Remembering Omaha’s ‘diamond on the hill’: Rosenblatt Stadium

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - On a sunny Father’s Day, the Infield at the Zoo -- also coined the Mini Blatt -- is a place to hit some home runs. For folks like Jim Meier, it’s a place to reminisce.

“A place that was more than just steel and earth and cement... it took on a nurturing role for me,” says Meier.

Growing up two blocks away from the field, it’s been a big part of his life. It’s why on Sunday he shared personal stories, pictures, and memorabilia about “Ole Rosey Girl” with the public.

“Rosenblatt was a place then that provided for me a place, as I got older and older and came back, to be with other people. I started doing a podcast and I did over 400 shows, interviewed coaches I had so many of the College World Series coaches as guests, I had a lot of high school coaches,” says Meier.

Who better to show up to the presentation, than former Omaha City Councilman and baseball player Steve Rosenblatt. The stadium is named after his father, Johnny.

“My dad and I had many memories here,” he said. “I had an opportunity to do a number of things. I was able to play here, I was able to broadcast a game with Satchel Paige.”

So while the CWS continues on downtown, the memories of the “diamond on the hill” remain.

“The memories of Rosenblatt will live on for many, many years, but more importantly, when the young people come, just like we’re seeing on the field today, kids are having fun, and nothing could be better than kids having fun at the ballpark,” says Rosenblatt.

Rosenblatt Stadium opened in 1948 and hosted the College World Series every year from 1950 until 2010. Demolition of the field started in July 2012 and was completed the following year. The Infield at the Zoo, a “mini-field” of sorts, opened up in the stadium’s footprint in the summer of 2013.

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