Even in hard times, a soft spot for the College World Series

Here's Ken Dorn, who lost his sales job in the recession, watching the College World Series at home in Wisconsin while his brother James makes the trip to Omaha alone.

“It was still a blast,” James Dorn said.

Here's a family canceling its room at the Crowne Plaza hotel because Dad is out of work.

“It tears at your heart when you hear that,” said Tim Darby, general manager of the hotel in Omaha's Old Mill area. “People can't travel because they lost their job. That's terrible.”

The economy did throw a few curve balls in this year's College World Series, one of Omaha's top tourist draws of the year.

Some hotel managers cut prices to fill rooms, and bookings came in more slowly than in the past.

Vacant spots in special-pass parking lots popped up.

People like Ken Dorn, who wanted to be one of the 300,000-plus attending the games, decided they couldn't manage the cost of a trip this year.

But signs of economic home runs were obvious, too, which is good for a city that counts on an annual benefit of more than $40 million from the CWS.

Embassy Suites hotels in the Old Market and La Vista are both chock-full.

T-shirt sales around the stadium are up as much as 10 percent, and the tournament's most important number, attendance, is sliding toward a record.

The recession's dampening effect on the NCAA baseball championship is being swamped by enthusiasm for the game, loyalty to the teams and the whiff of nostalgia as Omaha's grand old hardball venue heads toward next year's retirement.

“We couldn't be happier,” said Jack Diesing, president of College World Series of Omaha, noting a 10 percent attendance increase so far over 2008 and 100 more media credentials issued this year. “That is absolutely fantastic for college baseball.”

Diesing said Omaha's relatively low prices are an advantage in a recession. He expects to sell more than 130,000 general admission tickets at $6 each.

“If you're going to do something, it's not as expensive,” Diesing said.

Local fan Eric Cheshier said he doesn't cut any corners with his annual CWS bash.

Cheshier tailgated with longtime CWS buddies such as Louisiana State fan Donnie “Big Wolf” LaCombe, swapping recipes for crab, cheese steak, jambalaya and alligator.

“This is our big blowout, our vacation every year,” Cheshier said. “We save for it, that's for sure.”

Eager-to-travel and fanatical fans from, most notably, Louisiana and Texas, along with Arkansas, Arizona and North Carolina, stayed late into the 13-day tournament (counting the opening ceremonies), filling prime hotel rooms as losing teams left town.

The Embassy Suites hotel at 10th and Howard Streets has been full every night, said Susan Madsen, general manager. It is housing the LSU team and the NCAA staff, as well as a group from Nike.

“Anytime someone leaves, it fills right in with LSU fans,” Madsen said.

The room rates — between $259 and $299 — are the same as last year, and she already is booking people at the same rates for 2010.

The chain's sister hotel in La Vista also has been full since the start, said general manager Tony Moody.

The neighboring Courtyard by Marriott has been about 90 percent full. Both, with 503 total rooms, are new this year.

Some hotels struggled, and some uncharacteristically dropped rates after the first weekend. That's partly because the Omaha area's supply of rooms grew by more than 1,600 in the past year, including the new hotels in Sarpy County.

The one closest to the stadium, a 79-room Comfort Inn at 13th Street and Interstate 80, filled more slowly than usual but kept its $204.99-$259.99 price range, up $9 from last year, said manager Sara Clausen.

Last year, the Crowne Plaza hotel at 655 N. 108th Ave. was full three months in advance and referred late callers to lodging in Lincoln, Nebraska City and Sioux City, said Darby, the general manager.

This year, about 30 of the hotel's 223 rooms were empty the first weekend.

When California State Fullerton checked out after losing its first two games, rates dropped to the hotel's standard price of $149 from the normal CWS range of $209-$239.

Paul Tunakan, director of sales and marketing for the Omaha Marriott, agreed that it's been a little harder to fill rooms.

“Opening weekend was good as usual, but there were rooms available throughout the city,” he said. “The last few years, you wouldn't have found that.”

With fewer fans reserving rooms in advance, Tunakan booked some business groups and the Arizona State baseball team. Since groups generally pay less per person than individual guests, revenue per room will be down, he said, and revenue from the hotel restaurant also is down slightly.

Among the no-shows this year, Tunakan said, were University of Miami fans who usually come to Omaha whether their team is in the series or not.

Any other year, former Omahan Tim Brich probably would have been among those traveling to Omaha, but the depressed housing market changed that. Brich, who now works for a wine company in Colorado, has a vacant rental property to deal with.

“If we don't get it rented out, it will hurt us badly,” Brich said.

Concession sales are ahead of last year's record pace, according to the stadium's food contractor, and corporate sponsors said they stuck to their NCAA marketing plans.

AT&T, State Farm and Coca-Cola were among those dismantling their displays by the end of Tuesday's games, but spokesmen said it wasn't because of the economy.

“You end up with a broader audience the first weekend when the excitement's building and all the teams are still in the hunt,” said State Farm spokesman Todd Fischer in Bloomington, Ill.

To fill the empty spaces, the NCAA brought in a new entertainment company, NP Sports Production of Birmingham, Mich.

“It's been a big thrill coming back to Omaha and working with the NCAA,” said NP Sports founder Dave Martin, who coached at the 1992 Series for Miami.

Rawlings Sporting Goods Co. is staying for the entire series, said Dennis Turner, promotions manager. He said sales of bats, helmets, gloves and other equipment exceeded expectations and will cover part of the $15,000 cost of the eight-person crew manning the booth.

Event 1 Retail Services, which runs the souvenir shop on the stadium grounds, had to reorder Arkansas T-shirts twice. Sales were up about 5 or 10 percent from 2008.

Tim Brovold, a manager with J.E.B. Enterprises of Minneapolis, which runs sales tents across 13th Street from the stadium, also said sales were up 5 or 10 percent.

“I think the economy hasn't troubled this (event) because everybody has to get a T-shirt or a hat,” Brovold said. “When you're dealing with simple stuff, it's hard for the economy to touch it, if the fans are excited to be here.”

Michelle Lahs, who was selling programs as a fundraiser for Omaha North High School's Explosion! Show Choir, said first-day sales were 2,700, up about 1,000 from a year ago.

Some fans put their programs directly into protective plastic sleeves to keep them as souvenirs, a sign that Rosenblatt nostalgia has taken hold.

“I think the economy probably has had some impact,” said Scott Fosler, who organizes the “fan-fest” area for the NCAA. But overall, he said, everything was about the same.

Barb Williamson, meanwhile, has 17 bookings for next year at the near-stadium Comfort Inn, where she is assistant manager.

“We're Americans,” Williamson said. “We're only going to cut back so long before we say, ‘We're going to live.'”

Contact the writer:

444-1080, steve.jordon@owh.com

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