This is the first installment of a new series at Nosebleed Knowledge, “Top Five”.
The Top Five series will include a fresh list every Friday, ranking the top five units of any given category, based almost exclusively off of my opinion. There will be a new category each week, and each category will be at least vaguely related to sports. If you have any ideas or suggestions for a Top Five list, let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
The takes will likely range from frozen to scolding. Enjoy the first Top Five in Nosebleed Knowledge history, Top Five: Baseball Movies.
Honorable Mentions:
Here’s the deal: there’s a lot of baseball movies out there, and it feels criminal to not even mention of few of them that are getting left out of my Top Five, so I figured I’d at least give them a name drop in an honorable mention section. I think The Sandlot is a solid film, but is supremely overrated. The same applies to Major League (please don’t crucify me for that). Bull Durham is a classic, and both Field of Dreams and Trouble With the Curve are nice feel-good movies, but not quite Top Five in my book. Also, Benchwarmers is laugh-out-loud funny and Fever Pitch is a movie that you could watch with your girlfriend without either of you getting bored.
5. The Final Season (2007)
I know what some of you (most of you) are thinking: “He didn’t put Major League in his top five but he put this movie I’ve never even heard of it?” If that applies to you, just hear me out. While The Final Season isn’t a well-known film by any means, it is a good one. Starring Sean Austin, the picture focuses on a small-town high school team whose program is set to be cut the following school year due to a merger with a nearby school district (hence the name). Entering the season, the Iowan school already has 19 championships under their belt, but their legendary coach is fired and the team is handed to an inexperienced but passionate assistant, Kent Stock, played by Austin. Many star players refuse to even try out for Stock, and he faces a tough challenge at the onset of the season. The film is based on a true story. If you consider yourself a baseball fan and a fan of good movies, you’ve got to check this one out.
4. The Rookie (2002)
Not to be confused with Rookie of the Year, The Rookie focuses on Jim Morris, a high school science teacher and baseball coach who happens to throw a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. Morris, played by Dennis Quaid, is convinced by the players he coaches to try out for a major league team, and does so. Morris impresses scouts at the tryout and is signed to a minor-league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. After toiling in the minor leagues for a few months, Morris is tempted to give up baseball again with bills mounting back at home. Soon after, he is called up the MLB to make his debut at 35 years old. The Rookie is based on a true story and is one of my favorite sports movies of all time.
3. Little Big League (1994)
The only movie cracking my Top Five that isn’t based on a true story, Little Big League was outshined in the box office by movies like Angels in the Outfield and The Sandlot upon its release, but years later, it stands out among its peers. The story focuses on a 12-year-old boy who inherits his The Minnesota Twins upon the passing of his grandfather, and decides to name himself manager shortly afterwards. The film is littered with cameos from future Hall of Famers, and it provided us with iconic scenes and quotes, such as “Start Wedman”. Rustin Dodd chronicled the forgotten brilliance of the film for the Kansas City Star in 2014, 20 years after the films initial release. The article is worth a read, and the film is well-worth a watch.
2. 42 (2013)
42 is the newest film cracking the Top Five at just five years old. The picture details the integration of professional baseball in America through the story of Jackie Robinson, who wore No. 42 throughout his entire career. At times, the film is hard to watch, based simply on the intensity of the racial slurs and taunting that Robinson is forced to endure. 42 boasts a star-studded cast including Chadwick Boseman (Yes, Black Panther) and Harrison Ford, and is the most inspirational and informative baseball movie out there. It also gifted us with one-gem quote from Pee Wee Reese, a teammate of Robinson, that doubles as foreshadowing: “Maybe tomorrow, we’ll all wear 42, so nobody could tell us apart.”
1. Moneyball (2011)
If you know me at all, Moneyball coming in at the top spot shouldn’t be a surprise to you. To non-baseball fans, this movie is perceived as a snooze-fest, with minimal on-field action and an extreme focus on front-office moves and analytics. To me, that’s what makes it so great. For those who don’t know, Moneyball is based on the true story of the 2002 Oakland A’s. Oakland’s GM, Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, sets out to assemble a competitive team in an unfair market. Beane hires economics-expert Peter Brand as Assistant General Manager. Brand is based on the real-life character of Paul DePodesta and is played by Jonah Hill. With Oakland’s scouting department fighting them every step of the way, the two assemble a team of misfits, has-beens, and never-weres, all of whom are undervalued by the rest of baseball for one reason or another. With a majority of baseball counting them out, the Athletics go on an unlikely tear, winning an American League record 20 games in a row, and the team ends up reaching the postseason. The spoilers stop there. A pre-Parks-and-Rec Chris Pratt and the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman round out a terrific cast, leaving no wonder as to why Moneyball was nominated for Best Picture in 2011. The movie also provides us with many memorable quotes, such as “If he’s a good hitter, why doesn’t he hit good?”, and my personal favorite: “How could you not be romantic about baseball?”
That’s all for the first ever Nosebleed Knowledge edition of Top Five. If you have any suggestions or complaints feel free to comment or hit me up on twitter @andrewwegley21 or @nosebleedsknow. Make sure to check back in next Friday and every Friday for another edition of Top Five.
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