Other Options for special MLB games?

[TBGKon]

So with the Field of Dreams game tonight, and with games in Williamsport and Omaha done in the past, where else could we see some of these one off special games?

 

I honestly can’t think others, but maybe the hive mind out there can help!

 

 

[DDR]

A lot of people on Twitter have suggested a Sandlot Game, but that seems more minor leagues to me.

 

I could see a game on a makeshift field on a military base. 

[Gary]

I would love to see more of these one off games, like they have the Winter Classic for the NHL. Call it the Field of Dreams Omaha, or any other team in the plains. Or have it in Minnesota and have the game with a woodsy setting. 

[schlim]

Somebody in a Cooperstown basement has been working feverishly on every minute detail for such a game concept for about 41 years.

[Cujo]

Hopefully none like this

 

[GDAWG]

A game in Cooperstown that actually counts in the standings.  

[DEAD!]

I admit , I turned off the "Field of Dreams" game after the 2nd inning. After the novelty wore off, I felt like I was watching something similar to a Blue Jays home game in Dunedin. Basically, major league quality baseball in a minor league stadium, but with lighting upgrades. I think having the game at daytime would have looked much better. 

I had more interest in games played in Tokyo, London, Mexico and Sydney.  

At least with the NHL outdoor/stadium games, (we can omit Tahoe which I want erase from all recordkeeping) it felt truly like an event, but done in a grander setting than a regular season game where many more fans can attend. 

Having said all that,  I would think an annual or bi-annual game at the Field of Dreams site should work, as a TV event, but I would rather have FOX have a mid-week national game. 

[waltere]

10 hours ago, DDR said:

I could see a game on a makeshift field on a military base. 

 

They already did that, Braves v Marlins at Fort Bragg a few years back.

[leopard88]

9 hours ago, Cujo said:

Hopefully none like this

 

 

I would actually be fine with that.  Games at former MLB stadiums (or stadia, if your prefer) that are still around would be interesting to me.  This is particularly interesting to me specifically because the Coliseum is so ill suited to baseball.

 

8 hours ago, GDAWG said:

A game in Cooperstown that actually counts in the standings.  

 

I've been saying this for years.  Doubleday Field would be perfect for this . . . and I think it holds more than the the Field of Dreams stadium.

 

 

A Red Sox game at a Cape Cod League stadium would also be pretty cool.   Most of them have almost no permanent seating, so temporary seating would  be necessary.

 

 

[bosrs1]

14 hours ago, TBGKon said:

So with the Field of Dreams game tonight, and with games in Williamsport and Omaha done in the past, where else could we see some of these one off special games?

 

I honestly can’t think others, but maybe the hive mind out there can help!

 

 

 

I can think of a few. I think the game last night, particularly before the sun set, was a nostalgia trip and showed the value of nostalgia to baseball. They need to lean into that. To that end I'd suggest the following games...

 

-Sandlot game - another benchmark baseball movie that would be trippy as hell to watch not unlike last night in Iowa. Find some run down lot in a city mid sized city in the LA area or Utah (where Sandlot was filmed), fix it up as a legacy project for the community, built a field similar to Koshien Stadium in Japan with an all dirt infield and yard fences around it, and lets play. 

 

-Dodgers return to Brooklyn/Ebbets Field game - Don't know if you host this on a temporary field somewhere in the borough and call it Ebbets Field or at the Brooklyn Cyclones park (honestly given it's cool location this would be my preference) with some MLB required upgrades, but there's a ton of historical nostalgia and such around the former Brooklyn team (and all 3 NY teams from the first half of the 20th century). I say lean into that, give those old timers who are left that were Brooklyn Dodgers fans an amazing late life gift and maybe help convey some of that to the younger generation. Make it a Dodgers home game obviously and pit them against the Yankees or Giants, in period specific attire like last night. 

 

-Rockford, IL game - This one would be a movie two fer. Have a double header with the first game being a women's game (either between a temporarily reconstituted Rockford Peaches and Racine Belles or between the US Women's Team and the Japanese team that compete in the Women's World Cup of Baseball), and the second game be the MLB game. Hell if they get really ambitious make this part of a push to revive the Women's game.

 

 

 

[Marlins93]

A lot of people on this board were bashing the Field of Dreams game concept when it was first announced, but I thought it was utterly fantastic. I'm not referring to the dramatic ninth inning or eight home runs hit into the corn last night, but the aesthetics, the vibe, the uniforms, and the broadcast. Everything was impeccably executed. This is definitely one of the best things MLB has done in recent memory.

 

I like that they didn't pump in a lot of superfluous garbage that we typically see with the All Star Game, Home Run Derby, or even the postseason. The corporate presence was not excessive. The entire event really seemed to revolve around the film itself and the various emotions that it conjures. Costner hasn't aged well but his participation really bolstered the "calm" atmosphere that the game required. This wasn't and shouldn't have been some major spectacle. I felt a sense of intimacy throughout. My only complaint was the decision to blast those annoying soundbites and hype music to try to energize the crowd.

 

I usually don't get invested in games where my team isn't playing, but this one had my attention from beginning to end.

[Marlins93]

2 hours ago, leopard88 said:

I've been saying this for years.  Doubleday Field would be perfect for this . . . and I think it holds more than the the Field of Dreams stadium.

 

They used to host an annual "Hall of Fame game" at Doubleday during induction weekend, but it was only an exhibition. They ended it about 20 years ago, presumably because of the travel logistics and players not wanting to participate. Players couldn't have cared less about it. Most of the regulars would start filing out of the ballpark after the first pitch.

 

I like the idea of having a "real" game there in theory, but I don't think that it would capture the same sense of wonder that the Field of Dreams game did. It would surely be nostalgic but the aesthetics of the corn field really elevated last night. The last time I saw Doubleday, it was rather run down and presumably not ideal to hold an official MLB game. Whatever temporary structure they built in Iowa was undoubtedly much more equipped.

[bosrs1]

45 minutes ago, Marlins93 said:

A lot of people on this board were bashing the Field of Dreams game concept when it was first announced, but I thought it was utterly fantastic. I'm not referring to the dramatic ninth inning or eight home runs hit into the corn last night, but the aesthetics, the vibe, the uniforms, and the broadcast. Everything was impeccably executed. This is definitely one of the best things MLB has done in recent memory.

 

I like that they didn't pump in a lot of superfluous garbage that we typically see with the All Star Game, Home Run Derby, or even the postseason. The corporate presence was not excessive. The entire event really seemed to revolve around the film itself and the various emotions that it conjures. Costner hasn't aged well but his participation really bolstered the "calm" atmosphere that the game required. This wasn't and shouldn't have been some major spectacle. I felt a sense of intimacy throughout. My only complaint was the decision to blast those annoying soundbites and hype music to try to energize the crowd.

 

I usually don't get invested in games where my team isn't playing, but this one had my attention from beginning to end.

 

Costner has aged very well considering that movie was filmed 33 years ago. He's pushing 70 now. He looks great for 70 without having artificially kept himself looking younger like many of his peers. 

 

But otherwise I agree. MLB has screwed A LOT of things up in recent years. But other than one or two quibbles (I would have also ditched the modern music between innings/batters and obviously the Nike logo was meh), I've little to complain about with regard to that game. It was pulled off spectacularly. The opening bit with the guys coming out of the corn was freaking phenomenal. The uniforms themselves were outstanding (hell I want the White Sox to wear those full time). The overall ambiance was like the movie and all of its nostalgia came to life. Honestly it may have been a once a decade or more moment for the league they may never be able to match, but I've rarely felt better watching a baseball game on TV. Last night was proof that MLB can get it right if they pull their heads out of their asses and remember that what sets baseball apart from the other sports is that it's been around for more than half a century longer than the next oldest, and it's a sport steeped in history and nostalgia, which are frankly some of it's best parts. 

[Dilbert]

My thought is that each team hosts a game each season at their AAA affiliate. We saw MLB return to Buffalo, how about Louisville, Columbus, Worcester? The game in Omaha a few years ago was a success. My other choice would be hold a regular season game at Doubleday in Cooperstown during the Hall of Fame inductions. It works for the NFL preseason in Canton and I know they used to have an exhibition game each year in Cooperstown.

[leopard88]

1 hour ago, Marlins93 said:

 

They used to host an annual "Hall of Fame game" at Doubleday during induction weekend, but it was only an exhibition. They ended it about 20 years ago, presumably because of the travel logistics and players not wanting to participate. Players couldn't have cared less about it. Most of the regulars would start filing out of the ballpark after the first pitch.

 

I like the idea of having a "real" game there in theory, but I don't think that it would capture the same sense of wonder that the Field of Dreams game did. It would surely be nostalgic but the aesthetics of the corn field really elevated last night. The last time I saw Doubleday, it was rather run down and presumably not ideal to hold an official MLB game. Whatever temporary structure they built in Iowa was undoubtedly much more equipped.

 

I'm old enough to remember the exhibition game.  It's a shame it ended, but I get it since there was little interest in it across the board.

 

With regard having a regular season game at Doubleday Field, my understanding it that it was renovated recently.  It might not be fully up to MLB standards, but they played at the AA stadium in Williamsport a few years ago, so those hurdles can most likely be overcome.  Also, the travel logistics can't be that much different than getting to and from Dyersville, IA.

 

Doubleday renovations lift spirits in Cooperstown

 

[ninersdd]

How bout Diamondbacks vs Indians/Guardians next year?

[Marlins93]

2 hours ago, bosrs1 said:

 

Costner has aged very well considering that movie was filmed 33 years ago. He's pushing 70 now. He looks great for 70 without having artificially kept himself looking younger like many of his peers. 

 

I wasn't really referring to appearance but rather how he carried himself. He might be 66 (which isn't even that old) but he spoke like he was 86.

 

I didn't mind it but it stuck out to me.

[MJWalker45]

4 minutes ago, ninersdd said:

How bout Diamondbacks vs Indians/Guardians next year?

It'll probably be the Cubs and Cardinals, or maybe the Tigers. 

[DEAD!]

I feel like the "nostalgia" themes have been done to death. We've had throwback uniforms, "retro"-style ballparks and the like, and now we're throwing back to a movie? What's next? The Natural and Bull Durham themed games? ... yeah, and forget about having "Major League" themed game. 

I get people want to remember a more "innocent" time, like the 20s or the 50s or even the 90s, but I don't want to look back to eras where we had segregation, fighting for civil rights, banning interracial or gay marriage, the Cold War or even the decade after 9/11.  

[SFGiants58]

I want a Benchwarmers game, right down to the player ID’s looking like this: