OMAHA— Day 5

November 24, 2012

It was finally time to leave. Day 5 of 5 in Omaha, Nebraska. I got to spend time with family, meet new family, and get away from the Bay Area for a week. It was all coming to a close

I woke up a little after 7:30, and our family soon headed downstairs for a delicious breakfast before having to check out.

After finishing our meal, we headed back to our room to back and get ready to head to the airport. Our goal had been to get off early enough to visit my grandpa one last time, but it looked like it was not in the cards this time.

We finally got off around 9:45, off towards the airport. After filling the rental car up on gas, my dad’s GPS directed us downtown, which meant I wanted to make a quick stop somewhere.

You knew I couldn’t write an entry without having some baseball. TD Ameritrade Park hosts the NCAA College World Series at the end of June, and a new ballpark was recently built after Rosenblat stadium was torn down and the Omaha Royals changed names and stadiums.

We parked in the street, much to my sister and mom’s frustration, and my dad and I hopped out of the car for a few quick photos. First, we got a quick picture of me in front of the ballpark.

If I do look cold, I was.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to take photos around the entire ballpark and explore a) Our flight was scheduled to leave in just over 1.5 hours and b) it was COLD. I didn’t have much time to soak everything in because I was COLD.

There is a very cool statue outside the stadium.

After crossing the street, I sprinted up the steps and looked inside. From what I could see, it looked like a very nice ballpark.

With an *AWFUL* name

I snapped a quick photo of the seating chart on my phone

And got a quick picture of the streets behind us

Before heading back down the steps and posing for one more quick photo, this one with the statue

I was in a rush and COLD. It’s frustrating that I didn’t get to spend more time there, but it was COLD and I didn’t want to be the reason we missed our flight.

It look a long time for the the lights to cycle and for us to cross, but when we did, I noticed a dugout store on the corner. Of course, I did not stop in.

Once we got to the car, I checked the temperature outside on my phone

I know a lot of people that read this blog are on the East Coast or the Northern US, so 25 degrees may not seem that bad to you. May I remind you:

1) I live in California
-In the winter, it is rarely above 40 during the day in the Bay Area
-I always wear shorts
-I never am in “Cold” weather, so I wasn’t prepared
2) I was wearing shorts
-I didn’t realize how cold it was going to be
-Look again at my clothing…
3) The wind was brutal, which makes it 10x worse
-FACT

If you need more reasoning let me know, and I will be more than happy to provide you with some.

More or less, I’m from California and don’t know how to handle cold weather.

So… That’s how much I love you all. It’s cold, but I need something baseball related to write about, so I ran across the street in shorts and 25 degree weather with the wind blowing fiercely to take pictures of the outside of a baseball stadium so that my readers aren’t bored to death with stories of the screaming baby behind me on the plane. (Don’t worry, that’s coming up) For me, it was cold, but I wanted to make sure you guys had something interesting to read.

Don’t forget my dad. He’s pretty awesome. He didn’t want to come out with me, but he did anyway. He really is the best! So are my sister and mom for waiting in the car while I take care of this nonsense.

From here, we headed to the airport and eventually got on our plane at 11:45, right on time.

I spent most of the flight watching movies on my laptop.

I took a picture outside the window before we landed.

Ready for story time? Gather round boys and girls, it’s Airplane Stories with Nick!

First: There was a baby about 3 rows behind me that was screaming his head off for the last 20 minutes of the flight. I felt bad for him and his family.

Secondly: We landed in Phoenix 40 minuets early. Did you hear me? FORTY MINUTES EARLY. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good thing. about halfway through the flight, there was a “medical emergency.” I put that in quotes because I don’t know what was going on, but they kept asking if there was a doctor on board and I saw someone in a jumpsuit that said “Southwest EMT” on it.

I flight that should have taken 3.5 hours took a little over 2.5 hours. Great that we got in so early, but horrible that there was a reason we had to get in so early. As we pulled into the gate, there was a fire truck that was screaming down the tarmac that pulled to a stop next to the plane.

Once we got off, we got to our gate and found some food. I had a Cinabon Cinnamon Roll and a parfait from California Pizza Kitchen ASAP. Yep, that’s what it’s called. Including the ASAP part. BTW, they had no pizza. However, the nice cashier man directed me to a Pizza Hut that I was more than happy not to eat at. That totally makes sense for CPK…

Around 2:45, they started loading us onto the plane.

It felt good to be coming home.

Once we got onto the plane, the flight attendant made many jokes with the safety demo. Apparently, at the end of the flight, she sang too. I don’t know, I was asleep for most of the flight…

We got in a whole *5* minutes early. After getting our checked bags, we headed out to get our car and head home. As we were walking towards the lot where I car was, I noticed a cool piece of art.

And you thought I was done with baseball? Not yet!

When we arrived home, I found one Fan Pack that had arrived in the mail. From the Astros. However, that entry will be up tomorrow!

I hope you enjoyed reading these entries. What entries you might ask?? Days 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this trip as well. Like I said, I hope you enjoyed these. I had a great time writing them for your eyes to read and was glad to be able to get each entry up the day after it took place. I hope to write entries like this every time I go on an extended trip like this!

Nick Badders is a unofficial reporter for MLB.com. He writes the blog, 7000 Coliseum Way, and you can follow him on Twitter @nickbatters or his blog @7000ColiseumWay. You can also LIKE his blog on Facebook or follow him @nickbatters or his blog @7000ColiseumWay on Instagram. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Written by Nick Badders Posted in Omaha