It's a packed house at Rosenblatt tonight as the LSU Tigers and UNC Tarheels fend off elimination. The game swayed from UNC leading 2-0 to start the postponed game to 3-3 in the top of the ninth.
But entering the ninth, there was a sense that something had to give.
I said to my buddy Scott, "Something's going to break. It's not going into extras. Someone's going to give it up."
Sure enough, LSU loaded the bases full of Tarheels, Head Coach Paul Mainieri intentionally walked them loaded. But the UNC catcher, who was hitting .091 for series, sent a 3-2 fastball into the leftfield bleachers for a grand slam.
Sitting near the LSU side, the loss of hope was palpable.
LSU couldn't muster anything in the bottom of the ninth and that was that.
Rosenblatt PA announcer did ask the crowd to give the young men of LSU a round of applause, something with which I am unaccustomed. At this level, it's still about the players and integrity, fostering sportsmanship...less about self-promotion and money.
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A couple of Midwestern kids got in the game: Michigan's DJ LeMahieu is LSU's starting shortstop while Collin Bates, of Naperville, Ill., came on in relief for UNC. See our Michigan stories for a profile on DJ LeMahieu.

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Some observations from my first game at the College World Series:
 
-Aside from a handful of African-American parents, TWO Hispanic gentlemen and myself, I saw almost no minorities at the park.In fact, among the two teams playing, there were only TWO black players among all of the starters. Perhaps this was not noticeable among the majority of people, but when you're among the minority--like me--it stands out like a sore thumb. This is not a knock against the College World Series, but it is symptomatic of sport that has largely lost much of its minority following. College baseball is often not an option for a lot of minorities who can find more scholarship money from other sports or endeavors. It is a tough thing to admit, but it is a reality. Economically, it costs more to play organized baseball than it does to play basketball or football.
 
-A streaker danced through centerfield, as if he were running through a field of daisies. He reached the lip of the infield behind second base and kneeled down ala Rodin's the "Thinker". No place for that kind of stuff in organized sports, but it was kind of funny.
 
-Sampling Rosenblatt: By far, some of the best ballpark fare I've run into, and I've been to a lot of parks. Between Scott and I, we had a Polish sausage, an Omaha steak sandwich, a footlong Bratwurst, mini-cheeseburgers (sliders). But there's no alcohol served at Roseblatt--NCAA rules, which makes sense considering the age of most of the spectators and family atmosphere.

-Seen at Rosenblatt among the crowd of 30,422 on hand: UNC Head Men's Basketball Coach Roy Williams.

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