The Greatest Show On Dirt

Warren Morris's home run lifted LSU to the national
championship, and made this sportswriter fall in love
with the College World Series

If you haven't been tuning into ESPN and ESPN2 the last couple of weeks, shame on you. Double that shame if you have a child who is enthralled in baseball or softball.

For those who love baseball and softball, there is no greater month than June – when the College World Series takes place. Aside from the ping that comes off a metal bat, the College World Series is baseball at its purest.

Sure, being an Omaha native, I may be a little biased. But if you watch the games, you will see what I'm talking about.

These players give 110 percent every play – unlike their multi-millionaire counterparts in the Major Leagues. They line the dugout railing doing odd chants and rituals hoping to bring good luck to their team, and when that doesn't happen those tears that stream down their faces are real.

Growing up in Omaha, I still have fond memories of attending games at Rosenblatt – the stadium that housed the CWS for 60 years. I remember attending a Georgia Tech game, with this shortstop that had a really long last name and this catcher that could hit everything in sight. A couple years later, Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek were bring a championship back to Boston, along with fellow CWS alum and former Florida State Seminole J.D. Drew.

From LSU's Warren Morris, whose homer in the bottom of the ninth won the national championship for the Tigers, to Robin Ventura's 58-game hitting streak for Oklahoma State, those memories are forever engrained in my brain. Even meeting Stanford right fielder Carlos Quentin – a family friend of my best friend – was a special moment. Little did I know Quentin would turn out to be a star for the White Sox.

While it may not be possible to make it to Omaha – although I strongly suggest you plan it as a future vacation destination – just watching the games on TV is worth it. So many young players want to be the next Albert Pujols. But in order to get to that point, they have to learn to play the game the right way – the way these college athletes play.

There's no egos, just a bunch of Charlie Hustles out their doing whatever they can to help their team win. Whether it's taking a pitch off the elbow or ending up with a face full of grass, these kids make it the greatest show on dirt.