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It's a gas

This performance is like when all the mutual are online at once

@nighthamcollege Christ you should see my face just thinking about it, I look like a Civil Rights leader photographed by Gordon Parks. Also like... I gotta imagine that there was more Black Sox conversations happening before like... 2005 then there are now. I grew up with +5 father figure types who'd look solemnly at the ground if Shoeless Joe Jackson's name was mentioned in conversation. "Best ballplayer there ever was, but he broke the one rule." *shakes head.

Also that movie is good. One of the best uses of golden hour lighting in film. It's both like, a relaxing memory of an afternoon baseball game from your childhood and a horrifying realization that night time is coming. Summer's almost over.

ballparksaroundtheworld

Ogren Park at Allegiance Field, Missoula, Montana, USA

Hey everybody its John Sayles wearing a shirt he got at K-Mart

#Youtube

@hughbot That makes sense! I wouldn't be surprised if that was apart of a retrospective on Kevin Costner though. I could only imagine Eight Men Out getting in with other Baseball movies or a serious retrospective of John Sayles work. He's got Matewan and Lonestar in there already so hope springs eternal.

@hughbot yo dawg, I don't know if there's any baseball movies in the CC which is YA KNOW kind of understandable. CC is going for more of an international flavor and a lot of World Baseball Classic teams have to fill out their rosters with guys from three different Orange counties. And, after a very thorough examination of every baseball movie ever made produced and released, ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh not a lot of good ones. I imagine the most popular baseball movie in countries that don't have much of a baseball presence is the Naked Fucking Gun.

I don't know how many baseball fans have even seen Eight Men Out, ya know? I'm just going by a representative sample of people at the baseball bar that destroyed my youth, where the topic of 'Best baseball movies ever made' was a constant topic of conversation. Even the people who knew about Eight Men Out, and liked Eight Men Out, aren't busting out Eight Men Out before Opening Day. Its a REAL bummer. A lot of Eight Men Out is a Kafka book. Shoeless Joe Jackson's arc is that he's a country bumpkin who doesn't understand what the fuck is going on.

GOD, I just remembered how that movie ends. Oh its fucking heartbreaking. "Those guys are all gone now." My heart aches!

So even if they start tossing in one or two it's going to be like the smiley happy worst to first ones, even if I think Eight Men Out fits more of a Criterion vibe than Movie Soma the Natural. That movie is about desperate hungry men doing anything for bread and being punished by a system that views them as property. That's like 60% of the Criterion Collection right there.

zombooyah

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) dir. Philip Kaufman

OK, Bedtime for Bonzo. Before I leave, let me show you a tantalizing exchange from the Missing People in America community page.

lifesgrandparade

I think the story is that a Babe Ruth movie was in the 1940's equivalent of development hell. Babe wanted to star in it, because that guy was USDA certified Baltimore Ham, but like he also aged HARD. Then he started to get sick, and the studio realized they had to get the movie wrapped up quickly. It's like I tell people who complain about the state of modern filmmaking, there were hacks back then too! They were like "One kid, how about he saves TWO kids. And a DOG!"

OK, Wikipedia just answered the question, "Did Babe Ruth see this movie?" He did, kinda. He was actively dying, he attended the premier, his last public appearance, but was apparently so loaded up on drugs that he, according to his daughter, didn't realize what he was watching. Which is sad, cuz it would've been great watching him digest that version of his life. "I didn't fucking hit a dog, why is there a dog on the field? Why is that fucking kid on the field? What the fuck is this shit?"

lifesgrandparade

The Babe Ruth Story, as ludicrous as it is, still a better movie than The Babe, starring John Goodman. That movie was looooooooooooooooooooooong. Saw that in theaters, on a Sunday! I'm not sure if you've experienced the existential dread of seeing a bad movie the day before going back to school, but it's like you wasted precious TV and chilling time. And we had to wait for our parents to pick us up. FUUUUCK The Babe. I was angry at John Goodman for years.

I think the story is that a Babe Ruth movie was in the 1940's equivalent of development hell. Babe wanted to star in it, because that guy was USDA certified Baltimore Ham, but like he also aged HARD. Then he started to get sick, and the studio realized they had to get the movie wrapped up quickly. It's like I tell people who complain about the state of modern filmmaking, there were hacks back then too! They were like "One kid, how about he saves TWO kids. And a DOG!"

OK, Wikipedia just answered the question, "Did Babe Ruth see this movie?" He did, kinda. He was actively dying, he attended the premier, his last public appearance, but was apparently so loaded up on drugs that he, according to his daughter, didn't realize what he was watching. Which is sad, cuz it would've been great watching him digest that version of his life. "I didn't fucking hit a dog, why is there a dog on the field? Why is that fucking kid on the field? What the fuck is this shit?"

I didn't even watch that movie as a kid. I watched it in college. It was like a weekday, classes were finished, but we were waiting for THE ENTIRE GROUP to get out of class so we could eat dinner together. Do you remember that fucking BULLshit? Waiting around for the friend group so you coud eat together? You're hungry now but we gotta wait for Jared, and Stacy, and White Mike, and Heather 1, and Bill and Bill's friend who sells drugs but is also a weird offputing comp sci creature, and Black Mike and Heather 2, and Billie, and Cameron, and the Duffmeister, and a special guest star who you IMMEDIATELY do not take to, to get back, either instant message y ou or call you on a landline? Fucking A if you're running an hour late now, I'm fucking eating. Anyway, we put the movie on and I was like "This is ludcirous, is this supposed to be Babe Ruth? Why does he act like a child? Why is he hanging out with kids all the time? OH my god he just hit a dog. Now he's taking dog to the hospital. That didn't actually happen did it. (Takes out baseball almanac) Not seeing any reference to DNP (Took dog to hospital and was suspended next game)." And next thing you know we watched the whole thing.

lifesgrandparade

OK, there's the famous story, that's probably 5000% not true, but the story is that Babe promised a sick kid that he'd hit a home run. He hits the home run and the kid gets better because the MAGIC OF BASEBALL and not a team of doctors and nurses working overtime in a time and place where occasionally future hall of famers bring DOGS into the hospital. Well if you go by the Babe Ruth Story, George Herman Ruth WHO I SHOULD MENTION IS FROM BALTIMORE MARYLAND, he does this fucking twice. He's literally Jesus.

lifesgrandparade

HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HIS POWER.

#Youtube

OK, there's the famous story, that's probably 5000% not true, but the story is that Babe promised a sick kid that he'd hit a home run. He hits the home run and the kid gets better because the MAGIC OF BASEBALL and not a team of doctors and nurses working overtime in a time and place where occasionally future hall of famers bring DOGS into the hospital. Well if you go by the Babe Ruth Story, George Herman Ruth WHO I SHOULD MENTION IS FROM BALTIMORE MARYLAND, he does this fucking twice. He's literally Jesus.

lifesgrandparade

I can't believe this is a major plotline in a movie about the greatest baseball player in the history of the MLB.

lifesgrandparade

I don't think you guys had the pleasure of visiting the old Yankees Stadium, so first things first, it didn't look like a film set. Second things second, if a dog ran out on the field, and caused Babe Ruth to leave the game so he could take the dog to the hospital? All of the kids involved would be floating in the Hudson within a week.

I can't believe this is a major plotline in a movie about the greatest baseball player in the history of the MLB.

#Youtube

MARLA HOOCH, WHAT A HITTER.

@powerbook145 and @bbcwhereareyou You motherfuckers had me pontificating on this bullshit all day as if I don't have better things to do with my time. I don't, but that's not the point!

I don't even know where to start. Are documentaries "baseball movies?" If that's the case, is Ken Burns 9 part PBS documentary "Baseball" a movie? Let's leave documentaries to the side right now. I also think I want to... veer away from movies about fans for now. Movies made after 1940. I've seen movies about baseball made before 1940 but none of them are interesting in a way that I've retained any fucking memory about them. Where also going by release date. This is in no particular order, but I think after laying it out I might have an idea of what my favorite is.

OK!

Pride of the Yankees (1942) The problem with Pride of the Yankees (And a lot of baseball biopics) is I haven't seen it since Herbert Walker Bush was in office. I remember being blown away, but I was blown away by Ninja Turtles. It's also hard to tell if I liked the movie, or if I like Lou Gehrig and Lou Gehrigs story. Babe Ruth is in it! That's... weird. Right? Playing yourself in a movie about your dead friend? Kinda like, "Gotta make this all about the babe." I gotta imagine that Babe Ruth probably needed money at this point so I'll let it slide.

The Babe Ruth Story (1948) This may be the worst movie ever made. I love it so much. I'm not sure if its a bad movie night entry, but maybe an advanced bad movie night entry. For the real sickos. The guy hired looks nothing like Babe Ruth which is fine, because my guy George Herman had a very particular face, and was too sick to participate in the production. I don't need to get too deep in the weeds here, this thing is already going long. But Babe Ruth accidentally hits a dog with a baseball. He stops the game to take the dog to the hospital with his gaggle of kid pals. The doctors say WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ITS A FUCKING DOG. And the Babe looks them in the eye and says a Dog is the same as a human. And they save the dog's life. But the Yankees are pisse dbecause he left the game. They are presented as villainous for doing this, instead of adults. Fantastic movie.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) Another movie I saw over a quarter century ago. Eh, you got Frankie Blue Eyes, you got Gene kelly, you got a story about Baseball. There's singing there's dancing. Fuck it.

Fear Strikes Out (1957) This might be in the running for favorite baseball movie. Pre Psycho Tony Perkins playing fascinating baseball figure Jim Piersall. It is dated in a lot of ways, but you know what it was made in 1957. Fuck off. Karl Marlden is also in it, and I love Karl Marlden.

Damn Yankees (1959) STRIKE THREE BALL FOUR WALK A RUN WILL TIE THE SCORE, FLY BALL DOUBLE PLAY YANKEES WIN AGAIN TODAY, THOSE DAMN YANKEES WHY CAN'T WE BEAT EM HE'S OUT HE'S SAFE HE'S OUT HE'S SAFE HE'S OUT HE'S SAFE HE'S OUT, YER BLIND UP YER BLIND UP YOU MUST BE OUTTA YOUR MIND UMP. Man sells his soul to satan so he can help the Washington Senators win the pennant. What the fuck else do you need. I was in a production of Damn Yankees! I played "guy in back."

Bang the Drum Slowly (1972) See, I don't know if this movie was good, or if its just sad, but if you're interested in pre Godfather 2 Bobby DeNiro well here ya go.

Bad News Bears (1976) Eh, not a lot to say about it. I'm not sure if I ever got into it like most people because I saw it after the Bad News Bears in Japan or whatever its called. If you like seeing a child say slurs then it might be up your alley, but I'll watch anything Walter Matthau does.

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976) GO. Watch this movie right now! It's incredible. Barnstorming black baseball team. It stars Billy Dee, James Earl, Richard Pryor, loosely based on Satchel Paige. It's fun and funny and doesn't take itself seriously. It might also be in the running.

Bull Durham (1988) Take a long jump in the timeline to a movie I've talked about endlessly here. If it's not the best baseball movie ever, it might be the MOST baseball movie ever. It's not trying to trick you with any "AMERICA'S GAME" bullshit, any sepia toned remembrance of a past that never existed. It's about a bunch of red asses. It's about a guy who continues to play not reallyf or love of the gme, but no real knowledge of life outside of baseball, falling in love with a groupie. It's perfect, but you know that.

Eight Men Out(1988) I think this is the one. I think Eight Men Out is the best baseball film. It is perfect. Look at the like wikipedia for Baseball movies. This one makes 98% of the listed movies completely irrelevant. It's got an all star cast and John Sayles doing his John Sayles thing. It's got Studs Terkel in it! I don't know why it doesn't get more credit, I think because the Black Sox scandal is so fucking tragic and this rubs your face in it, but my god. Eight Men out.

Field of Dreams (1989) It's good for what it is! And what it is is a movie for babies and man babies. I'll give it credit for being a well made movie for babies and man babies.

Major League (1989) I can't believe that Major League and Field of Dreams were made in the same year. The Angel on one shoulder and the Devil on the other. I love its portrayal of baseball players as degenerates. Just like the real thing! I also love how Major League Baseball gave them licensing? Allowed their brand to be used, even though its about team relocation. Like, a deliberate team relocation! I could talk about that for hours, especially since the real life Tribe at that time were under constant threat of relocation. More on this in another post!

A League of their Own (1992) Magic movie. Perfect cast. One of the greatest portrayals of sibling rivalry ever committed to screen. MARLA HOOCH WHAT A HITTER. I wrote up a lot about ALOTO earlier today, but we're running out of light over here.

The Sandlot (1993) I wrote up a lot about the Sandlot too! I've seen teh Sandlot like.... 800 times. Hell at baseball bar, I would have the Sandlot on every day. It's comfort.

Anyway, I'm done.

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