Wednesday, May 9 Don't miss these great baseball flicks By Jim Caple ESPN.com |
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Angelina Jolie was at Seattle's stadium recently filming her new movie, "Life, Or Something Like It." Told that Jolie's character dates a Mariners second baseman in the movie, Seattle second baseman Bret Boone replied, "She's a lucky woman." Boone, not exactly the most humble player in the majors, said Brad Pitt is the actor who could best portray him in a movie, though reliever Brett Tomko suggested that given Boone's height (he's listed at 5-10), a better choice might be Haley Joel Osmant, the kid from "Sixth Sense." Jolie's movie is just part of a recent surge in baseball movies. What with all the hype for Billy Crystal's account of the Roger Maris-Mickey Mantle home run chase, "61*," you may have missed these recent baseball flicks that unfortunately went direct to video. 2,063*. Comedian Yakov Schmirnoff's homage to the memorable race between Rickey Henderson (Don Cheadle) and Alfonso Soriano (John Turtorro) when they both pursued Babe Ruth's career walks record and a tense nation watched from the edge of its seats. You'll cry when Rickey's hair falls out in clumps. You'll laugh when Rickey forgets what team he's playing for. You'll applaud when Soriano works the count to 2-2 before popping out. The Bad News Bearers. The fun begins when Arizona team accountant (Tatum O'Neil) delivers the bad news to owner Jerry Colangelo (Walter Matthau in his final performance) -- the Diamondbacks are broke! Colangelo responds in typical ingenious fashion -- he raises needed cash and boosts merchandise sales by adding yet another alternate jersey, this one with advertising for Chico's Bail Bonds on the back. A League of Their Own. This buddy movie in the style of "Midnight Run" and "48 Hours," tells the inspiring story of Jose and Ozzie Canseco (Academy Award-winner Benicio Del Toro in a demanding dual role) as the identical twins fight to keep their baseball careers alive for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. Jose delivers a hilarious monologue when he tells Ozzie, "There is no trying in baseball." And don't miss Madonna's cameo appearance when she refuses to take Jose's phone call. The Babe: Pig in the City. Enchanting special effects magically transform animals into actors in this heart-warming story for the entire family. Wearing Babe Ruth's lucky cap, David Wells (voice of John Goodman) leaves the Hoggett farm and finds success in New York City where he pitches a perfect game and leads the 1998 Yankees to a record 114 wins and a World Series sweep. Major League 3. Despite the best efforts of greedy owner Carl Pohlad (Montgomery Burns in a blend of animation and live action) to destroy the franchise and sell it back to the league, the Twins surprise everyone by going from worst to first. Things take an ugly turn for the worse, however, when Pohlad holds 10-cent beer and Swiss army knife night promotions the same game Chuck Knoblauch (Matt Damon) returns to Minnesota. Bang the Drum Slowly. How loyal Cleveland fan John Adams (Danny Devito) pounds his drum after GM John Hart (James Caan) announces this is his last season as general manager. The Unnatural. After the success of "Michael Jordan: To the Max," MJ and Imax team up again with this documentary of Mike's season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. And finally ...20*. Baseball's record-keepers are at it again when they refuse to acknowledge Randy Johnson's 20-strikeout game as a record because it went into extra innings. Watch the exciting scenes when the Reds' batters hair falls out in clumps as they watch fastballs whiz by. With John Malkovich as the Big Unit and Damon Wayans as Deion Sanders.
Box score line of the week 9 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 20 K. "This was a game to put in a time capsule," Johnson told reporters. Unfortunately for Johnson, he won't get credit for tying the record for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game because the game went into extra innings and therefore it will count as an extra-inning game.
Lies, damn lies and statistics
From left field And even if the Twins fans had caused a forfeit, it wouldn't have been the first time fans had done so, as this list shows:
Win Blake Stein's money Q: What is the minor-league record for most strikeouts in a game?
Power rankings
A. Ron Necciai threw a no-hitter and struck out 27 batters for Pittsburgh's Appalachian League farm team May 13, 1952. He struck out 24 his next start and the Pirates called him up later in the season. He went 1-6 with a 7.04 ERA for those '52 Pirates, one of the worst teams in history, and never pitched in the majors again.
Voice of summer "He's not the first person to drop a fly in the White House." Jim Caple is a Senior Writer for ESPN.com. |
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