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Credible Baseball on Film

Edgy MD Mar 06 2023 10:25 AM

Baseball's Not Dead reviews baseball films, not on their general quality, but based on the quality of the baseball within. I have my quibbles, but I like that they went straight to Lucas as their football example of what they are looking for, a broadly marketed studio film that is just wrong and awful at every level. [YOUTUBE]1xeamHyi9u8[/YOUTUBE]

kcmets Mar 06 2023 11:11 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

I don't really like sports movies much, watching an hour long youtube isn't something that appeals to me much either. Can someone recap it? lol It's all down hill for me after The Bad News Bears original movie.

Edgy MD Mar 06 2023 11:17 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

The only division worth breaking into regarding The Bad News Bears is whether it's the greatest baseball movie or whether it's the greatest sports movie.

dgwphotography Mar 06 2023 11:27 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

I had my quibbles - Field of Dreams was ranked too high. Baseball's Not Dead went into whether the dirt was too dusty in Eight Men Out, but didn't say word about Shoeless Joe batting the wrong way in FoD? Also, was there a cutoff datewise that I missed? I was surprised Bingo Long or Bang The Drum Slowly wasn't included.

metirish Mar 06 2023 11:28 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

Edgy MD wrote: The only division worth breaking into regarding The Bad News Bears is whether it's the greatest baseball movie or whether it's the greatest sports movie. Greatest sports movie? Escape to Victory??

Edgy MD Mar 06 2023 11:29 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

Oh, and number 17 (Everybody Wants Some) which first appears at about 38:50 in the above vid, features a sponser on the outfield wall named "Kasper's Met Market," so there's that.

Edgy MD Mar 06 2023 11:33 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

=dgwphotography post_id=119324 time=1678127254 user_id=78] I had my quibbles - Field of Dreams was ranked too high. Baseball's Not Dead went into whether the dirt was too dusty in Eight Men Out, but didn't say word about Shoeless Joe batting the wrong way in FoD?

You're dead-right here. He digs far deeper in some films than others. I guess it's easier to dig deep on mostly bad films because you don't get particularly engaged.



Trouble with the Curve gets a lot wrong with the baseball, and because the nuances of the game are such an important part of the plot, it makes the film that much worse, but he mostly gives it a pass. It's not the worst baseball movie featuring John Goodman, but The Babe sets that bar pretty high.

A Boy Named Seo Mar 06 2023 11:57 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

Edgy MD wrote: I have my quibbles, but I like that they went straight to Lucas as their football example of what they are looking for, a broadly marketed studio film that is just wrong and awful at every level. I haven't seen Lucas since the 90s but I loved it! Nerdy, insect-loving kid with a crush on a Goonie who was out of his league. Charlie Sheen as the jock with a heart who kept Lucas from getting his ass kicked even though Lucas secretly resented him cause they both liked the cute Goonie. And a young Wynona Rider as Corey Haim's unrequited love interest. THAT MOVIE HAD IT ALL As for the football scene in question, I don't think it's a huge stretch that the defenders treated it as a fumble instead of an incomplete pass. I never watch NFL and I feel like I've seen that play at least 10 times where a guy picks it and runs it the other way until it gets whistled dead by the ref. Taking his helmet off before the catch though...

Edgy MD Mar 06 2023 11:58 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

I have several other credibility problems with Field o'. Most of the actors playing the ghost players seem to be clearly on the dark side of 40. I can forgive that because life was hard and photos of pre-World War II baseball teams are frequently populated by guys who look old before their time. What really puts a booger in my butt is that the players they bring in to play against come from several different eras, but Moonlight Graham somehow recognizes the ones that would have predated his childhood, as well as ones that didn't debut until after Moonlight's teenage years. More egregious oversights seem to get overlooked in For the Love of the Game and Bull Durham.

Frayed Knot Mar 06 2023 08:42 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY was a good movie but the (very few) baseball scenes in it are pretty bad. Robert DeNiro might be a great actor but he's no ballplayer.

Edgy MD Mar 06 2023 09:16 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

As I recall, they wear Yankee uniforms, even though the name of the team is "The Mammoths." It's like, whatever licensing fees they have to pay to use the brand, they weren't interested in paying it to give the story actual MLB credibility. They were mostly interested in being able to splice in footage of actual Yankee action (playing at Shea Stadium) with the dramatized stuff. How come Old Jon Voight is in everything when you need an old white guy who used to be blond in the 1970s, but Old Michael Moriarity can't get arrested?

Frayed Knot Mar 07 2023 04:43 AM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

I remember the Mammoth's NY logo being Yankee-ish but not quite the real thing, so maybe an attempt to get around licensing fees as much as anything.

Marshmallowmilkshake Mar 07 2023 04:17 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

Assuming they are joking about the No. 1 choice, and the No. 2 is their real No. 1?

Edgy MD Mar 07 2023 04:51 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

I think that's a rock-solid assumption. Credit to you for getting that far.

Edgy MD Mar 07 2023 04:53 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

I think I've mentioned this before, but my favorite authenticity in Bull Durham is the pitching coach heading to the mound with a stride that looks like jogging but is actually slower than most walking. My wife picked up on this. A lot of what I don't like is that they try hard so hard to be on the nose that it shows.

Fman99 Mar 07 2023 05:58 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Edgy MD wrote: I have my quibbles, but I like that they went straight to Lucas as their football example of what they are looking for, a broadly marketed studio film that is just wrong and awful at every level. I haven't seen Lucas since the 90s but I loved it! Nerdy, insect-loving kid with a crush on a Goonie who was out of his league. Charlie Sheen as the jock with a heart who kept Lucas from getting his ass kicked even though Lucas secretly resented him cause they both liked the cute Goonie. And a young Wynona Rider as Corey Haim's unrequited love interest. THAT MOVIE HAD IT ALL Seconded. This is a generational thing too as I saw this movie 687 times on HBO as a kid and loved it each time.

Edgy MD Mar 07 2023 07:54 PM Re: Credible Baseball on Film

Well, I ain't gonna argue against your movie thing. But it's still some terrible football.