New movie Fastball

[timn1]

I think both are right - Like Gary Cooper, he is not a naturally gifted actor (as in disappearing into the role) but he has a talent for finding roles in which his acting persona is perfect (Bull Durham, Tin Cup, No Way Out - and yes, Mr. Brooks).

As a result, when he is in his comfort zone he can give great performances but when he's outside it he can be horrible (Waterworld, that painful Vegas movie where he plays the Elvis impersonator-criminal, and an otherwise great film that he almost destroys, Thirteen Days.)

Can you tell I teach film?

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by timn1

I think both are right - Like Gary Cooper, he is not a naturally gifted actor (as in disappearing into the role) but he has a talent for finding roles in which his acting persona is perfect (Bull Durham, Tin Cup, No Way Out - and yes, Mr. Brooks).

As a result, when he is in his comfort zone he can give great performances but when he's outside it he can be horrible (Waterworld, that painful Vegas movie where he plays the Elvis impersonator-criminal, and an otherwise great film that he almost destroys, Thirteen Days.)

Can you tell I teach film?

I thought the first 20-25 minutes of "3,000 Miles To Graceland" was very entertaining....

After that, it was all downhill.

[Vintage Yankee]

Attended a screening at the Yogi Berra Museum which was followed by a Q&A with the film's director, Jonathan Hock.

Very well put together an a great way to get geared up for baseball season.

It is available on Amazon and iTunes, I believe. They're hoping that they can soon distribute in select theaters as well.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

I rented it on Directv on demand. It profiles some of the usual suspects when it comes to hard throwing including Walter Johnson and Bob Feller and then some you might have never heard of. Makes the case that Nolan Ryan threw 108 mph!

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by timn1

I think both are right - Like Gary Cooper, he is not a naturally gifted actor (as in disappearing into the role) but he has a talent for finding roles in which his acting persona is perfect (Bull Durham, Tin Cup, No Way Out - and yes, Mr. Brooks).

As a result, when he is in his comfort zone he can give great performances but when he's outside it he can be horrible (Waterworld, that painful Vegas movie where he plays the Elvis impersonator-criminal, and an otherwise great film that he almost destroys, Thirteen Days.)

Can you tell I teach film?

I think this hits the nail right on the head!

Regards,

Larry

[bn2cardz]

I am just now getting around to watching this while working today.

I had never heard that Walter Johnson's Fastball was only recorded at 83 mph.

[pbspelly]

Costner was great in A Perfect World, a vastly underrated film, but, in general, I agree that his performances, to borrow from Dorothy Parker, display the gamut of emotions from A to B.

[BBB]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

Costner was great in A Perfect World, a vastly underrated film, but, in general, I agree that his performances, to borrow from Dorothy Parker, display the gamut of emotions from A to B.

Loved that movie - absolutely underrated.

[Mountaineer1999]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

I am just now getting around to watching this while working today.

I had never heard that Walter Johnson's Fastball was only recorded at 83 mph.

Timed at 83 bht that was measured behind the plate several feet wasnt it? Translates to 93 the way speed is measured today... 10 feet from mound.

[clydepepper]

I thought Costner was very good, though very young, in Silverado.


He was a little stiff in The Big Chill


He was perfect for Bull Durham and close to perfect for Tin Cup , A Perfect World and Dances With Wolves.


He was good, not great in For Love of the Game and No Way Out.


I've never seen Mr. Brooks so I won't pass judgment on that one.

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

He was a little stiff in The Big Chill

His performance was dead-on in that film

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

His performance was dead-on in that film

I'm going to pass-on that comment

[CxG Seven Dust]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

I thought Costner was very good, though very young, in Silverado.


He was a little stiff in The Big Chill


He was perfect for Bull Durham and close to perfect for Tin Cup , A Perfect World and Dances With Wolves.


He was good, not great in For Love of the Game and No Way Out.


I've never seen Mr. Brooks so I won't pass judgment on that one.

What about Field of Dreams?

[tjb1952tjb]

Originally Posted by CxG Seven Dust

What about Field of Dreams?

Anybody like Costner in "The Untouchables"?

[BicycleSpokes]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1999

Timed at 83 bht that was measured behind the plate several feet wasnt it? Translates to 93 the way speed is measured today... 10 feet from mound.

Interesting, I had been wondering about this, since reading the "Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train" book recently, which is quoted below:

"After a few warm-up tosses against the steel plate, and still in street clothes, Johnson stepped in, but the tunnel was at shoulder height to measure bullets fired from a standing position and at first Johnson couldn't get his sidearm throws to go straight through to the plate. 'At length, however,' it was reported, 'after some effort and with a consequent loss of speed in an attempt to place the ball accurately, the sphere was successfully hurled in the proper direction, broke one of the fine wires in its transit and collided with a heavy thud against the steel plate.' Johnson's best throw was clocked at 122 feet per second (82 m.p.h), Rucker's at 113, both on their third and last tries."

So, the 82 mph was measured differently, thrown in street clothes, apparently from an awkward position. Given that the fastest throws came in the final attempts, I am also guessing he likely was not properly warmed up.

If he was really throwing only 82 all of the accounts of batters not even seeing the ball would simply not make sense!

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1999

Timed at 83 bht that was measured behind the plate several feet wasnt it? Translates to 93 the way speed is measured today... 10 feet from mound.

yes that speed was measured as the avg between home plate distance and a metal plate that was like 10 feet behind home plate. The do a velocity analysis and figure out that it was going in the mid 90's,the real surprise is they estimate Ryan's 100.9 ten feet in front of home plate was going 108.1 right after it was released!

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by bravos4evr

yes that speed was measured as the avg between home plate distance and a metal plate that was like 10 feet behind home plate. The do a velocity analysis and figure out that it was going in the mid 90's,the real surprise is they estimate Ryan's 100.9 ten feet in front of home plate was going 108.1 right after it was released!

Yeah still to think that WaJo's velocity was around 93 and they thought that was the fastest. Of course they only measured it once and not on a mound, but it shows the difference in the game if he was considered the fastest.

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

Yeah still to think that WaJo's velocity was around 93 and they thought that was the fastest. Of course they only measured it once and not on a mound, but it shows the difference in the game if he was considered the fastest.

Well, if you consider that the human body hasn't really evolved enough to make much physical difference since his era,(tho strength conditioning and nutrition has improved a lot) and the +/- of the measuring device, the fact that he didn't warm up, wasn't in uniform, nor off a mound, I think one could guess that WJ probably had 100 mph in him, or close anyway. Hitting 93 or so in shirtsleeves off flat ground without a normal warmup is pretty good, an extra 5-7 mph doesn't seem impossible.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

I am just now getting around to watching this while working today.

I had never heard that Walter Johnson's Fastball was only recorded at 83 mph.

Andy - I do hope you're not an air-traffic controller! DOH!!

[bbcard1]

Fastball is on my list.

Also on Netflix DO NOT MISS Battered Bastards of Baseball.

I had a chance to be an extra in Bull Durham and regret not taking advantage of it.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Andy - I do hope you're not an air-traffic controller! DOH!!

No. Documentaries are not needed to see as much as heard. I do computer work from home that contains a lot of monotony so having something to listen to is nice.

[Beatles Guy]

Originally Posted by timn1

I think both are right - Like Gary Cooper, he is not a naturally gifted actor (as in disappearing into the role) but he has a talent for finding roles in which his acting persona is perfect (Bull Durham, Tin Cup, No Way Out - and yes, Mr. Brooks).

As a result, when he is in his comfort zone he can give great performances but when he's outside it he can be horrible (Waterworld, that painful Vegas movie where he plays the Elvis impersonator-criminal, and an otherwise great film that he almost destroys, Thirteen Days.)

Can you tell I teach film?

Interested to know why you think he almost destroyed "Thirteen Days"? Was it the on again, off again Northeast accent? Great and underrated movie IMO.