Opening Day Film Festival

Obviously, many of us here are baseball fans, and more than a few are movie nuts as well. And since some of the best sports movies have a baseball storyline, this is almost a no-brainer. I forget where I stole the idea from (magazine or newspaper feature, most likely), but I've used this for column fodder a couple of times over the years and it always seems to generate spirited debate. And so, it's time for the 2007 Occasionally Annual Opening Day Film Festival.

Here's my Opening Day starting lineup (Note: there is no designated movie rule in this league):

Major League (1989)
Eight Men Out (1988)
Baseball (1994)
Bull Durham (1988)
It Happens Every Spring (1949)
Field of Dreams (1989)
The Natural (1984)
Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)
Long Gone (1987)

 

I feel pretty confident my dad's watching For Love of the Game, Field of Dreams, or Bull Durham.

 

The Pride of the Yankees

 

Good list, but The Natural ... ugh. Call up The Rookie, instead.

 

In a word: Stop smoking crack.

 

No amount of crack will ever make The Natural look good. Knocking the cover off the ball? Hooey, man.

 

The Natural loses points for changing the ending of the book, which completely changes the story.

 

How about Fear Strikes Out?

 

The Natural -- the novel -- was meant as a retelling of the Arthurian legend of Percival.

Thus, the feats of greatness are exaggerated, as they were in the retelling of legend in the oral tradition.

I didn't care for the changed ending, either, but let's not shit on it out of hand. It's a great book and a solid movie.

 

Little Big League!

And from the almost a baseball movie file, Brewster's Millions.

 

You've all completely forgotten about The Sandlot?! You're killing me, Smalls!

 

How dare you all forget "The Comeback Kid," the John Ritter TV movie where he's a minor league hasbeen coaching some kids, one of whom gets run over by a car.

Damn you all!