You can’t really blame ESPN for dwelling on Fresno’s underdog status (though we know they were preseason top-20, won their conference and made the NCAA Tournament three years in a row, etc., etc.). They would be the lowest-seeded NCAA champion (had you heard that?), and it’s a compelling story. ESPN has to sell the game to impartial viewers who don’t give a damn about Georgia or Fresno State. Offering the opportunity to watch history sells. Fresno may or may not rank up there with 1985 Villanova or the 1980 U.S. hockey team, but you have to push a story if you want someone other than Fresno and Georgia fans to watch the game.

That said, those of us who have watched more than a few games of this CWS can probably recite word-for-word what we’ll hear from the booth tonight:

• Did you know Gordon Beckham made the final out for Georgia in the 2006 CWS? Me neither.
• Hey – how about that Fresno player with the busted ligament. He’s playing anyway! And what’s with that guy’s wierd batting grip?
• The ball leaves the pitcher’s hand in the light, but it arrives at the batter in the shadows. That’s just wacky.
• One more shot of the Massinari cheering section, please.
• Brainwashed by endless Coke Zero ads, Georgia will be suing for "dawg infringement." And driving away in a VW.
• Here’s an obscure referece to a pro player from 15 years ago. That kid really reminds Orel of Kevin Seitzer. I was just going to say the same thing.
• Fresno’s tough. Like their coach. Like a steak at Ryan’s. Like facing Josh Fields.
• The last couple of champions haven’t been a national seed. And whaddayouknow…here we have an unseeded team.
• No, seriously…back to the Massinaris. I hear the kid looks like Miss Nevada or something.
• Georgia is apparently the third team Matt Cerione has played for during this CWS.
• I mean Fresno’s just a bunch of gamers. A team of utility players. It would be like having a football team of Jacob Hesters.
• David Perno – who played for the 1990 national champion, by the way – got his team’s attention in the offseason by making them haul rocks from a local quarry to build the new Vince Dooley statue on campus.
• We’ll now have someone who spent the first week talking about ice cream interview the most brilliant financial manager in the world.
• Is comparing Fresno to the Bad News Bears really telling the story? Don’t we really have to ask if this compares with David facing the Philistine?

…and most of them are going pro in something other than sports.

UPDATE: And who can forget all-important updates about photos of Big Brown’s loose horseshoe (quick! get Zapruder on the case!) or Shaq’s scathing freestyle rap?