MLB in '20 is "planning to play a special game at the location" of the '89 Kevin Costner feature film "Field of Dreams" in Iowa, according to Lesley Goldberg of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The White Sox and Yankees will "play a regular season game on Aug. 13, 2020 in Dyersville, Iowa, at the site of the beloved baseball flick." Even more, the league will "begin construction on a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark on the Dyersville site that neighbors the iconic movie location." A pathway through a cornfield will "take fans to the ballpark, which will overlook the famed site." In addition, the right field wall will "include windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark." Other aspects of the ballpark’s design will "pay homage to Chicago’s Comiskey Park." The game will be "broadcast by Fox and begin" at 7:00pm ET, and "marks the first-ever MLB game ever held at the location as well as in the state of Iowa." That the White Sox are "participating is fitting," given that the 1919 squad featuring Shoeless Joe Jackson and dubbed the Black Sox for throwing the World Series were "featured" in the film. The game is being "staged with the participation" of "Field of Dreams" producers Universal Studios. Tickets to what is being called "MLB at 'Field of Dreams' will be announced at a later date" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/8).
TWITTER REAX: Newsday's David Lennon: "I understand why MLB plays games at special locations, from Williamsport to Memphis to London. A movie set in Iowa feels like a stretch. As far as a field of dreams, MLB already plays in 30 of them. Those are the places where dreams really come true - for players & fans alike." MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince: "Now that @MLB is playing a game at the “Field of Dreams” site, I hope they’ll honor my favorite baseball movie and have the Angels play a home game at Dodger Stadium with a member of LAPD serving as an ump." NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra: "A commenter just made a good point: the Field of Dreams game is nostalgia . . . for nostalgia. It's like nostalgia inception. It's like having "Happy Days Night" at a ballpark in which people dress up in 1950s clothes with 1970s hairstyles."