Batter Up

OhCaptain over at The Life and Thoughts of a Midwest Geek took the bait. He asked his readers which of a given list of topics we'd like him to address. Of the given topics, I of course picked #2 - "Posts about why certain baseball movies are good and others are bad". He gave his list. What follows is mine. I'll skip why some are bad. There are too many of those and too many reasons. I'll stick to what I like.

(I couldn't post a pictureless post! I shot this with my new lens a few days ago.)

1. Field of Dreams- This is in my top 3 movies of all time; of any genre. I wrote a whole post about this a while back. Click here to read more. In a nutshell, this scene is why I love the movie:

2. For Love of the Game- This has something for everyone. Romance for the ladies and Vin Scully for the guys. Bet you never heard "romance" and "Vin Scully" mentioned in the same sentence before!
3. 61*- Billy Crystal did a fantastic job directing this movie. It's the story of the 1961 baseball season in which Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle chase the single season homerun record.
4. The Rookie-As a husband, father, and baseball fan, the scene when Dennis Quaid calls home to tell first his wife, then his son that he made it to the big leagues melts my heart.
5. The Untouchables- Does DeNiro's use of a baseball bat qualify it as a baseball movie??? (Yes, this one is a joke.)

Then of course there are the baseball documentaries but I didn't think they would fit in the movie category. In this genre I highly recommend:

1. Baseball by Ken Burns
2. When It Was A Game
3. Dodger Blue: The Championship Years
4. MLB Memorable Moments - 30 of baseball's greatest moments. The best of the best (imho) is Kirk Gibson's bottom of the 9th home run to win the first game of the 1988 World Series for the Dodgers. It set the tone for the Dodgers to win the championship that year. I still get chills hearing Vin Scully announce it.

"Hey Dad, you wanna have a catch?"

It gets me every time I hear it. The second to last line in Field of Dreams. The last five minutes make it my favorite movie. For those of you who have not seen it, you must. If you've seen it and have lost your father as I have, you know what I mean already.

If you are not familiar, I'll give a synopsis. Based on the book, Shoeless Joe, by W. P. Kinsella, (a case in which the movie is far superior to the book) it's the story of an Iowa farmer, played by Kevin Costner. It opens in a narrative in which Costner's character, Ray Kinsella, gives brief details of his life leading up to the events of the movie which include the severed relationship between he and his father prior to his death. Living a most ordinary life, Ray hears a voice; the first of a series of three messages-"If you build it, he will come." He concludes that if he plows under a major portion of his corn crop and builds a baseball field in its place, former and deceased baseball player, Shoeless Joe Jackson, will come back to play ball. Throughout the film, the story of his falling out with his father gets further explained and supported with details. Eventually, Shoeless Joe, and other ballplayers from the past return to play on the field Ray builds.

The final five minutes of the film is where I always lose it. It was on TV last night. I usually never watch movies on television because I hate the commercial breaks, but I watched last night on AMC because at the base of the screen was displayed background information regarding the film. At the opening of the film, the notes stated that it's the only film guaranteed to make a grown man cry. I'm no exception. The film concludes with the revelation that the "he" in "If you build it, he will come" was not Shoeless Joe. As the ballplayers clear the field for the day, one player remains. Seen in the distance is the catcher removing and storing his gear. As he removes his mask, Ray gasps at what he sees: the catcher is his father, much younger than he had ever known him. The catcher, Jon Kinsella, approaches his son. With so much that could have been said, very little is spoken. Small talk and a brief introduction to his wife and daughter are given. The viewer is left wondering if his father even knows he is speaking to his son. As his father turns to leave, son calls out to father such a simple line that speaks volumes, "Hey Dad, you wanna have a catch?"

Updated 4/23/08
I just found this video and had to come back and add it in

The ultimate second chance. A chance to mend. A chance to say all the things he wished he said before his father died. A chance to heal all the things that had tormented him all these years since. Another of the voices Ray heard in the story stated, "Ease his pain." We don't find out until the end that it was his own pain that was to be eased.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my father. I'm fortunate to have had a very close relationship to him unlike the characters in the film. But it is not without regret. Although we spoke on the telephone quite often, I had avoided seeing my father for the last two months of his life. Intentionally. His mental state as a result of his failing health made it so difficult for me to be around him. Granted I was an immature 22 year old, but I wish I had been able to better serve him in his time of need. How wonderful a field of dreams in real life would be. Oh to see him again. To tell him how I've missed him. To introduce him to Julianne, and place his beautiful granddaughter, Lily, in his arms. To have a catch of our own.

Just a fantasy, right? That's where the good news begins. According to scripture, we have the promise of seeing each other again some day. Knowing my father died a believer in Christ settles my spirit greatly.

Pictures from the actual Field of Dreams
While visiting Julianne's aunt and uncle in Iowa in 2003, we drove to Dyersville to see the actual Field of Dreams movie site. Although we found out when we arrived that they were closed, we got some pictures of the field and the house.