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Big League Dreams Come to Central CaliforniaBY TARA TAYLORCOPYRIGHT 2007 BY PARENTS' PRESS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.It's every baseball fan's dream come true. Rising out of the dust of the Central Valley like a mirage are six scaled-down versions of famous major league ball parks: Angels Stadium, Fenway Park, the Polo Grounds, Tigers Stadium, Yankee Stadium, and Wrigley Field. And anyone can play a pick-up game on them. The city of Manteca
has teamed up with sports complex developer Big League Dreams
Sports Park and created a little bit of baseball heaven on 30
acres on of what was once agricultural land. Similar to Kevin
Costner's Field of Dreams, people from all around are coming
to get a little taste of the big leagues. The park, which is owned by the city and operated by Big League Dreams, opened in October, 2006 with much fanfare. Its opening ceremonies on Oct. 21 featured Vida Blue (former starting pitcher for the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants), Bill Russell (former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop), and Bill Madlock (former San Francisco and Texas Rangers third baseman). From the size of the crowd city officials knew they had a hit. By December, 2006, the park had every weekend for the following year booked for adult, youth, and pee-wee tournaments, said Don Webber, vice-president of Big League Dreams. Big League Dreams is broken up into six ballparks built at adult softball proportions. (Gates are brought in to shorten the field for youth games). Each has an Astro-Turf infield with a grass and dirt outfield. The fields are lined with stadium style seating and shaded picnic areas. "Each one keeps the shape of the field we're replicating," Webber said. The two restaurants on site serve everything from beer, to nachos, to pizza, to tri-tip sandwiches. In the center of the park are eight batting cages, with a playground nearby. Every area as been designed so that you have a clear view of a baseball field meaning spectators can take an air-conditioned restaurant break and still keep an eye on the game. There is even an indoor soccer field in the works; construction is scheduled to be completed by May. Big League Dreams works like any other park in Manteca. The public can come and play on the fields when they are not reserved. "If there are no programmed activities, it's free to the public," said Webber. When a scheduled game is being played, which is mostly on weekends or at night, parents are asked to pay $2.50; a dollar of that is transformed into a token that can be redeemed at the restaurants. Children are asked to pay $1, also redeemable. Webber said he considers this is another perk of the park, because most parents end up purchasing snacks for their kids at games anyway. "It's better than a snack bar, where you poke your head in and get a box of nachos," he said. Big League Dreams is the concept of Rick and Jeff Odekirk. With the help of their father, Ron, a developer and former minor league ball player, Rick and Jeff created the first Big League Dreams in Cathedral City, 120 miles east of Los Angeles in 1998. The park was an automatic hit. There are now 15 parks in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, either completed or under construction. Local schools and recreational teams often use them as a home field. Scenes for the film Benchwarmers were shot at the Chino Hills park's scaled-down Fenway Field. Other California locations include Riverside and Redding.
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IF YOU GO
Big League Dreams
1077 Milo Candini Dr.
Manteca
(209) 824-2400
www.bigleaguedreams.com
Directions: From the East Bay, take Hwy. 580 East beyond Livermore, then keep left to take Hwy. 205 East toward Tracy and Stockton. Merge onto I-5 North, and in just over one mile, merge onto Hwy. 120 East (via Exit 461) toward Manteca and Sonora. Exit at Airport Way and go north. Turn left at Daniels Street, and turn right at Milo Candini Drive. Roughly 70 miles and one hour, 10 minutes from Berkeley (at non-commute hours).
Hours: May vary daily. Gates typically open at 8 a.m.
and close after the last game is finished. Entry charge only
when games are scheduled.