5 BOROUGH SPORTS

This was one of my favorite movies growing up because it laid out a situation that a kid could only dream of. Sure playing in the Major Leagues at 12 is cool, but how about running your own team?

Little Big League is a classic baseball movie that includes many things you don’t normally see.

The biggest example of this is the way the movie ends, they lose. Unheard of in sports movies!

But that doesn’t mean its bad, in fact I love it.

In fact, this movie has always left a soft spot in my heart for the Minnesota Twins. This might tie in to the fact I like Minnesota in general, outside of their airport. Why do I like Minnesota? Because its basically Canada, and I love Canada. The Twins have a bunch of Canadian players too, so it all makes sense.

If you haven’t seen Little Big League, then you’ve missed out. Go out and rent this classic. It’s not getting any awards, but it will bring a smile to your face.

Yes, I know I’ll get some flack for this one, but its a classic movie. When the most famous person in a lead role is Gary Busey, that’s usually a problem. This film is filled with no one famous, but it captures every kids attention. What a dream to be able to pitch in the Majors at such a young age. The plot is certainly a stretch and the acting is well, not good, but this film captures Baseball.

What sticks out to me is the portrayal of Henry’s first days of playing in the Majors. As a kid we are all overwhelmed by the Big League Baseball when you’re a big fan. Just showing up to a large stadium as a kid can be an electrifying experience. To be able to go into a clubhouse, the dugout, interact with the players and get to go onto the field is a complete fantasy of every kid coming true. It portrays the dream of every kid who one day hopes to play in the Majors, and adds in the clash of still being a kid and the effect it can have on your life.

Don’t forget John Candy making his cameo as the Cubs announcer, and some Major League players like Barry Bonds (who looked about half his current weight in 1994).

I’m not here to argue this is a motion picture classic, but Rookie of the Year is a little kids fantasy of playing in the Majors coming true in a unique story.

Over the next few months I’ll be going through a series of classic sports movies from all different sports. I’m admittedly a bigger Baseball, Basketball and Football fan than anything else, so this countdown might show some biases towards those sports, as well as some movies that aren’t necessarily motion picture masterpieces.

An important aspect of review to remember about this countdown is what I consider a great sports movie. Sometimes the movie might include characters that are bad, but I ask how the movie captures the essence of the game. Its hard to describe as a whole what I like about sports movies, but as the countdowns go on I think I’ll be able to explain what I like about each of them.

Today I will start with Baseball. I will countdown some of the top Baseball movies of all time in my opinion.

First, I’d like to recognize some great Baseball movies that just missed my countdown.

– Eight Men Out- A great film that I’m sure I’ll get flack for being ranked below many of the films on my list

– Bad News Bears– The original of course

– Pride of the Yankees– A great film capturing the story of Lou Gehrig and his battle with ALS

– The Fan– A lesser known movie with Robert DeNiro