“Ray, people will come. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.” - Terence Mann (James Earl Jones in “Field of Dreams”).
The West Central Elite boys 14U traveling baseball team recently experienced the magic of playing in Dyersville, Iowa, and competing in skills contests on the actual “Field of Dreams” diamond. The team played May 22, 23 and 24.
To appreciate why this trip was so special, and has been made by previous Macomb teams in the past, one must first understand the story of Field of Dreams. How on earth did a random field in rural Iowa become so famous worldwide?
The History
W.P. Kinsella was a Canadian author who in 1982 penned a novel entitled “Shoeless Joe,” referring to Shoeless Joe Jackson. Joseph Jefferson Jackson was a major league baseball player in the early 20th Century.
Jackson was often remembered for his association with the Black Sox scandal in 1919, in which he and seven other players participated in a conspiracy to “fix” the World Series.
Kinsella, an aspiring writer and an avid baseball fan, was told by his high school guidance counselor that he should drop his dreams of becoming an author. He should instead become an accountant, engineer, or a lawyer. It is believed that Kinsella included many experiences from his own life in the story, such as the need for one to believe in one’s self and to follow one’s dreams.
Kinsella used magic realism and rural baseball fantasy in his novel “Shoeless Joe.” He also alluded to the Bible, where such men as Moses, Abraham or Noah “heard voices.” In the book , a farmer heard voices while working in his corn field, telling him that if he built a ball diamond, his deceased father would appear, a father Ray desperately wants to see. Universal Pictures eventually purchased the screen rights to “Shoeless Joe” and changed the title to “Field of Dreams.” Author W.P.
Kinsella received $40,000, pretty standard for the mid-1980s. The movie went on to gross $84.5 million in the theaters. The staggering royalties from the movie alone trickled down to Kinsella, who received more money and fame than he ever dreamed of. In addition, his other books about baseball prior to “Shoeless Joe,” and after the movie, skyrocketed in popularity. Kinsella never felt cheated. He died quite wealthy and comfortable, but most of all he was proud of the contribution he made to the passion for baseball in the midwest.
Sue Riedel, an Iowa school teacher, was given the job of finding a farm that would be suitable for the movie. She later stated: “I had pictures of 60 farms in the area. All of a sudden I came up over this hill, and there was this farm, the Lansing Farm, and it had this really picturesque look.
It was off by itself, down a gravel lane, and completely surrounded by corn. Just what Universal Pictures was looking for.”
The movie set was built across two farms, to utilize the natural lighting of the sun. However, the two landowners didn’t always see eye-to-eye on what should be done with the land after the filming of the movie was over. Eventually, the Lansings bought out the Ameskamp family, and in 2011, the property was sold to Go the Distance Baseball.
Events are held at the venue and draw thousands of people. The Ghost Players come from out of the corn and hold games on the field dressed in period 1920s uniforms. Anniversaries of the movie are celebrated and in 2014 included an exhibition game featuring the movie’s star actor, Kevin Costner.
(Costner was 34 years old when the movie was filmed). That event drew 12,000 fans.
In 2024, Field of Dreams was sold to a nonprofit local group named Dyersville Events for $27 million.
Major League Baseball has become involved and has built a stadium not far from the original diamond. A game was played in 2021 between the White Sox and the Yankees, in which the Sox won 9-8. The game drew the highest regular-season ratings in 16 years, prompting the MLB to remodel and expand the stadium.
The next MLB game will be August 13, 2026, in which the Minnesota Twins will play the Philadelphia Phillies. The game will be streamed live on Netflix.
West Central Elite Feels the Magic of the Field of Dreams The 14 and under (14U) team that travelled to Dyersville May 22, 2026 consisted of: Logan Field - Macomb Miles Douglas - Macomb Jack Knowles - Macomb Nathan Stonger LaHarpe Sawyer Thomas Macomb Owen Leinbach Macomb J.T. Duffy - Macomb Aiden Seward - Macomb Ryker Allensworth Macomb Carson Cox - LaHarpe Brady DeWeese Macomb *Dean Wagoner is on the team but also qualified for the jr. high state track meet, so he could not attend Field of Dreams The West Central 14U team is coached by Dan Duffy, and assisted by Derek Allensworth. The Macomb team played four games over the weekend. Game one saw the Elite defeating the Shamrocks from Battle Creek, Michigan by a score of 9-2.
In game two, the West Central team was defeated by the D.C. Panthers from Dayton, Ohio with a score of 5-1. In game 3 play, the Elite faced the Shamrocks again, defeating them 10-2. Macomb’s fourth game was against a strong Cedar Rapids, Iowa team. The Reds defeated the West Central Elite 12-1.
Coach Duffy made the following comments after the last game: “Our kids played well and this experience gets them out away from the same teams we play at home, gets them out in the world. My goal all along has been to prepare these boys to play high school baseball. I am also very proud of the way our team conducted themselves on and off the field. I have had officials come up to me after a game and tell me what a pleasure it was to officiate a game with the Macomb team in it.”
Duffy, whose son J.T. plays on the team, was also glad the young men got to see the iconic Field of Dreams venue, something he believes they will never forget. He admitted getting a little teary-eyed when at one point in the Saturday night events, the fathers went out on the Field of Dreams diamond and played catch with their sons, one of the key themes of the movie.
Niki Duffy, mother of J.T., did much of the organizing for the trip. She mentioned that several of the players told their parents that this was their most favorite tournament they have ever played in.
According to Niki, the speedster relay finished in top half during the Saturday nite contests, and the fast hands relay placed second.
Out of 16 teams, the West Central Elite bowed out in the quarter finals after competing against triple A and majors teams. The cost to enter the tournament was $849, which was taken out of the players pre-season traveling baseball fees.
Parents/Grandparents Thrilled to See Field of Dreams Many of the spectators at this tournament were parents and grandparents who had actually wanted to see the Field of Dreams site for many years. It was on many of their bucket lists.
This writer had the privilege to go to the tournament and support my grandson, Miles, and also to write this story. Although the Field of Dreams is clearly a money-making machine (nonprofit), they have managed to secure the aura of the Iowa farm and the love for baseball in the fly-over states.
There is a feeling there - the feeling that the plain, small ball diamond could indeed really be magical.
That the movie could have been a true story, that by building the field which brought him great ridicule, Ray Kinsella really did bring his father back to this dimension.
And the setting is absolutely gorgeous. The white farm house could be located in any direction around Macomb, with its red Morton barn and long gravel driveway. And corn, every direction one looks they see Iowa corn, even though when we were there it was barely 2 inches tall.
The city of Dyersville literally had a goldmine dropped in its lap, and they are very proud and appreciative of that. One of our waitresses over the weekend commented that the people who come to Dyersville tip them so well that many moms with small children only have to work parttime.
She said the Field of Dreams tourists are the kindest, nicest, most generous people. But what would you expect, this is Iowa.
POSTNOTE: Congratulations to The Quad Cities Hitmen 13U who won the whole Field of Dreams tournament in their division. That is a significant accomplishment, with Macomb ties. Brock Bainter coaches the team, and his son Bryden is a player. Brock and Bryden are Macomb natives.
