with the individual
team diehards are thousands of people
just looking for a good time and some
good baseball - like Ed Vescio.
The Omaha native has sat in the
same two seats down the third baseline
since 1970. His strategy: stick with die
underdog all the way through. When
one gets knocked out, root for the next
lowest-seeded team.
Of course, it’s not just about base
ball, Vescio explained, as he crossed his
arms and leaned up against the new
brick pillars in front of die stadium.
Through his thick, wide-framed
glasses, the skinny Vescio took in the
atmosphere while he waited for his seat
partner.
“It hasn’t changed,” he said, break
ing into another long stare. “It’s just got
ten bigger. It’s the same old situation -
with a few more home runs.”
Just off the sidewalk, which sat
directly in front of Vescio, a middle
aged man with wild brown hair drove by
in a rusted-out white pickup, waving
two tickets in his left hand.
“Who needs tickets,” he asked in
almost a whisper that Vescio certainly
didn’t hear.
The loud-mouthed scalpers were
having a little more luck sticking to the
ticket-less suckers on the sidewalk, in
the parking lot and across the street.
Also in the money-making business
was Tom Stratman, who stood on the
edge of the raised entrance to his
buddy’s sports card shop selling parking
spaces.
“Hey, watch my beer,” Stratman
warned as he took a quick peek at his
napkin-wrapped aluminum can before
returning his attention to the street.
The sun had evidently got the best
of his nose and business wasn’t going
quite as well as he had hoped.
“The atmosphere?” he mumbled,
without breaking eye-contact with the
busy street. “It’s circus-like, carnival
like.
“I’d say about 90-percent of the peo
ple are great and happy. But there’s
always a few assholes.”
Tuesday’s games were rained out,
but a little drizzle didn’t stop the tailgate
parties that seemingly never end.
Even Amy Hurd, confined to the Art
Wears T-shirt tent selling anything with
a CWS logo, wore a giant anile on her
face.
“It’s one big party,” said Hurd, a
Plattsmouth native. “People are, like,
really friendly and happy because
they’re on vacation, or whatever. It’s
really fun.”
Almost directly across the street, a
team bus pulled up in front of
Rosenblatt. Kids of all ages mobbed
together to get autographs from players
whom they couldn’t name.
It was a win-win situation - except
for the coaches, who could only sit back
and hope the players don’t let the hype
go to their heads.
“It’s very difficult if you don’t have
anybody on your team that’s ever been
here before,” Stanford Coach Mark
Marquess said. “It’s totally different
than what you’re used to during the nor
mal year.”
Luckily, Marquess has Hochgesang
and Cogan, along with a handful of
other College World Series veterans, to
keep his team level headed.
“Youcan’t get caught up in all die
hoopla involved,” Cogan said. “You
have to really stay focused on winning a
national championship instead of get
ting caught up in all the other things: all
the barbecues, the banquets, the T-shirts,
the hats, and the fans. Being here
before, you’ve already experienced that.
So you can enjoy that for what it’s
worth, but still focus on the task at
hand.”
Stanford, 2-0 in the tournament, will
take the field again tonight at 7:30 pm,
and a win could send the Cardinal to the
championship game Saturday after
noon. Miami, the only other undefeated
team, will play at 2:30 pm, for the right
to advance to die championship game.
But no matter who takes home the
tide, Cogan said, the experience will no
doubt be memorable.
“I told them before we came,”
Cogan said, “’You’re about to experi
ence die best week of your life.’”