Counting down baseball’s best flicks
Following the release of 42, the story of Jackie Robinson and his quest to break baseball’s color barrier, earlier this month, we reflect on the rich cinematic history the game of baseball has helped create.
1. THE SANDLOT (1993)
This childhood classic takes you back to Los Angeles in early 1960s when playing baseball on a dirt field was the best way for a boy to spend his hot summer days.
An awkward kid, Scotty Smalls, who is new to the community, creates a life-long bond with cool kid, and future pro-baseball player Benjamin Rodriguez.
The movie includes the iconic line “You’re killing me, Smalls.”
Though derivative, it shows how someone unfamiliar with the game could develop genuine love and passion for the game.
That spirit makes it the best baseball movie ever.
2. THE NATURAL (1984)
Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), a middle-aged unknown with a cloudy past, comes out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to first place. With the help of the bat “Wonderboy,” cut from a tree struck by lightning, Hobbs enjoys the glory he should have had as a young rising pitcher before a strange injury took him out of them game.
3. EIGHT MEN OUT (1988)
The 1919 Chicago White Sox, who won the American League pennant, are fed up with their miser of an owner Charles Comiskey. A group of gamblers eye the perfect opportunity to cash in.
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The story is short but concise. The movies listed are pretty good but, I would argue that there are other baseball movies that would rank higher on the list than those. Like “A perfect game”, “The Rookie”, and “Moneyball” just to name some off the top of my head. All in all its a good article though.