Happy Birthday, Roger Angell. What's your favorite baseball movie?

[Archive]

Posted By: Vognar Julie

He's 81 today. I saved a July 31, 1989 New Yorker in which he wrote a long article about baseball movies, "The Sporting Scene: No, But I Saw The Game." I guess his main point was that baseball fans WANT baseball movies to work--they want the acting to be so good that we can forget "how badly these guys on the screen play ball," but that when the movie makers slip in a scene or two of real baaseball players playing, we get so fascinated that we keep rewinding the film to watch that part again and forget all about the plot.
He's very funny talking about how Cooper couldn't hit AT ALL from EITHER side of the plate.

What's your favirote baseball movie? Angell's is (as of 1989) "Bull Durham." Mine's "Bang the Drum Slowly."

[Archive]

Posted By: Scott Forrest

One of the things that makes baseball such a great game is knowing that something incredible might be done by someone who looks completely normal in street clothes. "61" was great because we all just lived through McGuire chasing Maris, and this film showed us a different type of home run race that most of us had forgotten (or might be too young to remember).

[Archive]

Posted By: Anthony

I'd vote for the following, in order:
Field of Dreams (by far)
The Natural
61
Bull Durham
Bang the Drum Slowly
Eight Men Out
Major League would be dead last, but it was funny in a stupid way

[Tobacco&Gum]

The Sandlot.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Tobacco&Gum

The Sandlot.

Congratulations. I think you just set the record for the oldest thread revival.

[Tobacco&Gum]

Originally Posted by Leon

Congratulations. I think you just set the record for the oldest thread revival.

Ha! I didn't even notice the date of the last post!

I don't even know how I ended up on a thread so old.

It was a really good movie though.

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by Leon

Congratulations. I think you just set the record for the oldest thread revival.

Did he just win a net54 t-shirt?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Matthew H

Did he just win a net54 t-shirt?

I think he did. James please PM me your T shirt size (100% pre shrunk cotton) and shipping address and I will get a T in the mail for you. Congrats!!

[Matthew H]

Awesome!

[barrysloate]

When Julie made that post the board was only a few days old. Didn't it start a day or two after 9/11?

[jp1216]

Leon, got my shirt yesterday - love it. Many thanks!

[Seiklis]

I just had to check after I saw the date on the thread

Roger Angell, 91 and still kicking

[scooter729]

Should I be embarrassed to admit how much I loved the Major League movie? I mean, Cerrano, Wild Thing, Dorn, Willie Mays Hayes - it was pure genius! How could someone vote that dead last??

[Matthew H]

The sequel qualifies for dead last. I too like the first one.

[packs]

My friend's uncle is the doctor who says Funky Butt Lovin in Rookie of The Year.

[MacDice]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Should I be embarrassed to admit how much I loved the Major League movie? I mean, Cerrano, Wild Thing, Dorn, Willie Mays Hayes - it was pure genius! How could someone vote that dead last??

I love that movie as well. When Charlie Sheen was doing his tour, I went to his show (free tickets) and it was pretty cool seeing him stand on stage where a Rick Vaughn jersey singing wild thing.

[brickyardkennedy]

Ok, I'll play along. Not strictly baseball movies, as in the usual sense, but my favorite baseball movies would be vintage clips, if they count. Otherwise, probably, "Field of Dreams"

What is Julie up to these days, anyway? Anyone?

[g_vezina_c55]

My favorite is 61

[Shoeless Moe]

Bad News Bears

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!"

[scooter729]

I've always enjoyed this purchase - even though I wasn't sure about it at the time, since it's actually from "Major League 2" and not the original, I have been happy to own a "game used" Pedro Cerrano uniform (letter from movie studio)...