"The
one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled
by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt
and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's
a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it
could be again..." (From Field Of Dreams)
I
recently went to a game at Dodger Stadium and while sitting up in the stands
awaiting the next pitch, I was again reminded of one simple fact: There are few
things that bring me closer to memories of childhood than a trip to the
ballpark. While my hometown didn't have a major league team, we still had
baseball.
I frequently went to minor league games with my dad when I was
a kid. Every time I go to a game, no matter what stadium it is or who is
playing, I'm whisked back to a time when life was simple, when I dreamed big
dreams and wondered who I'd become and what I'd be doing years and years from
now. Baseball is part of that magic for me, the joy of an afternoon at
the ballpark, the belief that anything is possible.
Field
of Dreams, one
of my all-time favorite baseball movies just hit it's 25th anniversary. To
mark the occasion, Kevin Costner along with his family and a few other
luminaries from the film went back to Dyersville, Iowa, where the real Field Of
Dreams still stands, The Hollywood
Reporter announced today.
After the film's release, the
original Iowa Field Of Dreams, about a 5-hour drive from
where I grew up in Nebraska, became a tourist attraction for legions of
baseball fans everywhere. Even today, people still come... just as the
film predicted. A weekend full of special events to mark the 25th
anniversary milestone was appropriately scheduled for this Father's Day
weekend. By all accounts, it was a success:
"I'm
glad to be here with friends and old acquaintances and making some new ones,
and for my children to be a part of this," Costner said. "It's
certainly a high mark for me, this little movie, and it remains so."
(As
reported by The Hollywood Reporter)
The
history of baseball is fascinating, even mythical in its beginnings. Here
in Los Angeles, home of the Dodgers, the Japanese American
National Museum is currently hosting a special exhibit
detailing the accomplishments of many in baseball's longstanding history.
I recently attended the exhibit and was struck by how much the history of
baseball has paralleled (and even shaped) U.S. history, especially as reflected
in the civil rights era.
Although, Dodgers:
Brotherhood Of The Game focuses on the Dodgers contributions to the legacy of
baseball, the exhibit focuses specifically on the culture of baseball as a
whole as seen through the accomplishments of culturally diverse players, Jackie
Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, Chan Ho Park and Hideo Nomo as
well as manager Tommy Lasorda, all of whom were instrumental in
making the baseball the multicultural sport it is today. Apart from the
artifacts of the era, I found the historic timeline of baseball milestones to
be not only extensive, but an especially impressive overview.
Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game is a collaboration between the Los Angeles Dodgers,
Peter O’Malley and Family, and the Japanese American National Museum. The
exhibit is showing through September 14, 2014 at The Japanese American
National Museum (100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles CA
90012, (213) 625-0414)
Although
time goes by and people grow older and pass away, baseball is a
constant that I hope will be there for generations to come. These days, it may not be the most
popular spectator sport, but that certainly doesn't take anything away from the
beauty of the game and its longstanding traditions. Long live baseball!
For
previous entries about baseball history and moviesfrom this blog, please
see: Baseball Nostalgia and Jackie Robinson's Legacy
Copyright ©
2014 by Kendra Liedle
No comments:
Post a Comment