My “World” Cup is Right Here!

I’m an Atlanta resident and a huge baseball fan. The combination has offered me many a happy memory (and more than my share of not-so-fond ones, too) over the past 15 years. The vast majority of those smiles, of course, come via a Sid Bream slide, a John Smoltz pitch or an Andruw Jones homer. But this year’s been different. In 2006, the two area colleges, Georgia (47-21) and Georgia Tech (50-16, third most wins in the country), have been the source of most of the good times. Call it hopping on the aluminum bandwagon or jumping off the Braves’ almost-certain shipwreck, but over the past few months I’ve been entranced by NCAA baseball play. Yeah, I know about Tech’s (Nomar and Varitek in ’94) and UGA’s (national champs in ’90) past glories on the diamond, but even the staunchest supporter at either school has to admit this season is unique.

For one, this is the first time in the rival institutions’ histories that both have gone to the College World Series in the same year. Though the two are on opposite sides of the bracket and have zero chance of meeting until the final, that’s a huge deal. Two, these teams have some electric athletes worthy of keeping a very close eye out for. Georgia Tech’s offensive-minded lineup includes first-team All-American Matt Wieters (what a majestic swing!) and the hard-hitting Whit Robbins and Mike Trapani. UGA’s resilient squad (talk about playing with the proverbial back to the wall!) is anchored by Josh Morris and is complemented by Joey Side and super pitcher Joshua Fields.

I’ll watch the games in Omaha with a grin on my face, for it’ll feel like two of my own are out there slugging away against NCAA goliaths like Rice, Clemson and Cal-Fullerton. If both Georgia teams meet in the championship, if one makes it or even if both are eliminated before they’re really able to unpack, it won’t much matter. I’ve paid for my ticket on the bandwagon and I fully intend on riding it out completely. Besides, there’s nothing else to cheer about right now. My damn Braves just lost a 4-1 stinker to the last-place Florida Marlins.