June 5, 2026 • 33 mins
The College World Series is almost here! College World Series of Omaha Executive Director Amy Hornocker joins the show to talk about all the logistics for the team at this time of the year before they welcome eight teams to compete for the NCAA Baseball Championship.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
It is the Emory Songer Podcast, and we are alive
on the iHeartRadio app as always talking about the things
happening in and around Omaha that I find to be
very interesting. Hopefully you find them interesting too. I'm with
one of my very good friends who is in one
of the most important positions of anyone in the entire
city of Omaha. Amy Hornocker, is with us. She is
(00:28):
the executive director of what you know as the College
World Series. They call it the College World Series of Omaha,
inc all the behind the scenes stuff. We're gonna learn
a lot about what that looks like. Here just days
before Amy, the biggest time of the year in Omaha,
how are you feeling.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, we're getting there. We're excited to see who's gonna
make it. So when I on, the TVs are on
in the office, and there's a lot of activity going
on downtown already. The tents are already up at the
Baseball Village, so it'll just continue to get busier as
we go into the weekend and next week.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I know your job is all around this, so I'm
sure you would describe it as excitement, but I'm also
thinking if I weren't you, Yeah, and I have the
responsibility that you have, this would be the most stressful
time of the year. How do you kind of how
does this work at this stage of the game for you.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yeah, so, yeah, there's always something. We'll get a call,
you know, somebody forgot something. And that's kind of what
we think. We talked about too, because last year was
our anniversary year and we had a ton of extra
stuff on top of the normal stuff, and so this
year we're.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Kind of like, are we forgetting something? Something seems like.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
We're gonna forget it. But there's always something like somebody
forgot to. Last week was some folks forgot to put
in their need for hotel rooms and that's pretty difficult,
so like trying to figure out, working with visit Omaha,
trying to figure out how we can find like twelve
people rooms in a pretty full envice.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
So not an ideal thing.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, So there's always like little stuff like that that
pops up, and we're just we try to roll with it,
and sometimes, you know, you're just like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
But well, I can tell you this this event, and
we've talked about this before, just kind of how the
event operates.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
You have a small staff.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, of full time employees, which your job is the
boots on the ground. You are really working with all
of the entities around Omaha to make sure everybody has
the best experience possible, but also make sure that Omaha
still gets the best benefit of this incredible jewel that
we get a chance to experience every single year. For
(02:42):
this moment right now, there are sixteen teams left from
different pockets of the country.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Some of the super regionals involve multiple like two SEC schools,
two big schools that you could, you know, pretty easily
see a large contingent make the trip. There are also
some super regionals that involve smaller teams, teams that have
never made it here before. There is one specifically Little
Rock is playing Troy, and we know one of those
(03:11):
teams is going to be making it to Omaha for
the first time. So what what's the ideal formula for you?
I know you're not cheering for teams specifically, but different
teams means different things on your play.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, so definitely, we we like a mix. We want
we want the opportunity for baseball. It's good that these
other teams can make it here and we actually have
the potential.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
No, we have.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
We'll have two never been before. West Virginia and Kyle
Poly are playing right now as well.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Neither one. I we had to check that because I was.
I was surprised. West Virginia has no me too, I didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
So they will and if the bracket stays the way
that it's set up, because sometimes that can be shuffled
for a variety of reasons if they run into weather.
But they could play each other, so so they not
only would be the first time coming to Omaha, somebody's
gonna win for the first time, right, So that's pretty exciting.
But of course we're watching the SEC schools come through.
(04:12):
We have had both Mississippi schools here in the recent past,
and they obviously have incredible fans, So to have a
mix is great. Omaha always celebrates the Cinderella, so I
know people will whoever makes it through will they'll figure
out how to get.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Merch and cheer them on.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
And but yeah, it would be good to have a
mix of both.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I think a lot of people feel so disenfranchised by
college sports these days, right, Yes, football and basketball, like
the tournaments for basketball, just they don't feel the same
as they once did. It's so hard for a Cinderella
at school to kind of exist, to pop up and
win multiple games in March madness. And then of course
college football is going through all this transfer portal and
(04:56):
payroll stuff and conference realignment and expanse of playoffs and everything.
The purest sport that still seems to exist that feels
like college sports is the College World Series.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
We I mean, we were all on group messages over
the weekend and we're like, what is happening? But also
we saw a lot of like, is this May madness?
And is this the best postseason there is? Was like
a lot well, a lot of people were talking about
and of course we'd like to say yes. But it
has been really fun.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
To watch this year's It definitely is, I think unequivocally
this year, and I love watching the games, especially now
living in Omaha, knowing that one of these teams is
going to win the whole thing and I'm going to
get the chance to experience that in Omaha. But the
upsets the fact that baseball allows for some variability. A
(05:49):
lot of these schools are able to keep their players
because the money hasn't really corrupted it as much yet. Yeah,
I think it so much is and what I love
about it is everybody talks about Omaha, Omaha becomes this
synonymous thing of what it's like to achieve the pinnacle
of this sport. And I know it's your guys' job
(06:10):
to maintain that, like this aura of what Omaha is. Yeah,
it survived to move from Rosenblatt to downtown. It survived
a lot of different moving parts. And there could be
challengers that come up in the future that are trying to,
you know, kind of take this away from Omaha. What
does that mean to you guys though, about that responsibility
(06:30):
of keeping Omaha at the forefront of all of these
programs because that's the goal. They always say, it's the
road to Omaha.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, yeah, they do. They definitely do. And we've seen
it in their clubhouses across the country. We've seen they
send us photos. You know, it's they have road to Omaha.
They have like I'm you know, this distance from here
to Omaha, and so that's really cool for us. And yeah,
and we don't take it lightly. So we you know,
we're working behind the scenes. We have a bunch of
(06:58):
pillars that are organizations and IS is targeting with relationships
and then just how do we keep building this saying
to be better. So not only is it a place
the fans want to come, but it's like the top
tier place for the student athletes to be. So it's
a that's it's a constant work in progress for us,
so and it's it's definitely front of mine. Our contract
(07:21):
is until twenty thirty six, and we would like to,
you know, have an extension before then because we don't
want a chance for it to be snuck away. And
we have so many people from the local and state
level supporting us as well as I'm you know, we've
made We've made friends around the country, and that's what
(07:43):
we're going to.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Continue to do.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I think that was one thing we had talked about before.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
And I see this on social media quite a bit
of you know the Big ten Tournament. Yeah, also happens here, correct,
And sometimes the weather isn't great.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Oh gosh, no, and they have it's a it's a gauntlet,
like four games.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
He is like, I'm like, oh no.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, yeah, and then the weather gets involved. Yeah, and
you know I was there when we played until two am.
Oh yes, I loved My wife was not.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
So yeah, did you see the rally possum.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Oh, I was like.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Oh, they haven't.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
I didn't. I So I was sitting behind home plate.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I had no idea what they were looking at out there,
and I had no idea what was going on out there,
and they were pointing, and then an outfielder ran in
because there's like a pitching change, and outfielder ran in
and was pointing at the wall, and I had to
go on social media to figure out what the heck
they were talking about. And they got a great shot
of the possum just sitting on the wall. I mean,
he's probably living back here.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, He's like, come on, guys.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
And meanwhile, there's a bunch of guys. It's one thirty
in the morning.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
There are a bunch of dudes taking their shirts off
and waving them around in the corner, and there's still
a ton of people there cheering Nebraska on. It was
just one of those once in a lifetime things to
be watching a baseball game in downtown Olmaha at two
in the morning. Yeah, I absolutely loved it. But I
couldn't help but notice the discourse on social media. Oregon
made deep run in the tournament, UCLA made a deep
(09:06):
run in the tournament. You have all these West Coast
teams that you know, they are a bit spoiled and
they don't travel typically very well to the Midwest or
to the East coast when their teams are playing for
any sport, honestly, and there's like, well, this should be
in Vegas anyway, or we should move this thing to Dallas.
You know TCUs down down there, and you know, you
(09:28):
know they have all these different large schools down there.
They certainly would have the infrastructure even if we don't
have a school that is in these locales.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
They know how to handle college sports.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I just sit there and it's just like one of
the great things about Omaha or college sports is what
Omaha stands for. So how would those discussions start and
begin with the NCAA, because you know there are going
to be challengers. You know that there are people going
to want to move it to you know, a Vegas
or a Dallas or you know, gosh, there's one hundred
different markets that would to have this.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Yeah, how do you guys?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Did you see though a UCLA's coach and I talked
to him last year when he was here for when
they made the series and I was like, was You're like,
did you ever think you know you'd spend this much
time in Omaha?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
And he's like, that's my goal. But I why is big?
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Like sorry, if anyone from Vegas listens to this show,
but why is that always That's the same with the
Big twelve conference, Like, let's move this to Vegas.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Does anybody really like going to Vegas?
Speaker 5 (10:27):
Well, it's very expensive and weird. All right, we're gonna
get personal for a second. Have you done like a
real legitimate, fun trip to Vegas?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Not since I was like twenty one or something.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I was twenty three or twenty four and it was
the best. Yeah, And I don't know, it's just so
down on my list. Yeah, like I've done it, and
it's not even like it was, like there's there's a
sexiness to it when you're that age of oh, like
this is a forbidden thing, like we're going and we're
gonna sit in a sports book and bet on sports
(11:03):
and watch sports. And then you have all these limousines
and all these shows that you can go to. But
now it's just like their kids everywhere. You can gamble
almost anywhere in the country now, Like I.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Mean, yeah, and that your beer is twenty five dollars.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
And to stay in a hotel there even off season,
like what would be considered off season? Like sure the
weather's predictable there, but like, does anybody go to Vegas
now and like have the same type of fun they
did fifteen years ago?
Speaker 4 (11:30):
I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Maybe it's because they're building that the A's ball park
or something that they feel like baseball should go there.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
I know.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, so we'll see. But yeah, we're back to the question.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
I don't even remember.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Well, it's just like, well, so like the NC DOUABLEA
they get to make that call, right.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Like, yeah, we're just we're in behind the scenes with
everybody trying to put together, you know, have a conversation
where that's not even there. I'm gonna look to put
that out for bid. So and I think we have
some pretty good ideas and strong references.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
So that's Creighton moving out of that ballpark, have any
thing to do with that.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Well, so they still will be there.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
That their new field is primarily just like a practice field,
so they'll still play their home season there. I'm not
sure the their duration of their contract, but so yeah,
they'll still be.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
There, but in the NCAA moving from Rosenblack, part of
it was control. They wanted to have a lot of
control of the venue, but.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
They would actually like to see more things in there.
So they would like to see a program more often,
which I think is in the world, is being planned.
So there's the new you know, we have new leadership
at Mecca and he I think his goal is to
program the park more so.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Well, and then you have this proposed soccer.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Facility that, yeah, that'll be great.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
I mean it's just going to add more stuff in
that area of down to.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Think of driving in from the airport and like you
see that first and then you you come in on
everything else. And yeah, and I know it's just for
in my eyes, like another partner, because I mean we
have off we have off days, and you know, I
think they've already like briefly talked about how they could
program their facility to you know, there's just so many
(13:15):
people and so many opportunities to like have a good time.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And so speaking of right, I mean, this was one
of my big concerns this year.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
It's gonna be awesome when it's done. All that construction downtown.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, it's gonna be in the airport like, it's gonna
be phenomenal. So it's just when it's all done, we're
just gonna be like, oh gosh, for right.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Now though I know that, you know, like and I
haven't been downtown on a few weeks so and I
know they were trying to wrap some of that up
and kind of clean it up for the big crowds
that are going to be coming downtown. Was there any
concern from your guys standpoint about logistics with a lot
of that construction, especially with people that aren't familiar with
how to navigate down there with all of the blockages
and barriers.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Yeah, so they usually, Yeah, everything gets cleaned up for CWS,
some of the streetcar stuff, it's just not possible. And
I have to give a shout out to OPD in
their event and traffic, you know, because they listen to
this and they say, I never they listen to your
show and they say, I never give them any credit.
So here it is. Here it is, Hi, guys. They
(14:20):
do like a phenomenal job with with the the movement
of in and out of the area.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
It does.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
This does cause them additional wrinkles as well, but they
have so many plans in place, not just for moving vehicles,
but for protecting pedestrians and fans.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
So the other thing that.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
We've been working on with the city in park Omaha
is we will have a map available on our website
that's like through the g I S system, so it
will be able to tell you like real time what
what isn't isn't open, what even like what park Omaha
garages have as far as capacities. Like, this thing is crazy,
(15:02):
it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
It like came up in.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
A conversation and they're like, oh, yeah, we can totally
do that, and so our staff has been working with
them and it's gonna be I think, really cool and
you'll be able to even see, you know, kind of
some more detail of of like even down to like
where Metro runs their buses the scooters where they slow
the scooters down. So that's gonna be a new thing
(15:26):
that's on our website Cwsaha dot com that I think
would be.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Helpful for people.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
It definitely would be those scooters. They can be tricky
for the out of towners. Because when I first moved here,
I loved jumping on the scooter and just exploring downtown
I had no idea there were red spots. Yeah, no, no,
and I hadn't I no idea where they started where
they ended, So I had to you know, do some
exploration on that app to even know that they changed
the map.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Yes, for the college world too.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yes, it slows it down, and there's been controversy over
whether that because then they just get dumped. But they've
been doing a really good job of picking them up,
so we have we were worried about like them stacking up,
but they do. They have a pretty good crew that
comes through and moves them.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
So they have a big scooter parking lot that they put.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah, the corral there on Fahy, So just scooter those
safety because there's usually a lot of we have a
lot of injuries.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
So just don't be crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Yeah yourself. Nobody has helmets when they're right around on those. Okay, Amy,
let's talk about you. Yeah, you have done this job
for how long?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Like this is my ninth year with CWS, fourth as
executive director.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
So what does your day look like. Let's start, you know,
next week, let's do Tuesday. We know all the teams
and plans are being made, They're going to be moved
coming very soon if they're not already on their way,
what does that look like?
Speaker 4 (16:49):
And how do you figure out where each team is
going to stay.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, so we have six team hotels, all in the
downtown and they actually they'll the team's all be arriving
on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
However, we usually have a few.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
In fact, I've already had one reach out, which usually
means bad luck for them.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
But some of them.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Are like, I've been doing this so long, I don't
care about that, Like I need to get this stuff
lined up. That dead are coming from a site where
they'd rather not go home and they'd rather just come here.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So because I would wonder if they're making like a
cross country track, Yes, right, maybe just coming here would
make more sense, right.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And it's just there are The thing that we should
be proud of as a city is that our hotel
properties don't sit empty. So there's a convention conference on
the front end of the CWS, so that makes that
very unlikely to happen. So we've asked that they don't
come in early. If they come in early, kind of
up to them on inst and the team I talked to,
(17:55):
I said, you just even price wise, you might want
to just stay where you are and come here from there,
but all understanding that. So that's just a wrinkle of
the logistics. And with eight new teams, we're gonna be,
you know, answering a lot of questions because eight teams,
(18:15):
well two that I've never been here, and then everybody
wasn't here last year, so even if they have been
here in the past few years, they're gonna forget. So
our staff, we have the team hosts who are helped.
They're assigned to each team and they're helpful, they're they're
kind of key contact throughout the series. Our bus drivers
(18:35):
from Arrow are some of them have national championship rings,
like they become they become kind of like part of
the teams that because they stay with them throughout and
uh yeah. So when you hear those stories, it's like, yeah,
I have two national title rings and I'm like what.
So there's just a lot of.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
So next week will be and then we have our
media Wednesday more, we have our media availability, which well
members of lots of entities, the governor, the mayor will
be there to talk. And then what everybody actually gets
the media there is the concession unveiling, so that is
(19:17):
when they will find out. They'll show what is new
for this year in the concessions, which.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Is incredibly important.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
This is where you got me tuned in for that,
y all, due respect to Jim Pillen and I can't
wait get me in that ballpark right right? Okay, So
so that's Tuesday into Wednesday media availability. They'll want to practice,
they'll get to practice. Opening ceremonies become kind of an
evolving thing to try and to organize that. How much
(19:46):
of a hand do you guys have and how that
all operation goes?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah, so that'll be completely all hands on deck. That
day is long.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
The first team will be over close to eight o'clock
for they take a photo in front of the Road
to Omah Sculpture. Actually they're out. John Liva, who's the artist,
is out cleaning it today. He cleans it every year
and he puts like a something on it so that
it photographs better. He's like, takes great pride at day.
He's actually had an use surgery and so he's over there.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I'm like John.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Anyways, so it looks good, it'll look good, and then
they'll go in for practice and every team they also
do all their video board stuff and their ESPN interviews
and the fog machine and all that for in game
stuff and so.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
But that one is free.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So if it's a non ticketed event, if you want
to come watch all eight teams practice, that's on Thursday, Yeah, Thursday,
starting at nine. It usually goes so the Friday games
will those teams will go.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
First and then they get like what an hour hour
and a half, yeah, a little.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Over an hour to be on the field, and then
we do kind of a private event with them and
their families in the evening.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Yeah. Last year, you guys had a huge party at
the Yes.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
That was for our anniversary, Yeah, with the pork tornadoes,
which are my guys tornadoes, which was.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
That was so fun.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
A ton of people were down there, and you guys
sold it as the seventy fifth anniversary of the Omaha
College World Series. So kind of what's on deck for
these guys now that this year for kind of celebrating
the kickoff of this grand Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So over our open practice day I do and Friday night,
though I do want to point out Friday night, which
is Game two. We have been lucky enough to work
with a local foundation on a drone show so we've
never done drones at the CWS.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
There's a lot. I've learned a lot about it, so
post game of Game two.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
It started as an America two fifty celebration, but it
has baseball weave throughout of it. So throughout it so
you'll be able to see there's a video in venue
that ties to the drone show, but you'll also be
obviously able to see it downtown. It'll it's gonna they'll
fly above c chi uh and it's four hundred drones.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
So I've seen these before before. They are amazing.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, it's been There's just a lot of things that
obviously go into putting them in the air, and so
it's it's been interesting, but it's gonna be really cool.
So we just you know, want people stick around on
the game or if they're down there.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
You'll see them.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Yeah, you'll see them.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
That's so cool.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
So so then the kickoff event is that are you
guys doing that at the zoo this year?
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (22:32):
So, and that is private for just the teams and
their family, but we wanted to give them a chance
to see something other than the stadium, so why not
the zoo And then they can see they can check out,
you know, the old Rosenblat site.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
And then yeah, from.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
The nostalgia perspective, and then it was fun last year
because they don't see their families. They're on the road
a lot, so it was fun to see them get
to kind of reunite. And then also just like very
large children because they got to feed the alligators and
the zoo did like a bunch of really cool animal encounters.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
So that is so awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, and you know, when you live here, you're like,
the U take how cool our zoo is, for granted,
because it is so cool compared to what most people have.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Well, and I came from Iowa and I lived in
Des Moines and they have a really great, smaller zoo.
But when I first moved here, I mean I just
wanted to go there all the time. I just I'm
just is so large. I mean even some of the
other great zoos in America are not the footprint of
size that we have here. It is absolutely an amazing
another jewel that we just we cannot forget about how
(23:40):
amazing it is that we have that. So now let's
go to Friday and Saturday. We have two games, all
eight teams are going to be there, the fan bases,
they're going to be mingling in around downtown. What all
of a sudden becomes your responsibilities on game days because
we're going to get to this in a second, but
you don't get to see your home for a while.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, yeah, we go. It's every every day is different.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
And but you know, opening weekends the the best because everybody, Yeah,
all A teams are here, all their fans are here.
Like downtown is electric and there, I mean there's new
things coming online downtown just will mill work. And then
also to the west of us because Sunny's is moving.
(24:24):
They have a location now sixteenth and fayh Yeah, so
the place for that, Yeah, and so that'll be like
another new thing because I mean that's family you the muse,
live music and all that. So we always say, even
if you're not a baseball fan, just to come down
and yeah, but like, yeah, every day is different. Those
(24:44):
first few days are are once we get rolling, we're good.
But for a few days we find we remember what
we're doing and.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Figure it out.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
So you got a small staff, Yeah, there is a
board of directors that are kind of above but yeah,
like you guys really are the ones that are making
everything happen. And so what are examples of some stuff
throughout the day, because like when the game's going on,
are you able to like just be in the press box?
What what's the Yeah, so.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
There's five of us here locally, but then we have
about twenty seven folks from Indianapolis from the NCAA office
that work on baseball, so they'll come in and out.
So yeah, anything from like game presentation, the stuff that
happens on the field, to in the video boards to
(25:28):
just like hospital Like we have hospitality areas that we
have to to service and get you know, we there's
bat testing, there's a lot of operational stuff that happens.
And then if then you know, God forbid, we run
into weather in Omaha in June.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
There's we have like a whole list of here's who
goes where, here's how we.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Communicate with who, and yeah, there's just a ton of
moving parts.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
To the thing.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
So and like you said, every single day is a
little bit different.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You have a memory since you've been the executive director
of a particularly crazy day that just was either nightmare
fuel or something that after it was over, you were like,
I need to be here I need to just like
not think about baseball for a while.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, our heroes night because we want to do it
up right. It has so many moving parts. We usually
have a lot of first responders in military members and
people that may need more security or you know, more escorting.
And so usually that night is where it's I mean
we are grabbing up like anybody we can to help
(26:41):
us with all the moving parts and getting people where they.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Need to do go.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
And so usually after that one, we liked here because
we're like, yeah, we did it, we got this, we
got this done.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
I don't, you know, not really any nightmare fuel.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I mean we COVID year was very or the year
after COVID was very difficult with all the protocols we
had in place, and that was probably the most I
think stressful. We had teams you know that didn't maybe
follow all the rules and yeah, so we had some
fans that weren't happy with us.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
And what do you do there though? Right?
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Yeah, and it's not really eving your rules, right, yeah,
kind of just there yeah, forcing of the bigger entiteam run.
Yeah it's crazy. Okay, so you have a dog, I
do my child? Yeah, so tell me about about your pups.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
She goes to camp. Yeah, so she used. I used
to try to figure this out and then we'd run
into reindelays and I'm like scrambling people. So I'm lucky
to have I have a really good friend that has
her friend. So she goes and lives in Gretna and
plays with her friend for two weeks and gets well
taken care of, sometimes so much that when I come
(27:51):
to pick her up, she's like, I'm good. Yeah, She's
like hey mom, and then she's back. So I'm really lucky, Yeah,
because I don't have to worry about her throughout the.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
That just tells us, you know how crazy timing is,
because I know you like your dog, like you mentioned,
is like a child.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
So what's the breed?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
A vulner treat?
Speaker 4 (28:12):
Her name is all of she's five five years old.
Have you had dogs for your entire adult No?
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Not yeah, my whole adulthood. Not when I was little though,
because my sister was allergic to them. So I think that's.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
Why you just needed it after that.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, Well I had dogs growing up, but I had
I had a German Shepherd when I was a small toddler.
I have very faint memories of him, and then we
adopted a golden lab for about three months until my
parents were like, we can't handle this. She was a puppy,
(28:49):
so it was just like a different chair would get
chewed on every single day, you know, and they just
were not prepared to handle that. Then we got a
Britney Spaniel who was a great dog. But then we
got jog crustal terriers after that.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, I had a Jack Russell Terrier. Yeah, and that's
my first dog. I did not if I think if
I knew that you could surrender them to someone, I
would have, but I didn't.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Oh, it scared me from small dogs forever.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
My dad love him, though they still like, don't talk
about him like that.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Well, they were good dogs, but you know, it's just
like I gotta get a different type of dog. I
fell in love with the greyhounds. Greyhounds now and we're
on our fourth and fifth greyhound. And the idea of
just not seeing them for a while is like, like
I go to the Iowa state, for for instance, and
for basically eleven straight days, I'm just not going to
(29:38):
see them.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
And when you were on your trip, what did how long?
Speaker 4 (29:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Two weeks, two weeks of not like just being gone,
and I don't know, like non dog people just don't
get like I know. When I moved here, I was
living in the Hilton, Yeah, because I had nowhere to
live and my wife and dogs were still and I
had three dogs at the time, and they were just
back into Moine, and I just I could not wait
(30:03):
until Friday when I could drive home. And I like
my wife too, but I wanted to see I missed
my dogs, and I was like, can I take one
of them with me? And she's like, this would be
bad for the dog. You should not do that. I'm
sure that's kind of where you're at now. It's better
for the dog to just kind of have some stability
for a few days.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Miss me. I don't think.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
But I get updates, get I get like daily updates. Ever,
so that makes me happy.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I can't I need to meet all of it. Yes, yes,
I see all of on your social media. I'm just
like that dog's living a great life. I want to
I want to meet all of Okay, so last thing
for you before we get out of here. You're you're
sitting here, You're going to watch all these games this week,
You're going to be very invested into seeing who is
(30:51):
or isn't going to be making the trip to Omaha.
For anybody who kind of is wondering the best way
from a person on the inside, the best way to
experience the College World Series baseball fan, not a baseball fan,
Omaha native, somebody from outside of Omaha, maybe wanting to
make the trip in to see what all the hubbub
is about. What would be the best day for somebody
(31:14):
who's coming on a Saturday or a Sunday and just
wanting to see what the College World Series and Omaha.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Yeah, I'd say if you want if you just really
want to get in on the fun. The opening weekend
is the play downtown is just really fun to be
if you are looking for game day tickets because the
misconception is that we don't have any tickets, and we do.
It's easier to get tickets in the you know, the
(31:42):
midweek games, So that would be a good time to
check out a game too. If you don't, if you
want to, you know, not pay a fortune and you
want to see it an you want to see a game,
and then yeah, but I feel like you have to
do it all, So come down, go around town.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Are I say?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
I would say CWS omaha dot com is the best
resource because we have we have everything. Instead of telling
you know where to go get tickets, you can link
from our site same with it can take you to
visit Omaha's site.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
So that that's.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
What I would recommend, and you can see all the
things there are to do and how to get here
and where.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
To buy your tickets.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
And like you said, your website is now going to
be updated with places to park ways that you can
maneuver around downtown if you're if that's a little intimidating
because I live here and it kind of is for
me right now, just downtown always seems like it's a
bit different.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
So the website is yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
And ride share is always a good option because I
know they really amp up. People come from all over
to drive and we have saved spots for those people
to be picked up and dropped off, and that's always
an option that's way easier too. And if you're having
a couple of drinks, just just don't mess with it.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Wait wait and honestly, with Rockos and the Dollo shots, yeah,
everything that's around, you're gonna wish that you had somebody
to drive you home for sure. Amy, You're awesome. I
really do appreciate you coming in and building in some
time for me over the next couple of weeks. I
don't think much many people in your life are going
to get to hear from you much, but maybe after
(33:18):
that we can kind of come back and debrief on
everything that we saw. I really appreciate all the information
and good luck over the NICs of weeks.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
All right, this is the Emorysunger Podcast cwus Omaha.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
By the way dot com. That's how you're gonna be
able to find all.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
That information, and we'll talk plenty of College World Series
the next few weeks here on this podcast, on this feed.
We will talk to you next time. Thanks so much
for listening on the iHeartRadio app.
It is the Emory Songer Podcast, and we are alive
on the iHeartRadio app as always talking about the things
happening in and around Omaha that I find to be
very interesting. Hopefully you find them interesting too. I'm with
one of my very good friends who is in one
of the most important positions of anyone in the entire
city of Omaha. Amy Hornocker, is with us. She is
(00:28):
the executive director of what you know as the College
World Series. They call it the College World Series of Omaha,
inc all the behind the scenes stuff. We're gonna learn
a lot about what that looks like. Here just days
before Amy, the biggest time of the year in Omaha,
how are you feeling.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, we're getting there. We're excited to see who's gonna
make it. So when I on, the TVs are on
in the office, and there's a lot of activity going
on downtown already. The tents are already up at the
Baseball Village, so it'll just continue to get busier as
we go into the weekend and next week.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I know your job is all around this, so I'm
sure you would describe it as excitement, but I'm also
thinking if I weren't you, Yeah, and I have the
responsibility that you have, this would be the most stressful
time of the year. How do you kind of how
does this work at this stage of the game for you.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yeah, so, yeah, there's always something. We'll get a call,
you know, somebody forgot something. And that's kind of what
we think. We talked about too, because last year was
our anniversary year and we had a ton of extra
stuff on top of the normal stuff, and so this
year we're.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Kind of like, are we forgetting something? Something seems like.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
We're gonna forget it. But there's always something like somebody
forgot to. Last week was some folks forgot to put
in their need for hotel rooms and that's pretty difficult,
so like trying to figure out, working with visit Omaha,
trying to figure out how we can find like twelve
people rooms in a pretty full envice.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
So not an ideal thing.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, So there's always like little stuff like that that
pops up, and we're just we try to roll with it,
and sometimes, you know, you're just like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
But well, I can tell you this this event, and
we've talked about this before, just kind of how the
event operates.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
You have a small staff.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, of full time employees, which your job is the
boots on the ground. You are really working with all
of the entities around Omaha to make sure everybody has
the best experience possible, but also make sure that Omaha
still gets the best benefit of this incredible jewel that
we get a chance to experience every single year. For
(02:42):
this moment right now, there are sixteen teams left from
different pockets of the country.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Some of the super regionals involve multiple like two SEC schools,
two big schools that you could, you know, pretty easily
see a large contingent make the trip. There are also
some super regionals that involve smaller teams, teams that have
never made it here before. There is one specifically Little
Rock is playing Troy, and we know one of those
(03:11):
teams is going to be making it to Omaha for
the first time. So what what's the ideal formula for you?
I know you're not cheering for teams specifically, but different
teams means different things on your play.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, so definitely, we we like a mix. We want
we want the opportunity for baseball. It's good that these
other teams can make it here and we actually have
the potential.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
No, we have.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
We'll have two never been before. West Virginia and Kyle
Poly are playing right now as well.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Neither one. I we had to check that because I was.
I was surprised. West Virginia has no me too, I didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
So they will and if the bracket stays the way
that it's set up, because sometimes that can be shuffled
for a variety of reasons if they run into weather.
But they could play each other, so so they not
only would be the first time coming to Omaha, somebody's
gonna win for the first time, right, So that's pretty exciting.
But of course we're watching the SEC schools come through.
(04:12):
We have had both Mississippi schools here in the recent past,
and they obviously have incredible fans, So to have a
mix is great. Omaha always celebrates the Cinderella, so I
know people will whoever makes it through will they'll figure
out how to get.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Merch and cheer them on.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
And but yeah, it would be good to have a
mix of both.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I think a lot of people feel so disenfranchised by
college sports these days, right, Yes, football and basketball, like
the tournaments for basketball, just they don't feel the same
as they once did. It's so hard for a Cinderella
at school to kind of exist, to pop up and
win multiple games in March madness. And then of course
college football is going through all this transfer portal and
(04:56):
payroll stuff and conference realignment and expanse of playoffs and everything.
The purest sport that still seems to exist that feels
like college sports is the College World Series.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
We I mean, we were all on group messages over
the weekend and we're like, what is happening? But also
we saw a lot of like, is this May madness?
And is this the best postseason there is? Was like
a lot well, a lot of people were talking about
and of course we'd like to say yes. But it
has been really fun.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
To watch this year's It definitely is, I think unequivocally
this year, and I love watching the games, especially now
living in Omaha, knowing that one of these teams is
going to win the whole thing and I'm going to
get the chance to experience that in Omaha. But the
upsets the fact that baseball allows for some variability. A
(05:49):
lot of these schools are able to keep their players
because the money hasn't really corrupted it as much yet. Yeah,
I think it so much is and what I love
about it is everybody talks about Omaha, Omaha becomes this
synonymous thing of what it's like to achieve the pinnacle
of this sport. And I know it's your guys' job
(06:10):
to maintain that, like this aura of what Omaha is. Yeah,
it survived to move from Rosenblatt to downtown. It survived
a lot of different moving parts. And there could be
challengers that come up in the future that are trying to,
you know, kind of take this away from Omaha. What
does that mean to you guys though, about that responsibility
(06:30):
of keeping Omaha at the forefront of all of these
programs because that's the goal. They always say, it's the
road to Omaha.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, yeah, they do. They definitely do. And we've seen
it in their clubhouses across the country. We've seen they
send us photos. You know, it's they have road to Omaha.
They have like I'm you know, this distance from here
to Omaha, and so that's really cool for us. And yeah,
and we don't take it lightly. So we you know,
we're working behind the scenes. We have a bunch of
(06:58):
pillars that are organizations and IS is targeting with relationships
and then just how do we keep building this saying
to be better. So not only is it a place
the fans want to come, but it's like the top
tier place for the student athletes to be. So it's
a that's it's a constant work in progress for us,
so and it's it's definitely front of mine. Our contract
(07:21):
is until twenty thirty six, and we would like to,
you know, have an extension before then because we don't
want a chance for it to be snuck away. And
we have so many people from the local and state
level supporting us as well as I'm you know, we've
made We've made friends around the country, and that's what
(07:43):
we're going to.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Continue to do.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I think that was one thing we had talked about before.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
And I see this on social media quite a bit
of you know the Big ten Tournament. Yeah, also happens here, correct,
And sometimes the weather isn't great.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Oh gosh, no, and they have it's a it's a gauntlet,
like four games.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
He is like, I'm like, oh no.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, yeah, and then the weather gets involved. Yeah, and
you know I was there when we played until two am.
Oh yes, I loved My wife was not.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
So yeah, did you see the rally possum.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Oh, I was like.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Oh, they haven't.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
I didn't. I So I was sitting behind home plate.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I had no idea what they were looking at out there,
and I had no idea what was going on out there,
and they were pointing, and then an outfielder ran in
because there's like a pitching change, and outfielder ran in
and was pointing at the wall, and I had to
go on social media to figure out what the heck
they were talking about. And they got a great shot
of the possum just sitting on the wall. I mean,
he's probably living back here.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, He's like, come on, guys.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
And meanwhile, there's a bunch of guys. It's one thirty
in the morning.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
There are a bunch of dudes taking their shirts off
and waving them around in the corner, and there's still
a ton of people there cheering Nebraska on. It was
just one of those once in a lifetime things to
be watching a baseball game in downtown Olmaha at two
in the morning. Yeah, I absolutely loved it. But I
couldn't help but notice the discourse on social media. Oregon
made deep run in the tournament, UCLA made a deep
(09:06):
run in the tournament. You have all these West Coast
teams that you know, they are a bit spoiled and
they don't travel typically very well to the Midwest or
to the East coast when their teams are playing for
any sport, honestly, and there's like, well, this should be
in Vegas anyway, or we should move this thing to Dallas.
You know TCUs down down there, and you know, you
(09:28):
know they have all these different large schools down there.
They certainly would have the infrastructure even if we don't
have a school that is in these locales.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
They know how to handle college sports.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I just sit there and it's just like one of
the great things about Omaha or college sports is what
Omaha stands for. So how would those discussions start and
begin with the NCAA, because you know there are going
to be challengers. You know that there are people going
to want to move it to you know, a Vegas
or a Dallas or you know, gosh, there's one hundred
different markets that would to have this.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Yeah, how do you guys?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Did you see though a UCLA's coach and I talked
to him last year when he was here for when
they made the series and I was like, was You're like,
did you ever think you know you'd spend this much
time in Omaha?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
And he's like, that's my goal. But I why is big?
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Like sorry, if anyone from Vegas listens to this show,
but why is that always That's the same with the
Big twelve conference, Like, let's move this to Vegas.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Does anybody really like going to Vegas?
Speaker 5 (10:27):
Well, it's very expensive and weird. All right, we're gonna
get personal for a second. Have you done like a
real legitimate, fun trip to Vegas?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Not since I was like twenty one or something.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I was twenty three or twenty four and it was
the best. Yeah, And I don't know, it's just so
down on my list. Yeah, like I've done it, and
it's not even like it was, like there's there's a
sexiness to it when you're that age of oh, like
this is a forbidden thing, like we're going and we're
gonna sit in a sports book and bet on sports
(11:03):
and watch sports. And then you have all these limousines
and all these shows that you can go to. But
now it's just like their kids everywhere. You can gamble
almost anywhere in the country now, Like I.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Mean, yeah, and that your beer is twenty five dollars.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
And to stay in a hotel there even off season,
like what would be considered off season? Like sure the
weather's predictable there, but like, does anybody go to Vegas
now and like have the same type of fun they
did fifteen years ago?
Speaker 4 (11:30):
I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Maybe it's because they're building that the A's ball park
or something that they feel like baseball should go there.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
I know.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, so we'll see. But yeah, we're back to the question.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
I don't even remember.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Well, it's just like, well, so like the NC DOUABLEA
they get to make that call, right.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Like, yeah, we're just we're in behind the scenes with
everybody trying to put together, you know, have a conversation
where that's not even there. I'm gonna look to put
that out for bid. So and I think we have
some pretty good ideas and strong references.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
So that's Creighton moving out of that ballpark, have any
thing to do with that.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Well, so they still will be there.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
That their new field is primarily just like a practice field,
so they'll still play their home season there. I'm not
sure the their duration of their contract, but so yeah,
they'll still be.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
There, but in the NCAA moving from Rosenblack, part of
it was control. They wanted to have a lot of
control of the venue, but.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
They would actually like to see more things in there.
So they would like to see a program more often,
which I think is in the world, is being planned.
So there's the new you know, we have new leadership
at Mecca and he I think his goal is to
program the park more so.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Well, and then you have this proposed soccer.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Facility that, yeah, that'll be great.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
I mean it's just going to add more stuff in
that area of down to.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Think of driving in from the airport and like you
see that first and then you you come in on
everything else. And yeah, and I know it's just for
in my eyes, like another partner, because I mean we
have off we have off days, and you know, I
think they've already like briefly talked about how they could
program their facility to you know, there's just so many
(13:15):
people and so many opportunities to like have a good time.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And so speaking of right, I mean, this was one
of my big concerns this year.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
It's gonna be awesome when it's done. All that construction downtown.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, it's gonna be in the airport like, it's gonna
be phenomenal. So it's just when it's all done, we're
just gonna be like, oh gosh, for right.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Now though I know that, you know, like and I
haven't been downtown on a few weeks so and I
know they were trying to wrap some of that up
and kind of clean it up for the big crowds
that are going to be coming downtown. Was there any
concern from your guys standpoint about logistics with a lot
of that construction, especially with people that aren't familiar with
how to navigate down there with all of the blockages
and barriers.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Yeah, so they usually, Yeah, everything gets cleaned up for CWS,
some of the streetcar stuff, it's just not possible. And
I have to give a shout out to OPD in
their event and traffic, you know, because they listen to
this and they say, I never they listen to your
show and they say, I never give them any credit.
So here it is. Here it is, Hi, guys. They
(14:20):
do like a phenomenal job with with the the movement
of in and out of the area.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
It does.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
This does cause them additional wrinkles as well, but they
have so many plans in place, not just for moving vehicles,
but for protecting pedestrians and fans.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
So the other thing that.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
We've been working on with the city in park Omaha
is we will have a map available on our website
that's like through the g I S system, so it
will be able to tell you like real time what
what isn't isn't open, what even like what park Omaha
garages have as far as capacities. Like, this thing is crazy,
(15:02):
it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
It like came up in.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
A conversation and they're like, oh, yeah, we can totally
do that, and so our staff has been working with
them and it's gonna be I think, really cool and
you'll be able to even see, you know, kind of
some more detail of of like even down to like
where Metro runs their buses the scooters where they slow
the scooters down. So that's gonna be a new thing
(15:26):
that's on our website Cwsaha dot com that I think
would be.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Helpful for people.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
It definitely would be those scooters. They can be tricky
for the out of towners. Because when I first moved here,
I loved jumping on the scooter and just exploring downtown
I had no idea there were red spots. Yeah, no, no,
and I hadn't I no idea where they started where
they ended, So I had to you know, do some
exploration on that app to even know that they changed
the map.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Yes, for the college world too.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yes, it slows it down, and there's been controversy over
whether that because then they just get dumped. But they've
been doing a really good job of picking them up,
so we have we were worried about like them stacking up,
but they do. They have a pretty good crew that
comes through and moves them.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
So they have a big scooter parking lot that they put.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah, the corral there on Fahy, So just scooter those
safety because there's usually a lot of we have a
lot of injuries.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
So just don't be crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Yeah yourself. Nobody has helmets when they're right around on those. Okay, Amy,
let's talk about you. Yeah, you have done this job
for how long?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Like this is my ninth year with CWS, fourth as
executive director.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
So what does your day look like. Let's start, you know,
next week, let's do Tuesday. We know all the teams
and plans are being made, They're going to be moved
coming very soon if they're not already on their way,
what does that look like?
Speaker 4 (16:49):
And how do you figure out where each team is
going to stay.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, so we have six team hotels, all in the
downtown and they actually they'll the team's all be arriving
on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
However, we usually have a few.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
In fact, I've already had one reach out, which usually
means bad luck for them.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
But some of them.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Are like, I've been doing this so long, I don't
care about that, Like I need to get this stuff
lined up. That dead are coming from a site where
they'd rather not go home and they'd rather just come here.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So because I would wonder if they're making like a
cross country track, Yes, right, maybe just coming here would
make more sense, right.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And it's just there are The thing that we should
be proud of as a city is that our hotel
properties don't sit empty. So there's a convention conference on
the front end of the CWS, so that makes that
very unlikely to happen. So we've asked that they don't
come in early. If they come in early, kind of
up to them on inst and the team I talked to,
(17:55):
I said, you just even price wise, you might want
to just stay where you are and come here from there,
but all understanding that. So that's just a wrinkle of
the logistics. And with eight new teams, we're gonna be,
you know, answering a lot of questions because eight teams,
(18:15):
well two that I've never been here, and then everybody
wasn't here last year, so even if they have been
here in the past few years, they're gonna forget. So
our staff, we have the team hosts who are helped.
They're assigned to each team and they're helpful, they're they're
kind of key contact throughout the series. Our bus drivers
(18:35):
from Arrow are some of them have national championship rings,
like they become they become kind of like part of
the teams that because they stay with them throughout and
uh yeah. So when you hear those stories, it's like, yeah,
I have two national title rings and I'm like what.
So there's just a lot of.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
So next week will be and then we have our
media Wednesday more, we have our media availability, which well
members of lots of entities, the governor, the mayor will
be there to talk. And then what everybody actually gets
the media there is the concession unveiling, so that is
(19:17):
when they will find out. They'll show what is new
for this year in the concessions, which.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Is incredibly important.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
This is where you got me tuned in for that,
y all, due respect to Jim Pillen and I can't
wait get me in that ballpark right right? Okay, So
so that's Tuesday into Wednesday media availability. They'll want to practice,
they'll get to practice. Opening ceremonies become kind of an
evolving thing to try and to organize that. How much
(19:46):
of a hand do you guys have and how that
all operation goes?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah, so that'll be completely all hands on deck. That
day is long.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
The first team will be over close to eight o'clock
for they take a photo in front of the Road
to Omah Sculpture. Actually they're out. John Liva, who's the artist,
is out cleaning it today. He cleans it every year
and he puts like a something on it so that
it photographs better. He's like, takes great pride at day.
He's actually had an use surgery and so he's over there.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I'm like John.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Anyways, so it looks good, it'll look good, and then
they'll go in for practice and every team they also
do all their video board stuff and their ESPN interviews
and the fog machine and all that for in game
stuff and so.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
But that one is free.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So if it's a non ticketed event, if you want
to come watch all eight teams practice, that's on Thursday, Yeah, Thursday,
starting at nine. It usually goes so the Friday games
will those teams will go.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
First and then they get like what an hour hour
and a half, yeah, a little.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Over an hour to be on the field, and then
we do kind of a private event with them and
their families in the evening.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Yeah. Last year, you guys had a huge party at
the Yes.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
That was for our anniversary, Yeah, with the pork tornadoes,
which are my guys tornadoes, which was.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
That was so fun.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
A ton of people were down there, and you guys
sold it as the seventy fifth anniversary of the Omaha
College World Series. So kind of what's on deck for
these guys now that this year for kind of celebrating
the kickoff of this grand Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So over our open practice day I do and Friday night,
though I do want to point out Friday night, which
is Game two. We have been lucky enough to work
with a local foundation on a drone show so we've
never done drones at the CWS.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
There's a lot. I've learned a lot about it, so
post game of Game two.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
It started as an America two fifty celebration, but it
has baseball weave throughout of it. So throughout it so
you'll be able to see there's a video in venue
that ties to the drone show, but you'll also be
obviously able to see it downtown. It'll it's gonna they'll
fly above c chi uh and it's four hundred drones.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
So I've seen these before before. They are amazing.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, it's been There's just a lot of things that
obviously go into putting them in the air, and so
it's it's been interesting, but it's gonna be really cool.
So we just you know, want people stick around on
the game or if they're down there.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
You'll see them.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Yeah, you'll see them.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
That's so cool.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
So so then the kickoff event is that are you
guys doing that at the zoo this year?
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (22:32):
So, and that is private for just the teams and
their family, but we wanted to give them a chance
to see something other than the stadium, so why not
the zoo And then they can see they can check out,
you know, the old Rosenblat site.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
And then yeah, from.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
The nostalgia perspective, and then it was fun last year
because they don't see their families. They're on the road
a lot, so it was fun to see them get
to kind of reunite. And then also just like very
large children because they got to feed the alligators and
the zoo did like a bunch of really cool animal encounters.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
So that is so awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, and you know, when you live here, you're like,
the U take how cool our zoo is, for granted,
because it is so cool compared to what most people have.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Well, and I came from Iowa and I lived in
Des Moines and they have a really great, smaller zoo.
But when I first moved here, I mean I just
wanted to go there all the time. I just I'm
just is so large. I mean even some of the
other great zoos in America are not the footprint of
size that we have here. It is absolutely an amazing
another jewel that we just we cannot forget about how
(23:40):
amazing it is that we have that. So now let's
go to Friday and Saturday. We have two games, all
eight teams are going to be there, the fan bases,
they're going to be mingling in around downtown. What all
of a sudden becomes your responsibilities on game days because
we're going to get to this in a second, but
you don't get to see your home for a while.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, yeah, we go. It's every every day is different.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
And but you know, opening weekends the the best because everybody, Yeah,
all A teams are here, all their fans are here.
Like downtown is electric and there, I mean there's new
things coming online downtown just will mill work. And then
also to the west of us because Sunny's is moving.
(24:24):
They have a location now sixteenth and fayh Yeah, so
the place for that, Yeah, and so that'll be like
another new thing because I mean that's family you the muse,
live music and all that. So we always say, even
if you're not a baseball fan, just to come down
and yeah, but like, yeah, every day is different. Those
(24:44):
first few days are are once we get rolling, we're good.
But for a few days we find we remember what
we're doing and.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Figure it out.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
So you got a small staff, Yeah, there is a
board of directors that are kind of above but yeah,
like you guys really are the ones that are making
everything happen. And so what are examples of some stuff
throughout the day, because like when the game's going on,
are you able to like just be in the press box?
What what's the Yeah, so.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
There's five of us here locally, but then we have
about twenty seven folks from Indianapolis from the NCAA office
that work on baseball, so they'll come in and out.
So yeah, anything from like game presentation, the stuff that
happens on the field, to in the video boards to
(25:28):
just like hospital Like we have hospitality areas that we
have to to service and get you know, we there's
bat testing, there's a lot of operational stuff that happens.
And then if then you know, God forbid, we run
into weather in Omaha in June.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
There's we have like a whole list of here's who
goes where, here's how we.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Communicate with who, and yeah, there's just a ton of
moving parts.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
To the thing.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
So and like you said, every single day is a
little bit different.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You have a memory since you've been the executive director
of a particularly crazy day that just was either nightmare
fuel or something that after it was over, you were like,
I need to be here I need to just like
not think about baseball for a while.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, our heroes night because we want to do it
up right. It has so many moving parts. We usually
have a lot of first responders in military members and
people that may need more security or you know, more escorting.
And so usually that night is where it's I mean
we are grabbing up like anybody we can to help
(26:41):
us with all the moving parts and getting people where they.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Need to do go.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
And so usually after that one, we liked here because
we're like, yeah, we did it, we got this, we
got this done.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
I don't, you know, not really any nightmare fuel.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I mean we COVID year was very or the year
after COVID was very difficult with all the protocols we
had in place, and that was probably the most I
think stressful. We had teams you know that didn't maybe
follow all the rules and yeah, so we had some
fans that weren't happy with us.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
And what do you do there though? Right?
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Yeah, and it's not really eving your rules, right, yeah,
kind of just there yeah, forcing of the bigger entiteam run.
Yeah it's crazy. Okay, so you have a dog, I
do my child? Yeah, so tell me about about your pups.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
She goes to camp. Yeah, so she used. I used
to try to figure this out and then we'd run
into reindelays and I'm like scrambling people. So I'm lucky
to have I have a really good friend that has
her friend. So she goes and lives in Gretna and
plays with her friend for two weeks and gets well
taken care of, sometimes so much that when I come
(27:51):
to pick her up, she's like, I'm good. Yeah, She's
like hey mom, and then she's back. So I'm really lucky, Yeah,
because I don't have to worry about her throughout the.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
That just tells us, you know how crazy timing is,
because I know you like your dog, like you mentioned,
is like a child.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
So what's the breed?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
A vulner treat?
Speaker 4 (28:12):
Her name is all of she's five five years old.
Have you had dogs for your entire adult No?
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Not yeah, my whole adulthood. Not when I was little though,
because my sister was allergic to them. So I think that's.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
Why you just needed it after that.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, Well I had dogs growing up, but I had
I had a German Shepherd when I was a small toddler.
I have very faint memories of him, and then we
adopted a golden lab for about three months until my
parents were like, we can't handle this. She was a puppy,
(28:49):
so it was just like a different chair would get
chewed on every single day, you know, and they just
were not prepared to handle that. Then we got a
Britney Spaniel who was a great dog. But then we
got jog crustal terriers after that.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, I had a Jack Russell Terrier. Yeah, and that's
my first dog. I did not if I think if
I knew that you could surrender them to someone, I
would have, but I didn't.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Oh, it scared me from small dogs forever.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
My dad love him, though they still like, don't talk
about him like that.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Well, they were good dogs, but you know, it's just
like I gotta get a different type of dog. I
fell in love with the greyhounds. Greyhounds now and we're
on our fourth and fifth greyhound. And the idea of
just not seeing them for a while is like, like
I go to the Iowa state, for for instance, and
for basically eleven straight days, I'm just not going to
(29:38):
see them.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
And when you were on your trip, what did how long?
Speaker 4 (29:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Two weeks, two weeks of not like just being gone,
and I don't know, like non dog people just don't
get like I know. When I moved here, I was
living in the Hilton, Yeah, because I had nowhere to
live and my wife and dogs were still and I
had three dogs at the time, and they were just
back into Moine, and I just I could not wait
(30:03):
until Friday when I could drive home. And I like
my wife too, but I wanted to see I missed
my dogs, and I was like, can I take one
of them with me? And she's like, this would be
bad for the dog. You should not do that. I'm
sure that's kind of where you're at now. It's better
for the dog to just kind of have some stability
for a few days.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Miss me. I don't think.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
But I get updates, get I get like daily updates. Ever,
so that makes me happy.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I can't I need to meet all of it. Yes, yes,
I see all of on your social media. I'm just
like that dog's living a great life. I want to
I want to meet all of Okay, so last thing
for you before we get out of here. You're you're
sitting here, You're going to watch all these games this week,
You're going to be very invested into seeing who is
(30:51):
or isn't going to be making the trip to Omaha.
For anybody who kind of is wondering the best way
from a person on the inside, the best way to
experience the College World Series baseball fan, not a baseball fan,
Omaha native, somebody from outside of Omaha, maybe wanting to
make the trip in to see what all the hubbub
is about. What would be the best day for somebody
(31:14):
who's coming on a Saturday or a Sunday and just
wanting to see what the College World Series and Omaha.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Yeah, I'd say if you want if you just really
want to get in on the fun. The opening weekend
is the play downtown is just really fun to be
if you are looking for game day tickets because the
misconception is that we don't have any tickets, and we do.
It's easier to get tickets in the you know, the
(31:42):
midweek games, So that would be a good time to
check out a game too. If you don't, if you
want to, you know, not pay a fortune and you
want to see it an you want to see a game,
and then yeah, but I feel like you have to
do it all, So come down, go around town.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Are I say?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
I would say CWS omaha dot com is the best
resource because we have we have everything. Instead of telling
you know where to go get tickets, you can link
from our site same with it can take you to
visit Omaha's site.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
So that that's.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
What I would recommend, and you can see all the
things there are to do and how to get here
and where.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
To buy your tickets.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
And like you said, your website is now going to
be updated with places to park ways that you can
maneuver around downtown if you're if that's a little intimidating
because I live here and it kind of is for
me right now, just downtown always seems like it's a
bit different.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
So the website is yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
And ride share is always a good option because I
know they really amp up. People come from all over
to drive and we have saved spots for those people
to be picked up and dropped off, and that's always
an option that's way easier too. And if you're having
a couple of drinks, just just don't mess with it.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Wait wait and honestly, with Rockos and the Dollo shots, yeah,
everything that's around, you're gonna wish that you had somebody
to drive you home for sure. Amy, You're awesome. I
really do appreciate you coming in and building in some
time for me over the next couple of weeks. I
don't think much many people in your life are going
to get to hear from you much, but maybe after
(33:18):
that we can kind of come back and debrief on
everything that we saw. I really appreciate all the information
and good luck over the NICs of weeks.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
All right, this is the Emorysunger Podcast cwus Omaha.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
By the way dot com. That's how you're gonna be
able to find all.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
That information, and we'll talk plenty of College World Series
the next few weeks here on this podcast, on this feed.
We will talk to you next time. Thanks so much
for listening on the iHeartRadio app.
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