Why special game means more to Votto
Mark Sheldon
@m_sheldonThis story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Joey Votto was not quite 6 years old when "Field of Dreams" premiered in movie theaters, but it was a film that had a strong presence during the Reds first baseman¡¯s childhood in Toronto. In many ways, it still does.
"We had the VHS tape when I was a boy,¡± Votto said. ¡°Maybe we had 20-ish movies at the house, mostly Disney movies, but 'Field of Dreams' was one of the movies we watched often. It had great meaning because it was one of the movie options we could watch at the house. The movie is basically built around a catch with the father. It definitely resonates with me.¡±
Votto¡¯s father, Joseph, died in 2008.
¡°It has more meaning now that my father passed,¡± Votto said. ¡°It¡¯s what I do for a living. My father and I played catch. It was the beginning of my baseball experience. Now playing in the Field of Dreams Game in August, it¡¯s not entirely full circle, per se, but it will have meaning.¡±
The Reds and Cubs will meet Thursday in Dyersville, Iowa, during the second edition of the MLB at Field of Dreams Game. It will be another opportunity to not only play a Major League game in a unique setting, but also a chance to celebrate the classic film, its characters and reflect on baseball¡¯s enduring spirit across generations.
Most of Cincinnati¡¯s roster wasn¡¯t yet born when Kevin Costner starred as Ray Kinsella with a cast that included James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan and Burt Lancaster.
But like Votto, many of the Reds' younger players have grown up with the movie.
¡°It¡¯s not your typical baseball movie where it¡¯s all action. It¡¯s more of the emotion and feeling behind it. That¡¯s special,¡± outfielder Albert Almora Jr. said.
Reds rookie starting pitcher Hunter Greene just turned 23 on Saturday and is a decade younger than the movie itself.
¡°The last time I saw it, I was in middle school. I probably should watch it again before going. It¡¯s a classic baseball movie,¡± said Greene, who went on the injured list last week. ¡°I was excited when I heard we were going to be in it. Watching the Yankees and White Sox last year was pretty cool, seeing the whole intro and Kevin Costner coming out.¡±
Unlike Costner¡¯s Kinsella character, Greene and his father had no shortage of opportunities to play ball together.
¡°All the time on the front lawn and before practice,¡± Greene said. ¡°It¡¯s a classic interaction between father and son to be able to play catch.¡±
Not everybody on the Reds has watched the movie, however.
¡°I¡¯ve never seen it,¡± second baseman Jonathan India admitted.
India, 25, is still geared up to participate in the game and to take in everything about the moment.
¡°It¡¯s pretty cool to play in the middle of nowhere where they built a field from scratch. It will be a cool atmosphere,¡± India said. ¡°I definitely should watch the movie. A lot of guys tell me it¡¯s a special place to play because of the movie. It¡¯s going to be fun, for sure. I¡¯m excited.¡±