Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, originally uploaded by bridgepix.

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium is a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. It serves as the home of both the minor league Omaha Royals and the annual NCAA Division I College World Series.

Since 1950, Omaha and Rosenblatt Stadium have become home to one of the unique championships in the US. No other town is as closely identified with one championship event as is Omaha with the College World Series. Every year, over 250 baseball teams around the country begin the season with the dream of playing in "The Blatt". 64 teams reach the NCAA Tournament, and the final eight left standing get to pack their bags for 10 days in Omaha. Rosenblatt Stadium, along with the entire city of Omaha, has become somewhat of a Mecca for college baseball.

After the initial contract between the NCAA and the City of Omaha, the parties quickly agreed to renew. Since then, the event has been held in Rosenblatt Stadium every year, and likely will remain there.

The City of Omaha has put tremendous resources into the stadium to accommodate teams and fans. In 2001 alone, more than $7 million was spent on the stadium. One of the main features was the addition of 10,000 new seats, bringing the total capacity to 23,145.

The series has grown so much over the last 20 years that this number is actually needed to fulfill the high demand for tickets. In 2004, 28,216 fans watched as Cal State Fullerton defeated South Carolina 5-3. In 2002 the mark of 5,000,000 spectators in the history of the CWS in Omaha was reached.

In 1999 one of its more renowned features was added to the stadium. In front of the main entrance, the local event organizers, College World Series of Omaha, Inc., placed the sculpture "Road to Omaha". Created by the local artist John Lajba, the sculpture shows three players celebrating by lifting one of their teammates in the air. (Wikipedia)