He's the man to see about a ticket

Ed Sobczyk is the ticket master.

Sobczyk (pronounced SUB-check) has worked in the College World Series ticket office 54 years, most of them as box-office manager. He oversees the 11 windows, handles complaints and prepares daily reports. He rarely leaves his post to watch even a moment of baseball.

He's 90. When asked why he continues to do the job, his answer is simple. “I like to do it. It's fun.”

One day before the series started, he sat in his closet-size office at Rosenblatt wearing white athletic shoes, black slacks and a blue golf shirt.

Sobczyk oversees about 20 workers. His sons, one from Massachusetts and the other from Nevada, take time off from their jobs to help him in the ticket office. So does a grandson from Massachusetts.

“We've got a doctor working on the window, we've got a contractor working on the window, we've got schoolteachers working on the windows,” he said.

By Saturday afternoon, he had replaced the white athletic shoes with dress shoes. He walked behind the attendants staffing the windows and stood on his toes to see the people in line outside. He's only 5-foot-5.

Then he went back to his office and sorted through tickets. If people can't get in because of lost tickets or a foul-up, sometimes they end up talking to Sobczyk. Usually he can help them or at least calm them down.

He's seen plenty in his life. Fought in World War II. Retired in the 1980s after 42 years as a postal clerk and postmaster. Lost his wife of 62 years in 2008.

He doesn't pull his hair out over problems, but then again, he said, he has little hair left anyway. He said he doubted he would move to the new stadium as box-office manager. The people calling the shots haven't invited him, he said, at least not yet.

Old stadiums get replaced by new ones. That's life. “I guess they call it progress,” Sobczyk said. “That's what they tell me.”

Father-son road trip for the ultimate sports fans

They drove here Thursday and Friday from Edinburg, where the southern tip of Texas meets Mexico.

They stopped in Waco, Texas, to watch Game 7 of the NBA Finals on TV, and near Kansas City to watch World Cup soccer.

They're father and son, Robert Valdez and 11-year-old Robert Michael Valdez. Dad coaches high school and minor league ball in Edinburg and son plays for a summer team called the Phenoms.

They wanted to see the College World Series before Rosenblatt Stadium's demise, so they rented a Dodge Grand Caravan and brought some of Valdez's assistant coaches with them.

“We've always heard about it,” Robert Valdez said. “Especially being the last year at Rosenblatt, we said ‘We're gonna make the journey.' ”

Robert Michael is a stocky little guy with black hair sticking out from under his OU cap. He's a big Oklahoma fan, even though he's a Texan. His dad lived in Oklahoma as a boy and played junior college baseball there.

Robert Michael doesn't know what the Phenoms' record is and doesn't care that much. “I play to play,” the boy said. He enjoys hitting and having an excuse to get dirty.

They walked onto the stadium property late Saturday morning, near the basketball hoops, little iceless hockey area and batting cages that go up during the series.

“I wanna go hit in the cage,” Robert Michael said.

“He's nonstop, man,” his dad said.

As Yankee Stadium goes, so goes Rosenblatt

Meet Dennis Swift, pharmacist and pragmatist.

He figures if they can tear down Yankee Stadium and rebuild it, Rosenblatt Stadium can come down, too.

“The field has been awesome,” said Swift, a 54-year-old transplant from Wisconsin. But the stadium itself is old and its concourse gets crowded and dank.

“Rosenblatt has seen its day,” he said.

The College World Series itself may never grow old on Swift. He always takes a week off and attends every game he can. He loves recalling how his oldest son, a big Miami booster, razzed him when LSU had two outs and was about to go down to the Hurricanes in the 1996 championship. It's not over yet, father told son. LSU's Warren Morris then stroked a homer over the right field wall, and the Tigers shocked Miami.

A few years before that, the same son, Jason, got nailed in the leg by a foul ball struck by an Oklahoma State player. After the game, they waited outside the stadium and had that player, Thad Chaddrick, sign the ball.

Swift enjoys the way the college players hustle. He loves the emotion, the unexpected heroes. Now another CWS has begun, and it will create fresh images and new memories. Dennis Swift will be there. He's on vacation.

His favorite four words are ‘See ya in Omaha'

Mike Martin's first trip to Rosenblatt Stadium with Florida State's baseball team came 45 years ago.

“Coached first base,'' Martin said. “I had been the starting center fielder until I broke my arm. Guess that's why I don't show up on the lists of guys that have played here and coached here.''

Martin has been a frequent visitor since. He has been involved in 16 of Florida State's 20 trips to Omaha as a player, assistant coach or head coach. He feels especially honored to make his 14th trip as head coach in Rosenblatt's final year.

“This is a special place,'' Martin said. “The four words I love to say this time of year is, “See ya in Omaha.'

“It's just so special to get off the plane and to see people that are so genuine, so sincere. They're as excited to continue to host this event as there is in America. No other sport has an atmosphere like this year in and year out.''

One of Martin's favorite memories of Omaha is the two years his son, Mike Jr., played for the Seminoles here in 1994 and 1995.

“I want to live long enough to see his son play out here,'' the elder Martin said. “Dang sure ain't going to coach him.''

Need the Ferrarinis? Try Section F, Row 20

The Tudors had England.

The Kennedys had Massachusetts.

And for five generations, the Ferrarinis have had Section F, Row 20, Seats 5 and 6.

The family has held on to their seats at the CWS ever since Warren Ferrarini came to Omaha from the Bronx in 1960, with little more than his love for baseball and a new gig at Mutual of Omaha.

Having settled into the midwestern way of life — marrying his wife Jeanne and becoming Mutual's regional sales director — Warren brought his father Bill in from New Jersey for games. The two sat through the series together for nearly 30 years until Bill died at age 97, said Warren's son, Ken Ferrarini.

Warren continued the tradition by catching the games every year with his kids — Ken, Steve, Will and Patty — and any other family member willing to brave the heat until he died in 2004.

Over the rest of the decade, Ken and Steve have carried the Ferrarini torch, bringing their kids, nieces, nephews and, recently, Ken's young grandson to the games.

“Cooper's not even 5 years old yet, so he's maybe good for four or five innings,” Grandpa said.

With the family's time at Rosenblatt finally coming to an end, Ken said there was nothing to do but start over — something the Ferrarinis will do with joy.

“We just absolutely love it. It's been a lot of fun over the years. And we've already got our seats picked at the new stadium for next year.”

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