Field of Dreams Game a cherished day for reporters, too
Mark Sheldon
@m_sheldonThis story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
I’ve had the good fortune to cover several different types of events for MLB.com over my 22 seasons. I’ve been to festive Opening Days, postseasons, All-Star Games and a two-game series in Monterrey, Mexico.
I can now say I’ve been to the Field of Dreams in Iowa, and it was sensational.
From the press box, I was mesmerized by the rolling fields of corn and the view. The stadium was intimate. A short distance away was the movie site. Going over there -- through the cornfield, of course -- was the kind of stuff I could never have imagined doing when I watched the movie in the theater (and loved it) when I was a teenager in 1989.
No, the second version of the MLB at Field of Dreams Game didn’t have the same zest that the first one had. There was no appearance by Kevin Costner and no home runs were launched into the cornfield. It didn’t matter to me, nor do I think it mattered to the nearly 8,000 people who attended the game.
For one day, the negativity over a difficult Reds (and Cubs) season took a backseat. I saw so many people just having a great time, watching baseball and talking about how much they love the game. Even on the way home while stopping for lunch in Indiana on Friday, I encountered an older gentleman wearing a shirt from the game and a Reds hat on his way back to Troy, Ohio. Still smiling, he told me it was one of the greatest things he got to do in his entire life.
I had the very good fortune of having my family able to make the trip and attend the game. I was also able to “have a catch” with my 13-year-old son -- something we often do at home -- but it was extra special to get to do it on the infield where that magical film was made.
When we were done and I had to get back to work, I was floating for the rest of the day. I will never forget it and I’m grateful for the opportunity to cover such a unique event.
Of course, the “Field of Dreams” movie ended with Ray Kinsella (Costner) and his father playing catch. It’s really the emotional touchstone of the film. Leave it to Joey Votto, who best explained why a game of catch can be meaningful.
“Well, the movie is built around relationships, [and] what either party wanted them to be. Their father and son relationship was kind of split, and I think all he wanted was to love and support his father and vice-versa,” Votto explained. “Playing catch is different than any action in any other sport because you both share a ball -- you can go barehanded or with a glove -- but you have to do everything to support your partner. I have to throw the ball well, so you don’t have to chase it down and we can continue this back-and-forth together. I have to catch the ball, so we don’t pause the action.
“It’s much more one than it is two separate parties doing something. Whenever I think about playing catch, I think about a bond between two people. In that movie, I think playing catch represented that.”
To get you caught up, here are some stories we had at MLB.com from Iowa: