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06/26/2008: "How 'Bout Them Dawgs!"

Even before the start of the College World Series finals, we knew the Bulldogs would be the country's baseball champs. That was because the three-game series matched the mighty Georgia Bulldogs against the unheralded Fresno State Bulldogs. What no one saw coming would be that it would be the team from California's central valley hoisting the trophy in the end.

Fresno State entered the season as a Top 25 pick, but quickly dropped off the radar screen after starting the season 8-12. They picked up steam as the season progressed, but still wound up with a 47-31 record - not exactly the stuff of champions. They had to win the Big West tourney just to get an invite into the 64-team NCAA playoffs - their 80-something national ranking wasn't gonna get it done. Georgia, in the mean time, was the 8th ranked team in the country and rolled towards what was their seemingly inevitable victory.

Six times along the road to Omaha, the Fresno State squad faced elimination, including Game 2 of the finals after losing the opener. In each case, though, they dug deep and won. In the finals, right fielder Steve Detwiler - playing with a torn ligament in his thumb - hammered two home runs and drove in all the runs in a 6-1 victory. Just to make things that much sweeter, he also caught the last out of the game.

"It's mind over matter," he said. "It's just a little pain. The pain is temporary. Pride is forever."

Detwiler caught a fly in right for the final of the game -- just as his teammates predicted in the dugout before they went out for the ninth. He tucked the ball into his back pocket and sprinted to join his teammates in a wild celebration.

Someone suggested he auction the ball. Detwiler just laughed.

This ball, he said, was a keeper.

With the victory, Fresno State became the lowest ranked team in any sport to win a championship. They set a record for the most losses by a baseball champion, but also tied the record for most runs scored in a CWS. A team without stars, they showed that sometimes, teamwork trumps talent.

Well done, Fresno State!