Kids fielding their dreams

Photo courtesy Brent Asay/Salt Lake Bees Salt Lake Bees first baseman Matt Brown stands with a young baseball player before a game earlier this season.

It didn't matter that the Salt Lake Bees lost to the Sacramento River Cats last week. Not to the Syracuse Phillies.

You couldn't wipe the smiles off the faces of the 9-year-old baseball players as they took part in the Bees' Field of Dreams program, which brings youth baseball teams onto the field and into the catacombs of Spring Mobile Ballpark.

"This is the best day of my life," Chandler Kotter said.

The Bees are used to hearing that kind of thing. Kotter, along with 11 teammates, took part in the usual pregame tour and appearance on the field with the players during the national anthem. Now in its seventh season, Field of Dreams is one of the Bees' most popular promotions.

Kotter's enjoyment echoes that of roughly 1,150 youth baseball and softball players who will participate this season. Teams can apply at www.slbees.com and are chosen at random to receive free tickets to a home game.

The teams are welcomed onto the field, where they are introduced to the crowd. The kids jog out to their position and are greeted by a Bees player while they stand for the national anthem. The players usually sign a ball or hat for the kids and then it's time to play ball.

After the on-field appearance, the kids get a tour of Bees' facilities. The tour includes a look at the umpires' dressing room, batting cages, and, occasionally, a sneak peek at the clubhouse.

And you'd

"The kids were really excited about coming out here today, and I hope this is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. Not many kids can say that they got to step on the field with a professional baseball player," said Phillies coach Ben Kotter.

Beau Beene said Bees first baseman Matt Brown gave him some pointers about playing the position. Taggart Brewer said that Bees pitcher Mike MacDonald gave him a high-five and signed his baseball. Chandler Kotter was bold enough to dub catcher Bobby Wilson "the best person ever."

The kids are a fixture around the Bees clubhouse and the players clearly don't mind. That's because they can relate. Bees designated hitter Adam Pavkovich remembers having a similar experience as an 11-year-old growing up in Florida.

"I try to make the kids feel comfortable because I remember our Little League team was fortunate enough to go on a minor league field and I was just in awe," Pavkovich said. "I couldn't say anything. I was just staring at the players and I didn't know what to do. I try to get them talking about their summer plans to loosen them up a bit."

Pavkovich recalls his experience like it was yesterday, so he knows how special it is for the kids.

"We went to a Florida State League game and Bruce Hurst was rehabbing for the Charlotte Rangers [now the Palm Beach Cardinals]. That's how vividly I remember it," he said.

Pavkovich said that 95 percent of the kids are very quiet and intimidated, but a handful of them have no fear at all and joke around with him. One asked him if he was going to hit a home run. Another told Pavkovich, "I'm going to be playing here someday."