MLB / sport

With the World Series right around the corner, I’m taking a trip down memory lane and looking at my favorite baseball movies of all time. We are now well into MLB Post-Season with the World Series right around the corner. I thought there was no better time to get nostalgic again and take a look at my favorite baseball movies. These movies were among some of my favorites growing up and always got me pumped to play baseball. With no shortage of great baseball movies, narrowing this list down to just 5 movies was more difficult than I expected. The sport of baseball is no stranger to the big screen, as it’s a fan favorite movie subject and has been for decades. Many people credit the great American inventor, Thomas Edison, as the first person to film a baseball game. In 1898, before the turn of the century, the Thomas Edison Co. produced a film called “The Ball Game.” The clips that remain are only a few minutes long but constitutes the first time humans filmed the sport of baseball. Of course since then, the sport has been a mainstay for Hollywood, and today I’ll be looking at my favorites of the genre. The Sandlot (1993) I feel bad for any child who didn’t grow up watching this movie. The Sandlot is categorized as a sports/baseball movie and rightfully so; however, despite this movie having baseball front and center, it is easy to say that the movie isn’t really about baseball. It is more that baseball is featured in the movie and plays as a backdrop to the story. So what’s the movie really about? Well for me, it’s primarily a coming of age narrative, telling the story of a new kid in town who bonds with his new found friends over the summer while playing baseball. Any kid growing up who played backyard sports can relate to this story. There’s a reason this classic movie makes it on everyone’s favorite baseball movie list. A League of Their Own (1992) Another mainstay on everyone’s baseball movie list and for good reason. It touches on several different themes. The movie tells the story about an all-female baseball league. And no I didn’t misspeak. Not softball but women’s baseball. With World War II set as a backdrop to the movie, the premise centers around professional baseball owners deciding to bankroll an all-female baseball league during the war. Tom Hanks is hired to manage The Peaches—a newly created team. To fill that team’s roster, we get an incredible cast, including Rosie O’Donnel, Geena Davis and Madonna. This movie has truly stood up to the test of time. It is still just as entertaining as the first time I saw it. Major League (1989) The most over-the-top ridiculous movie on my list. A product of its era, Major League is the love child of 80's comedies and 90's sports movies. The plot is as insane as Charlie Sheen’s career. The movie is about a corrupt owner of the Cleveland Indians who wants to move the team to Miami. To be able to do so, the team must finish dead last and have poor attendance. In an attempt to achieve this, the owner signs a bunch of aging veterans and unproven rookies. The cast of funny characters who make up the team roster is what makes this movie so great. Charlie Sheen plays “Wild Thing” a rookie pitcher who throws over 90 mpg but has no control until the coach figures out what’s wrong with him. Go watch the movie if you haven’t to see how it all comes together at the end. Hilarity ensues. Moneyball (2011) If it weren’t for nostalgic reasons, this movie would be my #1 pick. If you are like me and find player trades, team management and baseball tactics to be really interesting, this is the movie for you. One of the few baseball movies that isn’t about what takes place on the field but what takes place behind closed doors. The movie is based on a true story about the Oakland Athletics unorthodox management methods and how they compete against MLB giants with a tiny budget. If you still aren’t interested, the movie stars Brad Pitt, and he does as incredible job at playing real life General Manager Billy Beane. Not only is the movie entertaining but it's also very informative. A must watch for baseball fans. Rookie of the Year (1993) To be honest, this movie doesn’t really deserve to be the top of my list by its own merits. However, the nostalgic effect kicks in and I can’t help it. The reason this movie is so special to me is because growing up I wanted what happens in this movie to happen to me~! When I was a kid playing sports, I always dreamed about doing really good in a big game and being seen by some scout, which would then end up with me becoming a professional athlete. That’s basically what happens to the kid in this movie. The kid breaks his arm, and when it heels, the tendons in his arm are tighter than they should be. The results is him being able to throw a baseball as fast as a professional pitcher. This is the start of his rise to the MLB where he eventually plays for the Cubs. I won’t recommend you go out and watch this movie. It really isn’t a classic. It just so happens to be special to me, and what kid hasn’t dreamed of becoming a professional athlete? And this movie was the tantalizing tale of how it could have happened. In case you missed it: My Top 5 Favorite Basketball Movies My Top 5 Retro Sports Video Games _______________________________________________________________________________________