LSU Baseball Returns to Eauxmaha!

The purple and gold convoy is rolling northward right now toward one of America’s best cities.  Omaha, Nebraska is home to the College World Series beginning today.  LSU will play the final game of the four opening round games on Saturday night at 6PM Central against SEC foe, Tennessee. For nearly forty years, the city of Omaha has come to love the LSU baseball team just as much as LSU fans love to make the 1,000 mile trek from the bayous to corn country in early June. Omaha is home to nearly 500,000 residents and sits in the middle of America’s farming heartland.  It is also one of the best cities in America to get a great steak, too! LSU fans have made fast friends in Omaha over the years by bringing their entertaining tailgating talents and seafood gumbo to Mid-America.  Tiger fans love to party and eagerly welcomed the Omaha locals to become temporary LSU supporters.  Visitors to the Tigers’ tailgates love to sample a little unique Cajun cuisine and share a brew with the friendly bunch from Baton Rouge. Omaha has grown to love the large contingent of Bayou Bengal fans beginning with LSU teams making frequent appearances at the CWS beginning in the 1980’s.  Under legendary baseball coach Skip Bertman, LSU won five national championships in Omaha during a ten year span from 1991 through 2000. LSU fans have helped to loosen-up the normally laid-back Omaha fans.  The Tigers always turn turned Omaha into a more festive place in years when LSU makes the eight-team field.  When I visited Omaha in February (brr!) about twenty years ago, I was surprised how many people asked this Louisiana native about LSU sports.  Many of the Omaha locals have been converted into LSU Tiger fans! This Saturday night at 6PM, expect the majority of Omaha residents in attendance to be pulling for the Tigers.  LSU fans have nurtured this relationship with Big Red Nebraska fans over the years.  If Nebraska isn’t in the field, many locals will adopt the purple and gold of LSU. For the longest time, the College World Series was played in venerable Rosenblatt Stadium located just outside of downtown Omaha.  The old ball park was loved by fans and players alike.  Spectators sat close to the action and added to the noise and excitement factor of the games.  After being expanded several times, the NCAA finally let Omaha know that larger stadium venues in other cities were quite willing to host this annual baseball event. Omaha responded with the construction of a 24,000 seat downtown baseball stadium about a decade ago.  The new stadium just had a name change, too.  The former TD Ameritrade Park is now called Charles Schwab Field.  TD Ameritrade was purchased by Schwab.  Locals are now calling the stadium “The Chuck”!