Baseball Hall Of Famer Frank Thomas Heads Venture That Purchases Controlling Stake In Iowa's Field Of Dreams

DYERSVILLE, Iowa, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Go the Distance Baseball, LLC, announced today that a venture headed by first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas has purchased a controlling interest in the company's ownership of All-Star Ballpark Heaven and the iconic Field of Dreams Movie Site, home of the first Major League Baseball game played in Iowa last month and a second game announced for next year.

Terms of the sale are not public, but the transaction involved the purchase of all the interests in Go the Distance Baseball owned by the Denise M. Stillman Trust by This is Heaven, LLC, a venture between Mr. Thomas and Rick Heidner, a Chicago area real estate developer and entrepreneur. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Heidner (and their families) are longtime friends. Mr. Heidner, an avid baseball fan, was an initial investor in Go the Distance Baseball and retains his original minority investment.

Mr. Thomas will serve as chief executive officer and Dan Evans will serve as chief operating officer. Mr. Evans, a former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has previously served as a consultant to Go the Distance Baseball. The principals and invited guests planned to hold a press conference at 12:30 p.m. CDT today at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville, with remote access available via social media.  

"We are excited to lead the future development and expansion of the Field of Dreams in a collaborative spirit with our neighbors and government officials," Mr. Thomas said.

Mr. Heidner added: "We are grateful to Tom (Mietzel), and to John and Claire Stillman for entrusting us with their mother's legacy, and we pledge to preserve her dream and enhance the vision that Denise brought to this sacred site nearly a decade ago."

Tom Mietzel, the trustee of the trust bearing his late wife's name, said: "The time is right to move forward, to put in place a team with the resources to make things happen and a team with the baseball and business experience to do it right. The family is confident that we found a buyer that will honor Denise's legacy and vision for the Field of Dreams."

About Go the Distance Baseball

Go the Distance Baseball is a real estate development company established a decade ago to preserve the Field of Dreams Movie Site farm as a baseball shrine for future generations. The movie site, featuring rental and tours of the farmhouse, a souvenir shop, ballpark concessions, and "having a catch" on the field, attracts more than 125,000 visitors each year. All-Star Ballpark Heaven, in collaboration with Baseball Factory, operates youth baseball tournaments at City of Dyersville complexes. The company is currently exploring plans to expand the Field of Dreams' facilities to include baseball training and tournaments, providing a boost to tourism and tax revenue in Northeast Iowa.

Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, and Amy Madigan, was nominated for Best Picture in 1990. Adapted from W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, the 1989 film tells the story of Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, a husband and father who is tending to his cornfield when he hears a mysterious voice intone, "If you build it, he will come." Following his vision, Kinsella builds a baseball diamond in his field and is visited by ghosts of baseball legends and ultimately the attraction of baseball allows him to save the family farm.

In 2011, Ms. Stillman and a group of investors purchased the field and adjacent Lansing Family farm to preserve the Field of Dreams and create a unique destination for baseball fans, tournament players, and families. The site consists of more than 190 acres, the majority of which remains a working cornfield. Before she passed away in 2018 at the age of 46, Ms. Stillman was passionate about bringing an MLB game to the site.

The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees met on Aug. 12 in the MLB at Field of Dreams presented by GEICO, and a game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds has been announced for Aug. 11, 2022. MLB constructed an 8,000-seat ballpark on the Dyersville site. A pathway through a cornfield took fans to the ballpark, which overlooks the famous movie location.

About This is Heaven

Frank Thomas, nicknamed "the Big Hurt" for the damage he inflicted on opposing pitchers, was a five-time All-Star and consecutive two-time American League most valuable player while playing for the Chicago White Sox. He retired in 2009 and was elected on the first ballot to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Dan Evans, a Chicago native and longtime baseball executive, has served in numerous capacities with five MLB teams, including 20 seasons with the Chicago White Sox organization, rising to assistant general manager/director of baseball operations, before later being named executive vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2001 to 2004.  

SOURCE Go the Distance Baseball, LLC