‘Field of Dreams’ still makes grown men cry

Ballplayers and fans will meet in an Iowa cornfield this summer to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a film that’s guaranteed to make grown men cry.

“Field of Dreams” came out in June 1989 and it still makes KIRO Radio’s Dave Ross and Tom Tangney weep.

They tried to explain its effect on them. Tom said you could never tell this kind of story about basketball – it’s too fast paced. But it’s different in baseball. There’s downtime, which lends itself to philosophical and mystical speculation.

“But the reason I think this is such a popular movie and it’s celebrating its 25th anniversary, and it still seems as fresh as it ever was, is because it’s a baseball movie about things that are bigger than baseball,” said Tom. “It’s not really about the game of baseball, but it’s about the impact and the importance of baseball.”

Dave thinks it hits home for men who didn’t quite get along with their fathers.

“They remember those routine moments that seemed so mundane at the time, but you lose your dad and you’d do anything to have those (moments) back,” said Dave.

Tom said that part of the movie hits him hard, too, and he got along great with his dad.

Above all, the two agree that the film tries to tackle the question: “What is baseball?”

Tom explained, “Baseball is a constant. It’s a look at the good that might-have-been, but hasn’t actually transpired.”