Vince’s View from Omaha with the Vols at CWS – Day 2

TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha at CWS / Credit: Vince Ferrara

Vince’s View from Omaha with the Vols at CWS – Day 2

Posted on June 19, 2021
TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha at CWS / Credit: Vince Ferrara

By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports

Saturday in Omaha was my first full day here at the College World Series. Here’s what it looked like from “Vince’s View.”

99.1 THE Sports Animal’s coverage of the Vols in the College World Series in Omaha is presented by: Senior Benefit, AG Heins Company, Bobcat of Knoxville, Mercedes Benz of Knoxville and Chattanooga Whiskey.

Vince’s CWS Trip Day 2

*First station report on Saturday SportsTalk with Joel Silverberg and Eric Cain

*Buffet breakfast with the team at the hotel

*Gym workout where some players/coaches/staff were putting in strong work

*Walked several long blocks from the hotel to TD Ameritrade Park

*Had fun watching Game 1 of the CWS between NC State and Stanford, won by the Wolfpack 10-4

*NC State had, by far, the larger and louder fan base

*Walked around the press facilities to take in the locations and operations for our game on Sunday

*Visited with Texas Longhorns longtime play-by-play voice Craig Way and talked about the possibility of UT vs. UT Tuesday

*Watched some of the game from the press box that was spacious with mostly good views

*Mic’d-up home plate umpire Travis Katzenmeier had his mic on in the press box when he said “Oh, f***” loud and clear causing the press box to erupt in laughter. He had a bounce and skip past the catcher and hit him in the crotch-el/groin-ish region. You may have seen the video. We got the audio of his reaction in the press box.

*Attendance for Game 1 was 22,193 and seemed every bit of that

*Walked around the entire stadium because the concourse circles the ballpark for full fan access, which is a super cool element

*Sat in an empty seat in Section 101 enjoying some of the game with a great view and taking in some Vitamin D sunshine. Here’s what that looked like.

*Some ballpark observations…a huge video board with lots of great information for fans on every player, very spacious dugouts, tons of foul territory, a big X in the outfield grass, a neat view of CHI Medical Center beyond right field, a feel of a bigtime stadium, lots of fan energy with many different teams represented including Vols fans, water fountains with lines of people waiting to refill their water bottles and more. Most importantly, it had spacious, fan-friendly seating with reasonable leg room and wide enough seats.

*They have people with giant flags sticking out from backpacks high in the air called Event Ambassadors to help fans with questions

*Walked the outside of the stadium and saw the famous statue out front and many of the other structures embodying the Omaha city tradition

*Saw this cool slow motion video shot by my partner John Wilkerson who watched Tennessee go through a practice at nearby Creighton University

*Had a fantastic dinner from Lighthouse Pizza & Fries

*Continued preparation for Tennessee vs. Virginia Sunday at 2pm ET, 1:45pm airtime on 99.1 The Sports Animal AND 12 more Vol Network affiliate stations in 9 Tennessee cities, which has grown greatly this postseason

*Enjoyed a great game between Vanderbilt and Arizona, which included an excellent start from one-time, one-year Vol, Chase Silseth. The Commodores won 7-6 in 12 innings. Vandy will face NC State Monday night while Arizona takes on Stanford in an All-Pac 12 elimination game Monday afternoon.

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