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

Ryan McGee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 2009

Every summer, college baseball teams from around the nation come to Omaha, Nebraska, to play pure move-the-man-over, run-manufacturing baseball in a series that’s part college bowl game, part county fair. In the spirit of 3 Nights in August and The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty, veteran sports writer Ryan McGee goes behind the scenes, into the stands, and onto the field to reveal an exciting yet personal look at one of the hottest sports championships in the country---the College World Series.

In 2008, the ten-day, eight-team tournament was the scene of one of the greatest series in its illustrious history. And Ryan McGee puts the reader behind closed doors with the underdog champs, the Fresno State Bulldogs, as well as with their seven opponents, from the first batting practice session, to bus rides to the ballpark, to the locker room and the dugout. It’s the CWS as few ever see it.

But The Road to Omaha goes far beyond the 2008 season. It’s an in-depth look at the managing strategies and playing style of college baseball, as well as a series of profiles that examine the people behind and around the CWS---the players, coaches, and fans who keep that feeling of good-old-days innocence alive through their reverence for the Great American Pastime.

McGee also takes up residence at Rosenblatt Stadium itself, reliving its rich history and tapping into the electricity around it, from the tailgating fans to the surrounding neighborhoods. “The Blatt” is America’s last real connection to the baseball belief that Field of Dreams can actually happen: a wooden-framed ballpark with cramped concourses where teams share locker rooms, change clothes in the parking lot, and sign autographs for kids until their fingers cramp. “The Blatt” is a monument to tradition---and the last of its kind to keep that tradition alive.

Thanks to Ryan McGee’s quick eye for play-by-play action, as well as his deep love for sports, The Road to Omaha is a rare glimpse into the kind of baseball our grandfather’s knew---a snapshot of the one of the last remaining vestiges of pure Americana: a hometown, baseball, and the people who shape it and are shaped by it in turn.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

McGee delivers an all-embracing profile of the College World Series and its historic setting, Omaha’s 60-year-old Rosenblatt Stadium, which, sadly, is scheduled for demolition after the 2010 season. Focusing on the 2008 series, won by upstart Fresno State University, McGee had exceptional access to coaches and players in covering every game played by the eight-team field, culminating in Fresno State’s best-of-three win over favored University of Georgia. He complements his play-by-play with a loving, if at times tedious, portrait of the principal players and coaches, fans—both locals and out-of-towners—and the “Blatt” and its colorful south-side locale, leaving readers a memento marking what is soon to be the end of an era. --Alan Moores

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (May 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031255723X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312557232
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #564,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ryan McGee is a senior writer with ESPN The Magazine. He started with ESPN on the production staff of the show "RPM2Night", during which time he began contributing to ESPN The Mag. He produced "Totally NASCAR" on FOX Sports Net for three seasons and for five years served as editor in chief at NASCAR Media Group, winning two Sports Emmys and penning the script for the documentary film "Dale". He has covered all forms of motorsports as well as Major League Baseball, college football, and the NFL. McGee is a also a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, May 14, 2009

By 

BlueBeastBen "BBB" (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Omaha: Hits, Hopes, and History at the College World Series (Hardcover)

This was a great book, I read it in about two days. Ryan McGee beautifully describes an event that is somehow still so pure and innocent in the midst of all the scandal and trash in baseball. It is the dream of every college baseball player to make it, if only just once to the baseball paradise described in this book. I would have given this book five stars, BUT...it took me all of five pages to find an error. Mentioned in the prologue is LSU's Joe Cresse hitting a ball to left-center to win the 2000 CWS for the Tigers. It was BRAD Cresse, not Joe who hit the game winner. Other than that small error that probably only matters to me because I'm an LSU fan...this book was outstanding. Great Read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tales of the College World Series, August 22, 2009

By 

David Pruette "Rancors Love to Read" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Road to Omaha: Hits, Hopes, and History at the College World Series (Hardcover)

I have never been to the College World Series and likely never will. I also normally do not have a true rooting interest in any of the teams. However, I do enjoy watching the games on television and I have always thought that Rosenblatt Stadium must be an extremely interesting place to watch a ballgame. Now Mr. McGee's book makes me feel that I really do know something about the place.

The book gives the reader an excellent feel for the eight teams that participated in 2008. We become familiar with many of the current players, plus we learn about the history of the teams that have a tradition of going to the CWS. The book is not a play-by-play account of the games from 2008, but it does cover the main events during the games. More importantly, it gives the reader some interesting insight into the managerial decisions that were made and a good look at the emotions of the players, win or lose.

The baseball in the book is good. However, I found the background information about Omaha, the World Series, the field, the activities of the citizens living near Rosenblatt, and the good spirits of the fans coming in from out of town to support their teams to be of particular interest. Where else can you learn of a street side game where you toss hot dogs into the road, put money into a hat, and then pass the hat to the other people playing with you so they can put their money in. Whoever is holding the hat when a car runs over one of the hot dogs wins the money. Then you do it all over again. What a great way to pass the time waiting for the start of the next ball game. The back is packed with tidbits of that nature that I found extremely interesting and great fun to read.

If you are a baseball fan and particularly a fan of the College World Series, you need to read The Road to Omaha.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down! Sequel, please, Mr. McGee..., July 29, 2010

By 

Robin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Omaha: Hits, Hopes, and History at the College World Series (Hardcover)

"An excellent book which provides a most entertaining recap of the 2008 June College World Series held in Omaha, Nebraska. Author, Ryan McGee, addresses not only detailed narratives of the actual games, but also provides amusing tales related to the colorful characters on the participating teams. McGee includes descriptive anecdotes related to the whole "phenomena" that are integral elements of the annual pilgrimage to Rosenblatt Stadium made by the enthusiastic players, along with the fans who travel from all over the country to attend this exciting event. Mr. McGee makes one feel as if they are actually in Omaha, participating in the festivities with the residents of "The Neighborhood", as he focuses on the rich history, and amusing traditions of this amazing event. I couldn't put it down and am hoping for a sequel focusing on the series that was held at Rosenblatt in June 2010!"