Josh Hamilton Movie: 10 Other Amazing Baseball Stories That Deserve Movies

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Who says that baseball can't make for compelling entertainment?

At least that's apparently what Casey Affleck thinks.

Affleck plans to write and direct a movie about the life of Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton. Hamilton was the first overall draft pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999 before his now-famous slide into a world filled with drugs.

Affleck apparently thinks a scripted film about Hamilton's life is worth it, so we here at Bleacher Report thought we would come up with 10 other movies that would be worth producing.

2004 Boston Red Sox: Band of Idiots

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I'm sure you've heard of the great HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers, an 11-hour series based on the Easy Company of the US Army 101st Airborne division in World War II.

The story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, Band of Idiots, could be worth watching, although certainly not nearly as riveting as HBO's small-screen masterpiece.

Chicago Cubs Fans: Groundhog Day

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The telling of the story Groundhog Day would aptly describe the lives of Chicago Cubs fans.

They have to wake up and live through the same scenario each and every day—the only difference being that in Bill Murray's take on Groundhog Day, all the faces were the same.

For Cubs fans, it doesn't matter who the faces are at Wrigley Field—the result is always the same.

The Government and Their Futility in Prosecuting PED Cases: The Mendoza Line

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The government's complete inability to prosecute stars who have been accused of taking performance-enhancing substances and lying to Congress about it could make for an interesting movie.

After going up against both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and walking away with nothing but egg on their face, the government has a worse batting average than Mario Mendoza, for whom the famous Mendoza Line is named for poorly performing hitters who can't manage to crack .200.

In the government's case, they're just trying to get on base, never mind .200.

The Story of Frank McCourt: How to Rip Apart a Franchise in One Fell Swoop

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Telling the story of Frank McCourt's stewardship of the Los Angeles Dodgers could make for interesting entertainment.

Personally, my title would be How to Rip Apart an Iconic Franchise in One Fell Swoop.

The story still isn't a finished product—the federal government now has their hands in it, requesting documents from McCourt and his ex-wife as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into their business dealings associated with the Dodgers.

Maybe the government can actually rise above the Mendoza Line with their investigation of McCourt.

Manny Ramirez: Manny Being Manny

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Manny Ramirez is now sitting at home in Florida, waiting for a team to call upon his services.

After asking for and being granted his release by the Oakland A's, Manny is hoping to extend his career with another team.

His story would likely be told in more of a comedic nature, given the many antics associated with his career.

Jamie Moyer: The Bucket List

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Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman famously went about the country with the purpose of doing things in life they had never previously done before their lives came to an end.

Jamie Moyer is apparently following suit with his own version of The Bucket List.

Moyer has been successful thus far, becoming the oldest pitcher in MLB history to record a victory on April 17, and then following up by becoming the oldest player in MLB history to record an RBI, driving in two runs in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 16.

Later in May, Moyer pitched in his 50th stadium when he started a game against Miami at Marlins Park. No pitcher since 1900 has achieved that feat.

Moyer was released by the Orioles on Sunday, so I'm not quite sure what else he can add to his bucket list.

Derek Jeter: Golden Boy

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In 1937, Clifford Odets wrote a very famous play about a budding violinist who became a boxer, titled Golden Boy.

The play was later adapted for the silver screen, starring William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck.

The story of Derek Jeter and his climb to the top of baseball with the New York Yankees could be titled the same.

While the stories are vastly different, Jeter rose above some of the most famous names in baseball history to become the only Yankee player in history to record 3,000 hits.

Along with his movie-star looks and famous celebrity girlfriends, Jeter has definitely been a golden boy.

Tommy John: The Six Million Dollar Man

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How about these iconic words.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.

Those were the words in the introduction to each episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, airing on ABC from 1974 to 1978.

In baseball, Tommy John was that man.

In 1974, John was facing retirement after severing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. In September of that year, Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the ligament with one from John's right forearm.

John went on to win 164 games following the famous surgery that now carries his name.

We can rebuild them. And by them, we mean a lot.

2011 Boston Red Sox Epic Collapse: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

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The Boston Red Sox are now famous for their epic collapse in September of last year, one in which they gave away a nine-game lead in the American League Wild Card race to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The collapse precipitated the story that broke in early October about the goings on inside the Red Sox clubhouse, one that tells tales of players drinking beer, eating chicken wings and playing video games, all while games were in progress.

It was a story in which the tale loosely resembled inmates running the asylum, much like the famous 1975 film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Frontal lobotomies weren't featured in the Red Sox version, however. Maybe they should have been.

Josh Hamilton: From Crack to Crucifix

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With Hollywood actor and film director Casey Affleck now interested in bringing Josh Hamilton's story to life on the big screen, the question now is—what would be the title?

From Crack to Crucifix could be one.

Telling the tale of Hamilton's storied drug abuse to his newfound faith in Christianity that helps him to stay clean and sober today.

Affleck will undoubtedly keep the focus on Hamilton's struggles with drugs and alcohol, his attempts at rehab and his subsequent climb back into the world of baseball after his banishment.

David Brown of Yahoo! believes that Affleck's Hollywood buddy, Cole Hauser, would be a natural to play Hamilton in the biopic. Not sure who Affleck will pick to play the role, but the story could very well have legs.

 

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.

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