Spring is here, the start of a new baseball season is at hand.
This year feels auspicious. The Cubs :cubs: are having a solid spring. Who knows what the coming season will hold? Could this be the year?
Such is the hope of the Cubs fan. 😉
Instead of ruminating on the coming season, let’s talk baseball movies. As in, what are my top five?
- The Natural
Roy Cobb, the greatest there ever was. The music, the performances, just the feel. It’s magical, even if Wrigley never ever looked like that. 😉 - Eight Men Out
The Black Sox scandal of 1919, based on Eliot Asinof’s book. - Field of Dreams
The Natural looks at the game and its magic from inside. Eight Men Out looks at the game itself. Field of Dreams is about the meaning of the game. - 61*
Tom Jane (The Punisher) as Mickey Mantle, Barry Pepper as Roger Maris, and the home run chase of 1961. The film doesn’t hit a wrong note, and it can be surprisingly moving. - A League of Their Own
The story of the women’s baseball league of the 1940s. It’s just fun.
There we go, the current top five. Compare to the list I made three years ago. A few differences here and there.
A:
I know they have no real film merit, but I appreciate “The Rookie” and “Angels in the Outfield”… there’s just something uplifting about sports movies when they fight the good fight, and come back and win.
Now listing, your favorite soccer movies, would be a challenge… but let’s leave that for a future blog around the World Cup in June!