It is likely no coincidence that two pivotal events in baseball – the College World Series (CWS) and the First-Year Player Draft - occur around June 14th, otherwise known in America as Flag Day. Flag Day and National Flag week commemorate the adoption of the American flag. As baseball is a true American sport and the collegiate level is the last real display of true competitiveness and the desire to win, not for money, but for pride in your school, it is fantastic that the College World Series and the First-Year Player Draft are held around Flag Day.

CBS and the NCAA have set up a March Madness type of bracket scenario for CWS, which helps fans follow the teams in their quest to claim the 2009 CWS championship. The first set of games consisted of double elimination rounds. Some teams who played in these rounds are not the perennial powerhouse schools you hear about in basketball or football. I would like to give a shout out to all the teams who made it to this round: Texas, Texas State, Boston College, Army, TCU, Texas A&M, Oregon State, Wright State, Georgia Tech, Elon, Southern Miss, Georgia State, Florida, Miami (‘Canes), Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman, Arizona State, Oral Roberts, Cal Poly, Kent State, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Tennessee Tech, East Carolina, South Carolina, George Mason, Binghamton, North Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Kansas, Dartmouth, Cal State Fullerton, Georgia Southern, Gonzaga, Utah, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Marist, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Washington State, Wichita State, Cal Irvine, Virginia, San Diego State, Fresno State, Mississippi, Missouri, Western Kentucky, Monmouth, Rice, Kansas State, Xavier, Sam Houston State, LSU, Minnesota, Baylor and Southern University.

I love the fact that there is actually a playoff structure in college baseball, unlike in college football. It is apparent that the game of baseball is structured such that players can actually endure more games than their football counterparts. However, there must be a way where the football champion can be determined via actual play in a playoff structure, instead of basically being anointed via a computer, but, that’s a very different issue for another column.

The next round consists of the Super Regionals, a best of three series, where the winner of each regional advances to the CWS in Omaha, Nebraska. The teams who are participating in the 2009 CWS are Arkansas, LSU, Cal State Fullerton, Texas, Arizona State, North Carolina, Virginia and Southern Miss. Good luck to all the teams.

The first pick of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft was fairly anti-climatic. The Washington Nationals had the first pick and chose RHP Stephen Strasburg from San Diego State to try and shore up their problematic pitching core. Whether the Nats are willing to pay top dollar for Strasburg’s services before the August 18th deadline is a different story. A grand total of 1,521 high school and college prospects were drafted. Obviously, not all of these players will ever put on a major league level uniform, but, it must be a thrill and an honor to have been drafted. Good luck to all the draftees and Happy Flag Day!