# Rank Your Favorite Baseball Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019 "2009-03-02T16:09:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/21 "2009-03-02T23:30:24Z")
What’s also “interesting” about The Fan is that there is a scene in a railyard that they shot just south of PacBell where the Giants play now (and which didn’t exist at the time of the filming)… To add my list: 1. Field of Dreams 2. The Natural 3. Bull Durham 4. Eight Men Out 5. Cobb ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/22 "2009-03-02T23:38:18Z")
I just realized I never made my own. 1. Field of Dreams 2. The Sandlot 3. Cobb 4. Major League 5. The Bad News Bears 6. Bull Durham 7. For Love of the Game 8. The Rookie 9. Rookie of the Year 10. Major League II Honorable Mention: A League of Their Own & The Fan Never seen: The Natural (I know), Eight Men Out (I know, I know), 61\* ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/23 "2009-03-03T02:53:24Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I dont think we’ve mentioned **Pride of the Yankees** yet. Not a particularly great movie, but I always enjoyed seeing Babe Ruth playing himself in it. What I loved about that was that Ruth comes off as a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hook)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/24 "2009-03-03T13:01:51Z")
Just coming in to say that **The Sandlot** gets mentioned a number of times, but doesn’t seem to have too much said about it. As someone who grew up without a baseball background, this movie shows me a lot about why it is such a loved game. My wife loves this movie for goodness sake! Just a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/25 "2009-03-03T13:26:39Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Especially when in the book he intentionally strikes out because he’s been paid off. I am not 100% sure but I think you are wrong. He agrees to the payoff but decides to back out of the deal. And strikes out anyway The movie version fits better with the style of the movie. To have that ending it would have to have acompletely different feel. For me: 1. Field of Dreams 2. The Natural 3. Bull Durham 4. The Sandlot (a favorite because it reminds me of the stories my father told of sandlot baseball in the 30s. 5. Major League 6. League of Their Own (well done but the way Geena Davis swings wouldn’t get the ball out of infield) 7. Just about any baseball movie. I’ll watch them all. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/26 "2009-03-03T13:47:27Z")
Just a comment about two of the movies, one that comes up on most such lists and one that does so only occastionally. I have never understood the praise for \*Bull Durham \*as a baseball movie. It may well be a very good movie, but it is not about baseball; it is a relationship movie that takes place in a baseball setting. _Major League_, on the other hand, is about baseball. The scenes of the games are a joy to watch. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/27 "2009-03-03T13:48:52Z")
_61_\*, by a long way the best movie about baseball players. _Baseball_, the Ken Burns documentary. _Damn Yankees_, you’ve got to have heart. _Eight Men Out_, say it isn’t so. _Cobb_, Tommy Lee Jones plays legendary asshole. _Fear Strikes Out_, strike three your insane. _Major League_, even if you love it it’s a joke. _Pride of the Yankees_, really sick baseball movie. _The Stratton Story_, Jimmy Stewart gives this legs. _The Perfect Game_, you’ll love it if it is ever released. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/28 "2009-03-03T14:37:57Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > I have never understood the praise for \*Bull Durham \*as a baseball movie. It may well be a very good movie, but it is not about baseball; it is a relationship movie that takes place in a baseball setting. _Major League_, on the other hand, is about baseball. The scenes of the games are a joy to watch. I disagree. \*Major League \*is about major league baseball, and \*Bull Durham \*is about minor league baseball. I think it wonderfully captures what it’s like to be a minor leaguer. Yes, there’s a huge helping of relationship in there, but there hasn’t been such an excellent peek into the lesser leagues since _The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings_, and that was more about the Negro Leagues than the minors. _The Rookie_ updates that glimpse quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/29 "2009-03-03T14:49:22Z")
1. The Natural 2. Field of Dreams 3. Major League 4. Bull Durham There is one that I liked in my youth, but I don’t recall the name or even the actors well enough to list it. It was black-and-white and the premise was that a man had developed a chemical that repelled wood. Naturally, he decided to become a baseball pitcher… ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/30 "2009-03-03T14:51:48Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > There is one that I liked in my youth, but I don’t recall the name or even the actors well enough to list it. It was black-and-white and the premise was that a man had developed a chemical that repelled wood. Naturally, he decided to become a baseball pitcher… Google says that one is [It Happens Every Spring](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041514/) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/31 "2009-03-03T15:12:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Google says that one is [It Happens Every Spring](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041514/) That’s it indeed. I remember it as a fun movie, but I was quite young, so maybe now I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/32 "2009-03-03T16:17:21Z")
I haven’t seen all the movies mentioned, but… 1. Bad News Bears (original) 2. Field of Dreams 3. The Natural 4. Major League 5. Eight Men Out 6. A League of Their Own 7. Pride of the Yankees 8. Fever Pitch _big drop off in quality_ 1. Artie Lange’s Beer League Last in a list with any number of entries : Bull Durham I hate, hate, hated Bull Durham. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/33 "2009-03-03T16:20:06Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > I should like it, since it’s essentially about a pre-hated Barry Bonds, but I can’t. Nice to see the 'Stick on film though (it was also in _The Rock_, oddly enough, standing in for the Oakland Coliseum). Was The Fan set in SF? Was the team the Giants or a generic SF team? I never saw it because it looks… not good. But I love seeing SF in movies… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/34 "2009-03-03T16:41:59Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > Was The Fan set in SF? Was the team the Giants or a generic SF team? I featured the real San Francisco Giants (and I believe the real Candlestick) and Wesley Snipes looked so much like Barry Bonds it was creepy. ---
**Author:** ![IdahoMauleMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71c47a/32.png) [@IdahoMauleMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IdahoMauleMan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/35 "2009-03-03T16:45:28Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Whoa, whoa, whoa! I just realized I put the recent Bad News Bears on my list! No - I meant the original. I watch it every year, and it still holds up. The scene at the end where Matheau just thinks to himself, “fuck it” and starts handing out beers to the kids is hilarious. I think the original Bad News Bears holds up very well. There are multiple levels of humor and commentary in the movie that appeal to different age groups and sensibilities. Sort of like the Simpsons. I especially like the line where Matthau goes to the (State?) assembly to have a conversation with the sponsor (not in the financial sense…that would be Chico’s Bail Bonds) after the team loses its first game 26-0. The sponsor assumes they are going to have a conversation about disbanding the team. Matthau: What if the kids don’t want to quit? Sponsor: That’s not the point. That was very embarrassing. For me. I also like the dialogue-free shots of the suburban American crowd singing the national anthem, with hands over heart, before a bunch of 12-year olds take the field. It’s clear the director is trying to make a point. I think it works well. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/36 "2009-03-03T16:48:49Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Google says that one is [It Happens Every Spring](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041514/) I was going to mention that one too, I have a very warm spot in my heart for it. In addition I was going to put forward Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Ester Williams’ **Take Me Out to the Ballgame** - it isn’t baseball in the purest sense, but its fun. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/37 "2009-03-03T19:40:28Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Apparently based on a true story, small town Norway, Iowa had won 19 state baseball titles, and was being consolidated into the larger nearby school, where the farm kids that played would most likely not have much of a chance to make the team. Just curious. How would players from area with 19th State Championships in 23 years be any less like likely to make a squad for a new school? Or for that matter, be underdogs? Anyhoo, the best basebal movies are as follows. 1. Bull Durham 2. [Long Gone](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093433/) 3. Field of Dreams 4. Major League 5. Eight Men Out 6. A League of their Own 7. Fever Pitch Ken Burn’s **Baseball** , all 9 innings, is required viewing for any baseball fan. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/38 "2009-03-03T19:58:43Z")
_ **Bull Durham** _ and _ **The Bad News Bears** _ are so far ahead of the others, they hardly seem worth the mention. I like genuine sentiment in movies, but there’s nothing like a baseball film to bring out the unadulterated “manly” cornball out of a simple story. That said, honorable mentions to _Eight Men Out, The Rookie_ and _The Pride of the Yankees_. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/39 "2009-03-04T13:28:50Z")
The Natural Major League The Bad News Bears The Sandlot For Love of the Game Bull Durham ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019/40 "2009-03-04T14:42:52Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > Just curious. How would players from area with 19th State Championships in 23 years be any less like likely to make a squad for a new school? Or for that matter, be underdogs? The school they’d be merging with was about 8-10 times larger, and the kids from Norway were all farm kids who had practices scheduled around their farm duties. Add in a 20 minute drive from Norway to the new school, and being on the team just doesn’t work. There was a lot of hoopla over “we play the game right”, but I tried to ignore that David Ecksteinian hand-waving explanation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-your-favorite-baseball-movies/488019.md?page=3)