College World Series 2010: Rosenblatt Says Goobye

Ask anyone born and raised in Omaha the greatest thing about the College World Series, and they’ll likely give you an account of a barbecue they attended as a child, an ice cream stand they remember from a hot day, or that game, that one game when they realized that they wanted nothing more than to be the starting shortstop for a CWS team. I’m not originally from Omaha, but I’ve paid special attention to the nostalgia people have for the College World Series—this event was one of the only things I knew about the city before moving here—and the sense of tradition mixed with pride I hear when people talk about it has always rung true for me. I imagine that people love the College World Series for the same reasons people love anything about where they’re from: if it’s a good thing, a truly good thing, and you can share it with the world, you let people into a little part of your life that’s made only of the best days, and has been that way since you were young. And now it’s gone. Or Rosenblatt is gone at least. 2010 marked the final year for Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, the ‘Blatt, and its over 50 years of hosting the College World Series. Next year, the CWS remains in Omaha, but moves downtown, marking a decidedly different event, both for the Omahans that remember coming to Rosenblatt as children, and the loyal out of state fans that make the yearly trek to Omaha to root on the teams they love and frequent the College World Series bars made famous by their presence. Have no doubt, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha will be a wonderful, modern stadium, ideally located within the heart of the city, near to the Old Market, and likely a financial boon and sporting fixture for years to come. But it won’t be Rosenblatt. I admit that that doesn’t mean as much to me as for some others, but you can tell when something has a certain gravity. The little kid at the end of the video says it best: I think any player that goes there will have a memory that they will remember for a long time…and any fan, too.