Sunday, April 26, 2015

Baseball Movies




Today I am going to do something a little bit different. Instead discussing recent games or players, I am going to discuss the make believe ones in the world of movies.

Sports movies, baseball ones more specifically, have always been one of my favorite genres of movies. The thing about baseball movies is that although they are about the same sport, they are all so different from one another. The movies can touch on athleticism, overcoming adversity, romantics, teamwork, etc. The messages in baseball movies are so diverse and touch on so many different topics within, which is why I find them so intriguing.

I am going to discuss three baseball movies today, from three different time periods, and three differing aspects of the game of baseball.


1. The Sandlot





Growing up as a kid who loved the game of baseball, this represented my childhood dream; to play pick up games of baseball with my friends every day of summer break. The great thing about this movie is that it is not about professional athletes or adults dealing with the game of baseball. Instead it is about kids, simply playing the game that they love, and enjoying themselves. Even at the age of 21 I still enjoy watching The Sandlot just as much as I did when I was seven years old. It is a movie, in my opinion, that will never go out of style and is relatable for all ages.




2. Moneyball





While the Sandlot was released in 1993, my birth year, and was a childhood movie, Moneyball was released when I was in high school. Money Ball is based on a true story about professional baseball within the Oakland Athletics organization. The movie is based on the 2002 season of the Oakland Athletics and their general manager Billy Beane. The thing I love about this movie is that even though it is about baseball, it puts a lot of its focus on the behind the scenes action done by the general manager. It is an exciting  and unique movie based on present day baseball, but instead of a player or coach being the main character, it is a general manager. This movie is one of my favorites.



3. Love of the Game



Earlier I stated how a type of baseball movie sometimes focuses on romantics, well this is one of those movies. This is a movie about a player who loves the game of baseball, but must retire and give up the game he loves due to his age. The main character is a pitcher, pitching in his final game of his career. Throughout the movie while he is pitching there are flashbacks about his life and how he got to where he is now. Instead of the focus of the game itself, this movie focuses on the relationship between the game and a player, and how hard it is to let go of the game.


All three of these movies are about the game of baseball, but are different in so many ways. Focusing on the childhood fun of the game, the aspects of professional baseball, and the romantics, these three movies rank among my top all time favorite movies, and if you haven't seen them, I recommend that you do.








5 comments:

  1. The Sandlot is truly great movie. I think a testament to its appeal and its status as a classic coming-of-age film is the fact that, while it does center around a group of friends playing baseball, you don't have to like baseball to enjoy this movie. It's more about the bond these kids form over this particular summer that shapes who they become as adults (to varying degrees). Man, I love this movie.

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  2. I didn't see The Sandlot until I came to college, and I am still sad that it took me that long to see it. It is such a funny and classic movie that has stood the test of time. I want to see Moneyball, hopefully I'll get to watch it this summer!

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  3. This hits me right in the nostalgia. While I'm not a sports person per say, I will eat up sports movies like no tomorrow. I have yet to see For Love of the Game, but it's definitely on my list.

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  4. I've never seen "For the Love of the Game," but I am a huge fan of the other two movies. The Sandlot will forever by a golden token to my heart. It's interesting that a film can have the same topic but be taken in so many different directions.

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  5. "The Sandlot" is a golden theme of my childhood. I have so many good movies about watching it with my best friend that I could probably write and direct a separate movie about how much I love the movie.

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