DYERSVILLE, Ia. — Roman Weinberg, Go The Distance’s director of operations, sits in his back office and smiles when the subject of Major League Baseball’s purpose-built stadium nearby comes up.
Go The Distance owns and operates the “Field of Dreams” movie site and will eventually take over the stadium built for Thursday’s MLB game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.
Weinberg believes the new park brings a host of new opportunities to the theater site.
He envisions Little League games, high school tournaments and varsity and minor league competitions being held at the new park. But there’s one more thing, of all the possibilities on Weinberg’s list, that he wants to see the stadium used for: a return of Major League Baseball.
“Right now,” he said, “our goal is to try to get the game back and make it an annual affair.”
The biggest step in that process will come Thursday night, when the White Sox and Yankees play on the new field at 6 p.m. The game, the first official MLB contest in Iowa history, will be televised on FOX.
If Chicago Cubs manager David Ross’ comments Wednesday to the Chicago media were any indication, there could be a return trip to Dyersville for MLB soon.
“We’re there next year, right?” ” said Cubs manager David Ross, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
News? Or just a verbal slip? A baseball source with direct knowledge told The Register Wednesday evening that discussions were underway to next bring the Cubs to “Field of Dreams.”
Meanwhile, fans around the world will be watching Thursday’s match. The Sports Business Journal reported this week that FOX will accrue more advertising revenue this week from the game than any other regular season game in its 25-year relationship with MLB..
Weinberg hopes that if all goes well, this won’t be the last MLB game in Iowa.
And with the first advertising figures arriving, so far, so good.
“It’s really a test,” Weinberg said. “So as long as everything goes well on time, there are no hiccups and it reflects the game of baseball in a positive light, which is one of the most important things, and we “We’re confident he’ll accomplish it, then I’ll find it. Hard to believe it won’t come up again.”
Go The Distance is banking on this.
The purpose-built stadium around the MLB field, seating 8,000 spectators and built next to the original diamond at the film site, is a temporary facility for Thursday’s game. Weinberg said the field, dugouts, bullpens, fences and irrigation system will remain on site after Thursday’s game.
But about a week after the game, Weinberg expects MLB to begin dismantling other parts of the park. The locker rooms, fixtures, seats and bleachers will all be demolished. This could create a problem for Go The Distance, which may need to replace these items after MLB leaves and possibly turn over the stadium. Weinberg would not say when this will take place.
“We have a directory of sellers of bleachers and things like that for large-scale events that we will always contact about that,” Weinberg said. “But really, it’s also about trying to finalize things from a Major League Baseball perspective and figure out exactly what we want to do with the field.”
The costs of maintaining everything right now would be too high for Go The Distance, Weinberg said. The movie site is already working to bring a youth baseball complex near the two parks.
In an interview with The Register last week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred did not rule out a return visit. He said he wanted to see how things went in Dyersville before deciding if another game could take place.
“It’s important for us to play live in states where we don’t play regularly, and I think Iowa certainly fits that,” Manfred said.
The city of Dyersville and the movie venue rolled out the red carpet for MLB this week, including hosting events throughout the city for visitors without tickets. Local police will limit traffic around the cinema site to reduce traffic congestion. And the site opened its arms to MLB and players during the visit.
They hope a successful experiment could lead MLB to invest more money in the park and take on some of the costs of installing Go The Distance.
“It would resolve itself if things fell into place,” Weinberg said. “But if not, we have companies we could talk to.”
But it’s a big one if right away.
In the meantime, Weinberg and his team are vaguely planning for the future. Beyond baseball games, some ideas include summer concerts and movie nights.
The original diamond is already used for youth tournaments. The new domain could do this too. The size of the new field also creates other opportunities, such as high school state tournament games or minor league games. Weinberg said they talked about trying to make it a permanent home for a minor league team.
Whatever happens, Weinberg said the new field will certainly become another stop for tourists visiting the site.
“We have a lot of opportunity when it comes to this field of dreams,” Dyersville Mayor Jim Heavens told the Register.
And other opportunities will arise if the “Field of Dreams” game becomes a success with visitors, viewers and advertisers.
“It really tests the infrastructure of the city of Dyersville, but also the movie theater site,” Weinberg said. “Can we accommodate 8,000 people here and can we make the process seamless? Can we do it in a way that’s almost painless?”
If so, the payoff could be monumental. MLB did it elsewhere, returning to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for a Little League World Series game. The goal is to not only bring MLB back to Dyersville, but also keep the spotlight on the film site.
“Our main goal here,” Weinberg said, “is to preserve the Field of Dreams but also to keep it on the map for years to come.”
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports business and features reporter, has been with the paper since 2008. He is the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sports Writer of the Year. Contact him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
