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What's at Stake for Omaha

The people of Omaha, Nebraska are currently deciding how they will go about courting the people of the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha for a long time.  And with the new deadline of April 30, 2008 to come up with a decision the pressure is on.  The rumor mill has been flooded with possible cities that could host the College World Series in the future if Omaha does not secure the CWS.

Currently, the NCAA has a contract with the city of Omaha until 2010.  Omaha is trying to keep the College World Series another 10-20 years after that date.  There are two options that the Mayor and people of Omaha are considering.  The first is to build a new stadium downtown and the second is to renovate Rosenblatt stadium where the CWS has been for the last 58 years.

The city of Omaha grosses over $30 million in economic growth each time the College World Series comes to town in June.  It also gains recognition on the national level on TV and in the news. Basically, what I am trying to say is that it would be too costly to the city of Omaha not to try and secure the College World Series in the future.  The city of Omaha needs to agree on what to propose to the NCAA before any other city steps in to take it.

NCAA Puts Pressure on Omaha

In what looks like a response to the growing number of rumors regarding moving the College World Series moving to another city after the 2010 contract with the city of Omaha expires, the NCAA announced that it was not looking for a new city...yet.  The NCAA gave Omaha four months to reach a decision on a new contract.  The Omaha World Herald announced the official date to reach a NCAA contract decision is set for April 30, 2008.

This puts the pressure on the leaders of Omaha who are debating between building a new stadium and renovating the historic Rosenblatt stadium where the CWS has been played for the last 58 years.  Thankfully for Omaha the NCAA gave them a extension on their decision.  The previous deadline for a decision was the end of December.

Public Speaks Up About CWS Stadium

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey was grilled with questions on the situation of the College World Series home last night.  Almost half of the people were for the new downtown stadium but were overpowered by the other outspoken Rosenblatt supporters.  The debate started as a town hall meeting by Mayor Fahey but ended as a full on debate on where the CWS would end up; in Rosenblatt stadium or a new downtown stadium.

It was a little frustrating to hear the criticisms against Mayor Fahey's plans.  It seems as though the people of Omaha are under the impression that Mayor Fahey has a different motive for seeking a new stadium.  I'm not sure why they won't even entertain the idea of a new stadium.  Fahey even came out and said "one thing we're doing here is trying to get a long-term contract. That's the driving force."

The people supporting Rosenblatt seemed like they had the idea that if its not broke, don't fix it.  But the problem with that is...Rosenblatt is broken.  It no longer meets the needs of the NCAA, and if Omaha doesn't do something about it it will be without one of its claims to fame - The College World Series.

Stadium Decision Not in Public's Hands

When Action 3 News asked the Mayor of Omaha if he and his team had considered a public vote on the new stadium for the College World Series he said "no we didn't discuss that issue."  Uh oh Rosenblatt stadium fans, it appears as though your voice will not be heard if you live in Omaha.  The public vote had largely been thought of as the only thing that could put a definite end to the new CWS stadium idea.

We had talked earlier in the blog about the poor logistics of a public vote.  The people of Omaha would not vote on issues like that until May of next year and the NCAA is determined to reach a decision on the new home of the College World Series before then.

It is up to the law makers in Omaha now to determine the fate of the new College World Series stadium.  Mayor Fahey is obviously for the new downtown stadium, but other lawmakers have heard public backlash and prominent Omaha leaders oppose the stadium.  We will have to wait and see their verdict; it should be interesting.

Fahey Travels Omaha Looking for Support

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey is a busy man, not only does he have to plan for the future of the College World Series, he has to convince everyone else around him that it is a good idea.  It has been a tough time for Fahey to convince the thousands of Omahans, and the six person panel, that his ideas are the right ones.

Fahey has went on a whirlwind of speaking tours around the city to promote his idea.  He is traveling to private groups as well as setting up town hall meetings so that the community can have a say.  This could prove to be important in the final decision as there is no plan for a public vote on the issue (and doesn't look like there will be one).

I personally think that until Fahey has a definite plan (he has 8 now) he won't get his message across to the people of Omaha.  The public is already skeptical of Fahey who has not been very up front with the public about the details of the new downtown ballpark.

Parking Lot D Off Limits?

David Sokol has thrown a curve ball at Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey regarding moving the College World Series to parking lot D of the Qwest Center in Omaha.  Sokol, the chairman of MECA (Qwest Arena's programing board), has called out Mayor Fahey and said that moving the College World Series into a stadium in parking lot D would be illegal because the city of Omaha does not own that land.

MECA has a 99 year lease with the city of Omaha to plan for and run the Qwest Center in Omaha.  MECA says that it needs the land for future development and parking purposes.  There is no news yet on whether Sokol or Fahey is right about the coveted parking lot's ownership.  Fahey told Action 3 News that its to early to even think about a court fight.  Thats good because he doesn't seem to realize either that he still hasn't been approved to build a stadium yet.

Rosenblatt Story Never Ends!

Quite a lot has happened in the ever-long story of the College World Series moving out of its 58 year home, Rosenblatt Stadium since my last post.  A new 6 citizen task force was assembled by Mayor Mike Fahey to take an unbiased look at the proposed new downtown stadium.  The task force includes the Athletic Director of Creighton, the president of the Omaha Royals, and the chairman of MECA (Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority).

Did I say MECA?  Yes the MECA who runs the programming at the Qwest Center in Omaha.  Uh Oh!  The first speed bump has arrived.  Thats right, David Sokol, chairman of MECA publicly came out and opposed the building of the new stadium because he says that the proposed site for the new stadium, parking lot D of the Qwest Center, will inhibit the arena's growth possibility as well as make the parking situation terrible.  No news yet on Fahey's reaction, but one is expected soon.

Now to the second speed bump for Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, the restaurant industry.  A group of Omaha restaurant owners known as "Strike Two" have assembled and put together radio and billboard advertisements protesting the 2 percent entertainment tax that will be used to pay for the new stadium if it is built.  The 2 percent tax would tax "entertainment" items such as prepared food and drink and concert tickets.

Omaha Mayor Outlines Plan for New Ballpark

The College World Series new home could cost over $100 million according to a new plan outlined by Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey.  The new stadium cost estimate is much more than the expected $50-60 million.  Unfortunately for Omahans, much of the cost of this proposed stadium would lie on the tax payers, entertainment tax payers that is.

Fahey plans to pay for the new stadium by taxing entertainment items in Omaha such as prepared food and concert tickets.  The mayor is cleverly dodging a public vote that might stop the new stadium from being built by raising taxes and approving it with the city council.

The new stadium would hold up to 23,600 people for the College World Series and would almost cut its capacity in half for non CWS games such as Kansas City's farm team the Omaha Royals.  The new stadium would be perfect for the AAA team as the team wants a more intimate atmosphere.

OSU Displays New Talent

Oregon State may have another College World Series run this year with its new freshman class.  CSTV visited the OSU scrimmages and said their freshman are among the best out there.  The newest recruit squad was named the third best recruiting class in the nation this year.  Obviously fueled by winning the past two College World Series, Oregon State's recruiting efforts have been much easier this year than a couple of years ago.

Almost half of the recruits are originally from Oregon.  This is bad news for the new Oregon Ducks team who will face tough barriers getting in state talent.

The hardest position to fill spots in this year will be the pitching staff.  Over a third of the pitching staff left after last year and included the top two starters for the Beavers.

Rosenblatt Supporters Wasting Their Time?

The group Save Rosenblatt is at it again trying to keep the College World Series in Omaha and in the prized Rosenblatt stadium.  The group may be fighting a losing battle.  The NCAA already has its hands on the plans for a new ballpark that would be built downtown and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey already has the blessing of the Omaha Royals' (KC farm team) president to go through with the new stadium.

Save Rosenblatt sent out a petition to the NCAA with 14,000 signatures on it supporting the renovation of Rosenblatt stadium.  Along with the petition, the group sent a copy of the Kevin Costner commercial that aired in Omaha.  They are currently waiting on an architect to finish plans for renovating Rosenblatt which I assume they will send as well.

Personally, I think Save Rosenblatt is wasting their time.  I think they are forgetting that the real reason people come to the College World Series in Omaha is not because it is hosted at Rosenblatt Stadium.  I think the real reason they come is because they love baseball and they love the city of Omaha.

I liked the article in the Omaha World Herald that had a quote by Larry Templeton, the chairman of the NCAA's baseball committee, who said that baseball is "the only sport I know of where the talk at the beginning of the season is about going to a city, not a championship."  I think this quote really sums up that the spirit of Omaha is why people come to the CWS.  After all, no one ever talks about the "Road to Rosenblatt."