Ask the Chair: Best Baseball Movies Ever?
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by user Alanschech and Awrigh01
I (Alanschech) am sitting here watching "For Love Of the Game", and my wife came up with a great idea..What are the best baseball movies of all time? There have been so many terrific baseball movies, from the funny to the serious. Below is a list of some of the best baseball movies of all time, the plot summaries from IMDB.
Featured Length Films
#1 The Natural (1984)
An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman.
#2 Field of Dreams (1989)
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice in his corn field tell him, "If you build it, he will come." He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. When the voices continue, Ray seeks out a reclusive author to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his field.
#3 Bull Durham (1988)
Crash is an aging minor league ball player, brought up from another team to mature a young pitcher with maturity problems. Both of them become involved with Ann, a baseball groupie with her own perspective on the game.
#4 Major League (1989)
The Cleveland Indians have gone 34 years without a division title. Team owner Donald Phelps has died, and his snobby wife Rachel Phelps, a former showgirl, has taken over as the new owner. Some in the media think Rachel shouldn't be the owner of a baseball team. Rachel hates Cleveland, so she makes plans to move the Indians to the warmer climate of Miami, Florida, but she can't break the team's lease with Cleveland unless the team's attendance for the season is below 800,000. Rachel's plan is to put together a team so awful that the season attendance will be lower than 800,000. Rachel and general manager Charlie Donovan hire a manager for the Indians Lou Brown, who has been the manager of the minor league Toledo Mud Hens for the past 30 years. Charlie then recruits some misfit players catcher Jake Taylor, who is a major league standout with knee problems, Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, who is a pitcher who throws wildly, third baseman Roger Dorn, who is a product endorser and former major league star who will do anything to avoid injury, outfielder Willie Mays Hayes, who runs fast enough to steal a lot of bases but can't hit very well, and Pedro Cerrano, who is an outfielder who practices voodoo. As expected, the Indians get off to a slow start, but when they discover that Rachel wants the team to lose so she can move the team, the Indians get their act together and start winning games and raising their attendance, as Jake tries to win back his ex-girlfriend Lynn Wells, and the Indians do what they can to win the division title.
#5 A League of Their Own (1992)
In the farm of Oregon Dottie Henson and Kit Keller are working on the farm. Sisters that do love each other, except when it comes to baseball. Kit wants to play in the league but is upset to hear that it is Dottie who is chosen to play for the AAPGL. (All American Pro Girls League) Dottie refuses to play unless Kit can come along. AAPGL was only made because of the World War II and all of the man were in the war. Along the way to the stadium they meet Marla Hooch who is a great hitter, but to most people not the prettiest girl. When they are going to try out they meet Doris and Mae because Doris threw a baseball at Dottie who caught it impressing Doris. They girls find out their new manager is Jimmy Dugan. Jimmy Dugan drinks a lot and is the worst manager until Dottie get through to him and he becomes a better person. Miss Cuthbert makes sure the rules are followed, no boys, no drinking or smoking until Mae poisons her meal. The girls go to party and Marla who had been overlooked a lot is noticed by a guy named Nelson. Dottie's husband Bob is in the army and when news comes that a man in the army has been killed it turns out to be Betty Spaghetti. After awhile, Kit feels that once again like at home she is behind Dottie's shadow. Dottie notices it to and asks to be transferred to another team. Of course Mr. Lovitz doesn't want the best player to be transferred so he has Kit transferred to Racine. Kit feels that Dottie did this on purpose. Kit plays for the Racine while Dottie plays for Rockford. In the final scene Dottie is crashed into by Kit and she drops the ball, letting Racine win, making Kit have her own stardom instead of being in Dottie's shadow. The girls have a reunion and they remember the fun they had together.
#6 The Sandlot (1993)
Scotty Smalls moves to a new neighborhood with his mom and stepdad, and wants to learn to play baseball. The neighborhood baseball guru Rodriquez takes Smalls under his wing, and soon he's part of the local baseball buddies. They fall into adventures involving baseball, treehouse sleep-ins, the desirous lifeguard at the local pool, the snooty rival ball team, and the travelling fair. Beyond the fence at the back of the sandlot menaces a legendary ball-eating dog called The Beast, and the kids inevitably must deal with him.
#7 Eight Men Out (1988)
The great Chicago White Sox team of 1919 is the saddest team to ever win a pennent. The team is bitter at their penny pincher owner, Charles Comiskey, and at their own teammates. Gamblers take advantage of this opportunity to offer some players $ to throw the series (Most of the players didn't get as much as promised.) But Buck Weaver and the great Shoeless Joe Jackson turn back at the last minute to try and play their best. The Sox actually almost come back from a 3-1 deficit. 2 years later, the truth breaks out and the Sox are sued on multiple accounts. They are found innocent by the jury but baseball commissioner Landis has other plans. The eight players are suspended for life, and Buck Weaver, for the rest of his life, tries to clear his name.
#8 The Bad News Bears (1976)
First of a trilogy of films takes an unflinching look at the underbelly of little league baseball in Southern California. Former minor leaguer Morris Buttermaker is a lazy, beer swilling swimming pool cleaner who takes money to coach the Bears, a bunch of disheveled misfits who have virtually no baseball talent. Realizing his dilemma, Coach Buttermaker brings aboard girl pitching ace Amanda Whurlizer, the daughter of a former girlfriend, and Kelly Leak, a motorcycle punk who happens to be the best player around. Brimming with confidence, the Bears look to sweep into the championship game and avenge an earlier loss to their nemesis, the Yankees.
#9 The Babe (1992)
The Babe is a biopic of George Herman 'Babe' Ruth. The film follows his seemingly bi-polar life from being abandoned by his father at an orphanage, to the discovery of his tremendous home-run hitting ability and finally to his later days. Several items from his legend are included (whether true or not) including: His calling of of a home run, the promise to a dying youngster to hit two home runs in a game that day, and the quote that he had a better year than the president.
#10 The Rookie (2002)
When a shoulder injury ended his minor league pitching career twelve years ago, Jim Morris resorted to the next best thing: coaching. But Jim's team, knowing their coach is a great ball player, makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, they want Jim to try out for a major-league organization. Going from worst to first, the team makes it to state, and Jim is forced to live up to his end of the deal. While there prove to be a lot of pitches to be thrown before he makes it off the mound, big-league dreams are revived, and there's no telling where he could go.
Best Baseball Documentary
Baseball by Ken Burns -- 1994
Best Baseball Musical
Damn Yankees (1958) -- Starring Tab Hunter and Gwen Verdon
Date
Thu 06/08/06, 1:01 pm EST
