The Final 9

By BLAIR KERKHOFF

OMAHA, Neb. | Kids snaked through the Rosenblatt Stadium concourse Friday with baseballs and posters to grab autographs by the College World Series players, and many of them couldn’t name a player in the event.

When the games begin today, about 50,000 tickets will be scanned, and most of the fans will not have seen the participants in action until the first pitch.

To many, that’s what distinguishes the College World Series from other championships. Star power isn’t the lure, and there’s no local team to fuel interest.

But none of that needs to happen. Rosenblatt will be filled from today through June 24 or 25 when the best-of-three series between the two bracket winners concludes.

“Isn’t this something?” said Georgia second baseman Miles Starr as he autographed a ball. “We’re signing, and even though most of them probably aren’t Georgia fans.”

Or fans of Fresno State, North Carolina or any of the other teams in Omaha.

But the bond between baseball and the city is a major reason why the NCAA has signed a 25-year contract to continue its championship in Omaha. The deal begins in 2011 when the College World Series is scheduled to move into a $140 million, 24,000-seat downtown stadium.

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