Slightly Off Topic...

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/eo/16227

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Posted By: al davis

way off topic

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Posted By: leon

O/T and ok since it's from an active board participant..........later

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I hope they don't paint Rickey as some sugar coated angel from Heaven. Even though he was instrumental in breaking the color-line he did a lot to hold baseball back with his treatment of minor league players in the 20's and 30's.

Still, I always love a good baseball movie so I'm crossing my fingers.

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Posted By: Bob Marquette

let's hope that Jackie is also portrayed with his flaws and problems. Tremendous courage and perserverance but not a saint by any means.

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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

Who'll play Jackie? If the film is well done and publicly received, it will be a boon to his cards.

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Posted By: Julie

of whom even collect baseball cards, who NEVER HEARD OF HIM, that would be a good thing!

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

I still think "the Natural" is the best baseball movie ever - Redford is obviously in his element when it comes to baseball.

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Posted By: Julie

I think "The Sting," or "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" are SO SO much better than The Natural, that it isn't even worth taklking about.

I know alot of you think think The Natural is the greatest thing since unsliced bread. I've never been able to figure out why! It is SO sentimental, unrealiztic, soppy--how can a bunch of sophisticated guys, who understand all the ins and outs of cheating, faking, trimming, bad grading, being robbed and carrying on--go for The Natural?

The ONLY great thing about The Natural is Redford's genuine baseball talent. He has the best swing of any actor who ever put on spikes (or didn't).

Happy ending
Nice and tidy
That's a rule I
Learned in school.
Get your money
Every Friday--
Happy endings
Are the rule.

Bert Brecht.

Y'know, the NOVEL didn't have a happy ending!

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Posted By: Bob Marquette

I don't think the Natural is the greatest baseball movie ever but it is up there. Personally I vote for Bang the Drum Slowly with Robert DeNiro.
On the other hand, I've never met anyone who watched the Natural who didn't get misty eyed in the final scene when Hobbs hits the winning homer.

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

Redford did have a sweet swing. I won't argue with you about the quality of the movie, as it's a matter of personal opinion. A friend of mine thinks "Bull Durham" is the greatest baseball movie - I think it sucks, but primarily because Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon are much more into making political statements than improving their acting. Tim Robbins "Nuke" character was the best thing he's done other than "Shawshank Redemption".

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Posted By: Sean Coe

I don't think "The Natural" was meant in any way to be realistic. It is a modern fairy tale, and yes its unabashedly sentimental with rather stock characters, but nonetheless very entertaining.

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Posted By: Glenn

They're re-making The Bad News Bears. I always enjoyed the original.

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Posted By: Parks

Redford has the best swing? NO WAY!

I think Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez has the greatest baseball swing in any movie. Who can argue that?

Seriously though, Costner has a pretty darn good swing and he swings from both sides of the plate. I would venture to say it is better than Redford's.

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Posted By: Max Weder

Forget about The Bad News Bears...I'm waiting for the DVD of Slide, Kelly, Slide

For a list of vintage baseball movies, here's an interesting link http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/indexes/baseballFilms.html

Max

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Posted By: Julie

That's a very interesting list of films, Max "The Baseball Game" 1898?

I don't know if this post got zapped or I forgot to hit respond, so I'm afraid to say the rest of what I said...
something about a man with a big oval gold ring with a cross on it....oh yeah--Robbins was great in "Mystic River."

Bob M: Bang the Drum Slowly is my favorite, too. TEGWAR (first cousin to "Thisbin?)

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

and I did enjoy Eight Men Out.

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Posted By: PASJD

Anyone seen "Pride of the Yankees" (Gary Cooper/Teresa Wright)or "Fear Strikes Out" (Anthony Perkins/Karl Malden)? They don't make em, even baseball movies, like they used to.

My opinions on more recent fare: The Natural was mediocre. Bull Durham was decent. While I usually despise Costner, I thought he was quite good in Field of Dreams which I loved because the whole concept was so original, and the book -- Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella for anyone here who actually reads -- is must reading for anyone who believes in the mythology and magic of baseball. Didn't see Eight Men Out. Major League was so bad that it was actually entertaining. Bang the Drum Slowly was excellent.

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Posted By: Bob Marquette

The trouble with 8 Men Out is that while interesting and entertaining, it could never measure up to the book. I was lucky enough to get a first edition of it on ebay and also a first edition of The Year The Yankees Lost the Pennant with dustjacket (later made in to Damn Yankees). So, yes, some of us do read.
Speaking of great baseball movies, Color of the Game (I believe that is the title) which relates the story of Satchell Page and Josh Gibson and their struggle to play major league baseball is excellent as is Soldier's Story with Denzel Washington. Both definitely in my top 7.
But when it comes to a movie falling far, far short of the book, you have Field of Dreams and the book upon which it is based, Shoeless Joe. Kinsella's greatest efforts were this book and The Iowa Baseball Confederacy, both must reads. My all time favorite baseball book though is The Unforgettable Season by G.H. Fleming which chronicles the greatest pennant race of all time, the 1908 National League pennat chase with Honus, Matty, Three Finger and of course, Fred Merkle.

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Posted By: Julie

I didn't know you were a religious man, Hensen.

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Posted By: Bob Marquette

A Soldier's Story was filmed at Fort Chaffee which was is about 5 miles from here in Arkansas. A couple of my American Legion baseball players appeared as extras.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

The Natural is a fine movie, and definitely one of my favorites. It seems to blend many of baseball's myths into one film. It is vastly different from the book. The book is excellent and Roy Hobbs is much more human. His faults are explored in detail and he comes off as rather pathetic. I won't say more in case there are others reading this that will read the book someday.

My favorite baseball movie is "Eight Men Out". Probably because it is placed in a time that is my favorite era in baseball and while not completely accurate is much more accurate than most baseball movies that I have seen.