Florida State became the first team eliminated from the 2008 College World Series, going 0-2 after their 7-5 loss today to Miami. I guess next season we can be informed how FSU has made it to the CWS 20 times without winning a national title.

Eric Sorenson points out this FSU team was supposed to be the one that got them over the hump, and that there's no love lost between head coaches Mike Martin (FSU) and Jim Morris (Miami). Brian Foley at the College Baseball Blog is disgusted by Mike Martin's lack of class and believes he should be reprimanded by FSU.

Kendall Rogers at Rivals.com provides a full recap.  

At this point all that's left for Florida State fans is to contemplate how mediocre they're going to be in football come this fall.

Georgia, a team that I didn't think deserved a national seed, beat Stanford -4-3 to push the Cardinal into the loser's bracket Wednesday against top-ranked Miami. Brian has this to say about Georgia's 2-0 record:

The last time Georgia started a CWS with wins in its first two games was in 1990 when it defeated Mississippi State 3-0 and Stanford 16-2 before going on to win the national championship.

Tuesday, Fresno State will meet up with heavyweight North Carolina in the winner's bracket while LSU and Rice meet to see who stays alive. Rivals.com has your preview .

Rice had a dismal first game, getting blasted by Fresno State. On the winner's side, it's hard to forget North Carolina's disappointment the last two seasons as this is their third straight trip to Omaha - video here for the 2006 error that cost NC the title.

At this point, if I had to guess, it'll be a Georgia - North Carolina championship series.

If you're looking for an easy way to follow what's happening, look no further than CSTV's College World Series bracket tracker.

Well, the Macbook Pro hasn't yet come back to life, but here's some resources for you if you're looking for College World Series stuff. Very frustrating - I haven't lost data as I do keep backups, but... at this point in time, I don't really have another machine that provides me the tools I use for blogging on a regular basis. That part sucks .

Awful Announcing has your schedule for the series , including (obviously) the announcers for each game. AA points out that O.A.R will be the featured band for ESPN throughout the tourney.

Today:

• 2 p.m.- Stanford vs. Florida State: Sean McDonough, Robin Ventura and Kyle Peterson (ESPN)
• 7 p.m.- Georgia vs. Miami: Mike Patrick, Orel Hershiser and Erin Andrews (ESPN)

Tomorrow:

• 2 p.m.- Fresno State vs. Rice: Karl Ravech, Ventura and Andrews (ESPN)
• 7 p.m.- LSU vs. North Carolina: McDonough, Barry Larkin and Peterson (ESPN2)

The College Baseball blog has your CWS preview , while you should be following Eric Sorenson at CSTV as he provides previews and updates . Georgia blog Dawgsports will be following the action, while Tomahawk Nation provides the Florida State perspective . Miami is represented by Hall of Canes , And the Valley Shook is all about LSU, while Carolina March covers North Carolina .

Keep in mind that signing up for an account on SB Nation will allow you to post comments at any of the above sites as well as here at Corn Nation.

Stanford has to be the biggest surprise this season, especially with the other surprise being that Arizona State isn't in Omaha. The Pac 10 was supposed to be a powerhouse conference this season, and for Stanford to be the team that came out of it - wow, shocking.

Florida State has been to Omaha 19 times without winning a national title. Maybe they should be considered an underdog - but I doubt many people have sympathy for the 'Noles.

If there are Rice, Fresno State, or Stanford bloggers out there covering their baseball team, please leave a note in the comment section.

In just thirteen months from concept to contract, the NCAA and the City of Omaha have reached an agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha through 2035.   Stop and think about that sentence.  A twenty-five year contract for an NCAA championship just isn't even fathomable with any other sport or any other city.  But that's a reflection of the special relationship between the NCAA and Omaha.

That special relationship between Omaha and the NCAA fueled a contentious debate in Omaha for much of the last year.  Traditionalists felt the new stadium was unnecessary at this time; Rosenblatt Stadium is still a viable facility in the near term and it would be difficult for another city to make the same commitment that Omaha makes to the NCAA.  Add in a 58 year history of the College World Series at Rosenblatt, and this debate fueled the passions of Omaha baseball fans.

However, as the city and the NCAA discussed the short-term needs of the College World Series, it became clear to leaders on both sides that further investments at Rosenblatt weren't a good investment.  The NCAA wanted more control over the surroundings, which would have necessitated the purchase and bulldozing of many of the houses surrounding the stadium.  Retrofitting upgrades to concourses and clubhouses would have required significant demolition and reconstruction of the stadium.  $30 million would have addressed many of the NCAA's short term needs, and would have gained Omaha a five or ten year extension.  After that, however, the picture became a little murkier.  Much of Rosenblatt's skeleton dated back to 1947, and was nearing the end of it's expected lifespan.  The NCAA had desires to make the Series more comfortable for their corporate sponsors by providing nearby hotels and restaurants and space for exhibitions.

With that in mind, the NCAA and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey launched an ambitious plan to build a new stadium.  A new downtown stadium had been proposed previously by the Omaha Royals, a triple-A minor league franchise, a few years earlier, but failed to gain any traction to move the plan forward.  Now the downtown stadium idea moved onto the fast track with many proposals floated out there.  Many trial balloons were floated, such as thousands of temporary seats that would be flown in and out of the stadium for the series.  Multiple locations were proposed around downtown, and the stadium costs skyrocketed from $50 million to $90 million to finally $140 million as details were worked out.

Those trial balloons and the fast track of discussions served to fuel further dissention with the plan.  Fahey's predecessor, Hal Daub, was a board member of MECA, which manages the Qwest Center and the parking lot where the stadium was proposed to be built.  MECA and the Mayor's office waged a battle through the news media for months as negotiations progressed.  Simultaneously, residents of the neighborhood around Rosenblatt protested the stadium plans and a recall petition drive began against Fahey.

But as spring began, everything began to fall into place.  MECA and the Mayor's office came to an agreement on the stadium.  The NCAA offered an unprecedented 25 year contract.  The recall petition failed to garner 40% of the signatures they needed.  And Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo announced plans for build a new signature exhibit for Arctic animals on the Rosenblatt property that would help drive additional tourism and development to the neighborhood.

The end of Rosenblatt Stadium will be bittersweet for Omaha.  A lot of memories were formed during many College World Series.  ESPN raves about the event.  But the event has never been about the stadium...it's been about the fans who support his event year after year.  And the fans will be the winner in the end.  More parking for fans who drive to the game.  Fans who wish to imbibe before or after the game will have many more establishments nearby to frequent.  Out of town fans will appreciate being able to walk (stumble?) from the stadium to their hotel room.  And nobody will miss the claustrophobic concourses and long bathroom lines at Rosenblatt.

Like it or not, the College World Series is changing.  This year, it starts a day later on Saturday.  The championship round moves to Monday through Wednesday the next week, meaning that barring any rainouts (and boy, has Omaha been getting plenty of rainstorms the last few days), the second weekend of the College World Series will be awkwardly baseball-free.  That's the decision of the NCAA and ESPN, not Omaha.

Whether the stadium was really needed or not will likely be debated for years to come.  Some traditions will end, but other traditions will continue.  New traditions will  develop.   And most importantly, the College World Series will continue to be played in Omaha for years to come.

Had soccer tournaments this weekend, but in-between watching kids got in some college baseball.

Sunday I took in the Florida State-Wichita State game for a while. Proving that it's not just pro fans who have their moments of complete stupidity, a Florida State fan reached over the fence to catch a foul ball in the second inning. FSU's third baseman was in perfect position to record the third out and get out of the inning.

Ever notice that stupid people are also the unluckiest? They go together very well. The next pitch is a home run for Andy Dirks of Wichita State, cutting FSU's lead to 6-2 and giving the Shockers some life.

Lucky for the dumb guy Florida State won the game, otherwise it'd have been more than just the stadium he'd had to leave. With the economy being what it is, it's a bad time to have to sell the house and find a job somewhere else.

Full video of the stupidity is available here.

ESPN continued to flip back to the guy until he was escorted from the stadium, probably for his own safety.

Several teams are already in the CWS:

• Standford was the first, sweeping Cal State Fullerton. Given where Stanford was predicted to be, they have had an incredible year.
• North Carolina - no shock that they swept Coastal Carolina.
• Florida State - Shockers just couldn't get it done over a team with incredible offense, the Seminoles putting up 32 runs in three games.
• Miami had a lot more problems with Arizona than I expected. I watched a lot of Sunday's game. Arizona just couldn't bring their base runners home, while Miami was incredible at defense and pitching when they needed to be.
• Georgia mashed NC State on Sunday. Not all that surprising.
  
• Rice eliminates the Big 12. Damn. That's depressing.

The Last of the Super Regional Action:

• LSU wouldn't die and go away quietly, coming back to beat UC Irvine and pushing that series to game three. Nothing against LSU, I'd just rather see UC Irvine in the CWS as it would make me feel better about the Nebraska loss.
  
• I guess I thought that Arizona State would take their series in two games. Fresno State is proving to be more competitive than I thought they would be, mostly because the Sun Devils have been incredible this season.
  

CSTV Online Coverge Links

Cary Regional
NORTH CAROLINA v. Coastal Carolina [Audio]
Coral Gables Regional (Televised on ESPNU)
MIAMI v. Arizona [Audio] MIAMI v. Arizona [Audio]

Houston Regional
Rice: Press Conference (Video)
Rice vs Texas A&M: Post Game Press Conference (Video)
Another Press Conference

Tallahassee Regional
FLORIDA STATE vs. Wichita State: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
FLORIDA STATE vs. Wichita State: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)

Blogs To Follow:

College Baseball Blog

Miami vs. Arizona
Georgia  vs NC State
LSU vs UC Irvine
Texas A&M  vs Rice
Florida State  vs Wichita State
North Carolina  vs Coastal Carolina
Arizona State vs Fresno State

Very interesting match ups - just like college football you see a bunch of teams that wouldn't ever play each other during the regular season come together at the end.

If I had to pick the winners (in no particular order):

• Miami - the best team in the nation
  
• Georgia - I'm cheating, they're already up 1-0.
  
• UC Irvine - scrappy team, been there, done that.
  
• Rice - Rod Childress has only been a head coach a couple years
  
• Wichita State - rooting for the Midwestern team, you know it!
  
• Coastal Carolina - rooting for the underdog
  
• Arizona State - big big big offense

Getting to this a little late, but here are your CSTV links for online coverage of the final games in first round/regional play.

Athens Regional
Georgia Tech v. Georgia [Audio]

College Station Regional
TEXAS A&M v. Houston [Video]

Tallahassee Regional
FLORIDA STATE vs. Tulane: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
TULANE v. Florida State (Audio)

Stanford Regional
Stanford v. Pepperdine [Video]

Nebraska looked like all the gas had gone out of them in yesterday’s final game against Oral Roberts. I don’t doubt it was a hangover from the 3-2 loss against UC Irvine the night before. Against Oral Roberts, the Huskers didn't get a hit until the seventh inning and then finished with only two. They ended up going scoreless for only the second time in the history of Haymarket Park. Kind of a sad ending to a pretty good season.

Nebraska’ offense was weak all season - yet they managed to get to a 41-16 record and postseason play. That’s saying something for the grit of this team as it was pitching, defense, and timely hitting that got them where they were. Other than Johnny Dorn, pitching failed in the regional and the offense wasn’t there to pull them through.

It’s disappointing that we didn’t win our own regional but given the expectations at the start of the season it’s hard to consider it a disappointment.

Husker baseball fans say goodbye to a talented group of seniors:

• Johnny Dorn
• Mitch Abeita
• Jake Opitz
• Bryce Nimmo
• Craig Corriston
• Thad Weber

Corn Nation wishes you the best in whatever career path you choose. Thanks for a great season!

I am now moving into the off-season with the rest of you. I’ll probably continue to follow the college baseball tourney, but not with the same vigor as previously. I guess I’ll be rooting for an underdog like Wichita State or Rice. Most definitely I’ll be rooting against the SEC.

I realize that for most of you the off-season started with the conclusion of the Red-White Spring Game in April. One of the many reasons I became a college baseball fan was to fill the void between the last football game and the start of fall practice. Other than the NFL, I don’t follow pro sports (that’s a whole other article), so college baseball is a natural fit. Plus, Nebraska is good at college baseball and Haymarket Park is one of the best venues in the nation, so why not?

• Missouri - gone
• Nebraska - gone
• Texas - gone
• Oklahoma State - gone
• Oklahoma - gone

Houston beat Texas A&M yesterday, so the two will play again this evening to determine the winner of the College Station regional. The winner will advance to meet Rice who eliminated Texas yesterday.

Missouri became the first Big 12 team eliminated after losing yesterday to Ole Miss, 9-6. The Tigers got into a very tough regional but still didn’t have the kind of year they wanted. They underachieved throughout the regular season and the end result has to be disappointing.

Oklahoma eliminated Vanderbilt, beating them twice before losing to Arizona State. For a team that everyone said shouldn’t be in the tourney they did pretty well.

If I had to pick a Big 12 team that would make it to Omaha, I would have picked Oklahoma State. Unfortunately their season was ended by the Wichita State Shockers last night in a 10-inning game. If you’re wondering about a team to root for and you’re a Big 12 fan, look no further than the Shockers. They’re a midwestern team, baseball is a huge sport for them, and their head coach, Gene Stephenson has been around nearly 30 years and is a class act.

More on Nebraska later this morning......

Athens Regional
Georgia Tech v. TBD [Audio]
Cary Regional
NORTH CAROLINA v. TBD [Audio] [Opponent will need to be updated after the first game has been decided]
College Station Regional
TEXAS A&M v. TBD [Video]
Houston v. UIC [Video]
Conway Regional
EAST CAROLINA v. Alabama [Audio]
Coral Gables Regional (Televised on ESPNU)
MIAMI v. TBD [Audio]
Houston Regional
Texas v. St. John's (Video)
Texas v. St. John's: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
Rice v. TBD (Video)
Rice v. TBD: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
Lincoln Regional
Nebraska v. UC Irvine [Video - Tape Delayed] - Currently on College Sports TV - CSTV
Raleigh Regional
SOUTH CAROLINA v. James Madison [Audio]
Tallahassee Regional
FLORIDA STATE vs. Bucknell: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
TULANE v. TBD (Audio)
TULANE v. TBD: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
Tempe Regional
OKLAHOMA vs. Vanderbilt (Audio)
VANDERBILT v. Oklahoma (Audio)
VANDERBILT v. Oklahoma [Video]
Stanford Regional
Stanford v. UC Davis [Video]
Pepperdine v. TBD [Video]

Join Us!

Make Corn Nation your base of operations this weekend and weigh in with your predictions, questions, worries, bold statements and observations by joining SB Nation and becoming a part of Corn Nation. We'd love to hear your college baseball comments here, whether a Husker fan or not.

2-0 Teams - Doing Well, In No Danger

Miami - wins over Bethune Cookman 7-4, Missouri 6-5
Arizona - wins over Eastern Michigan 13-7, Michigan 4-3
North Carolina State - wins over James Madison 6-2, South Carolina 5-4
Georgia Tech - wins over Louisville 8-5, Lipscomb 6-3
UCLA - wins over Virginia 3-2, Cal State Fullerton 11-4
Pepperdine - wins over Arkansas 4-3, UC Davis 7-2
Wichita State - wins over TCU 8-5, Oklahoma State 5-3
Tulane - wins over Florida, Bucknell 4-1
North Carolina - wins over Mount St Mary’s 16-8,  UNC Wilmington 5-1
Coastal Carolina - wins over Columbia 10-2, Alabama 13-10
UC - Irvine - wins over Oral Roberts 9-7, Nebraska 3-2
LSU - wins over Texas Southern 12-1, Southern Miss 13-4
Rice - wins over Sam Houston State 3-2, St Johns (NY) 11-2
Texas A&M - wins over Illinois-Chicago 15-1, Houston 22-4
Fresno State - wins over Long Beach State 7-3, San Diego 6-0
Arizona State - wins over Stony Brook 9-7, Oklahoma 15-3

Win Or Go Home:

Missouri - Ole Miss
Michigan - Kentucky
South Carolina - James Madison
Lipscomb - Georgia
Cal State Fullerton - Virginia
UC Davis - Stanford
Oklahoma State - TCU
Bucknell - Florida State
Alabama - East Carolina
Nebraska - Oral Roberts
Southern Miss - New Orleans
UNC Wilmington - Elon
St Johns (NY) - Texas
Oklahoma - Vanderbilt
San Diego - Long Beach State

Teams That Are Gone, Out, Beaten, Their Seasons Are Over

Bethune Cookman - loss to Miami 7-4, Ole Miss 14-1
Eastern Michigan - loss to Arizona 13-7, Kentucky 4-3
Charlotte - loss to South Carolina 15-8, James Madison 13-12
Louisville - loss to Georgia Tech 8-5, Georgia 9-8
Rider - loss to CSF 11-0,   Virginia 8-2
Arkansas - loss to Pepperdine 4-3, Stanford 5-1
Western Kentucky -  loss to Oklahoma State 5-3, TCU 10-4
Florida -  loss to Tulane 7-4,  Florida State 17-11
Mount St Mary’s - Loss to North Carolina 16-8,  Elon 6-3
Eastern Illinois  - loss to Nebraska 13-10,  Oral Roberts 8-7
Texas Southern - loss to LSU 12-1, New Orleans 18-5
Sam Houston State - loss to Rice 3-2, Texas 13-3
Dallas Baptist - loss to Houston 9-5, Illinois-Chicago 9-5
California - Loss to San Diego 5-0, Long Beach State 9-2
Stony Brook - loss to Arizona State 9-7, Vanderbilt 9-4

Comments:

Arkansas goes 0-2. They didn’t make the SEC post-season tourney and yet they were selected for the NCAA tourney. Clearly they did not belong. I hate it that the SEC just automatically gets a gob of teams in the tourney because they’re the SEC.

Which is why I weep no tears for Florida. At least they were in the SEC tourney, but, quick, look at that list of schools that are gone and name another conference besides the SEC.

Dallas Baptist going this early may be a bit of a shock to those that follow the game, but I don’t think so. Maybe the loss to UIC is a little shocking but anyone can lose one game in baseball and that’s the dangerous part of the tourney. Lose a game and you’re exposed.

Who’s missing on that list of losers? The Big 12, although that may change quite a bit today.

I think it’s safe to say that the Aggies are out of their slump. 37 runs in two games? Uh, like, wow, dude? They’re the only ‘safe’ team in the Big 12.

Fresno State’s two wins.… coming against Long Beach State and San Diego - these aren’t exactly weenie boy teams. I know nothing about Fresno State, but this kind of stuff makes me wonder what’s going on out there in Callyfornia.