Some call it the "Johnny." Those who aren't as nice call it the "Blatt." Whatever it's called, to college baseball players it's the place they want to be on the last day of the baseball season.

When Russian-Jewish immigrants Louis and Sara Rosenblatt first set foot in America, the farthest thing from their minds was that within 64 years, Omaha, NE, would name a baseball stadium in honor of one of their six children.

Rosenblatt Stadium may not have the cachet of a Yankee Stadium, Rose Bowl or Madison Square Garden, but it is the queen of baseball stadiums for every Division 1 college baseball team and player.

June is the time and place for the College World Series. It s when the best eight college baseball teams in America engage in a double-elimination, head-to head competition in quest of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship.

Unlike the traveling road shows in other sports, the college baseball title has been decided in the same venue, Rosenblatt Stadium, for the past 56 years. And it wouldn't be held there if not for the great crowds, an excellent playing facility, and the homey, mid-western hospitality of the city's residents.

Omaha wasn't as gracious to the elder Rosenblatt's when they first arrived in the town in 1900. Louis took a job peddling baked goods off a horse-drawn wagon, but could never make enough money to supply a comfortable life for his wife and six children. To make matters worse, two of his three sons, Abe and Meyer, were born deaf. To help out, Johnny, born in 1907, went to work selling newspapers on a street corner when he was seven.

Despite going to school and selling papers, Johnny still found time to join the Kellom School "gang," a group of boys with one burning interest sports. Like so many Jewish kids of his time, he was an all-round athlete, playing baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and handball.

"We were pretty tough cookies," he told Omaha World-Herald writer Howard Silber in 1957. "But we had a place to play; the school playground. That s why no member of the gang ever got into trouble."

Baseball was Rosenblatt's best sport. He went through the ranks from the schoolyard to the junior leagues, and then to top-flight adult and semi-professional baseball. He won two letters playing for his high school along with Mel Harder, later a pitcher with the Cleveland Indians. Then Rosenblatt attended the University of Iowa until financial difficulties sent him home, and later played one semester of basketball at the University of Omaha.

One day, Rosenblatt, now grownup, bought a ticket to a minor-league game in Omaha and was sitting in the stands waiting the start of a Triple-A, minor league game between Omaha and a team from Pueblo, CO to start. A local sportswriter spotted him and asked if he wanted to play for the home team that night. Johnny didn't have to be asked twice. The journalist went into the dugout and came back with the team's owner. He leaned over, whispered some numbers into Rosenblatt's ear. The soon to be Buffaloes right fielder jumped up, ran out to his friend s car, grabbed his dirty uniform, spikes and glove, he played a semi-pro game earlier in the day, ran back inside and was the Omaha team's right fielder that night.

It s a matter of record. Rosenblatt played with the Buffaloes for 10 days. In his first game, he got a hit and walked twice. In the ninth inning, with the score tied, two out and bases loaded, he came up to bat again. The count went to 3 and 2. He fouled off the next four pitches, and then let a low curve go by for ball four. His walk forced in the winning run.

The Buffaloes wanted Rosenblatt to stay with them, but the money offered was less than he made with his regular job and playing semi-pro ball in his free time. So when the team left for a road trip to Iowa, Rosenblatt, already married, declined to go and voluntarily ended his professional ball-playing career. It may have been the best thing to happen for him and for the city of Omaha.

Starting as a salesman for a local dairy, Rosenblatt quickly began rising through the company ranks to be its advertising manager, Omaha wholesaling manager, Omaha district manager and general sales manager in the fresh milk division. However, there was one caveat to being an executive with that particular company. Johnny had to get involved in civic affairs.

Over the next 14 years, Rosenblatt served his hometown as an elected councilman and in several other capacities, applying his acumen as a leader and executive. Finally, in 1948, he was elected mayor of Omaha, the first directly elected mayor in that community in more than 60-odd years.

It was also the same year that the present baseball park was completed (under Rosenblatt's leadership). A year later, minor league baseball returned to Omaha and a year after that, the NCAA Division 1 baseball tournament took residence in the park, and has never left.

Like them or not, sports are a major interest in America.

Even sports-haters know about the Super Bowl, the World Series, March Madness, and college football's Bowl Championship Series. Each of these events makes the front pages of newspapers across the country. But the one event that slips by virtually unnoticed even by diehard sports junkies is the College World Series of baseball. Not only doesn't it qualify for the front page, it rarely makes the front page of the sports section outside of Omaha.

There is an excellent reason why this is so. The championship in every other collegiate sport is decided during the school year. The CWS takes place after most colleges have graduated their seniors and have concluded their spring semesters. But Omaha, a great Mid-American city, is still open for baseball business. It continually fills Rosenblatt Stadium with 250,000 fans over the 12 days of competition, yearly. And its homey atmosphere, combined with Omaha steaks, will continue to draw baseball fans from all over the country for years to come.

It's like Rosenblatt said many years ago: "We never looked to tomorrow hoping it would be better. Usually it was."

No rule that says the college Baseball Championship belongs permanently in Omaha. Other cities, namely Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and New Orleans have tried to woo the championships to their locales, and they've come close, but in 56 years, none has been successful.

In 1964 the city council voted to change the stadium's name to Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium for the former city council member and mayor who was so instrumental in bringing "AAA" baseball and the "CWS" back to Omaha, and who led the team that built the stadium bearing his name.