A simple report from a night in Omaha

Yesterday, my family made the trip to Omaha. My daughter's girl scout troop was going to the zoo, so I decided that we would go to the Stormchasers game in the evening. The Omaha zoo is very nice. It has to be one of the more impressive zoos in the country. We generally check out zoos when we take vacations, so we have been to quite a few. Omaha is easily the most impressive. The fun question is always asked. "Why do all you Kansas City area people come up here? Don't you all have a zoo?". I always come back with "Yes, we technically have a zoo. But, first off, it's piss poor and secondly, it's in the middle of the ghetto." That usually sums it up. But, now, on to the game.

Tickets are reasonable for the Stormchasers. $16.50 will get you club level and they are nice seats, but for $12.50, you can get some great seats. Saturday night was replica road jersey night, so we got 4 Omaha jerseys. The only problem is they have the name Buffet (for obvious reasons) on the back with the number 1/16. We sat in the front row first base side. Section 106 and they were great seats. Don't worry about bringing your kids. They have plenty of things for the kids to do (even some free stuff) and they have 3 mascots that are terrific with the children. The wife was happy with the food selection, so daddy was free to watch a baseball game with minimal complaints other than the cold. The fans were fairly knowledgeable about the Royals and absolutely love Mike Aviles. He's super popular in Omaha. I found it funny that they thought I was from the deep south or something. I have the Missouri twang when I talk and generally, I don't think anything of it, but they seemed tickled by it.

Mazzaro had a fairly rough start to the game. He allowed the leadoff hitter on to base and attempted a pick-off and tossed it halfway down the left field line. The runner eventually scored. Other than that, he pitched fairly well. He had 6 Ks through 3 innings and I think he finished with 10. I don't mind Vinny Maz. He should be a nice addition to the pitching staff....Oh, I don't know.....NOW! I digress. Moustakas didn't look great in the field, but he is a very patient hitter. He absolutely smoked a 2 RBI single to give Omaha the lead in the 5th (I think). He airmailed a routine throw over Hosmer's head in the 2nd and later he barehanded a tough one, but proceeded to throw the ball away again. He should be fine though. Looks like we've got a 3B of the future.

Hosmer looks like a ballplayer. I know that's a silly statement, but the dude just looks like a big leaguer. Patient hitter. The fans had a lot of great things to say about The Hos. Johnny Giavotella was much better than I thought he was. Maybe he's just a player you need to watch to like. He plays hard and you could see him manning secondbase in KC in the future. Blanco was only hitting .225 when the game started, but he took 3 BBs. The first base umpire was horrible. He couldn't make a decent call to save his life and Omaha's manager (I can't remember how to spell his name) told him where he could take his bad calls. The kids in Omaha really seem to like him a lot and he seems like a good guy to have working with them.

Lastly, Lorenzo Cain was baffling. His arm out in CF is super impressive! I had no idea he could throw like that. But, he may need some time in Omaha to sort out his bat. They had him bunting with 2 strikes twice and both times it failed miserably. Imagine that. I was baffled as to why they had him doing that. It made no sense. It seems they don't have a closer either. Teaford pitched decently, then they brought in Tex. Tex got a K or two, but gave up a BOMB to bring the game within 1, so they brought on Jesse "Lights Out" Chavez to shut the door (Yikes)! He got the job done. But, the player I seemed to be the most dazzled by was D-Lough. I'm not sure where this guy fits into the prospect chain, but the dude is a gamer. He reminds me of Hunter Pence in Houston. You need to watch this guy play ball.
Well, that's all I got. I highly recommend taking the trip up there. The talent of the team is great and the ballpark experience is one of the best I've ever seen. The stadium isn't exactly easy to find because it is truly out in the middle of nowhere. I think I even saw a family farm right across the road. So, get anything you may need to get at the gas station long before you get near the park.