Friday, September 15, 2006
Major League
“Where’d you play last year? California Penal. How’d you end up there? Stole a car.”
Another stressful day in my life: woke up at 12:30 my head in a fog, (some punk thinks lunchtime is an appropriate time to call), did some emailing before setting up shop in my rocking chair for a movie. It has been a long time since I watched a classic so I went with a gem: Major League. It was a difficult choice as I did have Twister as an alternative. Watching the movie, I am reminded of why it is far and away the best sports comedy ever produced. Just think it over: you have Chuck Sheen, at the height of his drug addiction, Tom Berenger, just a few years before The Principal, and Corbin Bersen straight from “LA Law.”
The one-liners in the movie are priceless. Seeing this film, you almost hope that these are the kind of conversations that goes on in the clubhouses around Major League Baseball. Harry Doyle, the brilliant play-by-play man in the film, is Bob Eucker, the commentator for the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately, his descriptions in real life aren’t half as entertaining as in this movie. Eucker’s blunt remarks mirror the thoughts of the average fan. “Tonight, for the Indians, one run on, let’s see… one hit, that’s all we got, one god damn hit.”
Sure, it would be easy to write this off as a kid from Cleveland obsessing over a movie about his favorite team. All I am going to say about why the film hits close to home for me is that most people, even sports fans, have little comprehension on just how bad the Indians were for over four decades. The team went forty-one years without a pennant and currently has the third longest streak in the majors without a championship. The true genius of this movie is in its details. From the sarcastic Eucker to the dialogue between the die-hard fans in the bleachers, the movie has plenty of moments that make you laugh out loud. If there is a weak point, the relationship subplot between Rene Rousso and Tom Berenger is unnecessary and results in a few slow moments. However, Major League, like all sports movies, has a moment that is emblazoned in the audience’s memory. Like Mighty Ducks when Charlie Conway scores on the penalty shot or when Rudy charges onto the field in that dramatic classic, Major League’s moment comes when Rick Vaughn charges out of the bullpen to the song, “Wild Thing.”
If you still doubt my rationale regarding this film, when you arrive on TBS around midnight on a boring weeknight, stop when you see Corbin Bersen booting a groundball. Or you hear: “Tribe fans, don’t forget about die hard night coming up at the stadium, free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won the pennant.”
Another stressful day in my life: woke up at 12:30 my head in a fog, (some punk thinks lunchtime is an appropriate time to call), did some emailing before setting up shop in my rocking chair for a movie. It has been a long time since I watched a classic so I went with a gem: Major League. It was a difficult choice as I did have Twister as an alternative. Watching the movie, I am reminded of why it is far and away the best sports comedy ever produced. Just think it over: you have Chuck Sheen, at the height of his drug addiction, Tom Berenger, just a few years before The Principal, and Corbin Bersen straight from “LA Law.”
The one-liners in the movie are priceless. Seeing this film, you almost hope that these are the kind of conversations that goes on in the clubhouses around Major League Baseball. Harry Doyle, the brilliant play-by-play man in the film, is Bob Eucker, the commentator for the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately, his descriptions in real life aren’t half as entertaining as in this movie. Eucker’s blunt remarks mirror the thoughts of the average fan. “Tonight, for the Indians, one run on, let’s see… one hit, that’s all we got, one god damn hit.”
Sure, it would be easy to write this off as a kid from Cleveland obsessing over a movie about his favorite team. All I am going to say about why the film hits close to home for me is that most people, even sports fans, have little comprehension on just how bad the Indians were for over four decades. The team went forty-one years without a pennant and currently has the third longest streak in the majors without a championship. The true genius of this movie is in its details. From the sarcastic Eucker to the dialogue between the die-hard fans in the bleachers, the movie has plenty of moments that make you laugh out loud. If there is a weak point, the relationship subplot between Rene Rousso and Tom Berenger is unnecessary and results in a few slow moments. However, Major League, like all sports movies, has a moment that is emblazoned in the audience’s memory. Like Mighty Ducks when Charlie Conway scores on the penalty shot or when Rudy charges onto the field in that dramatic classic, Major League’s moment comes when Rick Vaughn charges out of the bullpen to the song, “Wild Thing.”
If you still doubt my rationale regarding this film, when you arrive on TBS around midnight on a boring weeknight, stop when you see Corbin Bersen booting a groundball. Or you hear: “Tribe fans, don’t forget about die hard night coming up at the stadium, free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won the pennant.”
# posted by Nate @ 6:04 PM 
