Posted on 05/02/2015 4:38:18 PM PDT by PROCON
$212.46. That is what the average family of four spent at a major league ballgame last year. For the budget-conscious, that price tag makes it mighty tempting to stay home and enjoy the boys of summer on TV—either a live game or a classic baseball movie.
But watching some of the most fondly remembered films about the national passtime suggest that maybe both the game’s time and what made America great are passing. Here are five films that make the case.
5. Moneyball (2011)
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill take the Oakland Athletics from a mediocre, going-broke franchise to a cash-cow winner by using analytical, evidence-based “sabermetrics.” The film garnered six Oscar nominations, critical acclaim, and box-office success. That’s terrible. Celebrating the “corporatization” of baseball is not a good thing. Sure, making money is a good thing. “Last season,” Forbes reports, “MLB saw gross revenues of over $8 billion, and the expectation is it will reach $10 billion within a year or two.”
But where is the gut, the intuition, the love of sport for sport’s sake that we learned from movies like The Pride of the Yankees (1942), Gary Cooper’s epic portrayal of the greatest star of baseball’s finest hour?
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Yes, that is it! I have been wanting to see that one again for years.
It was a fictional story but there seemed to be some real similarities to real players, specifically Chase Riddle who was the player manager of the Panama City, Flyers.
A good early baseball movie is “It Happens Every Spring” (1949) with Ray Milland.
Every Spring I watch the movie and reread “Ball Four”
That’s such a fun movie.
“Moneyball” is the only one of the listed five I liked.
He cheated.
I remember that one too. It was a good movie.
I also recall all the publicity about Mantle and Maris going for 61 in 154 games. I remember the last game in which Maris had a chance and a lot of people thought he would do it, the other team put in a knuckle baller.
Maris’ Wife was furious as she thought they did it just to keep Maris from getting the record rather than to win the game. I don’t even remember the other team or who won.
Who cheated?
Damn, I thought I was the only ‘Ball Four’ nut! Read each year, (sometime during each year’s MLB regular season schedule), since I got my first copy in 1970. Pound that Budweiser!!!
Remember the “Ball Four” TV Series, maybe the worst TV show, ever.
It took 64 posts! Gads, site is sense of humor challenged.
I liked that movie as well. The Rookie with Dennis Quade is another good one.
It was on TV around 1977(?) or so. If I remember correctly, it only lasted about 8 or 9 episodes before it got the Network ZOT!! But yeah agreed, it was a disaster of a show. (I think I only made it thru the first and second shows before I quit it!)
No posts for ‘Mr. Baseball’ yet? I think Tom Selleck was as believable as an MLB ballplayer in that movie as any other Hollywood actor cast in a baseball role that I can recall.
I love “It Happens Every Spring”!
King Kelly: “It Happens Every Spring”
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna....1992.
Dang good plot, serious, realistic baseball.
I ought to know...I played womens' professional fast pitch softball and professional hardball in my salad days.
Today, I probably would have trouble making it to first base....lol.
Leni
“A League of Their Own” was a great movie, good cast and acting. No sexism here, just a semi-sexism thingy that you girls just aren’t as strong and talented as us guys at baseball, but I love ya anyway :-)
Great topic. Good comments. PJ Media has pros from Hollywood making comments. Movies should bring joy and healing to the viewers.
The Natural (1984): terrific ending;
Pride of the Yankees (1942): perfect movie for the whole family;
Moneyball (2011): proves that Brad Pitt is worth every penny as an actor;
Field of Dreams (1989): beautiful mix of patriotism, baseball, family and history;
The Babe (1992): the perfect movie for John Goodman.
Thanks for the links.
agree
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