Baseball
Yes, we all love baseball. Yes, we all love the Red Sox. We love them. The promise of opening day is the only thing that keeps me alive from January to March. I'd love to craft some lengthy post on the comings and goings of their personnel (on and off the field) and the consequent effects on their record come spring. Sadly for me, I'm not Peter Gammons or Gordon Edes. Sadly for you, I'm neither of them and at some point in the next few months you'll be subjected to precisely that. But, luckily for you, I'm not Dan Shaughnessy either.
This post, however, has nothing directly to do with the Sox. As I lay me down to sleep this evening, the newest Fire Brand of the American League post landed in my Inbox. Andrew, a ridiculously intelligent gentleman on all things Red Sox(I also recommend his other site, 12eight,) listed his five favorite baseball movies. I'm no Lee1, but I've seen some movies in my day. I'll let you check Andrew's list on your own. Here's mine:
5. Eight Men Out - Sorry, not only do I like all things Olde Tyme Base Ball, but I think this flick worked on every level. It's an important moment in baseball history, back when ballplayers literally were the guys next door, only better. Gets the period down, and the acting, for a sports movie especially is pretty good. Also, you know John Cusack is in the movie and you're pretty sure he must play Shoeless Joe. He doesn't; D.B. Sweeney does.
4. The Sandlot "You're killin' me smalls!"; "Give 'em the cheese!"; "For-e-ver"; "You play ball like a girrrrrrrl!" Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm putting it ahead of Bad News Bears simply because I'd be posing if I pretended that Tanner and the boys made a real dent in my late-80s psyche.
3. Major League I think the Bruins are a five-game losing streak away from Patrice Bergeron pulling a Rick Vaughan, even though Mike Sullivan is not half as archetypical as James Gammon (played by Lou Brown). Also, the naked picture thing won't work with Jeremy Jacobs.
2. Field of Dreams I can't talk about this movie right now. I've got allergies. The neighbor's cat just walked out onto the porch and I can see it. James Earl Jones, the hot dog, the foul line. Really, it's the neighbor's cat.
1. The Natural I don't care what you say. It's really a toss-up between this and Field of Dreams and I'm going with this one simply because of the home-run: lights breaking, Roy Hobbs running the bases, crowd going crazy. Also, Hobbs wears Teddy Ballgame's number and wants to be known as "the greatest hitter who ever lived."
You might notice that Bull Durham isn't on my list. You know why? Robert Wuhl sucks. Tim Robbins couldn't throw a baseball if the lives of several Cambodian children depended on it and the stupid "Church of Baseball" crap makes me want to wish I'd never heard of church or baseball. I will concede the "candlesticks" scene is pretty amusing, the first time.
1Yes, this is a blatant attempt to goad him into writing something.
This post, however, has nothing directly to do with the Sox. As I lay me down to sleep this evening, the newest Fire Brand of the American League post landed in my Inbox. Andrew, a ridiculously intelligent gentleman on all things Red Sox(I also recommend his other site, 12eight,) listed his five favorite baseball movies. I'm no Lee1, but I've seen some movies in my day. I'll let you check Andrew's list on your own. Here's mine:
5. Eight Men Out - Sorry, not only do I like all things Olde Tyme Base Ball, but I think this flick worked on every level. It's an important moment in baseball history, back when ballplayers literally were the guys next door, only better. Gets the period down, and the acting, for a sports movie especially is pretty good. Also, you know John Cusack is in the movie and you're pretty sure he must play Shoeless Joe. He doesn't; D.B. Sweeney does.
4. The Sandlot "You're killin' me smalls!"; "Give 'em the cheese!"; "For-e-ver"; "You play ball like a girrrrrrrl!" Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm putting it ahead of Bad News Bears simply because I'd be posing if I pretended that Tanner and the boys made a real dent in my late-80s psyche.
3. Major League I think the Bruins are a five-game losing streak away from Patrice Bergeron pulling a Rick Vaughan, even though Mike Sullivan is not half as archetypical as James Gammon (played by Lou Brown). Also, the naked picture thing won't work with Jeremy Jacobs.
2. Field of Dreams I can't talk about this movie right now. I've got allergies. The neighbor's cat just walked out onto the porch and I can see it. James Earl Jones, the hot dog, the foul line. Really, it's the neighbor's cat.
1. The Natural I don't care what you say. It's really a toss-up between this and Field of Dreams and I'm going with this one simply because of the home-run: lights breaking, Roy Hobbs running the bases, crowd going crazy. Also, Hobbs wears Teddy Ballgame's number and wants to be known as "the greatest hitter who ever lived."
You might notice that Bull Durham isn't on my list. You know why? Robert Wuhl sucks. Tim Robbins couldn't throw a baseball if the lives of several Cambodian children depended on it and the stupid "Church of Baseball" crap makes me want to wish I'd never heard of church or baseball. I will concede the "candlesticks" scene is pretty amusing, the first time.
1Yes, this is a blatant attempt to goad him into writing something.
posted by 1st Against the Wall at 00:13
1 Comments:
"The Sandlot" over "The Bad News Bears?" Give me a break. "The Sandlot" is a puppy dogs and ice cream rip off of "Bears." How can you hate on Ahmad Abdul Rahim like that?
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