Baseball at the Movies: A.J. Martelli's Top 10

Today I was flipping through the channels and came across Major League II on TBS. It made me think of all the great films out there that have portrayed the game of baseball on the big screen.

There have been so many baseball motion pictures that in Cooperstown, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, there is an exhibit dedicated solely to baseball movies. I decided to write in my top 10 favorite baseball flicks. I know many people have written these already, but I figured to throw in my favorite movies.

10) Angels in the Outfield
I know, it's not the strongest of movies, but Roger and JP love the game. They are both separated from their parents and turn to the greatest game in the world for support. With a little divine intervention from Christopher Lloyd, real Angels help the Anaheim Angels win. A great movie for the family.

9) Little Big League
Another one for the younger audience, but still a great picture. Billy Heywood's grandfather passes away, but leaves him a fortune: the Minnesota Twins!

Heywood becomes manager of the team and guides them to a winning season. There are so many cameos of the greatest players at the time: Ken Griffey, Jr., Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Paul O'Neill, Randy Johnson, and Lou Piniella to name a few. Pretty decent flick that portrays our favorite sport.

8) The Benchwarmers
This movie kind of got a bad rap, but I was one of the ones that liked it. The overall theme of the movie was important: bullying is wrong.

I especially loved the fact that director Dennis Dugan used baseball as a means to stop the bullying and have the little leaguers work together. Plus, that Stadium they built was impressive; a touch of the Yankee Stadium frieze, Fenway's Green Monster, and the ivy from Wrigley Field.  

The geeks may have lost the final game in the movie, but at heart, they really won.

7) Rookie of the Year
Henry Rowengartner. He was living my dream as a kid pitching in the big leagues. An accident somehow made his velocity go up, and he was picked to pitch for the Chicago Cubs.

As a kid, I always wanted to have an accident so I could throw harder, but my parents and coaches told me accidents don't make you throw harder. This will always be a great baseball movie in my book.

6) Major League
Not only was this one of the best baseball movies I've seen, it was by far one of the funniest. I loved Bob Uecker's quote: "One hit?! All we have is one God damned hit?!" "You can't say that we're on the air! Well, nobody's listening anyway."

All the characters are colorful, from Ricky Vaughn to Willie Mays Hayes. The story is great, and after viewing this film, I think the Indians will forever be in Cleveland, even if some stuffy owner's wife wants to move the team...

5) 61*

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