What a crazy CWS. Obviously, I am delighted for OSU, having strong ties to several players and their families. But I do feel the heartbreak that Arkansas had to deal with. It is literally impossible to come closer to winning a championship than they did. When that foul ball hit the ground I told my wife "The baseball gods will not let that go unpunished."
The individual performances by Abel and Rutschman were incredible. Rutschman's father Randy was my son's catching coach for years. The guy is not just a fabulous coach, but is also a stellar human being. If you saw any of his son's interviews, you got a glimpse into the character of both the father and the son. Watching Ad play catcher for a couple years and seeing his advanced blocking and framing skills, it was no surprise, given how much his father knows about such things and how well structured his drills and workouts are.
But I did not expect a .400+ season at the plate from both sides. Wow. I could not be happier for him and his dad.
One other tidbit: remember game 2, OSU had nobody out runners on 1st and 3rd? Jack Anderson at the plate, soft pop-up on the bunt attempt results in a double play and Arkansas got out of the jam. I was sick. I know Jack and his parents well, and all I could think as that game went into the 9th was that Jack is going to have to remember that at bat as his last college baseball (and perhaps organized baseball of any kind) at bat for the rest of his life. Who wants to bear that burden?
So when the foul ball hit the ground and the baseball gods had their due, I breathed a sigh of relief for Jack.
