“Bull Durham”
“Major League”
“The Natural”
“Field Of Dreams”
Not a bad first four in the lineup, huh? They are your picks so far in fan voting for the best baseball movies ever, knocking off a classic (”Pride of the Yankees”), a documentary (Ken Burns’ “Baseball”), an underappreciated drama (”Eight Men Out”) and a movie about women’s professional baseball in World War II (”A League Of Their Own”).
Now it’s time to pick your finalists, and the semifinal matchups are pretty impressive.
Click on the following matchups to vote (semifinal voting ends tonight at 7, and the finals begin Friday morning):
“Bull Durham” vs. “Major League”
“The Natural” vs. “Field Of Dreams”
As a reminder, here are some quick hits on the movies to check out before you vote:
“Bull Durham” gets many fans’ votes as the best sports movie ever, so its place in the baseball rankings seems fairly obvious. Ron Shelton’s tale of a minor league club, its players and its biggest fan is brilliant, hilarious and often poignant. This is Kevin Costner at his best.
Scorecard: Walk-off grand slam
“Major League” goes for the laughs and connects much of the time. Underdogs turn into heroes, the villainous owner is easy to despise and most of the actors (especially Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen) look like they can play a bit. And, of course, there’s Rene Russo.
Scorecard: Too high for a home run but legs out a triple.
“The Natural” fails miserably when it tries to pass off Robert Redford as the young sensation Roy Hobbs but succeeds tremendously when the old rookie steps into the spotlight. Kim Basinger is a tempting femme fatale and perfect contract to Glenn Close’s sweetness. The ending? Dramatic but an unfortunate departure from the book.
Scorecard: Ground-rule double
“Field Of Dreams” blows it by making Jackson appear erudite and a right-handed hitter, but it nails nearly everything else. The story is compelling and easily suckers the viewer into suspending disbelief (of course dead players emerge from the corn). And that final scene, when father and son have a catch, levels even the most jaded fan.
Scorecard: Three-run blast off the opposition’s ace
