Best baseball movies
I just came across an ESPN.com Page 2 feature about the best baseball movies ever made. Now I know baseball is a family game and all, but some of the winners are such fluffy films I'm shocked to find such schlock leading the pack.
Field of Dreams was picked as the #1 baseball movie ever made. It's a good ball flick, but I have never liked Kevin Coster as an actor. So, wipe out #4 and #6 from the list for me too: Bull Durham and For Love of The Game. Romantic comedies are just not my thing.
Major League with Charlie Sheen made the #2 slot. I haven't seen this movie in ages, and I have no memory of the storyline. Apparently, it made a huge impact on me!
The Natural was selected as the third-best baseball movie ever made. Wow, what can I say about this movie. I hated it! It was incredible slow and boring.
The Sandlot earned the #5 spot. I haven't seen it and I don't know any of the actors, so I'll just have to assume it deserves this ranking.
Another Charlie Sheen flick made #7, Eight Men Out. I haven't seen this one either, so I can't comment. I do like John Cusack though.
I like the #8 and #9 picks: Bad News Bears and A League of Their Own. Bad News Bears in particular was a favorite of mine as a kid, but I have my doubts that I could sit through it now without getting fidgety.
Pride of the Yankees from 1942 rounds out the Top 10. This is a movie I have not seen, but I'd like to. It stars Gary Cooper and Babe Ruth.
Three baseball movies that didn't make the Top 20 but that I think should have wiped Kevin Costner right out of the Top 10 are:
- Cobb: An excellent baseball flick! With a great storyline and superb acting, this should have scored higher than 13th place.
- Mr. 3000: I saw this one in the theaters and loved it! Good fun flick. I cannot fathom how it didn't make a dent in the top 20, especially with Angela Basset in the cast.
- The Fan: Granted, this is a much darker film than any of Costner's sappy ballpark flicks, but Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes and Ellen Barkin turn out great performances, so this is a film I would have liked to see with at least an honorable mention.
For comparison's sake, I found three other baseball movie rankings. Also, check out greensborobats.com for a summation of their top 10 baseball movies. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how The Natural made all these lists. I really despised that movie! Am I the only one?
