Outside The Confines: No, it’s Iowa

I’ve made it clear that I’m not a fan of the movie Field of Dreams, but I’ve also written that I thought the game in Dyersville, Iowa was going to be fun and that I approved of the idea. But not only did we get a great game, we got one of the best advertisements for baseball that we possibly could have imagined — even with all the schmaltz.

• Not only did we get Field of Dreams, we also got The Natural as White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson hit a “stalk-off” home run in the bottom of the ninth as the White Sox beat the Yankees, 8-7. In case you missed the game, here’s a recap complete with a video of Anderson’s home run into the cornfield.
• Richard Deitsch praised the production by MLB and Fox, calling it an “absolute home run.” (The Athletic sub. req.) Deitsch writes that MLB has to do this again next year.
• Jack Baer called Fox’s introduction to the “Field of Dreams” game was “a masterclass in nostalgia.” He’s also got video clips from the intro.
• Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that there will be another game in Iowa in August of 2022. Tommy Birch also confirmed what manager David Ross accidentally blurted out — the plan is for the Cubs to play in the next “Field of Dreams” game. So I guess that would be “The Iowa Baseball Confederacy,” which was author W.P. Kinsella’s lesser-known follow-up to Shoeless Joe that involved the 1908 Cubs.
• As far as the ballpark that MLB built for the occasion, Tommy Birch writes that it got rave reviews from people around the game.
• Reliever Zack Britton gave up the “stalk-off” home run to Anderson, but I hope that doesn’t detract from the “Field of Dreams” cleats that he wore for the game that will be auctioned off to benefit a organization that helps minor league ballplayers make ends meet. (The Athletic sub. req.) And it’s an absolute shame that major league ballplayers have to do charity events for minor league ballplayers.
• White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito revealed that his mother was almost cast in the movie “A League of Their Own,” but had to pull out because of a conflict with another production. Instead, Lindsay Frost’s part eventually went to Madonna.
• Matt Snyder has five other places that MLB should play special games.
• Moving on to non-Iowa news, David Schoenfield has what each contending team needs to do the rest of this season. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Ken Rosenthal writes that the Mets, Mariners and Rockies face big decisions this off-season about who is going to run their front offices going forward. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Buster Olney wonders if the Angels are going to be able to afford to sign Shohei Ohtani to a long-term deal. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon finally found out what was wrong and will undergo hip surgery next week. He says he should be ready for Opening Day, 2022.
• Orioles first baseman Chris Davis announced his retirement. In case you were wondering, he’s still going to get the money that’s left on his contract ($21 million for 2022) but it will be deferred over the next four years.
• Dan Szymborski looks at the career of the recently-departed J.R. Richard and what the projections say how his career would have gone without the career-ending stroke he suffered in 1980.
• R.J. Anderson has the ten most pleasant surprises for 2021. Patrick Wisdom is on the list.
• Anderson also looks at Padres pitcher Mackenzie Gore and why the former top-10 prospect hasn’t made his major league debut yet.
• Justin Choi notes that the Blue Jays have been aggressive at the plate this year, but it’s the good kind of aggressive.
• Caledonia, Minnesota is angry at MLB after the town’s sporting goods factory announced that it was closing and the jobs being sent to China and a plant in Missouri. MLB is a minority owner of the company that owns the factory, but they say they own less than 20% and had no say in the decision to close the plant.
• And finally, going back to the “Field of Dreams’ to end on a high note, here are the nine coolest moments of the game.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.