Titan's Road to Championship in Omaha

Farewell from Omaha

2007-06-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Carlos Leija, executive director of alumni relations, sends his last report from Omaha after the Titan baseball team was eliminated from competition.

What a heartbreaker! But you know, everyone came back to Titan House after the game. Everyone was just cheering for the team as they walked down the driveway toward the house. There was a lot of love from everyone, a lot of tears, but they were really proud.
Coach Horton said a few words that were really appreciated. It was sad, but really positive. The Titans are one of the top eight baseball teams in the nation!

Then last night as we were taking everything down at the house and cleaning up, I realized that we had so much product (food, supplies) left over. Remembering the spirit in which San Diego State offered the use of Tony Gwynn Stadium so that the University of San Diego could host their regional, I thought 'UCI is just down the street, and we're good friends. UCI is part of the Big West.' So I went down to their house and gave them all of our extra product so they could continue their celebration.

It was really positive. We'll be back next year, hopefully. And we'll go get them next year!

Game Day

2007-06-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

CSUF senior Chris Kim reports from Omaha.

Game day arrived, and I entered Titan House to be surrounded with a flood of Titan fans hoping to capture a fifth national championship. The buzz and excitement was incredible. After soaking in the atmosphere for a few minutes, I headed to the stadium to observe the UC Irvine game.

It was a tough loss for Irvine, and I made my way back to the Titan House to check out the buzz and excitement before the big game.

The house had seemed to double in size since the last time I checked in. Fans of all ages, including many who had never been to Cal State Fullerton, were participating in the pre-game buzz. It seemed that everyone was brandishing Titan logos in one form or another, including painted faces and limbs.

The game itself was filled with moments of ups and downs and ended with a finish that wasn’t a storybook ending. Though the result wasn’t what I had hoped for, the excitement that filled the stadium was a memorable experience.

I headed back to the Titan House to a crowd full of Titan fans, and the team soon arrived for a feast that was reserved in honor of their performance.

It was great so see so much spirit and camaraderie, and it’s been an amazing achievement to see the team get this far despite their loss to Oregon State University. The Titans are not completely out of it and still have a chance as they prepare to play against cross-town rival UC Irvine.

No matter what happens, this truly has been one of the best experiences during my years as a CSUF student.

An Eye-Opening Experience

2007-06-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

CSUF senior Chris Kim sends his first report from Omaha.

Waking up from my hotel this morning and heading out to Omaha was an eye-opening experience. I drove for 10 miles, and the state seemed to be deserted with empty houses and neighborhoods looking like ghost towns. That was until I reached the exit to the legendary Rosenblatt Stadium.

I was greeted with a mass of traffic similar to rush hour traffic in Los Angeles, all coordinated by security officers attempting to manage the organized chaos. It seemed that like myself, the entire state was on a pilgrimage to Rosenblatt for the College World Series.

On the main street, I was greeted with yet even more traffic and a flood of people meandering on the sidewalk, as well as a view of several tents and houses set up with BBQ pits and overpriced soft drinks.

While driving through the stadium, a sea of tailgaters with tents, picnic tables and BBQ grills had been set up throughout the parking lot. I eventually reached a corner of the parking lot that was surrounded with Mississippi State fans and spotted a sign that read "Ole Miss Ain't Here Again, GO STATE!"

The atmosphere around the event was amazing. It was great to experience such a communal event and witnessing people from all over the country displaying their school spirits. I was really impressed by the amount of people that were in attendance that showed their school spirit for Cal State Fullerton. Despite the driving and traffic fiasco earlier in the day, the amount of excitement and buzz that seeped through the atmosphere is a truly exciting and momentous event that I will not soon forget.

One Pitch At A Time

2007-06-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

CSUF lecturer Stacy Bradshaw files this report from Omaha.

Things always look a little brighter in the morning. A cup of coffee and catching up on the Omaha-Heralds "Its the Beaver's by a Hair" article and a father's day piece by Dane Stickney of the World Herald Staff featuring our Tim and Matt Wallach.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10052887

I can't imagine that the Beavers woke up in Omaha on June 18, 2006 after a 11-1 Loss to Miami and believed that they would battle back to win a national championship in 2006.

Titan players and Titan fans have believed through more come from behind victory tales that a mere human can document in a Sunday morning blog. A sentiment frequently echoed on Titan Central, "One pitch at a time", we've collectively witnessed miracles under an Omaha sun powerful enough to erase the memories of an earlier game and bring all focus on the competition at hand (remember the Georgia Tech 7-5 win last year, followed by the Clemson 7-6 victory?).

Wes Roemer and company were warriors last night and right up until the last pitch you really believed that this particular battle was within inches of victory. Being Titan means you get used to a lot of people underestimating (out of ignorance) what Titans are accustomed to ... being champions. A trip to the bookstore to find a 400 page classic on Julius Caesar (Husband Vince declares, "I plan on staying in Omaha for the whole week") staying cool until our next game in three primary places: In the hotel pool, hanging with Titan fans and alumni at the Titan House, or surrounded by local Titan fans that you encounter throughout Omaha. Vince reminds me that he bought and read a book on Cicero during the 2004 Championship Series.

While TNT showed the movie "Remember the Titan's" last night on the television, Sunday morning mass at a local Omaha Catholic Church was just what the doctor ordered to get rid of that terrible hang-over feeling from a loss that you have to let go of so you can remember 'one pitch at a time.' Sacred Heart Catholic Church served up gospel music (in Omaha, NE ) with drums, piano, tambourines and bass guitars. Followed by lunch at a little restaurant on the border of Iowa and Nebraska, "Hollywood Diner", no less.

Today is for recharging and refreshing. Staying cool. Remembering in what we believe. I believe in George Horton. Always have. Always will. Horton takes chances, sets stages, and believes in the talent and capabilities of the young guys that are growing into men right before our very eyes. People ask us all the time if we have kids on the team (no, we reply, we're just crazy alumni fans). So why would we travel to the heartland to watch baseball be played on the grand stage? Because we believe in Titan baseball, one pitch at a time.

Bring It On!

2007-06-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Carlos Leija, executive director of Alumni Relations, called in Sunday morning with his update from Titan House:

It was a great day, even though we didn't win. Once again, we had an outstanding crowd at Titan House. There were a lot of new faces, new players, new parents and families. We had a lot of media coverage at the house, including ESPN and individuals from College Sports Television.

Once again everyone was stepping up and pitching in to help out at the house. It was a great atmosphere. Following the game, as in the past, the team came over to the house for dinner. And boy, in terms of the number of people there, it was reminiscent of after we won the national championship. It was packed! Everyone was still in really good spirits, realizing that we're going to be facing UC Irvine in the elimination game. But everyone's spirits were really up, it was like bring it on!

Cool Relief at Titan House

2007-06-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Diana Lee Roemer continues her report after the Titan's loss to Oregon State.

Midnight, Saturday

Omaha is alive, a giant party in mid-June where tens of thousands are crowding into almost every available space to revel in the annual culmination of D1 baseball. Every shadow is consumed by someone's sweaty body seeking relief. The Roemer-Thorn clan pressed into the mess. We turned over five G.A. tickets to attend the UC Irvine / Arizona State game, only to find our cross-town rivals on the same sad end of the score we would be at later and more worse for the wear, tiring of the sun by the 5th inning and collapsing on couches at the best thing about Omaha: The Titan House.

Forget baseball, the Titan House is the best part of the trip and a lifesaver for those of us seeking relief from the incredible heat here. I don't know who all these fans and alumni are that make the Titan House go around but they're doing an incredible job. We got to see the team after the game at the house – Titan alums had cooked chicken, brats and ribs, and the boys seem ready to face Irvine Monday.

Four top teams, two close games, another climb from the basement for our boys after a 3-2 nailbiter. Let's hope Monday goes a little better.

And now, we play each other.

Titan Mom's Ready to Work

2007-06-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Diana Lee Roemer is the mother of pitcher Wes Roemer and a writer who lives in Northwestern Illinois. Here’s her report on her trip to the College World Series.

Four of us peeled out of my home at Lake Summerset at about 4:15 p.m. Friday with Wesley's grandfather, (my father, Richard Thorn), piloting the Montego 400 miles to Omaha. I navigated, and along the way texted friends asking about the two games in Bracket One. Like Coach Horton's trip to Aspen put on ice, both Dad and I have given up other obligations to be here: my nephew's graduation party, our cousin's 40th wedding anniversary party and a sesquicentennial celebration in my hometown. I also think my editor would much prefer me sitting at my desk, but there is no way I could ever stay home. Being here is too good to be true. Thank you, newspaper gods, for giving me the wisdom to save vacation days.

Snuggled into my suitcase is my Beanie Baby elephant, who is commercially named Teensy, but whom I have dubbed "Tuffy." I bought Tuffy at the Wichita State series and have held him during every game since. He looks just like our mascot. I'm not as suspicious as some, but Tuffy will see the inside of Rosenblatt tomorrow if I have to beg, plead or sneak him inside. Some wear special shirts or beads or swing orange and blue rags around. I carry an elephant.

The roads were very familiar as we finally wound our way into town at 11 p.m. having traveled on five interstates through three states, just like last year. Like Wes, we are happy to be back in the heart of America with a national championship on our minds. At the hotel, we picked up copies of the Omaha Herald Tribune with the Titans splashed inside and out. The Titans are in town. And everybody knows it.

We are here. And we are ready. As Wes would say, let's "Do work."

Let’s Not Break That Winning Streak

2007-06-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Part-time lecturer Stacy Bradshaw ’03, ‘05 and and her husband Vince Bradshaw ‘84 are making their fourth trip to Omaha and the Titan House. They visited in 2003, 2004, 2006 and now in 2007. Here’s her report.

A diehard Titan fan is always prepared to go to Omaha. Returning to Rosenblatt and gathering with familiar faces at Titan House is as comforting as I imagine the swallows feel when they fly back to the 'old mission' of Capistrano.

This is the first year we didn't hop in the car and drive across country. We rationalized that the baseball gods would give us credit for driving to San Diego for the Regionals and paying our small mileage dues (260 miles roundtrip versus 3,000 roundtrip).

Just like Crash Davis, who said that "a player on a streak had to respect the streak," we respect our personal superstitions about Titan baseball in Omaha. We never book reservations to Omaha in advance. Never. This made it a little tricky to find hotels in the past so we used to stay in Lincoln, near the University of Nebraska and commute to and from the games. As the team advanced towards the championship games, we would check out of our Lincoln hotel, pack up the car, and put everything on the line with the team. If you win, we'll find another hotel closer to Rosenblatt. If you don't win, we're ready to get in the car and drive home. We still consider going to Omaha a streak (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) because in 2005 President Bush met with the '04 team almost a year after their National Championship. So I blame Bush for delaying the team's trip to Washington D.C. into the next baseball year. Bush and the SuperRegional series against ASU.

This year Vince flew on a direct flight from Burbank to Omaha, picked up a rent-a-car, and checked into a hotel in Iowa just the other side of the Nebraska state line. The car has Texas plates which we'll have to deal with sooner rather than later (those hook ‘em horns need to be turned upside down like they were when we beat Texas in '04). By flying this year instead of driving, Vince was able to watch all the team practices on Thursday and attend the Opening Ceremonies. "Better fireworks than Disneyland", he reports, along with all the pomp and circumstance of an Olympic Opening Ceremony.

We kept with our 'never book reservations to Omaha in advance' streak which meant that we were on the Internet at midnight after the Titans swept UCLA in the Super Regionals booking the equivalent of a racing trifecta – flight/hotel/car – in reverse order. If you can't find a car, you're toast. You have to find a hotel (mostly a matter of budget and distance), and then you can back into a flight now that there are direct flights to Omaha. Train, plane, or automobile, Vince's law practice has a permanent two week hiatus every June that has some of his lawyer clients paying attention to college baseball to see how the Titans are doing so they can calendar court cases in the prime of June. To say they were surprised this year would be an understatement, but that is the mystery of Omaha and the Titans. Hopefully, I'll be joining him at Rosenblatt and the Titan House next weekend. No, I haven't booked my airline reservations yet for next weekend because I don't want to mess with our streak.

Vince stayed out of the sun today and instead found a new restaurant on 13th street near the stadium and had a steak dinner while he watched College World Series baseball on a big screen TV. He met some new Omaha acquaintances (one who happened to be a lawyer). This kind of thing happens so frequently in Omaha (striking up conversations with strangers in restaurants) and so improbably in Los Angeles that it is not uncommon to go to breakfast in your Titan gear once the games are in swing and run into some fans from South Carolina or LSU (in years past) and spend a lot of time just having conversation over coffee.

This morning he'll gear up and head over to Titan House to stay in the shade (in the 90's) and watch UC Irvine play. Then it will be game time and it won't matter where our seats are in Rosenblatt, because we're just happy to be there.

Getting the Job Done at Titan House

2007-06-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

Carlos Leija, executive director for Alumni Relations, called in this report early Saturday morning:

People started coming in to Titan House Saturday, showing up to chip in, people we didn’t even know. Lots of people were coming in to the house for the first time – from boosters to parents. Helping to put up banners and the like. One guy driving down the street just had to stop and get his bearings and said, ‘gee, it’s great that you have a facility like this,’ and just shook my hand and went on.

The guys from Rent-A-Center came buy and set up the big-screen TVs, giving us a phenomenal price, thanks to our guy Russ Barber. And the guys from Moffatt Air Force Base are here to help us again. They come through for us every time we’re here in Omaha. I saw our ad congratulating the team in the Omaha World Herald today, and think it will go over very well with the team.

The Titan House is doing what it's supposed to do with friends and fans, and I know the team will go out and do their job as well today.

Preparations Begin at Titan House

2007-06-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Carlos Leija, executive director of Alumni Relations, landed in Omaha Thursday night and was at the Titan House bright and early Friday morning, helping ready the facilities for the onslaught of fans, families, faculty and other folks who are expected to be visiting over the next 10 days or so.

Here’s his report:

I flew in on a small express airline, but there were a lot of Titans on board, and they were excited to find out who I was. It was kind of cool to get that response.

Opening ceremonies went really well this year.

This morning when I arrived at the house, Tom Elliott of Past Times Collectibles in Fullerton had put up two really outstanding banners, including one that says, “Cal State Omaha,” indicating that we’ve created a baseball dynasty. It’s really cool, everyone’s laughing, but we’ve really have created a dynasty.

The tents are up, the die-hards are already here. We’re pulling out all the stops to make the house a success.

There’s buzz around about UC Irvine. They’re just up the street from us. They’ve got their banners and grill. It’s a testament to the fact that UCI knows how important a presence is on Rosenblatt Row for fans and team members to congregate before, after and even during the games.

I guarantee you the house will be great – we are doing great things to make Titan House really special.

Merilyn and Jerry Goodwin are already at the house, looking forward to more Titan alumni, team supporters, parents and fans.

- Carlos Leija -

Welcome Titan Fans!

2007-06-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Cal State Fullerton's Titans have done it again - the team has made it to the College World Series! We're so proud of our Titans and we look forward to some great games over the next few days.

Reporting on this blog will be CSUF senior Chris Kim, a double major in communications and radio/TV/film. Kim, 21, is a talented news reporter who will chronicle the behind-the-scenes stories from Titan House and Rosenblatt Stadium. He traveled into Omaha from his home in Trabuco Canyon Thursday in preparation for the series, armed with a video camera and laptop computer. Check right here to get the latest from Omaha and from home.

We invite you to post your thoughts about the team, the games, and our love of baseball!