Chapelboro.com’s coverage of Carolina baseball in the Men’s College World Series is proudly presented by High & Rubish Insurance Agency.
Chapelboro’s Michael Koh is in Omaha to cover UNC Baseball as it plays in the Men’s College World Series. During Michael’s stay, he’ll publish a daily series featuring his thoughts and observations from Omaha, as well as his usual coverage of the team.
Day 1: The Venice of the Midwest
Day 2: Autographs
Day 3: The Center of the Universe
Just a few steps away from Charles Schwab Field, the centerpiece of the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, sits Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina. And if the ballpark is the heart of the event, then Rocco’s is the liver.
The name Rocco’s might not ring a bell in your mind, but you’ve surely seen it before. Every year, it hosts a Jell-O shot contest for all eight College World Series fanbases, with each getting a donation to a local food bank based on how many shots are consumed. What started as a quirky local business contest has boomed into the friendliest bar fight in recorded history: some fans with deep pockets have been known to purchase shots in bulk, effectively stuffing the ballot box for their teams — or charities, if you prefer to look at it that way.
When I walked into Rocco’s Saturday afternoon, I expected the place to be a little less frenetic than usual. The day’s first game between Oklahoma and Alabama was about to start across the street. Little did I know that West Virginia, fresh off its Friday victory against Troy and ready to take on UNC Sunday night, had turned the place into Morgantown West.
Two different spaces within Rocco’s each had their own speakers, making for an interesting blend of AC/DC and Neil Diamond. But the selection of Neil’s classic song “Sweet Caroline” was no accident. While most fans shout “Bum bum bum” at the appropriate time, West Virginia fans have their own refrain. After Neil sings the chorus, Mountaineers everywhere tell archrival Pitt to eat… well, a word that rhymes with Pitt. (It should be noted that Pitt is nowhere near Omaha at the moment, having not qualified at all for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. It doesn’t matter. It never matters.)
The strong contingent of blue-and-gold clad fans made it no surprise to see West Virginia completely running away from the rest of the Jell-O shot field.
As of Saturday afternoon, West Virginia held a commanding lead in Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh)
The omnipresent alcohol and occasional bursts of explicit “Sweet Caroline” addendums notwithstanding, Rocco’s normally fancies itself as a more levelheaded place. I managed to catch an employee with some rare downtime and asked her what the clientele usually looks like during the 50 weeks a year when the sporting world doesn’t descend on Omaha.
“Families,” she said, to my complete and utter shock.
Like many downtown bars, Rocco’s business comes and goes with local sports. Creighton basketball games at the nearby CHI Health Center increase traffic, as does the Big Ten Baseball Tournament at Charles Schwab Field. But none of those come close to the apex of the College World Series. The Rocco’s employee estimated a whopping 45 percent of the bar’s total annual business comes from these two weeks in June.
The more I think about it, the less surprised I am. I had to constantly squeeze between other patrons in my short time there (all the more difficult when holding a large pizza) and was unable to find any available table space. Outside, even more baseball fans were crammed into the patio along the street outside. Once I finally found some space to eat my pizza, a group of West Virginia supporters beside me began handing out free Jell-O shots to any takers (I did not have any). The Mountaineer faithful had bought more than they could safely consume, only adding to their insurmountable advantage on the tally board.
The all-time Jell-O shot record belongs to LSU, whose famously rowdy delegation downed more than 60,000 during the Tigers’ championship run in 2023. Some are saying it’s the most unbreakable baseball record this side of Cal Ripken, Jr.
The theme song for the legendary sitcom “Cheers” refers to that bar as the place “where everybody knows your name.” On the other side of that coin, Rocco’s could very well be the place where nobody knows your name. I slipped in and out without hardly a word, being careful to not show my reporter’s credential. It was refreshing to simply be just another person for a little while, instead of someone with a job to do.
I left with a take-out box full of pizza and my ears still ringing from what had to be the first-ever collaboration between Neil Diamond and AC/DC. Bars like Rocco’s normally aren’t my speed, but I felt an obligation to go as both a lover of the College World Series and simply a curious mind.
My duty is done. Rocco’s will continue to hum for the next week-and-a-half, then go back into relative hibernation. But next June, baseball fans will descend on this street front property again, eager to imbibe to their heart’s content — if not their liver’s. May it ever be so.
Click to find more Carolina baseball coverage from Chapelboro.com, onsite in Omaha! Proudly presented by High & Rubish Insurance Agency.
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh
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