On September 7th, baseball players from across Southern Manitoba gathered for a unique opportunity — a one-day baseball event out of a soybean-corn intercrop field.
The vision for the Field of Dreams project belongs to Joe Gardiner of Covers & Co, a crop and forage seed supplier that assists farmers with its extensive knowledge of plant diversity. Inspired by the Field of Dreams film, Gardiner (along with his indispensable crew) constructed a baseball diamond in the heart of a crop field, and then invited players to a special tournament there.
“I picked 3 captains from across the province,” he said in an earlier interview. “The only instruction I gave them was to . . . bring the best 15 baseball players that [they] could find.”
It’s no surprise that Josh Ginter of the Winkler Whips received an invitation.
“They chose 15 guys from three different divisions: the west, the central, and then the east — so about 45 players,” he says. “They showed us some pictures of what the baseball field was shaping up to look like, and . . . jaws kind of dropped. Everyone said yes as quickly as possible.”
Ginter says that when he arrived at the soybean-corn intercrop with a baseball diamond cut right into it, it seemed that the organizers had thought of everything.
“No stone was unturned,” he says. “Of course, [the corn] was so tall that you couldn't see the field from the road or anything like that, so you walk in on the path and then you just kind of emerge and all the sudden there's a baseball field in front of you.”
The visual impression of the site was enhanced by music.
“It wasn't like rock'n'roll, it was kind of straight out of the Field of Dreams movie,” says Ginter. “It set the ambiance and immediately as you got out of the corn and you saw the field, you almost got a shiver up your spine.”
The baseball field was executed impressively — it gave even the best diamond out there a run for its money.
"[Gardiner] did such a good job of leveling out the field. There was topsoil rather than gravel, but it was probably on par or maybe even better than a regular diamond,” says Ginter, for whom playing on the diamond was meaningful.
“It was an honour to be a part of the players, but more than that, it was an honour to be part of this event — something that was a dream and being done for a good cause,” he says. “When you walked around the food tent and the beer gardens and so on with your jersey on, everybody looked at you and smiled, and you just felt like you were doing something that was bigger than yourself for the day.”
When it comes to the main event, the baseball tournament itself, Ginter’s central team came out on top.
“The three teams that were there were all fairly even. The first two games went to an . . . extra inning,” he says. “We ended up winning the whole thing, but the teams were fairly well matched.”
Ginter says that the special field required some gameplay adjustments.
“The field was gigantic,” he says. “You play a different kind of baseball. You don't hit home runs. We did a lot more bunting than normal, especially for guys of this caliber. It was fun to play a high level of baseball [in] such a unique environment.”
The Field of Dreams tournament was a fundraiser for the Clearwater Foundation. Joe Gardiner says the project sought to convey that the foundation is around, accepting donations, and that it funds “really great causes.”
For Ginter, it was clear that residents of Clearwater are passionate about their community and their foundation.
“They come together so well to help each other out. There must have been at least 50 volunteers,” he says. “I don't know what the population of Clearwater is, but [it’s] phenomenal to get that type of buy-in from the local community.”
Ginter says that attention to detail ran through the event — from the fencing and signage to the restrooms and washing stations available at various points for the players to clean off the topsoil from the infield, it was all taken care of.
“Everything was well thought out and well planned, and everything comes together with a group of volunteers like that,” he says.
Ultimately, the Field of Dreams baseball tournament was a memorable experience for Ginter, the rest of the players, and the fundraiser’s attendees.
“I was a part of the 2010 team that won a national championship for the first time in 30 years for Manitoba. This was up there with that experience,” he says. “It was so cool.”
To read an earlier story about the Field of Dreams event, other memorable occurrences on the day, and what inspired it, see the story linked below.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~