Distiller’s Dozen – The Post Omaha Edition

So here we go. After the 24-hour drive from Omaha to Vail, Vail to Wolf Creek, and Wolf Creek to Los Angeles, I’ve jotted down a bunch of notes, added a few clips and am ready to put it all down now. We’ll call this my post-season Distiller’s Dozen of notes, quotes and antidotes. So [...]

More 2012 CWS in Pictures

Another College World Series is in the books. All praise to the Arizona Wildcats for bringing home their fourth national title and first since 1986. Here are a few added images I wanted to post, but never got around to doing so during the 12 days I was in Omaha. Hope you dig it boys and girls.

CWS Finals 2 – It’s Arizona

… and for the first time since 1986, that *one* is Arizona.

South Carolina's Grayson Greiner walks dejectedly by as the Arizona Wildcats do the dogpile thing behind him.

CWS Finals 1 – Advantage: Haboob-Men

Those who live in Arizona are used to Haboobs. For those who don’t know, they are intense windstorms over an arid terrain that go against the grain of an incoming front causing huge dustclouds. Tonight, the Haboob-like Wildcats went against the grain of conventional thinking that South Carolina was destined to win title No. 3 in a row with ease. Using clutch hitting and a dominating starting pitching performance, the Haboob-men take their counter-stance to within one game of bringing their fourth national title to the windswept deserts of Southern Arizona.

CWS Day Seven – Arizona Takes A Grand Canyon-Sized Step.

Fun Lovin' Criminals: The swift afoot Wildcat outfield of Johnny Field, Joey Rickard and Robert Refsnyder proved today why they could be the nation's best in the meadow.

DAY SEVEN IN OMAHA.

This was the first time since 2010 where we saw three games in one day at the CWS, starting with South Carolina eliminating Kent State 4-1 on Michael Roth’s gem, followed by Arizona’s onslaught on a beleaguered Florida State pitching staff in a 10-3 rout and ultimately the Gamecocks second win of the day, a 2-0 clampdown of Arkansas. So we’ll have one more game on Friday with a return engagement of Arkansas and South Carolina.

CWS Day Six – Rain. Rhymes With Pain

This was what the Big Tiddy looked like most of the day from the press box view of things:

Rain falling. Tarp on. Depression sets in.

So Day Six of the 2102 College World Series was a complete washout. Now, Kent State and South Carolina’s Loser Bracket game will take place at 11am Omaha time as part of a three-game day on Thursday (And why they don’t utilize their “open” day like in 2008 is a mystery to me. That’s what it’s supposed to be there for) Either the Flashes or the Gamecocks are going to have to win two games on Thursday to stay alive as the winner of the KSU-SoCar game will play the 8pm game against Arkansas. Between those two games, Arizona and Florida State will play a Bracket One game.

The Sun Sitz On UCLA’s Season

The Mustachioed Purveyor of Punchouts: Florida State starter Scott Sitz gave a surprising 6.2 inning effort to get the win tonight, keeping UCLA at bay all night.

DAY FIVE IN OMAHA

Well it was a Seminole Wind which took down the Bruins in tonight’s elimination game at TD Ameritrade in downtown Omaha. We have to bid UCLA adieu as their 2012 season came to a screech after dropping a 4-1 decision to Florida State. This leaves five teams still competing for the national title.

Okay, Cinderella is cute again.

Yep, history happened here today. And in stunning fashion too.

DAY FOUR IN OMAHA

As I tweeted about earlier, have we all been cheering for the wrong Cinderella? Were we too “Stony’d” to pay attention to the other under-appreciated team in the field of eight? Kent State has seen Omaha go crazy for Stony Brook and also heard the crowd’s chants of “SEC, SEC, SEC” but never took their eyes off the job at hand. Today, they overcame a huge obstacle in eliminating the No. 1-ranked Florida Gators to survive another round.

Meanwhile in the second game, the Arkansas Razorbacks joined Arizona in the 2-and-0 Club after dispensing some old ghosts in taking down the defending national champions in the nightcap. The Hogs got one pitch more than the Gamecocks in a classic pitching-and-defense battle. .

Arizona Withstands the Heat… And Yes, It’s a Dry Heat.

Cool As Hell: The Arizona Wildcats are the cock of the walk after starting off 2-0 in Omaha.

The SEC Flexes Its Sizable Muscles

South Carolina upends Florida in Omaha... again.

DAY TWO IN OMAHA.

The SEC took the main stage in Day Two and saw two of its members, Arkansas and South Carolina, forge ahead to the winner’s bracket game in Bracket Two. Florida was roughed up by their Omaha tormentors once again as the Gamecocks stormed from behind to take them down in the featured nightcap game, which ended at the uncomfortable hour of 11:24pm.

Very similar to Friday’s upstart Stony Brook team, the Golden Flashes of Kent State went meekly into the loser’s bracket with an unceremonious 8-1 drumming at the hands of Arkansas. Only two of the last 14 teams that have made their program debut at the College World Series have won their opener here in Omaha.