Small mea culpa here boys and girls.

The good news is that I’m starting my drive to Omaha already. As I post this, I’m sitting in a seedy hotel in Las Vegas. See, the L.A. Kings won their first-ever Stanley Cup with a 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils downtown at the Staples Center tonight, which is cool. But more importantly, I was able to skirt out of town and avoid all the gridlock traffic and the impending riots that the gang-bangers will surely start cranking out soon.

MAC Daddies. Kent State players celebrate their series win at Oregon, vaulting a Mid-American Conference team into the field of eight for the first time since 1976's Eastern Michigan Hurons.

But the reason for the “mea culpa” here is that the bad news is, because I spent most of the day getting all my shiite together, packing up the car in-between catching glimpses of the three Super Regional games from time to time, and also having had a few radio shows to do as well, I don’t have time for a long wrap-up here tonight. Bummer, I know.

But many congrats to the Gamecocks of South Carolina (who beat Oklahoma 5-1), the Razorbacks of Arkansas (who got past Baylor 1-0) and the Golden Flashes of Kent State (who took down Oregon 3-2).

J.J. Altobelli and Brett Thomas sit dejectedly after failing to nab that final pop-up along the left field foul line which led to Kent State's winning run.

.

.

IN CASE YOU’VE LIVED UNDER A ROCK – OR FAILED TO CHECK OUT JEREMY’S D1BASEBALL.COM SITE – HERE IS HOW THE CWS FIELD IS SET UP.

- Friday, Bracket One:

Stony Brook vs. UCLA

Arizona vs. Florida State

- Saturday, Bracket Two:

Arkansas vs. Kent State

South Carolina vs. Florida

Hog Rush. The Razorback bench storms the field after getting the last out in the 1-0 win over Baylor.

.

.

BEND OVER CWS FANS, THIS SCHEDULE IS GONNA SCREW US.

The reason I’m leaving so early and barely able to catch as much of today’s three games as I wanted to is because of the schedule for this year’s College World Series. They’re pulling the double-whammy of death on us this year.

First, as you guys may know, the CWS has moved back to a Friday start. That was the old start date to the CWS for years and years, until two years ago when they moved day one to Saturday. So driving the 1,300+ miles requires me to leave on Monday night. (I’m stopping in Las Vegas tonight… gonna go back to the Encore to retrieve the large amount of cash I lost when I was there two weeks ago for the Mountain West Tournament).

Secondly, and this is the killer. because of some big ass swim meet going on over at the Qwest Center (or whatever crappy corporate name it has slapped on it now), they’re making all two-game days to begin at 4pm and 8pm.

Yes, and you KNOW how long these CWS games can be, right? So that 4pm game could very well bleed past the 8pm hour to begin with. And in the past, since I’m a late-night owl on west coast time to begin with, the 6pm games made for late enough nights as it was. Now the second game of each night is going to be 8pm… or later? Piss!

.

.

GOOD PIC.

Got a really cool picture sent to me from Bernie Braun, an LSU fan, of Stony Brook’s Willie Carmona getting congrats from the Tiger faithful after the Seawolves had beaten LSU to earn their way to the College World Series. Check it out here:

Stony Brook's big bopper William Carmona gets some glad-handing from the LSU fans who stuck around after game three was done.

.

.

NORTHERN BASEBALL… LIKE UCLA?

I know, I know, you guys are probably tired of me cooing about the inclusion of two Northern teams in this year’s CWS – so sue me, I’m Scandinavian. And just looking at the field of eight in geographic terms, it turns out that Kent State (just outside of Cleveland, Ohio) is actually the Northernmost program, sitting at 41.15 degrees North latitude, just edging out Stony Brook, which is located at 40.93 degrees North latitude, just to the East of New York City. But who is the third Northernmost school in the field? How about UCLA? The Westwood location is situated at 34.29 degrees.

Those brutal winters in Tinseltown, including shoveling huge drifts of sunshine off the field so the players could practice in January… that’s the curvature of the Earth for ya’.

And FYI, UCLA also has the farthest trip to make, going 1,560 miles from L.A. to Omaha. Arizona has the second-longest trip to make, going 1,320 miles from Tucson to Omaha. Stony Brook is set at 1300 miles from the O. But to be fair, Kent State fans will have the toughest trek, having to go from Eugene to Kent, 2,480 miles, and then go from Kent to Omaha, 823 miles. I’m assuming KSU players, coaches and staff will just parachute out of their flight from Portland to Cleveland when they get over Omaha.

.

.

SPEAKING OF THE KINGS.

As you guys know, I’m not even close to being a pro sports fan. But I will admit to being on the bandwagon for the L.A. Kings hockey team storming their way to the Stanley Cup. But to be fair to me, the reason that I’m glad the Kings won is because a number of guys on my beer-league hockey team has a few guys who are Kings season ticket holders. I tend to cheer for the teams that my friends are big fans of.

After 45 years of waiting, the hockey community in Los Angeles can finally savor Lord Stanley's Cup.

And by the way, in this day and age of stunning upsets from Stony Brook and Kent State, in case you guys didn’t know, the Kings were the 8-seed in the playoffs and went 10-1 in playoff road games. Just imagine what their RPI would be?

Lord knows there's a LOT of L.A. "culture" to make fun of, but I thought this "Jersey" slam by the Kings fans was kind of creative.

More from the road in the next few days.

G’night.