'Field of Dreams' game wasn't just for baseball fans

The historic Field of Dreams game was not just for baseball fans. This epic event was a delightful and much needed throwback to a kinder, gentler time and I, for one, could relate completely and didn't realize how much I needed to see it. 

My home town of Dupo, Illinois is the exact same size as Dyersville, Iowa so, as I watched, I was reminded of all the reasons why small town living is so appealing. From the corn fields to the stunning buttermilk sunset, every scene was postcard perfect and made me miss my little town and, frankly, that way of life.

As everyone knows, the game was inspired by the 1989 film classic, "Field of Dreams" and the nostalgia factor was off the charts for this well planned event. Players, wearing throwback uniforms, followed Kevin Costner out of a corn field and onto the diamond. (This is where I kinda lost it)....It was such a moving scene and you could tell that even these players (who have seen everything in every major city they've played in) were affected. Many took photos before the game, sitting on the little porch swing in the make-believe home that was featured in the movie, in the corn maze (that was designed to look like the MLB logo) and even of each other sampling the corn right off the stalks.

As fans entered the stadium (built at a cost of $5 million+), audio from the film was playing with the effect being total immersion in this "fairytale film dream."

To make sure the experience was perfect, volunteers even zip-tied thousands of corn stalks upright that had drooped in a previous rain storm. As the epic game was played, drone shots showed the next field over where Little Leaguers were playing the same game as their Major League counterparts. The imagery was stunning and moving.

I could almost smell the dirt coming off the TV screen and remembered playing softball (short-stop, left-handed) in Dupo. As dusk fell, the mosquitoes came out and the smell of nature was replaced by the smell of DEET. I loved it. The sunsets, like the one in Dyersville last night, was unlike any I've seen anywhere else in the world. Every time I go back home for a visit, I'm still in awe of this visual and words can't do it justice.

Even Kevin Costner, in his address to the fans, seemed a bit speechless. "30 years ago, on the other side of that corn, we filmed a movie that stood the test of time. Tonight, thanks to the impact that enduring little movie had, it's allowed us to come here again. But now we're on a field that Major League Baseball built. We've come to see the first place White Sox play the mighty Yankees in a field that was once corn. It's perfect. We've kept our promise and MLB has kept it's promise, the dream is still alive. There's only one question, is this heaven?  Yes it is...."

I couldn't agree more.....it's where small town dreams can take flight, not just for major league baseball players, but for everyone who believes.