Sunday Night Dessert: Looking Ahead, Not Behind

Count me as one of the folks excited to see Zesto formally announce their new location just behind right field of the new downtown TD Ameritrade Park. Just because the College World Series is leaving Rosenblatt doesn't mean that every tradition has to end as well. I've got to admit, I'm a latecomer to the Zesto tradition. Last fall, after taking my kids to the zoo the morning of the NU/Virginia Tech game, we decided to have lunch at Zesto...and I now see why folks have raved about the place. Not sure why this place faded as a national chain, but the Omaha version has an absolutely deadly hot fudge shake. Needless to say, that first day they are open in North Downtown, I'm there for lunch, weather permitting.

Nice to see that in all of the mourning for Rosenblatt, the World-Herald did balance out their coverage a bit by pointing out how the CWS really has outgrown the area around Rosenblatt.  AJ's photo of traffic says it all.

I noticed that the Omaha Royals announced the attendance for the final Independence Day fireworks game as 23,657. Judging from highlights on television, that was tickets sold, not actual bodies in the seats since most of the bleachers remained covered. Even so, it should be interesting to see how this tradition moves forward next year.  The World-Herald hasn't announced anything yet, but if I had to bet, my money would be on the fireworks show being downtown at TD Ameritrade Park with a new independent league team. Maybe Omaha will have two blockbuster fireworks shows next season, as I'm sure the Royals will find a way to put on a decent show no matter what.

One thing is for clear, with berm seating limiting attendance to around 8500 fans at last report at BFE, there will be a 15k drop in attendance next season for the Independence Day game even if the Royals sell out in Sarpy County.  To put it in perspective, to make up for that lost 15k from fireworks night, the Royals will have to sell an extra 208 tickets every other game.