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The Road to Omaha: Hits, Hopes, and History at the College World Series
Every summer, college baseball teams from around the nation come to Omaha, Nebraska, to play pure move-the-man-over, run-manufacturing baseball in a series that’s part college bowl game, part county fair. In the spirit of 3 Nights in August and The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty , veteran sports writer Ryan McGee goes behind the scenes, into the stands, and onto the field to reveal an exciting yet personal look at one of the hottest sports championships in the country---the College World Series.
In 2008, the ten-day, eight-team tournament was the scene of one of the greatest series in its illustrious history. And Ryan McGee puts the reader behind closed doors with the underdog champs, the Fresno State Bulldogs, as well as with their seven opponents, from the first batting practice session, to bus rides to the ballpark, to the locker room and the dugout. It’s the CWS as few ever see it.
But The Road to Omaha goes far beyond the 2008 season. It’s an in-depth look at the managing strategies and playing style of college baseball, as well as a series of profiles that examine the people behind and around the CWS---the players, coaches, and fans who keep that feeling of good-old-days innocence alive through their reverence for the Great American Pastime.
McGee also takes up residence at Rosenblatt Stadium itself, reliving its rich history and tapping into the electricity around it, from the tailgating fans to the surrounding neighborhoods. “The Blatt” is America’s last real connection to the baseball belief that Field of Dreams can actually a wooden-framed ballpark with cramped concourses where teams share locker rooms, change clothes in the parking lot, and sign autographs for kids until their fingers cramp. “The Blatt” is a monument to tradition---and the last of its kind to keep that tradition alive.
Thanks to Ryan McGee’s quick eye for play-by-play action, as well as his deep love for sports, The Road to Omaha is a rare glimpse into the kind of baseball our grandfather’s knew---a snapshot of the one of the last remaining vestiges of pure a hometown, baseball, and the people who shape it and are shaped by it in turn.
In 2008, the ten-day, eight-team tournament was the scene of one of the greatest series in its illustrious history. And Ryan McGee puts the reader behind closed doors with the underdog champs, the Fresno State Bulldogs, as well as with their seven opponents, from the first batting practice session, to bus rides to the ballpark, to the locker room and the dugout. It’s the CWS as few ever see it.
But The Road to Omaha goes far beyond the 2008 season. It’s an in-depth look at the managing strategies and playing style of college baseball, as well as a series of profiles that examine the people behind and around the CWS---the players, coaches, and fans who keep that feeling of good-old-days innocence alive through their reverence for the Great American Pastime.
McGee also takes up residence at Rosenblatt Stadium itself, reliving its rich history and tapping into the electricity around it, from the tailgating fans to the surrounding neighborhoods. “The Blatt” is America’s last real connection to the baseball belief that Field of Dreams can actually a wooden-framed ballpark with cramped concourses where teams share locker rooms, change clothes in the parking lot, and sign autographs for kids until their fingers cramp. “The Blatt” is a monument to tradition---and the last of its kind to keep that tradition alive.
Thanks to Ryan McGee’s quick eye for play-by-play action, as well as his deep love for sports, The Road to Omaha is a rare glimpse into the kind of baseball our grandfather’s knew---a snapshot of the one of the last remaining vestiges of pure a hometown, baseball, and the people who shape it and are shaped by it in turn.
- GenresBaseballSportsNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
22 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 22, 2024
Incredible book about the 2008 Cinderella Fresno State team. It also gives a great history of Omaha, Rosenblatt and the history of the College World Series. A must read for anyone who is a college baseball fan.
June 8, 2025
I was torn between a 4 and 5 star review. Give it 5 stars because this book has me SO excited for my very own (first) trip to Omaha next week. Fun historical and personal stories peppered in throughout the book. Very fun!
August 2, 2010
A love letter to Omaha and the CWS. I enjoyed it very much, though I am biased (since I'm from Omaha).
Because I'm not a baseball aficionado, there were game play bits that I had to skim over, but it didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book. There was a very large cast of characters (not only all the players and coaches of the eight teams involved in the 2008 series, but also commentators, former players and coaches, stadium & NCAA personnel, etc.), rivaling War & Peace; rather difficult to keep everyone in mind.
At times the writing became a bit formulaic, but he's writing about something that is essentially repetitive. Someone comes to bat, someone pitches, and there's a result. Lather, rinse, repeat. Again, I was able to skim over the repetitive bits, so it didn't interfere. It was, however, noticeable.
Highly recommended for baseball fans and Omaha fans.
Because I'm not a baseball aficionado, there were game play bits that I had to skim over, but it didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book. There was a very large cast of characters (not only all the players and coaches of the eight teams involved in the 2008 series, but also commentators, former players and coaches, stadium & NCAA personnel, etc.), rivaling War & Peace; rather difficult to keep everyone in mind.
At times the writing became a bit formulaic, but he's writing about something that is essentially repetitive. Someone comes to bat, someone pitches, and there's a result. Lather, rinse, repeat. Again, I was able to skim over the repetitive bits, so it didn't interfere. It was, however, noticeable.
Highly recommended for baseball fans and Omaha fans.
July 1, 2017
A really good book on the College Baseball World Series that takes place every year in Omaha, Nebraska. Kind of does for college baseball what John Feinstein usually does for college basketball. Ryan McGee, the author, takes you inside all eight programs that are there, and even some that aren't. It talks about a lot of college baseball players that are MLB stars today like Buster Posey, Yodier Alonso, Ryan Theriot, Yasmani Grandal, and countless others. Augie Garrido, the longtime coach at Cal State Fullerton and Texas that is from Vallejo, is also talked about a lot in this book, as is all the other coaches. The programs LSU, Miami, Florida State, Fresno State, North Carolina, Stanford, Georgia and others are talked about a lot. The book also talks about how this is one of the last years (2008) that they played the series at Rosenblatt Stadium, basically a national landmark in Nebraska. Good stuff, read at the perfect time with the 2017 College World Series going on.
March 22, 2024
Absolutely loved this book! I have been to Omaha for the CWS at least a dozen times the majority of those visits were to Rosenblatt. McGee does such a great job in this book of not just covering what happened between the lines for every game of the ‘08 series but capturing also what goes on in Omaha during the entirety of the CWS.
I remember where I was while watching the final out of the ‘08 CWS but I had forgotten most of what happened from the first pitch of the opening game to that final fly ball catch to crown the Bulldogs of Fresno State. This book is a great account for the series and all the underlying storylines that were present for the series. This book is an absolute must read for anyone who has every been to the CWS, wants to go to the CWS, or just loves baseball.
I remember where I was while watching the final out of the ‘08 CWS but I had forgotten most of what happened from the first pitch of the opening game to that final fly ball catch to crown the Bulldogs of Fresno State. This book is a great account for the series and all the underlying storylines that were present for the series. This book is an absolute must read for anyone who has every been to the CWS, wants to go to the CWS, or just loves baseball.
January 3, 2021
This is one of the best books written about college baseball - a must read for any fan of the sport. Ryan McGee is uniquely talented in his style of weaving the excitement of all sixteen games of the 2008 College World Series with all types of descriptions of the people and civic pride surrounding the CWS. "The Road to Omaha" is not simply a "play-by-play" of each game: it creates a collage of each of the eight teams' coaches/players, supporters, and the Omaha locals that supported the Series during its run at Rosenblatt. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in the unique nature of the College World Series.
January 2, 2019
I give this book a five mainly because I love the subject and because the author does an excellent job of going in-depth into a relatively obscure college sport. I’ll admit that sports and obscure are two of my literary weaknesses. You definitely have to go all-in on college baseball to enjoy this book, but Ryan McGee has cornered the market on the history, personalities, and Americana that is the College Baseball World Series.
March 6, 2025
Sadly disappointed by this book. Book really isn’t about the road to Omaha. A better title would be “What happens when you get to Omaha”. The book barely talks about the chaos of recruiting, development of players or the regular season at all. Although there are some good stories about fans attending, there are too many things about college baseball this book didn’t hit on, and because of that I can’t give it more than 3 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2025
I love Ryan McGee as an author. He writes great stories about baseball. The Road to Omaha is a magical documentation of the 2008 College World Series. I really like the side stories as well. The characters almost come to life with his descriptive accounts of the entire tournament. This is a great read for any baseball fan.
June 24, 2025
A must-read for any CWS fan.
“As sad as this is…it’s so exciting to hear people talk about their memories of the place.”
“I think that’s exactly what Johnny Rosenblatt had in mind.”
RIP Rosenblatt Stadium. Long live college baseball. How can you not be romantic about baseball? (And yes I cried about baseball).
“As sad as this is…it’s so exciting to hear people talk about their memories of the place.”
“I think that’s exactly what Johnny Rosenblatt had in mind.”
RIP Rosenblatt Stadium. Long live college baseball. How can you not be romantic about baseball? (And yes I cried about baseball).
June 27, 2019
If you like baseball, you have to read this book. Ryan McGee does a fantastic job a not only telling the story of a great CWS in 2008, but giving you an amazing glimse into one of the best annual events in all of sports.
August 17, 2010
This book was an amazing and accurate account of the College World Series experience. I have been going to the CWS for 7 years now and this book has made me love this event even more than I already did before. When you get goosebumps within the first few sentences you know it is going to be good. I love that not only did Ryan tell you about the events that go on outside and inside the stadium but he brought in the feelings and things that go on inside and around the players that not everyone that goes to these games get to see or hear about. A very good and fun read. Highly recommended
October 10, 2009
Part history of college baseball -- as told through the stories of the CWS, the coaches of 2008, and lifelong Omaha residents and visitors -- and part memoir about the Fresno State Bulldogs' improbable, unfortunately straight-through-the-Tar-Heels run to the 2008 CWS title. Surprisingly excellent. Paired with Jim Collins' The Last Best League, a great overview of exactly what the college game is about.
My only complaint is Not Enough Wayne Graham.
My only complaint is Not Enough Wayne Graham.
September 20, 2025
How can you not be romantic about baseball? An incredible story interwoven with history, sights and sounds from the greatest event in college sports. It was a long time coming for me to finish this book, but to finish reading The Road to Omaha after winding my own Road to Omaha through the Clemson Regional, then a Hattiesburg Super Regional, it just made those final chapters that much more thrilling, awe-inspiring, and even gave me chills as I turned the page and felt the baseball ghosts of old at ol’ Rosenblatt. 10/10, can’t wait to read it again.
August 26, 2009
If you love baseball, you will love this book. It's about baseball before the egos of Major League get involve, the fans who just love baseball, and a town that has embraced the College World Series.
November 17, 2014
I am a baseball junkie so I loved it. I have been to the World Series and that captures a lot of the emotions I remember. It also recognizes the true LSU fans hospitality. I wasn't a fan of them until that WS.
August 3, 2011
Not a bad read, especially considering I missed the subject CWS while preparing for my wedding. It lays out the core of what has made the Series special, especially to Omaha natives.
March 12, 2012
A good book for baseball fans. College baseball fans will love it.
May 12, 2015
Damn, I really want to go to Omaha now.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews