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Come take a tour of TD Ameritrade Park, new home of the College World Series
Saturday, June 18, 2011 | Baseball, Football, Scott Carter
OMAHA, Neb. – The corner of 13th Street and Cuming Street in this city along the Missouri River is a very popular place right now.
Take Friday for instance. The Gators stopped by in the morning, taking a team photo in front of “The Road to Omaha” sculpture outside Gate 1 at TD Ameritrade Park.
A couple of hours later, California surrounded the popular statue that symbolizes the elation that comes with winning the College World Series. The Golden Bears talked with fans, joked around with each other and took pictures, one player racing to the street corner to high-five a pair of cars loaded with screaming fans.
If you're anywhere near Omaha for the next two weeks, TD Ameritrade Park is the place to be as college baseball's marquee event makes its inaugural visit to the sparkling new 24,505-seat stadium.
If you can't get here, you're in luck. We took a private tour of the ballpark this afternoon shortly after the Gators concluded their first practice in the $131-million stadium.
Click here to watch a GatorVision.tv video highlighting some of the ballpark's trademark features.
If you watch the video, MECA Omaha event services coordinator Michael Smith will tell you all about TD Ameritrade Park, which replaces Rosenblatt Stadium a couple of miles away as the new home of the CWS.
Smith was our tour guide and gave us the scoop on Omaha's latest attraction. The ballpark opened in mid-April with a game between nearby Creighton University and the University of Nebraska.
It was a test run for what is to come once Vanderbilt and North Carolina open the CWS on Saturday afternoon. The Gators face Texas on Saturday night at 7 in the second game.
Smith is confident fans that come to the ballpark or watch from home will be impressed by what they see.
“What is very unique about the facility is the 360-degree concourse,'' Smith said Friday. “Fans will not miss any of the action. There is not a bad seat in the house. You definitely get a great view of the whole field as well as the entire Omaha skyline.''
On Jan. 21, 2009, Smith was at the groundbreaking ceremony for the stadium, which sits where a parking once called home. The contrast between then and Friday caused Smith to shake his head.
“It was snowing,'' he said.
Fast forward to Friday and Smith was glad to show a few guests around the place that has Omaha buzzing with excitement. The CWS Opening Ceremony was a big hit on Friday night as country music artist Martina McBride played to a full house.
Former President George Bush is scheduled to throw out the first pitch on Saturday, and most of the games are expected to have standing-room-only crowds.
Smith can't wait for more people to see the place.
“The feedback has been very positive,'' he said. “We want people to come here and leave wanting to come back.''
