DYERSVILLE, Iowa — In his indispensable newsletter (subscribe now!), Joe Sheehan makes a fantastic point about why Thursday night’s Field of Dreams game felt so special.
MLB should send a shoutout to NHL. They should also rotate this game annually to various Minor League parks scattered around the country. Imagine also seeing this game in Durham (moo), in Charleston (hello Carl). Hot lot in W Texas. In Redding CA (could they be the LAST Colts team)?
Magical! How could one not feel the energy, the love of the game! I feel sad for those who wouldn't open their hearts and allow their minds to 'dream' 🥰
There are games within easy reach of most everyone every night even if they don't have cable if they really want to watch baseball. What will be great is when an ordinary game is something that a fan wants to watch. That would happen when people grow up watching baseball on the lower levels again...little league, high school, etc. But then, those that watch those leagues recognize what a joke major league baseball has become.
Your friend is wrong about peanut butter hamburgers, though. I certainly wouldn't want to eat one every day or have them replace a standard burger, but there's a place in Macon, GA called the Rookery that has a burger with homemade peanut butter named the Jimmy Carter. It was incredibly good, although it required drinking two gallons of water. I haven't been there in a decade or longer, but I assume they still serve it.
As an Iowan, I've never actually seen the movie, nor have I been to the field itself. But I sat down with my wife and oldest two kids, and made them watch the first three innings (I'm not even a baseball fan, FWIW). But MLB did such a wonderful job of celebrating Iowa, and seeing those superstars of the sport walk out of the corn, and playing in the middle of it, was surreal for me. I love that it happened, I love that Iowa got to show who we are as a people, I love it all. I hope beyond hope that MLB comes back, if only so more people can see what we are about.
You are a weaver of words like no other, and your resulting tapestries are keepsakes. Thanks for choosing writing as your career and for loving baseball ⚾️
Just brilliant, thank you! My wife walked into the room just when Judge hit that first HR and she said”That’s so cool!” And I it really was, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it
Great writing Joe. You make me appreciate baseball even more. I live in Iowa and have been to the Field of Dreams site twice. The last time was 2 years ago. My wife and I just went there to see the field and we found there was an old timers game going on with a bunch of greats--Reggie Jackson, Rickie Henderson, Steve Carlton (one of my heroes growing up in South Jersey as a Phillies fan, Jim Edmonds, David Ross, and others as well as actors from A League of Their Own and Sandlot. There were a couple of thousand people there. I met Dwier Brown who was selling copies of his book. He seemed like a real nice guy.
For me Field of Dreams is about healing and redemption, the connection between fathers and sons, and following your heart no matter how crazy it seems, which is what Ray Kinsella did. The movie gets to me every time I watch it. I would often "have a catch" with my father growing up and that last scene always makes me tear up. My father loved baseball and like Ray's dad he played a little in the minors and even got a tryout with the old St. Louis Browns after the war. He didn't make it and spent the rest of his life painting houses but always wishing he could have played in the majors. He died of a stroke at the age of 52. I wish he was still around to talk baseball. Anyway, that's why Field of Dreams touches me.
A bit of trivia, two great baseball movies end with a father and son having a catch or playing catch, Field of Dreams and The Natural. The catch signifying "the long arc of years between them" as someone once wrote.
Outstanding writing, Joe - as always. As a KC sports fan, you will always hold a special place.
The release of "Field of Dreams" in the spring of 1989 came on the first anniversary of my dad's sudden, shocking death at age 48 from a cerebral hemorrhage. A dear friend knew the date was coming and she said she wanted to take me to lunch and see that new Kostner movie, to take my mind off of my dad's death anniversary.
I think you know how that worked out.
I apologize to all the people who had to listen to me cry like a baby in the theater that day.
I was in college at the University of Iowa when "Field of Dreams" came out in 1989. The Field itself became an attraction a year or two after that. But even though I lived an hour away, I never visited. I played some high school baseball and a handful of those games were in the sticks, so I thought, "...a baseball diamond in a cornfield. Meh." Still haven't visited, although I might at some point if they keep the stadium up.
However, reading the book was kinda fun because a bunch of Iowa City landmarks were mentioned and most of them were 4-6 blocks from the house I was living in at the time. That was oddly more interesting to me.
Great piece. I'd probably agree with your old girlfriend about the movie. I pretty much hated it, even though my wife always reminds me that she caught me with tears in my eyes a couple of times.
For baseball fantasy fiction, have you ever read Michael Chabon's Summerland? I read it for the first time last year and loved it. It's become the A Wrinkle in Time of my adult turn toward the homestretch.
It's really a terrible movie. I think because the movie is so dumb, I did not watch the game. I basically forgot it was in and watched other games that night.
Reading Joe's description almost makes me wish I'd seen it, though. Almost.
Thanks for this piece Joe. Greetings from Spain.
MLB should send a shoutout to NHL. They should also rotate this game annually to various Minor League parks scattered around the country. Imagine also seeing this game in Durham (moo), in Charleston (hello Carl). Hot lot in W Texas. In Redding CA (could they be the LAST Colts team)?
‘Colt 45’
Magical! How could one not feel the energy, the love of the game! I feel sad for those who wouldn't open their hearts and allow their minds to 'dream' 🥰
This was good, goddammit. Argh.
So was the game.
There are games within easy reach of most everyone every night even if they don't have cable if they really want to watch baseball. What will be great is when an ordinary game is something that a fan wants to watch. That would happen when people grow up watching baseball on the lower levels again...little league, high school, etc. But then, those that watch those leagues recognize what a joke major league baseball has become.
Excellent and hilarious as always. I hope your idea catches on--Thursday night special event baseball on the networks that everyone can watch--YES.
Hot dog apple pie sounds disgusting.
Your friend is wrong about peanut butter hamburgers, though. I certainly wouldn't want to eat one every day or have them replace a standard burger, but there's a place in Macon, GA called the Rookery that has a burger with homemade peanut butter named the Jimmy Carter. It was incredibly good, although it required drinking two gallons of water. I haven't been there in a decade or longer, but I assume they still serve it.
As an Iowan, I've never actually seen the movie, nor have I been to the field itself. But I sat down with my wife and oldest two kids, and made them watch the first three innings (I'm not even a baseball fan, FWIW). But MLB did such a wonderful job of celebrating Iowa, and seeing those superstars of the sport walk out of the corn, and playing in the middle of it, was surreal for me. I love that it happened, I love that Iowa got to show who we are as a people, I love it all. I hope beyond hope that MLB comes back, if only so more people can see what we are about.
You are a weaver of words like no other, and your resulting tapestries are keepsakes. Thanks for choosing writing as your career and for loving baseball ⚾️
Just brilliant, thank you! My wife walked into the room just when Judge hit that first HR and she said”That’s so cool!” And I it really was, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it
Great writing Joe. You make me appreciate baseball even more. I live in Iowa and have been to the Field of Dreams site twice. The last time was 2 years ago. My wife and I just went there to see the field and we found there was an old timers game going on with a bunch of greats--Reggie Jackson, Rickie Henderson, Steve Carlton (one of my heroes growing up in South Jersey as a Phillies fan, Jim Edmonds, David Ross, and others as well as actors from A League of Their Own and Sandlot. There were a couple of thousand people there. I met Dwier Brown who was selling copies of his book. He seemed like a real nice guy.
For me Field of Dreams is about healing and redemption, the connection between fathers and sons, and following your heart no matter how crazy it seems, which is what Ray Kinsella did. The movie gets to me every time I watch it. I would often "have a catch" with my father growing up and that last scene always makes me tear up. My father loved baseball and like Ray's dad he played a little in the minors and even got a tryout with the old St. Louis Browns after the war. He didn't make it and spent the rest of his life painting houses but always wishing he could have played in the majors. He died of a stroke at the age of 52. I wish he was still around to talk baseball. Anyway, that's why Field of Dreams touches me.
A bit of trivia, two great baseball movies end with a father and son having a catch or playing catch, Field of Dreams and The Natural. The catch signifying "the long arc of years between them" as someone once wrote.
Fantastically written Joe! You summarized the day/night perfectly. Here’s hoping it leads to greater days highlighting this great game! Cheers.
Outstanding writing, Joe - as always. As a KC sports fan, you will always hold a special place.
The release of "Field of Dreams" in the spring of 1989 came on the first anniversary of my dad's sudden, shocking death at age 48 from a cerebral hemorrhage. A dear friend knew the date was coming and she said she wanted to take me to lunch and see that new Kostner movie, to take my mind off of my dad's death anniversary.
I think you know how that worked out.
I apologize to all the people who had to listen to me cry like a baby in the theater that day.
I was in college at the University of Iowa when "Field of Dreams" came out in 1989. The Field itself became an attraction a year or two after that. But even though I lived an hour away, I never visited. I played some high school baseball and a handful of those games were in the sticks, so I thought, "...a baseball diamond in a cornfield. Meh." Still haven't visited, although I might at some point if they keep the stadium up.
However, reading the book was kinda fun because a bunch of Iowa City landmarks were mentioned and most of them were 4-6 blocks from the house I was living in at the time. That was oddly more interesting to me.
Great piece. I'd probably agree with your old girlfriend about the movie. I pretty much hated it, even though my wife always reminds me that she caught me with tears in my eyes a couple of times.
For baseball fantasy fiction, have you ever read Michael Chabon's Summerland? I read it for the first time last year and loved it. It's become the A Wrinkle in Time of my adult turn toward the homestretch.
It's really a terrible movie. I think because the movie is so dumb, I did not watch the game. I basically forgot it was in and watched other games that night.
Reading Joe's description almost makes me wish I'd seen it, though. Almost.