Thursday's "Field of Dreams" game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will be a special celebration for baseball. But for Reds star Joey Votto, it will be extra emotional.
"Getting the opportunity to play a game at the mythical field that sowed the seeds of hope for a Major League Baseball career is a significant moment for me," Votto wrote in a Twitter thread on the eve of the game. "Couple that with the father/son connection, and this game is an exceptional moment in my life."
The film Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner and based on the novel Shoeless Joe by Canadian author W. P. Kinsella, is a classic among baseball fans. A central theme of the story is the relationship between fathers and sons, and why it's important to treasure that bond.
For Votto, rewatching the film brought back memories of playing catch with his own father — who died 14 years ago.
"From 8 or 9 years old, my father and I would play catch together. In retrospect, to me, it was the most important thing we did together," Votto wrote. "So it is impossible for me not to feel an emotional connection to the moment where Ray asks his father for a catch. One more moment together."
May we all be so lucky to have memories like that.
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