Lanie Boone is 79 years old and a lifelong Mississippi State fan. She believes there will be plenty time to sleep down the road.She was there, like many maroon-blooded Mississippians, to witness her Bulldogs win the College World Series title on Wednesday night against Vanderbilt. This is the school's first ever national title in any sports.Lanie stated, "This is something that I've been waiting for my whole life." "If the Dawgs were there, we were there because you could feel that it was their time."It doesn't matter that Lanie is in a wheelchair due to her Rheumatoid art, that she drove over 13 hours from her home in Hazlehurst Mississippi through Monday night, or that they spent $3,300 on tickets via an online ticketing service.Lanie was determined that she would be in Omaha.When her grandsons, Justice Boone (15 years old) and Ben Boone (29-years-old), failed to convince David to make the trip to Omaha on Sunday due his work schedule, Lanie stepped in and said, "I'll go. I'll pay for it, if you'll take me."Lanie joked that her grandchildren thought she was talking out her head, but she quickly made it clear that she was serious. Ben, who runs a concrete business, had to still work Monday. After pouring 34 yards concrete that morning, they all got in the car around 8 o'clock that night.Ben exclaimed, "And so we went." "Grams never batted an ear. We were more excited than she was.They arrived at Clarksdale, Arkansas around 3:30 on Tuesday morning and stayed there for four hours. They headed towards Omaha, where they checked into a hotel near Council Bluffs, Iowa.Ben stated, "It was incredible." "We pulled in three hours before the game and it looked as if they had painted the entire city maroon."Justice and Ben rolled Lanie into the stadium and she received a procession of high-fives before and after. They had already purchased tickets for Tuesday's game so they sat in the right center field bleachers. Lanie could sit on the balcony behind her grandsons and they checked on her.Justice stated, "The entire experience was amazing, seeing the Dawgs win the title after having been to so many Starkville games while growing up. But the best part was being there with Grams."Lanie was a celebrity at the ballpark thanks to her bright smile and infectious laugh. The workers at Dippin Dots asked Lanie to sit under their tent during Tuesday's rain delay so that she wouldn’t get wet.She chuckled, "I'm a sports fan so I didn't mind getting wet." "But everyone there was so kind and so accommodating."After it became clear that Mississippi State would win Tuesday's game, Ben went online to the stadium and bought tickets for Wednesday's match. They were also able to find better seats just beyond the first base towards right field in sixth row.Lanie admitted that she was almost unable to contain her excitement after Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker in Wednesday's game.She said, "I'm sitting in that stadium and thinking to myself, ‘I can't believe it's me,'"Ben, Justice, and Lanie Boone, left, from their Omaha College World Series seats. Courtesy Ben and Justice BooneIn truth, Rowdey Jordan started the game with a single and knew that it would be a maroon sunset."That was the beginning of the game. She said, "We weren't going lose."After the final out, it was chaos in the stadium. Lanie was able take a photo of the Mississippi State team’s dog pile (or Dawg heap, as she clarified). She regretted that she was unable to participate in the Dawg pile.Lanie took her grandsons and went on a pilgrimage in search of national championship shirts. Ben was pushing his Grams around in her wheelchair, trying to make it as close as possible to the front of the lines at the tents. A man came by the tents and stopped to ask Lanie what size she was wearing. He smiled at her and pulled out a shirt from his bag."I have already paid for it ma'am. The man replied, "It's yours."That was the kind of trip.Lanie stated that she was having all kinds of thoughts as the game ended and the evening ended. She thought of her husband Pete, a Mississippi State fan as well, who passed away last year. Lanie lives in the house that Pete and she bought 55 years ago.Lanie stated, "He was there. He was there in spirit with me."She thought fondly about her grandsons, who were willing to take her to College World Series. It was also how deeply ingrained Mississippi State had been in her family over the years. They were raised going to basketball, football and baseball games. Carie and Barbara, Lanie's two daughters, graduated from Mississippi State in 1980s. Barbara also played on the golf team."I worked hard growing-up. "We all did. I was raising kids and didn't have enough money. "But, I am now blessed enough to do this with my grandsons. They said, "I don't know how long I have left on this planet, but doing something like this with you all is well worth it."On Thursday morning, Justice, Ben, and Lanie all proudly wore their Mississippi State championship shirts as they drove back to Hazlehurst in Mississippi."I didn’t get tired. Lanie stated that she was too excited and is not tired now.Not after the trip to remember.
