Curt Heffler and former Phillies player Greg Luzinski.

Field of Dreams

Two outs, bottom of the 9th, down 3, bases loaded. Here comes the pitch. Smack! It's a long drive to deep left field. That ball is going, going . . . Remember those days of yesteryear, playing sandlot baseball and imagining someday batting cleanup for your beloved Phillies? Or was it the Dodgers? The Red Sox?

Baseball cards aren't just for the pros.

"You're able to sit and talk to a childhood idol."

Now that you're an adult with a real job and real responsibilities, that dream may have faded like the leather of the cherished childhood glove you still use to play catch with your son. Can that dream be revived? The short answer is: Yes. You just need to take that glove and your boyhood (or girlhood) fantasies to a session of Major League adult baseball camp.

Practically every Major League Baseball® franchise operates fantasy camps, where you can play ball all day at your favorite team's spring training site and hang with ex-players from your favorite ball club the entire time.

Philadelphia attorney Curt Heffler, 45, recently attended the Phillies "Phantasy" Baseball Camp with his older brother in Clearwater, FL. "Being outdoors playing baseball like a kid again, you just couldn't beat it," he says. "And the feeling of using the same locker as my favorite ballplayers, with your name tag above the locker, and a real, professional Phillies jersey with your name across the back - it just gives you goose bumps."

Each camp is run differently, but the setup is generally the same. Pitching, fielding, running, and batting skills are administered by the ex-players the first morning, and then they each "draft" a team to manage. The rest of the week is spent playing baseball all day against the other teams until a champion is crowned. On the last day of camp, each team of regular Joes gets to go up against the team of "legends," which means you might get brushed back by your favorite pitcher from growing up.

While playing America's favorite game against a team of baseball heroes is a dream come true for many, it's hanging with the superstars that turns out to be the favorite part of the week for most campers.

"You're able to sit and talk to a childhood idol," says Nancy Gollnick, camp administrator for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Adult Baseball Camp. "I would say playing is the lesser part of it, because you can go to any public park or recreation center and join a league and play. It's the appeal of being with these legendary ballplayers for the week. Somebody like Don Zimmer, who's a real storyteller, I've seen him just have 60 guys mesmerized by the stories he has."

Heffler concurs with Gollnick's assessment. "It was really the camaraderie with the guys," he says.

Most packages last about a week and are complete with airfare, hotel, food, and every other amenity enjoyed by professional ballplayers - participants use the same locker rooms, clubhouses, bats, and even uniforms as the guys in the majors.

"A lot of the campers say, 'This is the greatest thing that's happened to me,'" says Gollnick. "Then all of a sudden they remember and go, 'Except for getting married and having my children.'" Good save.