Field of Dreams game was a dream come true for Guernsey boy

​    Finn Mullen, 12, of Guernsey, a huge Yankees fan, holds one of two game balls he got at the Field of Dreams game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Socks on Aug. 12 in Dyersville. Thanks to a woman connected with the his sister’s softball team at BGM and her husband, Finn was able to get tickets to the game through the MLB lottery. “It was fun,” he said. 

​By J.O. Parker

    Finn Mullen is a huge New York Yankees baseball fan.
    The 12-year-old from Guernsey loves sports, especially baseball, football and basketball. 
   His mother, Elizabeth, said her son, who is quite a sports history buff, has endless knowledge of major league baseball (MLB), past and present, as well as pro football (NFL) and basketball (NBA).
   Earlier this summer, Finn and his family got a chance to see the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Stadium in Florida while on vacation. It was Finn’s first major league baseball game.
    And to top that, the BGM sixth-grader got to see the Yankees play the Chicago White Socks on Aug. 12 at the iconic Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville. It was an inexperience that he will never forget.
    “It was fun,” Finn said.
   While at the game, Finn got to walk in and out of the corn, have his photo take with cardboard cutouts of Yankees players and get his Yankees hat signed. He also met and had his photo taken with famous You Tuber, Zach Hample, considered a baseball superfan, who was at the game.
    Finn got to see Kevin Costner, the star of the 1989 Field of Dreams movie filmed in Dyersville, throw out the first pitch in new 8,000 seat stadium built for the first MLB game played on Iowa soil.
    He also took home two game balls.
   “A fan caught a game ball that went into the stands and he gave it to me,” Finn said. “The other one was a practice ball that Yankees pitcher Jamison Taillon tossed to me and then gave me a thumbs up.”
    Finn said when he heard that the Yankees were coming to the Field of Dreams, he didn’t know how it would be possible to go.
    Call it fate or just luck. Dreams do come true and thanks to a woman connected with the his sister’s softball team at BGM and her husband, Finn was able to get tickets to the game.
   “They were not fans of either team and they offered Finn a chance to buy the tickets through an MLB lottery,” said his mother, who also attended the game.
    Finn said he and his mom sat between home plate and third base at the stadium.
  “He was beyond excited to be able to go to the Field of Dreams game,” his mom said. “He is pretty passionate about baseball.”
    When asked how he got interested in baseball and sports, Finn said a few years ago he watched a baseball game on television and liked it. 
    “I basically just watched a game one day and started watching it more and more,” he said.
   He also started collecting sports cards and currently has three large binders filled with baseball, football and basketball cards.
    At BGM, Finn plays tackle football, baseball and basketball for the Bears. This summer, Finn’s 11U travel ball team got fourth in the state out of 22 teams. He played second baseman and pitcher on the team.
    When asked if he plans to attend next year’s major league baseball game in Dyersville between the Cubs and Reds, Finn wasn’t sure.
    However, he did say it would be awesome to see the Yankees play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx in New York City.
    “It would be cool to go see them play,” he said.