The Road to Omaha: Hits, Hopes and History at the College World Series

The list of collegiate baseball players who have roamed the fields of Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium is impressive—from Dave Winfield to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens to Barry Larkin. For those stars, and the thousands of other less-famous players who have traveled each summer to that friendly Midwestern city, the College World Series is more than what happens on the field, as McGee vividly illustrates. When college baseball's best players come to Omaha, it's a two-week party. So while McGee intricately relates the action on the field and the myriad personalities of the coaches and players—from the super stud and future millionaire to the son-of-a-dairy-farmer-turned-championship-hero—he doesn't stop there. In this entertaining read, McGee talks to the fans from Louisiana who travel across the country to tailgate and serve gumbo to all their new friends; the storekeeper who provides free beer for the hot Omaha summer; and the scorekeeper, the organist, the grounds crew and dozens of other people who put together the event that continues to make the CWS a popular destination. As one coach said after his team was heartbreakingly eliminated, “even when you lose, this is still the greatest place on Earth.” (May)