Alright you guys, now listen to me....
I'm writing up a Baseball Top Ten for CT Movies. Still finalizing my list, so I'd love to hear anybody's opinions. Field Of Dreams, A League Of Their Own, Bang The Drum Slowly, Bull Durham, The Natural, The Rookie definitely made the cut: still deciding who else will make the line-up.
In my research, I've found several Top Ten Baseball Movie lists to help me find shows I need to consider for my own. Just found out that the Aug. 4 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated listed their 50 top sports films. Anybody happen to have that issue in the garage or someplace? I'd love to know which baseball films they listed, and what position each occupied. (Bull Durham is Number One, that's all I know...)
Full Version: Top Ten Baseball Flicks
Hmmm, what about Eight Men Out?
I second Eight Men Out, and also suggest The Pride of the Yankees. I'd think about Bad News Bears and Major League, but I think I'd eliminate Angels in the Outfield (at least the latest iteration) from consideration. I didn't see The Babe, but The Babe Ruth Story with William Bendix might be worth a look. Bendix was also in Kill the Umpire, but IMDB doesn't show it available on either VHS or DVD - too bad. Baseball is peripheral to The Sandlot but I think it could be justified to include in the list.
That's all I can do this early in the morning.
That's all I can do this early in the morning.
Another worthy of consideration, although I don't know if I'd argue strongly for it, isFor Love of the Game. One of the down sides is assuming Bull Durham and Field of Dreams are on the list, this would be a third film featuring Kevin Costner. It is, however, a decent look at the wind down of a career.
I can't remember the title but what about the Lou Gehrig story?
| QUOTE (asher @ Jun 1 2004, 07:29 AM) |
| I can't remember the title but what about the Lou Gehrig story? |
That's the Pride of the Yankees
| QUOTE (Darrel Manson @ Jun 1 2004, 06:00 AM) |
| I second Eight Men Out, and also suggest The Pride of the Yankees. |
For whatever reason, EIGHT MEN OUT didn't really do a lot for me when I first saw it, but I'm going to give it another look. Believe it or not, I haven't seen PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, but you're right, the scouts tell me I have to invite it to training camp as well, so we'll see. For sure I need at least one veteran on the roster: also considering that other vintage pinstripe flick, DAMN YANKEES.
| QUOTE |
I'd think about Bad News Bears and Major League, but I think I'd eliminate Angels in the Outfield (at least the latest iteration) from consideration. |
I found BEARS curiously depressing, which I take to be an undesireable quality in a comedy, so it's on the bench this season. MAJOR LEAGUE is a hoot - genuinely funny - and therefore a definite contender.
| QUOTE |
I didn't see The Babe, but The Babe Ruth Story with William Bendix might be worth a look. |
People don't tend to have good things to say about BABE, but I liked it plenty, if not enough for this particular All Star team. Hadn't thought of THE BR STORY, but alas I don't have a source for it, or for the more-often acclaimed JACKIE ROBINSON STORY.
| QUOTE |
| Bendix was also in Kill the Umpire, but IMDB doesn't show it available on either VHS or DVD - too bad. |
Good call! Haven't even heard of that one. I'll at least put it on my draft list...
| QUOTE |
Baseball is peripheral to The Sandlot but I think it could be justified to include in the list. |
I'm going to watch THE SANDLOT later today. My daughters loved that one when it came out - not sure why I didn't see it with them - and it comes up surprisingly often in baseball lists.
| QUOTE |
That's all I can do this early in the morning. |
Impressive. You've see plenty of baseball flicks! A fan? (I think Kennedy will be weighing in before long - he's a diamond hound if I'm not mistaken...)
I also liked FOR LOVE OF THE GAME a lot, but not quite Top Ten.
Ron
P.S. I have no idea why my post looks so ugly! Can anybody tell what I've done wrong with the QUOTE tags? I've been away from the board for a while - surely I haven't forgotten that fast!
P.P.S. Ugliness solved by the sharp eye of our resident Supertech, Alan. I had a /QUOTE where I should have had a QUOTE, and that threw everything out of whack. Nachos gracious, senior Al!
Yes, The Sandlot is an excellent addition.
| QUOTE |
| yes, The Sandlot is an excellent edition. |
I put one in quotes to see what could be happening with your post but it came out for me.
| QUOTE (Peter T Chattaway @ Jun 1 2004, 07:34 AM) |
| Hey, how about Hardball? Just kidding.  |
Good review.
Yes, it seems a much better movie could have been made of the book, which some friends of mine (also ball fans) recommended to me, knowing a Christian involved (perhaps this Bob Muzikowski of whom you speak).
I liked this bit;
| QUOTE |
| The difference between the movie and real life is probably summed up best by comparing one scene in the film with a similar incident in the book. In the film, the Reeves character takes his kids to a professional baseball game, hoping it will inspire them. The music swells with bogus pride, fuzzy haloes descend on baseball hero Sammy Sosa as he smiles at the kids from a distance, and in the next scene, Reeves says his plan worked -- since going to the stadium, his team has won three games in a row, just like that. If only life were that simple. When Muzikowski started coaching, he too took his team to a game, but after telling his kids to pay close attention and see how baseball was played by professionals, he says he "nearly choked on those words" when the players got into a "bench-clearing brawl" that resulted in expulsions and fines. On the way home, the boys in his care talked excitedly about how they were going to kick butt at their next game, and Muzikowski recalls thinking, "We'd obviously have to look for better behavioral examples and have a talk about sportsmanship later." |
I can't believe that any screenwriter would overlook the original scene - it could be very funny, it's a great reversal of our expectations, and yet makes a pretty interesting point. Goof balls.
(Weird. Now the QUOTE thing is working for me. Hmm....)
Here's one of the best baseball films that you've yet to include:
The Naked Gun.
Nick
The Naked Gun.
Nick
This might be worth digging around for, even though it's not only about baseball: espn.com did a 'best sports movies of all time' run-through about a year or so ago.
A couple more baseball flicks come to mind:
- 'Rookie of the Year' was a winsome, funny flick (good qualities for a comedy) about a kid who develops a wicked fast ball and tries to propel the Cubs into playoff contention
- 'Little Big League' is about a kid who inherits a baseball team after his grandpa (played by Jason Robards) kicks the bucket. It's been several years since I saw this one, so I can't comment much on its relative merits.
- I would not recommend 'Fear Strikes Out' -- from what I've heard, Anthony Perkins' depiction of bipolar Jimmy Piersall is ghastly.
However, nothing can top 'The Natural' or 'Field of Dreams,' of course...
A couple more baseball flicks come to mind:
- 'Rookie of the Year' was a winsome, funny flick (good qualities for a comedy) about a kid who develops a wicked fast ball and tries to propel the Cubs into playoff contention
- 'Little Big League' is about a kid who inherits a baseball team after his grandpa (played by Jason Robards) kicks the bucket. It's been several years since I saw this one, so I can't comment much on its relative merits.
- I would not recommend 'Fear Strikes Out' -- from what I've heard, Anthony Perkins' depiction of bipolar Jimmy Piersall is ghastly.
However, nothing can top 'The Natural' or 'Field of Dreams,' of course...
i third "the sandlot." it's a great kids' movie, a definite childhood favorite.
too bad nobody's adapted david james duncan's the brothers k for screen. that's the best baseball book i've ever read, and i don't even like baseball. (on the other hand, it's a book beloved by so many that maybe it's a GOOD thing no one's tried to adapt it... we all know the truism about books that get turned into movies.)
too bad nobody's adapted david james duncan's the brothers k for screen. that's the best baseball book i've ever read, and i don't even like baseball. (on the other hand, it's a book beloved by so many that maybe it's a GOOD thing no one's tried to adapt it... we all know the truism about books that get turned into movies.)
This baseball top 10 has really made me think. I swear I have seen a ton of movies with baseball as a premise or metaphor but none worthy of top 10 qualification.
I found a top baseball movies list and here are some movies I haven't seen but appear to be interesting and might qualify for a top listing.
For Love of the Game
It Happens EVery Spring
Fear Strikes Out
Bang the Drum Slowly
I found a top baseball movies list and here are some movies I haven't seen but appear to be interesting and might qualify for a top listing.
For Love of the Game
It Happens EVery Spring
Fear Strikes Out
Bang the Drum Slowly
Ron, I sent you a correct version of you long post that should correct the QUOTE issue. You had a /QUOTE instead of a QUOTE to initiate a quote.
I find it interesting that Bang the Drum Slowly is the only book of the Harris trilogy that has been made into a movie. The Southpaw was just as good a book. The third book in the series was forgetable (hence I refer to it as the third book.)
The current rave in the Chicago area is over This Old Cub, a documentary on the life of Ron Santo, filmed by his son, that i haven't been able to check out yet but i hear is excellent. IMDB gave it a 9.4/10 but i'm sure all of those votes came from Chicagoland. Seems well worth exploring, especially if Major League is still in contention. It's currently playing in only select Chicago theaters, but a DVD is in the works.
Bill Murray and Gary Sinise make guest appearances as themselves, FWIW.
-s.
Bill Murray and Gary Sinise make guest appearances as themselves, FWIW.
-s.
What about the recent Dennis Quaid Disney film The Rookie? It's formulatic, but it had a nice heart that propelled the film surprisingly well.
You should also consider The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.
| QUOTE (Darrel Manson @ Jun 1 2004, 07:27 PM) |
| You should also consider The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. |
My only reservation about this is that it is a documentary. One might then be compelled to include Baseball by Ken Burns which is perfect until the '50's, then seems only to notice NY and Boston. Or HBO's When it Was A Game. If docs are OK, then have at 'em. All these are better than some "good" baseball pictures.
I actually think Babe is better than The Babe Ruth Story, but I'm not sure either would help your list. How about Cobb?
It's not just Perkins' depiction. Perkins has little feel for the game.
Definitely Billy Crystal's 61*.
| QUOTE (Rich Kennedy @ Jun 2 2004, 11:44 AM) |
| I actually think Babe is better than The Babe Ruth Story, but I'm not sure either would help your list. How about Cobb? It's not just Perkins' depiction. Perkins has little feel for the game. Definitely Billy Crystal's 61*. |
How'd I forget Cobb?
I like 61* but I tend to nitpick it to death. Like during BP when all the lines around the batter's boxes are newly done, or the AL umpires who all work from the side like the NL umps did (AL umps were straight behind the catcher back then), or the fact that Bob Cerv started the season with the Angels that year.
I'm a weirdo, to be sure, but I hate Field of Dreams. Bull Durham is great. For Love of the Game is just filmmaking as sleepwalking-- does it get any easier than filming an athletic contest and using the play-by-play and color guy in voice-over to provide dramatic weight and background? Bad News Bears is worth having on the list despite some crudity. The original Angels in the Outfield is pretty good. Cobb is unique and capable of raising the issue of how we mythologize celebrities.
| QUOTE |
| I'm a weirdo, to be sure, but I hate Field of Dreams. |
Russell, thanks for making me feel a bit less lonely in the world! I almost got pantsed by a group of angry sportswriters I used to work with for saying the same thing a few years ago. For me, the mythologicalization (?) of the 60s did the movie in ... when Ray's wife starts preaching about the spirit of the 60s, I want to barf!
Everything about the movie just seems false, from the acting to the dialogue to the gauzy lighting. I realize it's a fantasy, but there was so much potential for a genuinely moving parable, and it just got squandered.
Guys (and girls), I know this movie has a fanatical following, as witnessed by the misty-eyed testimonials of above-mentioned sportswriters ... but since I'm new to the board, please be gentle with me!
Nice, Mark. There are sure to be holes in Salinger's definition of sentimentality as giving something more tenderness than God Himself gave it, but this film fits that definition perfectly. You can go on and on about baseball being the fabric of memories or hope or shared culture or youth or renewal or whatever, but at the end of the day it's still just a game trying to be those things (or, trying to be projected into those qualities by the men and women who love the game), separate and apart from those things. Field of Dreams is everything that's wrong with sports or, rather, everything wrong with a life spent trying to use sports as a metaphor for making sense of life.
That's beautiful. I'm going to save your post and pull it out next time my life is threatened by a Field of Dreams fanatic!
That's it, Lucas, Mark. You're both dead meat. Your clever little quotes won't help you, I'm coming after you both. Have you seen THE APOSTLE? I've got a baseball bat and I know how to use it!
Forget that old "Baseball is life" crapola - from this point on, BASEBALL IS DEATH!!!
A FOD fanatic,
Ron Reed
(who may not have pitched in the World Series, but his name did!)
Forget that old "Baseball is life" crapola - from this point on, BASEBALL IS DEATH!!!
A FOD fanatic,
Ron Reed
(who may not have pitched in the World Series, but his name did!)
| QUOTE (asher @ Jun 1 2004, 09:25 AM) |
| This baseball top 10 has really made me think. I swear I have seen a ton of movies with baseball as a premise or metaphor but none worthy of top 10 qualification. I found a top baseball movies list and here are some movies I haven't seen but appear to be interesting and might qualify for a top listing. For Love of the Game It Happens EVery Spring Fear Strikes Out Bang the Drum Slowly |
Cool! Where'd you find the list? Could you post the whole thing for us? (As you might imagine, I'm compiling all the Best Baseball Movies lists I can get my hands on...)
| QUOTE |
| Have you seen THE APOSTLE? I've got a baseball bat and I know how to use it! |
That scene in The Apostle gives me shivers ... I'm double bolting my doors tonight ....
I find the baseball scene in The Apostle more life-affirming than the baseball scenes in Field of Dreams.
since I nitpicked 61*, I should also note the major flaw in FOD: Joe Jackson batted left handed; apparently he switched to righty after he died.
Side note on handedness and baseball movies: I heard somewhere that Bill Bendix was a righty, but for all the baseball scenes in The Babe Ruth Story they had reversed uniforms so they could reverse the image and make him lefty.
Side note on handedness and baseball movies: I heard somewhere that Bill Bendix was a righty, but for all the baseball scenes in The Babe Ruth Story they had reversed uniforms so they could reverse the image and make him lefty.
What if Robert Duvall took his baseball bat from The Apostle up against Robert DeNiro's baseball bat from The Untouchables (another Kevin Costner movie!)? Could be close. I mean, they've got the same initials, they're both Oscar winners, they both co-starred in The Godfather Part II (and hey, isn't there a scene in there where Lee Strasberg and Al Pacino discuss baseball?) ...
Nice call, Peter. Only now look what you've started...
GREAT BASEBALL BITS
IN NON-BASEBALL MOVIES
-------------------------------
The Apostle - pastoral visit to the Little League game
Godfather II - talkin' baseball with Strasberg
Radio Days - Kirby Kyle's comeback
The Untouchables - Al Capone's pep talk
GREAT BASEBALL BITS
IN NON-BASEBALL MOVIES
-------------------------------
The Apostle - pastoral visit to the Little League game
Godfather II - talkin' baseball with Strasberg
Radio Days - Kirby Kyle's comeback
The Untouchables - Al Capone's pep talk
I think the best baseball bit in a non-baseball movie goes to...
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU [1996]
... when Nic Cage rents Yankee Stadium for a bunch of Little Leaguers, and they pose for fake pictures showing them catching an over-the-wall fly ball using a trampoline. Precious.
Nick
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU [1996]
... when Nic Cage rents Yankee Stadium for a bunch of Little Leaguers, and they pose for fake pictures showing them catching an over-the-wall fly ball using a trampoline. Precious.
Nick
| QUOTE (Darrel Manson @ Jun 4 2004, 10:18 AM) |
| Side note on handedness and baseball movies: I heard somewhere that Bill Bendix was a righty, but for all the baseball scenes in The Babe Ruth Story they had reversed uniforms so they could reverse the image and make him lefty. |
Which is only one of the reasons I dislike the flick. Bendix was a lousy Babe all around.
What am I doing? Anybody ever seen Bingo Long's Traveling Allstars & Motor Kings? There is no better baseball film, period. It is the equal of any we have mentioned and shows, in a fictional way, what negro league ball was like from shifty and crooked owners to constant travel and exhibition. Yet the baseball is fun and love of the game is real.
As to FOD, I put off seeing it for the longest time, but now love it. Not for the baseball, which is almost nonexistent for a baseball film, but for "having a catch" and Burt Lancaster. One of the most beautiful depictions of grace in film that I can think of.
| QUOTE (Ron @ Jun 4 2004, 02:39 PM) |
| GREAT BASEBALL BITS IN NON-BASEBALL MOVIES: |
Parenthood: The parking lot scenes after the Cardinal game. The trials of a little league coach with his flopsy son on the team.
Continuing with the GBBiN-BM's:
1) All of the father-son bonding around the love of the Mets in Frequency
2) Ferris Bueller catching the home run ball, on his day off
1) All of the father-son bonding around the love of the Mets in Frequency
2) Ferris Bueller catching the home run ball, on his day off
Rats... I came to this thread all ready to recommend The Untouchables and The Apostle, but looks like somebody beat me to it. 
Sandlot was a fun movie. Although I watched it again recently, and it seemed a bit corny.
The novel A Prayer For Owen Meany has a scene where one guy's mom gets killed by a foul ball. Is that in the SIMON BIRCH movie?
And then what's that movie about the math genius, where we get the overhead shot of Robin Williams playing out the Carlton Fisk home run in the 1975 World Series?
There was a movie a couple years back about a guy who was into conspiracy theories, who turned out to be more or less right about some of his paranoia. Didn't that have a baseball thing running through it?
And then what's that movie about the math genius, where we get the overhead shot of Robin Williams playing out the Carlton Fisk home run in the 1975 World Series?
There was a movie a couple years back about a guy who was into conspiracy theories, who turned out to be more or less right about some of his paranoia. Didn't that have a baseball thing running through it?
Fun baseball movie that doesn't make the list of great one is It Happens Every Spring. Nerd professor invents subsatance that makes baseball avoid wood.
Here's my Top Ten List, which gets published (with colour commentary) next Tuesday at the CT Movies site.;
TAKE ME OUT TO THE MOVIES
An All-Star Line-up of Great Baseball Flicks
1. Field Of Dreams
2. Ken Burns' Baseball
3. A League Of Their Own
4. Bang The Drum Slowly
5. Sandlot
6. Pride of the Yankees
7. The Natural
8. Bull Durham
9. The Rookie
10. Major League
Also mentioned; The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, Eight Men Out, Fear Strikes Out, Damn Yankees, Little Big League, Rookie Of The Year, Bad News Bears
I also tabulated a bunch of other Baseball Top Ten lists, and here's the result;
1. Field of Dreams
2. Bull Durham
3. Eight Men Out
4. Pride Of The Yankees
5. Bad News Bears
6. The Natural
7. A League Of Their Own
8. Bang The Drum Slowly
9. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
10. The Rookie
11. Fear Strikes Out
12. Damn Yankees
13. Major League
14. The Sandlot
15. It Happens Every Spring
16. Angels In The Outfield ('51)
17. The Life & Times of Hank Greenberg
18. Ken Burns' Baseball
19. Angels In The Outfield ('94)
20. Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream
Compiled from; Baseball America, E! Online, (Oct 16 '99), , ESPN Baseball Movie Tournament, ESPN Top 5 and reader response letters, IMDb, Reel List, Sports Illustrated (Aug 4 2003), The Top Ten of Film, by Russell Ash, Video Hound 2004
Plus a few more additions to...
BASEBALL BITS
IN NON-BASEBALL MOVIES
-------------------------------
The Apostle – pastoral visit to the Little League game
Bad Lieutenant – don't bet on baseball...
Devil's Playground - another cornfield homer
Experiment in Terror – Candlestick climax
Ferris Bueller's Day Off – in the stands
Frequency – Dad and me and the Mets
Godfather II – talkin' baseball with Strasberg
Good Will Hunting – Carlton Fisk's inside-the-office homer
I Am Sam
It Could Happen To You – renting Yankee Stadium
The Naked Gun – Leslie Neilson, Umpire
Parenthood – post-Cards parking lot
Radio Days – Kirby Kyle, Comeback Kid
Simon Birch – fatal foul
A Soldier's Story – Army baseball game
The Untouchables – pep talk from Al Capone
And yet another list...
SEMI-BASEBALL MOVIES
------------------------------
The Ceremony
Insignificance
Ironweed
Meet John Doe
Mr. Destiny
Wide Awake
Woman Of The Year
TAKE ME OUT TO THE MOVIES
An All-Star Line-up of Great Baseball Flicks
1. Field Of Dreams
2. Ken Burns' Baseball
3. A League Of Their Own
4. Bang The Drum Slowly
5. Sandlot
6. Pride of the Yankees
7. The Natural
8. Bull Durham
9. The Rookie
10. Major League
Also mentioned; The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, Eight Men Out, Fear Strikes Out, Damn Yankees, Little Big League, Rookie Of The Year, Bad News Bears
I also tabulated a bunch of other Baseball Top Ten lists, and here's the result;
1. Field of Dreams
2. Bull Durham
3. Eight Men Out
4. Pride Of The Yankees
5. Bad News Bears
6. The Natural
7. A League Of Their Own
8. Bang The Drum Slowly
9. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
10. The Rookie
11. Fear Strikes Out
12. Damn Yankees
13. Major League
14. The Sandlot
15. It Happens Every Spring
16. Angels In The Outfield ('51)
17. The Life & Times of Hank Greenberg
18. Ken Burns' Baseball
19. Angels In The Outfield ('94)
20. Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream
Compiled from; Baseball America, E! Online, (Oct 16 '99), , ESPN Baseball Movie Tournament, ESPN Top 5 and reader response letters, IMDb, Reel List, Sports Illustrated (Aug 4 2003), The Top Ten of Film, by Russell Ash, Video Hound 2004
Plus a few more additions to...
BASEBALL BITS
IN NON-BASEBALL MOVIES
-------------------------------
The Apostle – pastoral visit to the Little League game
Bad Lieutenant – don't bet on baseball...
Devil's Playground - another cornfield homer
Experiment in Terror – Candlestick climax
Ferris Bueller's Day Off – in the stands
Frequency – Dad and me and the Mets
Godfather II – talkin' baseball with Strasberg
Good Will Hunting – Carlton Fisk's inside-the-office homer
I Am Sam
It Could Happen To You – renting Yankee Stadium
The Naked Gun – Leslie Neilson, Umpire
Parenthood – post-Cards parking lot
Radio Days – Kirby Kyle, Comeback Kid
Simon Birch – fatal foul
A Soldier's Story – Army baseball game
The Untouchables – pep talk from Al Capone
And yet another list...
SEMI-BASEBALL MOVIES
------------------------------
The Ceremony
Insignificance
Ironweed
Meet John Doe
Mr. Destiny
Wide Awake
Woman Of The Year
Ron wrote:
: The novel A Prayer For Owen Meany has a scene where one guy's mom gets
: killed by a foul ball. Is that in the SIMON BIRCH movie?
Yup.
: Also mentioned . . . Damn Yankees . . .
Can you SAY that on the CT website?
: The novel A Prayer For Owen Meany has a scene where one guy's mom gets
: killed by a foul ball. Is that in the SIMON BIRCH movie?
Yup.
: Also mentioned . . . Damn Yankees . . .
Can you SAY that on the CT website?
| QUOTE (Peter T Chattaway @ Jun 6 2004, 06:53 PM) |
| : Also mentioned . . . Damn Yankees . . . Can you SAY that on the CT website? |
Actually, no, good point. In the officially posted version it'll be Damn Americans.
Ron wrote:
: In the officially posted version it'll be Damn Americans . . .
. . . I Hate Those Bastards.
(Sorry, bad Canadian in-joke. Google "carolyn parrish" and you'll see what I mean.)
: In the officially posted version it'll be Damn Americans . . .
. . . I Hate Those Bastards.
(Sorry, bad Canadian in-joke. Google "carolyn parrish" and you'll see what I mean.)
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