FanHouse CollegeWorldSeries

OMAHA, Neb. - Touch 'em all. Rosenblatt Stadium has gone retro, reverting back to Rosenblast Stadium from earlier this decade.

No. 1 national seed Texas and LSU combined to smack seven home runs in the opening game of the best-of-three championship series in the College World Series Monday night. But, in the end, it was a clutch two-out single in the top of the 11th from freshman Mikie Mahtook that lifted LSU past Texas 7-6.

The surging Tigers, who have won 14 consecutive games, can clinch their sixth national title and first since 2000 with a victory Tuesday.

"It's hard to describe the emotions I feel about this game, but I am going to try," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. "This was the most courageous, never-say-die resolve that I've ever seen from one of my teams in 27 years of coaching."

Which team will be the next Fresno State and crash this year's College World Series? Utah? Wichita State? Indiana?

How about Fresno State impersonating itself?

The defending national champion Bulldogs survived four elimination games to win their fourth straight Western Athletic Conference Tournament title on Sunday and advance to the 2009 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The 64-team field was announced on Monday, and the Bulldogs' journey begins in sunny California.

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No other way to put it.

For years now west coast baseball fans have been up in arms and for good reason: their teams keep getting worked over by the selection committee.

The basic process itself makes sense: automatically invite conference champions, allow top teams to host regionals, quarrel over remaining "at large" teams. It's quite similar to how the NCAA basketball tournament works.

The major problem seems to be the introduction of several biases in this process. Although it's cited as "just one measure", the RPI rating system seems to be of heavy focus. The RPI itself, according to some, is heavily flawed and works strongly against west coast teams in particular.

Another error is how teams are allocated. This year, like most years, most of the west coast teams are bunched together in a small pack of "regional" groupings, limiting the number who can potentially make it to Omaha for the College World Series. Yet the SEC and ACC get much more favorable treatment.

There are 25 schools in the Pac-10, Big West and West Coast Conference. Eleven made the tournament field. Nine are stuffed in three regionals, meaning only 33 percent of them could advance to a Super Regional.

There are 24 schools in the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference. Fifteen made the tournament. They are stretched across 11 different regionals, so 73 percent could advance to the next round.

This has been going on for years.