Baseball Season Approaches, Time For Baseball Movies

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This was originally posted 3/25/2008

Okay, I promised a light hearted blog this week, and I will live up to my promise. Today is the official start of baseball season, not my favorite sport (it's second to football of course), but it is a great way to start the spring. So, today as the RedSox beat the Oakland A's in Japan to start the 2008 season, I find myself ready to do my annual baseball film marathon.

So,the list of my favorite baseball movies is in order.

1) Bull Durham
The classic of baseball movies. A bit adult in content, it has humor, sports, and sex for the guys, and a love story for the ladies. There are so many classic moments in this film: the conference on the mound to discuss wedding gift ideas, the whole garter belt thing, and Kevin Costner's "I believe in..." speech. But this is the most authentic baseball movie of its time, and 1 in my rotation every March.

2) Field of Dreams
The ultimate father-son movie. Costner obviously knows baseball and movies. It's like Old Yeller. If a guy says he didn't cry at the end, he is lying or has no soul. Everyone cried. Dads, sons, it didn't matter. A great story, and everyone knows: "If you build it, he will come..."

3) The Natural
It has everything, the potential, the legend, the pretty girl who is bad, the best girl who got away, second chances, a WonderBat and a great bit of nostalgia.

4) For The Love Of The Game
Another Costner movie about baseball, life and love. This is his weakest baseball effort, but it tells the tale of a great baseball player on the downside of his career. His life is emulating his career, but like most of these movies, there's a second chance involved. It has the standard balance of sports, action and chick flick to keep both sexes interested.

5) Pride Of The Yankees
The Lou Gehrig story. A bit like It's A Wonderful Life baseball style, but the Capra classic has Gary Cooper play the Iron Horse and you cannot help but like him. By most accounts, Gehrig was a humble and kind man, and he certainly did not deserve his fate. The speech at the end is just like Old Yeller and Field Of Dreams, you will cry (or you have no soul).


6) Major League (Kinda cheesy, but still very funny)
7) Mr. Baseball (Tom Selleck plays in Japan)
8) A League Of Their Own ("There's no crying in baseball.")
9) Bang The Drum Slowly (Story about star pitcher, and his cancer-stricken catcher)
10) Eight Men Out (Good character acting, true to the period)

So, I hope everyone else's spring is off to a great start. I will be taking those rainy days or nights to enjoy my annual baseball movie marathon yet again.

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