MLB: Why Not Play The All-Star Game At The “Field Of Dreams” In Iowa

Field Of Dreams - MLB 2021 All-Star Game

Unless MLB changes its mind, a new site for the All-Star Game must be selected. Avoid the politics – The Field Of Dreams Is Perfect.

Major League Baseball (MLB), thanks to Commissioner Rob Manfred’s rush to judgment to move the All-Star Game from a center of controversy in Georgia, has unwittingly become a focus of discord himself.

I reach this assessment based largely on the hundreds of comments received from readers reacting to yesterday’s article, some of which have been added to the story.

Rob Manfred: Like What Do You Want From Me?
Rob Manfred: Like What Do You Want From Me?

In his statement on behalf of MLB, Manfred stopped short of explaining what his next steps will be to locate a replacement venue for the All-Star Game and Major League Draft, now scheduled for July 13-17.

Obviously, time is of the essence. But given MLB’s good marks for staying on its feet through the COVID pandemic last year and into this year, three months should be an adequate timeframe to put something workable together.

MLB: A Solution Is Nearby

With the mix of politics and baseball a seeming no-no in the eyes of many fans, choosing a neutral site for the game, as opposed to another major league city, would seem to be a logical way to avoid even more controversy.

My first thought was Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall Of Fame. But with New York (I live here) being a bastion of liberalism, though endearing, moving the game here is likely to light another fire that baseball doesn’t need at the moment.

However, what site and venue could be more endearing – and neutral -as representative of our National Pastime than the Field Of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa?

Logistics? – Work It Out MLB!

Logistics, you say? Well, that’s something MLB in its infinite wisdom and overflowing treasury should able to figure out.

Yankees vs. White Sox - at the Field Of Dreams
Yankees vs. White Sox – at the Field Of Dreams

A major league-sized ballpark is already built and ready to host the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees for a Field Of Dreams nationally televised spectacle on August 12, 2021.

Its capacity is modest at 8,000 seats and would require a lottery of sorts conducted by MLB regarding who gets to attend, but that would only add to the “unusualness” and lure of the event.

The biggest obstacle facing MLB is to find travel and accommodations for the mass of media, fans, players and their families, and sponsors. 

Dyersville, the small town it is offers three hotels with other locations 20-30 miles outside of town. None are the Hyatt, but again, MLB needs only to market it as part of the journey and fun.

Bus and van transportation from remote locations is a convenience MLB must make available – free of charge.

MLB will need to reconfigure the outfield dimensions for the game between the Yankees and White Sox.

The corn begins 280 feet from home plate down the leftfield and rightfield foul lines and 300 feet in centerfield.

Otherwise, the Home Run Derby may never end. But no matter, the entertainment value of players competing to say, “I hit it further into the corn than you did” will be priceless.

MLB: Crawling From The Wreckage

For MLB, it should be only a matter of will. They have the resources and presumably the cooperation of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to jump through whatever hoops arise.

Whatever damage to MLB’s fan base has been done – is done. MLB took a risk by choosing to mix politics and baseball.

In doing so, Rob Manfred left baseball fans with no choice but to choose sides, a bad move when you consider that you can’t please everyone.

The way to recover for MLB though is to return the discussion to baseball, the reason why we care in the first place.

For many, their first attraction to the game occurred when they watched Kevin Costner field his dream in the movie.

MLB: A Way To Move On

MLB, rightly or wrongly, has made its decision to move the All-Star Game and Draft from the state of Georgia. So be it, it’s time to move on.

MLB can cop-out of a difficult decision by simply moving the game to next year’s already selected location – Dodger Stadium – and moving Atlanta back on the list assuming Georgia does its “penance”.

But a better way to go is to remain as neutral as possible in choosing an alternate location.

Dyersville, Iowa is about as neutral as you can get – and plus – it has those cornfields…

Here’s What Readers Are Saying…

Excellent idea!
Milwaukee since they were honoring Aaron will be perfect
If they’re still wanting to honor Hank Aaron, which they had plans for, it should be where he started and ended his career.
…beer, anyone???
Avoid the politics posts always crack me up. Every game starts with “please rise, remove your caps, and honor America with the playing of our national anthem”. What is more political than this forced display of patriotism? I’ve yet to hear an announcer avoid the politics of forced patriotism by also saying “also, if your belief, to which you are entitled, is that you don’t feel comfortable pledging allegiance to a flag that has not pledged allegiance to you, also feel free to take a knee”.
If anyone believes that MLB will reverse this decision and keep the game in Atlanta, you are just not paying attention. MLB, like Nike, Coca-Cola, and other organizations are reading the room. The All-Star game leaving Atlanta is only the tip of the iceberg. If Georgia does not reverse the law, there will be a lot fewer major sporting events played in Atlanta…but they still will have the Masters.
How about in NY? Oh, wait…NY voting laws are far more restrictive than GA’s.
How about DE where the President reps? Nope, more restrictive there.
I think the true knee-jerk reaction is by the author. No bleeding-heart liberal, but a businessman, Manfred made the move because he feared the game wouldn’t be played AT ALL if some top-flight stars boycotted the game because it was being played in Georgia. By painting the stolid Manfred as a crusader rather than the businessman he is, the author composed the very definition of a knee-jerk reaction.
I agree. Would be awesome. Just difficult to fit the right amount of people there
They need to move it to Kansas City home of the negro leagues
Author
Jose Carrera Whoa…I like that one so much more!

Author’s Note: Relevant comments are overwhelming me, wish I can include them all…

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Steve Contursi
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Author: stevecontursi

I am an amateur writer with a passion for baseball and all things Yankees and Mets.