Virtual reality highlights ‘We Are Baseball’ tour

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — When John Smoltz took his first tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., as a new electee last year, he said to himself, “How in the world did I get here? It doesn’t seem real.”

The months leading up to his induction last summer were a whirlwind, during which he had little time to truly digest what was happening. When he finally did catch his breath, he marveled at his surroundings in the hallowed baseball shrine, still unable to fully comprehend that he was now a part of it.

• Baseball Hall of Fame Tour

Smoltz is one of the fortunate thousands that have experienced the Hall of Fame in person. But there are many, many more who logically may find it difficult to get there. Starting this summer, the travel is about to get a lot easier.

On Thursday, at the famous “Field of Dreams” movie site in Dyersville — a town even smaller than Cooperstown — Smoltz and Commissioner Rob Manfred introduced “We Are Baseball,” an aptly titled Hall of Fame Tour that will travel through the country and hit most major cities — and some smaller ones, too — in the next two years.

• ‘We Are Baseball’ tour takes Hall of Fame on road

“It’s a great tease of seeing artifacts and history of the game,” Smoltz said. “What a great opportunity that most people wouldn’t have. And you can drive a little bit less to get that picture in your minds of what it’s like to see the greats before us.”

Speaking from just outside of the iconic two-story white house that served as the backdrop and stage for the 1989 blockbuster hit film “Field of Dreams,” Manfred and Smoltz introduced “We Are Baseball” to a group of local residents and Little League kids invited to hear the details of the country-wide tour.

“The opportunity to combine …

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