On July 4, 1908, the first-place Chicago Cubs travelled to Iowa for a friendly double-header against a local amateur all-star team. The friendly exhibition game turned into an epic 2,000 inning game, played mostly in the rain, while the town is swept away in a torrential flood.
Or so Gideon Clark, like his father before him, believes. Except, the titanic game has been erased from history. What happened? Why was the game wiped from existence?
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy (1986) was written by W.P. Kinsella, the author of Shoeless Joe (the basis for the film, Field of dreams).
If you like the mix of baseball and magical realism found in Field of Dreams, you will like The Iowa Baseball Confederacy. Despite common elements, the two works are different beasts and The Iowa Baseball Confederacy (hereinafter TIBC) does not play second-fiddle to Shoeless Joe. In fact, having read and enjoyed both, I believe TIBC is the superior story, although such a belief is highly subjective and your mileage may vary.
Gideon Clark’s father possessed knowledge of an amateur Iowa Baseball League called the Iowa Baseball Confederacy that operated in the early years of the Twentieth Century. It was not a vague knowledge he possessed but specific information such as team names, players, statistics and officials. When Gideon’s father dies, Gideon inherits his father’s knowledge and obsession to prove the existence of the league. For no one, not the league players or league officials still alive have any memory of such a league. Gideon will discover why when he and his best friend, Stan, a failed minor league player, slip through time and witness the events that Gideon and his father are convinced occurred.
A short sample to whet your appetite:
A story that includes not only baseball but also time travel, love, Native American folklore, a warrior named Drifting Away, metaphysics, curses, Leonardo Da Vinci, The Twelve Hour Church and Tinker, Evers and Chance may sound like a mess of ideas. In lesser hands, it would be a disaster. Kinsella has crafted an easy-to-read, sweet, lyrical story that makes you believe (and makes you want to believe) that it could be true or, at least, should be true.
Kinsella also has a knack for dropping fun little nuggets into the story that have no ultimate bearing on the plot but add to the magical feel of the novel. The former name of one of the Iowa towns is Big Inning. Gideon and Stan walk along a railroad spur that is nicknamed the Baseball Spur, though no one can remember how it came by the name. Gideon’s sister, born a year before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is named Enola Gay (and now one of the FBI’s most wanted). Again, this may sound like too much. Kinsella handles it deftly. Even when Kinsella does veer off the road to recount some local legends, its a pleasure rather than something you want to skim through to get back to the main story.
Kinsella not only captures a baseball fans obsession with the mythological elements of the game but also the disappointment when confronted with the games more practical realities. Gideon is able to obtain an entry-level job with the Cubs. He gets himself locked in the archives one night, assured that he will find some evidence of the game he know occurred. Instead, when he reads the files on the 1908 Cubs all he finds are old, cold sterile contracts and salary information.
Gideon’s father writes letters of inquiry to an aged Frank Luther Mott, the first and only President of the Iowa Baseball Confederacy. Mott denies any knowledge of the league in a pleasant reply to the letters. Gideon’s father continues to press the issue with Mott and the correspondence, at first polite, ends with curt reply from Mott, who believes he is dealing with a very troubled man.
No material is un-filmable but it would be a struggle to put this work on film in a way that does justice to the source. Shoeless Joe and Field of Dreams will be the Kinsella works that most people will know. That’s fine. I love them both. This story deserves its due as well.
When I write about a film or book I am always unsure just how much to reveal. Enough to arouse interest but not too much. I never want to give the game away. Therefore, I am stopping here. That’s enough information for you to decide whether or not its your thing. If it sounds like something you’d like, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
If you like baseball, magic, an intriguing mystery, eccentric characters and good writing, you’ll like The Iowa Baseball Confederacy. It’s a good summer read, whether you’re staying home or heading to the beach. If you decide to give it a go, enjoy.