Years of memories celebrated? in ?Omaha

The familiar red neon sign above the press box at Rosenblatt Stadium won't glow after this year's College Baseball World Series.

After 60 years, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium won't be the home of college baseball's premier event. The tournament will remain in Omaha at a new downtown stadium.

When UCLA, TCU, Oklahoma or South Carolina is crowned the 2010 champion, it will mark the end of one of the most underrated venues in college sports.

One of the first gifts my wife, Kris, gave me after we were engaged was CWS tickets. She knew my love of baseball, and her family lives in nearby Papillion, Neb.

We were hooked after that first experience. We've been back regularly if we weren't caring for a newborn or infant or when illness prevented us from making the four-hour trip.

We've seen plenty of excellent feats and contests, and Wednesday night's elimination game between TCU and Florida State was right up there with the best.

Our first game was USC vs. Georgia in 2001. We watched USC's Mark Prior dominate the Bulldogs, except for Jeff Keppinger's home run that just cleared the left field wall. That game we were introduced to the hot sun of Omaha, which burned Kris and me to a crisp after we got there insanely early to get good seats.

That year we adopted California State-Fullerton as our favorite CWS team, thanks mainly to Robert Guzman. He had a good relationship with those of us in the right field bleachers, and we've worn Titan colors ever since.

In 2006, we were rushed to the inner area of Rosenblatt when severe weather delayed the Oregon State-Miami (Fla.) first-round game. Only a select few waited out the delay to watch the Hurricanes pummel Oregon State, 11-1. Oregon State worked its way through the losers' bracket to win the championship, the first of two in a row.

During that 2006 trip, we found out we were expecting our second child. Certain we were going to have a boy, I was poised to name it after OSU's Shea McFeely. Shea eventually gave way to Katelyn for obvious reasons.

The festivities around the CWS help make this such a great event. Countless tents are set up, hawking CWS merchandise from T-shirts to hats to beads, bats and baseballs.

Mobs of people walk the streets. The parking lot has a fan zone with games and activities for all ages.

And don't forget about Zestos across the street from the stadium. It's a fan favorite and CWS staple with its ice cream treats.