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 ...
Leni
Haven’t seen 61, but it sounds interesting. That era is when I really followed baseball, and there are a lot of very strong ( and fond) memories associated with it.
Probably my favorite.
“Come out to play-ay.”
It is. It's really about a distant father and how it affected his son's life.
The final scene with Ray playing catch with his dad chokes me up every time.
It was scene of forgiveness, and the love that both dad and son have always had for each other, and how that bond will never end.
Even after death.
My ex-husband worked on the grounds crew of the Baltimore Orioles in the late 60’s early 70’s. During games he was stationed in the bull pen area.
I seem to recall that when Bull Durham came out and we went to see it at the theater, he recalled meeting Ron Shelton on at least one occasion, although I don’t think he (Shelton) ever played in the majors but he was with the Baltimore Orioles' organization from 1967 to 1971.
Anyway, my ex seemed to think that it was a pretty good depiction of at least some of the goings on he observed over the years of working for the O’s, the ribbings the pranks especially those played on the young guys just up from the “farm” by the older guys. I can’t recall the player’s name but he told me there was one (perhaps a warm up catcher) who was notorious for playing pranks including putting lit matches under the shoes of any pitcher in the bull pen who had nodded off during the game.
FWIW, he told me that while Frank Robinson was a great player, he was a bit of a jerk as was Jim Palmer. OTHO, he said that Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell and Elrod Hendricks were just about the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet.
Prankster Oriole reliever late ‘60s, early ‘70s? Moe Drabowsky! Bert Blyleven may have been the only bigger doofus.
I thought it was one of the best......Maybe it's because I'm playing senior softball and a lot of the guys are in their 70's and 80's and acting like kids.............
It also pretty honestly depicted Mantle and his struggles with alcohol and serial partying and womanizing, something the straight laced Maris didn’t go for although they were friends. But it doesn’t make Mantle out to be a “bad” guy either.
Moe Drabowsky! Yes, that name sounds familiar. I think that was him. Thanks!
Huh? With hot dogs??????
lol flooding
Spot on. My Dad and I were both good players in the day, and one of my cherished memories was being able to play on his softball teams for a couple of years when I was 18-19 years old and he was still playing but close to stopping. We lost him in 2010 and, like you, I can’t watch that scene without being touched.
Haven’t seen 61, but it sounds interesting. That era is when I really followed baseball, and there are a lot of very strong ( and fond) memories associated with it.
late fifties, early sixties...great baseball period...the first Series I remember well was Yankees/Braves ‘58; still have nightmares about the Braves blowing it...
Moe Drabowsky! Yes, that name sounds familiar. I think that was him. Thanks!
Moe didn’t throw a knuckler...you’re thinking of Hoyt Wilhelm...
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