CWS Is Family Affair for Select Few
By PHIL ROONEY
Associated Press Writer
OMAHA, Neb. – Texas reliever Huston Street got some fatherly advice from a knowledgeable source before heading off to his first College World Series.
And the freshman had good reason to listen. James Street pitched for the Longhorns in the NCAA championships in 1968 and 1970.
“He told me I was going to want to go out and do more than I had done before because it was the College World Series,” Huston Street said. “He said go out there and have fun because you’re going to be on TV and in front of a bunch of people so have as much fun as possible.”
Following his father’s advice, Street earned his 11th save of the year with 1 2-3 innings of hitless relief Saturday night against Rice.
The Streets are the seventh known father/son combination to play in the CWS.
“Just having him being my dad is a great thing because I gain a lot of knowledge from him. He shares his experiences with me,” Huston Street said.
POWER SURGE: The latest power surge at Rosenblatt Stadium had nothing to do with home runs.
Late in Sunday night’s game between Clemson and Georgia Tech a power surge knocked out electricity at the ballpark for a few seconds.
“Just a momentary thing and all the power kicked back on,” said Jesse Cuevas, the stadium superintendent. “If it wasn’t for the tower lights, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it.”
It happened just after the sixth inning, but luckily the sun was still out when the blackout occurred. The lights and scoreboard were functioning by the end of the seventh inning.
Cuevas said the Omaha Public Power District said the power surge originated at a substation, but the cause was not exactly known. The stadium experienced another one about 7 a.m. Friday when nobody but the grounds crew was around, Cuevas said.
Sunday’s surge didn’t seem to have much of an impact, according to the NCAA’s Jim Wright.
Some equipment had to be moved in the press box until a fuse could be tripped, but it did have ESPN’s camera mounted behind home plate spinning madly for about five minutes.
STADIUM VETERAN: Douglas County Sheriff’s Capt. Dan McGovern is directing inside security at Rosenblatt Stadium for the third year.
Because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, personnel have been increased 60 percent on his detail, but the problems have not, he said.
“People are more patient than I’ve ever seen them,” said McGovern, a 23-year veteran of the sheriff’s office. “This is absolutely all about having a good time and watching baseball.”
Random searches with hand-held metal detectors are the biggest change.
BIG CROWD: The College World Series saw its 5 millionth fan in Omaha a bit sooner than expected.
Three consecutive session-record crowds put the 5 millionth fan through the gates at Rosenblatt Stadium a day earlier than expected.
The CWS topped the 5 million fan mark Saturday instead of Sunday.
The first million fans to attend the NCAA championship tournament in Omaha took 23 years, 1950 to 1972. The 2 millionth fan arrived in 1983. The 3 million mark fell in 1991, and 4 million went in 1997.
The total for this year’s first four sessions was 96,278, an average of 24,070 per session. That includes Sunday’s single-session record 25,581, which had included the local favorite Nebraska-South Carolina game.
