Month: June 2021

Omaha Event: 2021 College World Series- Food Favorites Return

UPDATE: I learned that this paired down list is not returning. CWS staff have been informed about the link below not listing the actual items that are offered. I took pictures of the concessions and will add them here later.

This year we have returning food favorites for the College World Series fans to welcome their return!

Here are some of the returning CWS  food favorites:
( There was no tasting this year, so we are using images and some of the descriptions  from the 2018 CWS Food Tasting.)

Wild Thing Burger-This burger has gone wild  escaping the  fluffy doughy confines of its bun with pineapple salsa, bacon, black pepper sauce, jack cheese and of course the burger itself.

Wild Thing Dog– This wild hot dog is back also with the same toppings as the Wild Thing Burger above.

Just a Bit Outside Dog– I say this dog is more than a bit out being that it is a footlong served on a regular bun. Yummy cheese sauce surrounds the tucked in the bun part of the dog.

Pickle Hitters-You guessed fried pickles but with a suprise smoky bacon dipping sauce.

Small Slider Dogs– A trio of tasty mini dog sliders. Also available for four times the flavor and fun as a set of twelve.

Smoke Rings– Smokey rings of onions will delight your palate. Sweet barbecue sauce copiously drizzled over perfectly golden onion rings. But that is not all . These golden beauties are sprinkled with pulled pork, smoked Gouda and bacon. But wait there is more. They are dusted with green onions and are sure to delight any fan.

All-American Pretzel– There are two surprises waiting for you with this already elevated Bavarian pretzel. Carmel apple dipping sauce and a fried pretzel add a twist to the pretzel. (This is one of my favorites.)

No Crying in Baseball Dog– There is no crying indeed even with all those onions. This hot dog is a wonderful combination of sweet and spicy meets hotdog with of course- plenty of onions. (This is one of my favorites.)

Impossible Burger– The mission, if you accept it, is to try this tasty burger. Chef Chris Myers took on the mission impossible in 2018 to create a veggie burger that has both the taste and texture of meat. Well done Chef!

Don’t forget-cashless concessions! Bring your credit card or use the reverse ATM to turn your cash into a card that you can use at the park.

For a full list of College World Series food offerings, please check out this link:
http://www.tdameritradeparkomaha.com/concessions

Omaha Farmers Market, Sunday at Baxter Arena,  20 June

Check out the Omaha Farmers Market on Sundays at the Baxter Arena.

Baxter Arena, Parking Lot 26 (2425 S 67th Street)
May 2 through October 10
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
https://omahafarmersmarket.com/baxter-arena

For more information and safety precautions, visit:

Omaha Farmers Market – Home

Omaha Interview: Jack Diesing,President of College World Series of Omaha Inc.

The interview was held on the phone after the College World Series Pre-Game Press Conference on 16 June.

The image below is from 12 June 2019 at TD Ameritrade Park.

We’ve just heard about a lot of changes with the College World Series but there are a lot of positives too. What are your favorite new things that will be happening this year?

My favorite new things … well, with tongue in cheek, I would say all of the digital ticketing and the touchless concessions because it’s a new experience for those of us who have been used to paper tickets and being able to pay with cash. So, that is going to be a new experience. I think it will be very big over time and people will get used to it and it will be more efficient …We are glad to have tailgate continuing. I think it will be a renewed energy of tailgating this year just because people want to get out and enjoy some sense of normalcy.

Most importantly, I am looking forward to getting to watch some great baseball.” The Greatest Show on Dirt” for the 71st time here in Omaha, Nebraska!

There are some specific activities that I am looking forward to. One of them is … I want to see how many people wear their boots on  a 95 degree day. We are having Country night on Friday of the College World Series, so bring out your boots.

We are also having Kid’s Day, Monday afternoon, and Throwback  Thursday. People can wear their old hats and College World Series shirts.

So, there will be a lot of fun things to do; video boards, some games and so forth.

Most important thing is we got the College World Series and there is going to be some wonderful baseball.

I am looking forward to it. I don’t know what day I am coming but I will be wearing my cowboy boots.

There you go.

When did you first learn that the College World Series was going to be coming back?

Actually we had always…This goes back to the beginning of the year. We were confident working with the NCAA that it was coming back. The only thing that we did not have a good handle on amongst ourselves and the NCCA, at the time, was the percentage of participation that was going to be available for fans.

Originally, we thought… we were going to have a College World Series with probably no more than 25 percent. Then, it went up to 50 percent which is what we thought it was going to be for baseball. That was in April.

Then based on a variety of things  (CDC guidelines, inoculations, cases were going down, hospitalizations were going down and the way things are going on here in Nebraska), the NCAA agreed to not have a “one-size-fits-all” and for having them subject to the protocols that were going on in a particular state or city.  So when that happened on, I think, May 19th, it was decided to go to 100 percent.

So, we’ve been slowly but surely evolving since the first of the year. It’s been 24/7 since early May but we are excited to be where we are and having no limitations on the number of fans that can be in the stadium.

We are hoping everyone is going to take advantage of it.

Thank you for all the hard work and all the extra hard work to make returning the College World Series possible and thank for the interview.

You got it. No problem. Thank you for covering it. We appreciate it. You make it a great day.

Omaha Event: College World Series Pre-Game Press Conference, 16 June

The College World Series Pre-Game Press Conference was held this morning, virtually, on 16 June on Zoom.

Speakers included:

Jack Diesing, President of College World Series of Omaha, Inc.
Anthony Holman, NCAA Managing Director, Championships and Alliances, Operations and Playing Rules
Mayor Jean Stothert
Diane Duren, Chairwoman of MECA Board of Directors

Topics included:
New App-New app is available for the CWS. Please see the below for more details.
Cashless Concessions- No cash will be accepted at concessions.
Reverse ATMS- For people needing to turn cash into a card, reverse ATMS will be available.
Paperless Tickets- Tickets will be digital. If you do not have a cell phone or computer, you will still be able to attend. Admissions will be open and you can buy your ticket there.
Food- Favorites will be returning from years past.
Fans and Players-No interactions between the fans and players this year.

 

Get the app here: http://on.ncaa.com/MCWSApp

 

Card above is 4×6 inches.

This page is in progress with more to come including an interview with Jack Diesing and more on food.

Please visit our next Omaha blog post for maps.

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc.

Hurray! The College World Series is back and it’s time for another interview with the Executive Director for College World Series of Omaha, Inc. This is one of my favorite Omaha events and Omaha interviews.

Thank you to Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc. for the interview for CWS 2021 update on 11 June 2021.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of College World Series of Omaha. This is my 33rd year working on the College World Series and we are thrilled that we are actually playing baseball this year.

I am so looking forward to it as well.

What new changes have there been with either equipment or the facility?

You know in terms of the facility, one of the biggest changes is that we through the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority-They have gone campus-wide to digital tickets-in other words, anyone attending the Swim Trials or were attending the basketball Creighton games this last winter. All the tickets are digital as they are TD Ameritrade Park.

That is a change but it just reflects what is happening nationally. Everybody whether it is an airline ticket or a ticket to a play or something along those lines. It seem like everything is going digital. So, we are joining that group too.

How will that work?

You know at this point, all of our season tickets have been offered to season ticket holders in a digital format. We had our advanced sale that started this last Monday, June 7th, and those were also offered online on https://www.ncaatickets.com/championship/college-world-series . So far we’ve even had one event sold out that would be Saturday night. So, apparently people figured out how to make that work.

That’s good.

Yes.

College World Series TD AmeritradePark Entrance and Statue

Are there any new security or safety measures or changes that the fans might need to be aware of ahead of time?

Well, MECA is certainly the experts in terms of commenting on which changes have been made during the age of COVID. Certainly, one of the ones that I am aware of  that fans will want to know about is that the concessions are cashless now. That means that obviously you’ll want to bring your credit card to the ballpark but also and if you are a fan that likes to use cash, there will be a revers ATM available. So, you can bring in cash and convert it into a debit type card that can be used at the ballpark and used else where after the College World Series.

Wow. That’s the first time I have heard of that. How does the reverse ATM work?

Basically for example, you will take, for example, a $20 dollar bill and feed it into the machine and then out pops something that looks and functions like a credit card but it is obviously limited to the amount of money that you load it on.

Thank you.

Any other changes for the fans?

You know there will be some other changes. For the first time and only for this year, the general admission-the outfield spaces will not be sold in the traditional general admission format. There are a lot of good reasons for that relating to the health and safety of the fans attending still in the age of COVID; recommendations that have been put in place from the NCAA’s advisory team.

So this year, those will be our lowest price reserve seats and the prices will vary depending on popularity of the game. But for example, the first weekend and the finals are the most popular. Those are $30 dollars this year plus ticket master fees. During the week nights, they will be $25 and then during the weekday afternoons they will be $20. The advantage, of course, is to have a reserve seat that we will actually be assigning people to specific section, row and seat number and the bench-style seats do have seat numbers. We actually utilized those as recently as the Major League Baseball game in 2019.

[To read OmahaNebraska.com’s interview with MLB Tiger’s GM Al Avila’s 2019 visit for that game, go to www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omahanebraska-com-interview-with-al-avila-vp-and-gm-of-the-detroit-tigers]

Thank you. What changes are there for the players?

Student athletes will be in a COVID tested zone. They’ll try to restrict their movements so that they are protected as much as possible to protect them from any environment in which they might be exposed to COVID. So, their movements will be more restricted this year. So as a consequence, we won’t be hosting an opening ceremony-type celebration for them this year. That’s another thing that we expect to have coming back in 2022.

Field of College World Series

Tell me more what will be different for celebrations or events at the College World Series.

I think this year the focus is on, “Isn’t it great that we are just back playing baseball again!”

[Interrupts] Yes! Yes!

It’s a kind of back-to-basics year. There will be a handful of other activities that will be occurring to enhance the fan experience. Of course we will have the opportunity for fans to bring their kids on a particular day, that’s Monday afternoon and where some kid’s music and concessions will be featured. We’ll have a throw-back day on Thursday where we hope to have basically fans wearing their most vintage College World Series apparel. And then Friday is a country night. Probably boots and cowboy hats or whatever attire- if you want to participate in that.

What does the College World Series mean to you and to Omaha?

I think this will be a huge emotional boost for Omaha that we have the College World Series back. In a way, it was a little bit last year like trying to image a Christmas without Santa Claus to image summer without the College World Series. I think we were all a little bit let down by the fact that we could not gather together and celebrate college baseball and celebrate the beginning of our Summer. And this year with that coming back, I think it is going to be a huge morale boost for the community.

I am so excited to have it come back and to be able to go and or course to be able to visit with you for the interview.

The last question is why is this “The Greatest Show on Dirt”?

“The Greatest Show on Dirt” is one of those iconic phrases that is associated with the College World Series and I think just reflects not only the fan experience but just the way the student athletes feel when they enter that field and play what could be the last games of their baseball careers and certainly their college baseball careers. They give it their complete 100 percent effort. They play with a lot of heart and I can’t imagine anything better to watch in the summer.

The one other thing that I didn’t mention that I think might be really helpful for people this year is there is a College World Series app that is put out by the NCAA. So, “NCAA Men’s College World Series” is how I believe how it is listed in the app stores. [Here is the link http://on.ncaa.com/MCWSApp] It’s probably the easiest way for fans to follow their favorite team, check the weather, get bracket and scoring information. It’s going to be a real asset for fans who kind of want to be kept up to date to the minute.

Thank you very much.

Would you like to read more stories and interviews about the College World Series? Visit later for new posts and check out the CWS posts below.

College World Series TD Ameritrade Park Game in Progress

Our Omaha blog stories on the College World Series by Year

CWS 2020

No CWS.

CWS 2019

College World Series Fans-Have You Seen the Scooters? (13 June 2019)
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/college-world-series-fans-have-you-seen-the-scooters

Omaha Event: College World Series Interview with Chris Myers, Executive Sous Chef, Levy Restaurants (12 June 2019)
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-event-college-world-series-interview-with-chris-myers-executive-sous-chef-levy-restaurants

College World Series Food Tasting, 12 June 2019
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/college-world-series-food-tasting-12-june-2019

Omaha Event: College World Series Interview with Jack Diesing, President, College World Series of Omaha Inc.
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-event-college-world-series-interview-with-jack-diesing-president-college-world-series-of-omaha-inc

Omaha Event: College World Series Press Conference, 12 June
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-event-college-world-series-press-conference-12-june

CWS Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc. (5 June 2019)
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-interview-with-kathryn-morrissey-executive-director-college-world-series-of-omaha-inc

CWS 2018

2018 Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of CWS Omaha Inc.
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-interview

What’s new in CWS food for 2018
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-media-tasting-2018-great-food-meets-the-greatest-show-on-dirt

2018 Interview with Chef Chris Myers
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-chris-myers-with-levy-restaurants-at-td-ameritrade-park-for-college-world-series

Tigers to Play Royals in Omaha! MLB Comes to Omaha!
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/tigers-to-play-royals-in-omaha-mlb-comes-to-omaha

OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Al Avila, VP and GM of the Detroit Tigers
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omahanebraska-com-interview-with-al-avila-vp-and-gm-of-the-detroit-tigers

CWS 2017

Al Martinez Hits First Home Run for College World Series- Before the First Game is Played!
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/al-martinez-hits-first-home-run-for-college-world-series-before-the-first-game-is-played

Omaha Interview with Kristi Andersen, Director of Communications at MECA
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-with-kristi-andersen-director-of-communications-at-meca

Omaha Interview with Marty Bilek at the College World Series Press Conference
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-with-marty-bilek-at-the-college-world-series-press-conference

Omaha Interview: College World Series of Omaha, Inc. (9 June 2017)
http://omahanebraska.com/omahainterviewcollegeworldseries