SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Torey Lovullo assumed there had been some kind of miscommunication when he was told Saturday that actor Kevin Costner was at Salt River Fields and wanted to meet him.
“I'm like, ‘Does he know that I'm Torey Lovullo and not Tony La Russa?’” Lovullo said. “You know, that other Italian guy.”
Lovullo was one of a few people in the organization who got to meet the legendary actor, who was at the ballpark for a commercial photo shoot.
“He’s ‘The Voice,’ and then he’s right there in front of you talking to you,” Lovullo said. “I was basically watching guys hitting and shagging on Field 2, and five minutes later, I’m hanging with Kevin Costner. You can’t make it up. I’ve got one of the coolest jobs in baseball. It was great.
"I spent some good time with him, and really what I did was I thanked him for all the films and the great acting that he's done, in particular the baseball movies. And that [when I watch him], I feel like I'm watching a baseball player. I'm not watching an actor trying to play baseball. And I thanked him for that effort, for taking it seriously, because it means a lot to us inside of this industry. And he thanked me for that. It was very genuine.”
Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen lists “Bull Durham” as his all-time favorite baseball movie, so he was excited to get a chance to talk to Costner and pepper him with questions about the filming of it.
The movie, which was released in 1988, was filmed at the original Durham Athletic Park in North Carolina, and Gallen played in the ballpark while he was playing at the University of North Carolina.
“I got to spend about 10-15 minutes with him, which was a lot of fun,” Gallen said. “I asked him a bunch of questions about ‘Bull Durham,’ and he told some stories of playing at the old Bull Durham Stadium.”
Like a lot of pitchers, Gallen carries a baseball around that he flips in the air, and Costner asked if Gallen wanted him to sign it. Gallen said sure and got the signature, and they continued talking while standing in the shallow part of the outfield.
“Then he was like, ‘I bet you I could hit a ball over the fence,’” Gallen said. “We were standing in center field, so he's like, ‘Throw me that ball.’ I'm not sure if he knew it was the ball he had signed or if he thought it was another one. So I threw it to him, and he hit it, and now there's a grass stain on the ball. So, I think the story is even cooler than just having a fresh, white baseball with a signature. I’ve got a story to tell about it."
Gallen also got the opportunity to ask Costner what it was like at MLB’s annual Field of Dreams Game, which is played on a cornfield in Iowa where the movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed.
“I know some guys that have played in that game that said it was a lot of fun,” Gallen said. “[Costner] said it was a really well-done event and that it was cool for him to be there and be part of it.”
Diamondbacks team president/CEO Derrick Hall also got a chance to spend some time with Costner.
“It was great having him here,” Hall said. “He could not have been more gracious and selfless. He is Hollywood and baseball royalty.”