Ostrander, MercyOne Elkader Ambulance team attend Field of Dreams game
Brent Ostrander, sergeant with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, got a photo with Chicago White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel at the Aug. 12 Field of Dreams game. Ostrander was hand picked to provide security for the prestigious event. (Submitted photos)
Members of the MercyOne Elkader Ambulance team snapped a photo at the Field of Dreams game. The team provided first aid, treatment and, if needed, transportation for players, spectators, MLB staff, vendors and others.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
On Aug. 12, for the first time in state history, a Major League Baseball game was played in Iowa. And it wasn’t just played anywhere, but at the iconic Field of Dreams in Dyersville, which was the location of the famous film for which the field was constructed in 1988. It has been a tourist destination since Ray Kinsella, portrayed by Kevin Costner, followed a dream and the words, “If you build it, he will come.”
On Aug. 12, he did come—Kevin Costner that is, leading the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox onto the field from the fabled cornfield, paying tribute to the movie. Both teams wore throwback uniforms that resembled those worn during the 1919 MLB season, which was a callback to the 1919 White Sox team that featured “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who plays a prominent role in the film.
But it wasn’t just movie stars and athletes who showed up to the historic event. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was also there, as was Fox Sports, the network that televised the event.
More importantly, the game featured some 8,000 fans. Among them were several locals, including Brent Ostrander, a sergeant with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, and members of the MercyOne Elkader Ambulance Service: Ken Hoeger, Randy Harbaugh, Paul Tiffany, Matt Klingman, Amber Dugan, Sheila Harvey and Billie Jones.
Ostrander found himself at the game because of a career defined by solid professionalism and a personal relationship with Dyersville Police Chief Brent Schroeder, who hand picked Ostrander, among others, to provide security for the prestigious event. It was an opportunity the 19-year veteran and youth baseball coach could not pass up.
At the game, Ostrander provided internal security, monitoring left field to prevent fans from getting onto the field. He also walked the perimeter as well as the stands, but there wasn’t really much to do. As Ostrander put it, “the fans were so respectful and polite, and everyone was just kind of in awe.”
“It wasn’t just the game. It was also the idea of the game in a cornfield in the middle of Iowa and the historical value of the movie, and the Yankees and the White Sox. The whole field has a life of its own,” Ostrander added.
He mentioned how the fans made him feel more appreciated and thanked than at any point in his career. They lingered long after Tim Anderson hit a walk-off, two-run homer that gave the White Sox the 9-8 victory, which allowed everyone to reminisce on the lore of “Shoeless” Joe’s walk-off winner against the Yankees in 1919. The game, as Ostrander described it, “was pure baseball,” and it reminded him of being a kid.
As for the EMS team, they found their way to the game because MercyOne was contracted by BaAm Productions to provide player and site safety. BaAm Productions, contracted by MLB, is the entity that was responsible for stadium construction and overall stadium development.
The team’s main responsibility during the game was to provide first aid, treatment and, if needed, transportation for players, spectators, MLB staff, vendors and BaAm employees.
According to Patty Wacker, MercyOne Foundation and Marketing Director, the MercyOne Elkader Ambulance crew evaluated and treated numerous people with injuries and illnesses due to heat and dehydration.
When it came to the experience and the atmosphere of the event, Wacker said the “excitement was contagious.” That excitement was aided by the fact that members of the EMS crew got to meet Kevin Costner, singer Maddie Poppe and Reynolds, among others.
“We always say we are ‘Iowa nice’ and we are ‘Iowa proud,’ but on this day, we were able to showcase it. Not just for those in attendance, but for the many people who tuned in to watch. Iowa really put on a show and definitely showed everyone why the question ‘Is this heaven?’ is even asked,” said Billie Jones, NRP and paramedic with MercyOne Elkader Medical Center. “As a fan of the Field of Dreams movie, of baseball and a yearly visitor to the movie site, this truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it will be hard to top.”
For anyone who missed the excitement this year, MLB announced last week that it will play a Field of Dreams game next season as well. The Aug. 11 event will feature the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, adding credence to the notion that, if you build it, people will come.
