Editor’s Note: In the spirit of seeking sunshine during a gray winter, and to help usher in the upcoming baseball season we will be counting down our favorite baseball movies for the next three weeks. Today we explore the first side of the Kevin Costner Baseball Movie triangle..
Kevin Costner has made three baseball movies in his career playing a Minor League catcher who creates rain delays and catch phrases, a farmer who hears voices in the corn and builds a ballpark, and a Major League pitcher who dates John Travolta’s wife.
Today we are focusing on the movie where he played a pitcher, For Love of the Game, which also happened to be the newest of the three Costner baseball movies.
By the time the third leg of the Costner baseball triangle rolled around though it was clear that he did not have much left in the tank.
The third side of the Kevin Costner baseball triangle is For Love of the Game. Photo R. Anderson
While Bull Durham and Field of Dreams provided entertainment from start to finish, along with a few tears, For Love of the Game has moments where it turns into that extra inning game that you just want to end so you can fight the traffic and go home.
Still, it is hard to not count the complete Costner trilogy in a listing of baseball movies since each one contributes pieces to the entire picture.
The movie focuses on Costner as a 40 year-old pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
Throughout the course of pitching what could be the final game of his career Costner flashes back to various points of his career both on and off the field and thinks about the events that made him the person that he became.
The movie is helped by the presence of Vin Scully calling the on-field action as only Vin Scully can.
When the day comes where Vin Scully is no longer able to call baseball games it is nice to know that his voice will live on not only through his massive archive of actual games called but through a few silver screen games as well.
There truly is no one left in the world of baseball who calls a game like Vin Scully.
Of course For Love of the Game is not just a baseball movie.
Like the previous movie on our countdown, Fever Pitch, For Love of the Game probably could also fall into the romantic category but as Fred Savage’s character in The Princess Bride comes to learn, you likely won’t mind the “mushy stuff” as the movie draws to its conclusion.
The baseball action is strong for the most part and the flashbacks do not seem to water down the present day action.
Not to give anything away for those who have not seen the movie but viewers are rewarded in the end of the film in much the same way that a fan is rewarded with a walkoff home run after watching a 21-inning game into the wee hours of the morning.
Again, For Love of the Game is not Kevin Costner’s strongest baseball movie, but it does deserve a place on the shelf next to the other two sides of the Costner baseball triangle. And of course like I said there is Vin Scully to listen to so one really can’t go wrong there.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to listen to some vintage Vin Scully broadcasts.
Editor’s Note: In the spirit of seeking sunshine during a gray winter, and to help usher in the upcoming baseball season we will be counting down our favorite baseball movies for the next three weeks. Today we travel to Red Sox Nation on the big screen.
In the movie What About Bob?, the title character, played by Bill Murray, sums up the world as being comprised of two types of people, those who love Neil Diamond, and those who do not.
My aunt falls into the category of someone who loves Neil Diamond. Her love of all things Neil Diamond goes so far as having “Sweet Caroline” as the ringtone on her phone.
While this causes some members of the family to burst out into fits of side splitting laughter whenever she gets a call, it is something that she enjoys.
Like Neil Diamond, one tends to either love or hate the Boston Red Sox. It probably is not too surprising then that Neil Diamond and the Red Sox are so intertwined that Boston Red Sox fans belt out that same Neil Diamond song as my aunt’s ringtone during every home game.
While the Red Sox have a long history of winning, they also had a long period of “cursed” play where the diehard fans wondered if their beloved BoSox would ever hoist the World Series trophy again.
The world of a Boston Red Sox fan is explored in the baseball movie, Fever Pitch. Photo R. Anderson
After winning World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013, the Red Sox have certainly been on a bit of a winning streak lately.
But before the start of the winning streak, members of Red Sox nation had to look towards the silver screen to see a place where the Sox could be champions.
Enter the movie Fever Pitch which explores the fanatical side of Boston Red Sox fandom while also exploring interpersonal human relationships in the form of a baseball Rom Com, or romantic comedy.
At its surface the terms romantic comedy and baseball should not really be uttered in the same breath. But upon deeper inspection, one can accept that baseball fans have long had a romance with the game that often starts when they catch their first game or pick up a ball and glove for the first time.
In Fever Pitch, the romance is between a Red Sox loving man, played by Jimmy Fallon, and the conflict that arises as he tries to choose between his love of his team and the pressure he feels to grow up.
The movie resonates with fans in different ways depending on where they see themselves along the spectrum.
For some people at a crossroads they can think about whether they need to give up their childhood love of the game and get a real job.
For others watching, perhaps they long for a return to when they loved the game as much as the characters in the film.
Others may be somewhere in the middle finding balance between a so called normal life and support of the home team.
Regardless of where one stands in terms of their personal baseball journey, Fever Pitch offers a glimpse into a year of fandom related to one of the teams with the most rabid fan bases in all of baseball.
Of course, the movie also may or may not have helped break some of those dreaded Red Sox curses so it should be a must have for any member of Sox Nation.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I suddenly have the urge to listen to some Neil Diamond.
Today is President’s Day, or Washington’s birthday as it is also known, which was set aside as a way to honor the first person who held that job .
The holiday was first thought of as a way to recognize the two presidents with birthdays in February, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, but it has grown to include a time to honor all of the people, who have served in the nation’s highest office.
Monday we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday along with honoring every other person to occupy the Oval Office.
Through the years President’s Day has also become a time to buy furniture, appliances and cars at unheard of savings as many companies have sought to capitalize on the fact that many people have the day off of work.
While the founding fathers wanted us to enjoy various freedoms, I doubt they had no interest financing on washers and dryers in mind when they spoke of “self-evident truths.” Then again maybe they did.
So for our purposes let us not focus on the retail aspects of the holiday. Instead let us try to focus on the office of the President and what that entails.
To date, 44 men have served as President of the United States.
Later this year the United States will elect the 45th person to hold the office of President.
I was fortunate enough to come face to face with two of the men who would go on to become president although I was only old enough to remember one of them
I have been told by my mother that my first encounter with a future President was during a rally for Jimmy Carter.
Of course at the time of that rally I would have been perhaps just turning 1 so needless to say I do not recall meeting him but I am sure it was a lovely time for all.
As for the encounter with a Commander in Chief that I do recall, in 1992 I met Bill Clinton at a campaign event in Orlando, FL. While the election was still months away, and Governor Clinton had not yet become President Clinton, there was still something cool about meeting someone on the campaign trail.
Years later, meeting candidate Clinton is still one of the more memorable moments of my journalistic career. I am sure that reporters that cover the Presidents on a daily basis lose some of the wow factor at some point but there always needs to be a respect for the office at some level.
The other day I also came face to face with a Presidential motorcade as the 41’st President, George Herbert Walker Bush, had stopped for lunch at a local Italian restaurant near me.
Although other Ballparks have been used for Presidential pitches, the home Ballparks of the Washington Senators and now the Washington Nationals hold the distinction of hosting the most presidents due to the proximity to the White House. Photo R. Anderson
Beyond getting to close down a restaurant so you can eat pasta in private, there are many other perks that come with residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington D.C.
One of those perks is throwing the ceremonial first pitch each year on Opening Day.
President William Howard Taft started the ceremonial first pitch tradition in 1910 linking the Commander in Chief with the National Pastime ever since.
While the first pitch did not occur until 1910 the link between Presidents and baseball actually goes back to post Civil War America when Andrew Johnson invited the first team of professional ballplayers to the White House.
The first presidential first pitch occurred on April 14, 1910, at National Park in Washington, DC. during a game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics with Taft connecting on the pitch to Walter Johnson.
The Senators moved to Minnesota to become the Twins and the Athletics packed up and headed west to Oakland but the one constant for over a century has been presidents and baseball.
From 1910 to 1971 the President traveled to the home ballpark of the Washington Senators to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day.
To put that streak into perspective it stretched from Taft to Richard Nixon.
While Presidents had thrown out first pitches at the World Series as well President Nixon became the first president to throw out an Opening Day pitch outside of Washington D.C. in 1972 when he threw out the pitch in Anaheim, California since there was no longer a team in Washington.
Before becoming the 41st President of the United States George Herbert Walker Bush was a baseball player at Yale University. Photo R. Anderson
Various other ballparks were used for Opening Day after 1972 but Baltimore and Washington D.C. were the most widely used due to proximity to the White House.
For around 70 years the first pitch was thrown from the stands. Bill Clinton became the first president to throw from the mound and each president since has also toed the rubber on their pitch.
The Presidential links to baseball are not limited to first pitches alone however. Both President Bush 41 and President Bush 43 also have deep baseball roots.
George H.W. Bush was a baseball player in college at Yale and can often be seen behind home plate at Houston Astros games, when he is not having lunch at local Italian restaurants that is.
Before becoming governor of Texas en route to the White House, George W. Bush served as the owner of the Texas Rangers who relocated from Washington D.C. in 1971. Photo R. Anderson
It is also a given that if both President Bush and his wife, Barbara, are seated together they will end up on the Ballpark’s kiss cam.
George W. Bush also has a baseball pedigree. Before becoming governor of Texas en route to the White House, the younger President Bush served as the owner of the Texas Rangers who, as one may or not know were once the expansion team that replaced the first version of the Washington Senators who left town to become the Minnesota Twins. It is sort of a neat bow to tie it all together.
So during this time that we honor our Presidents, let us not forget that soon it will once again be Opening Day and when the President steps onto the mound to throw that first pitch he will be continuing a long standing tradition that honors both the past, present and future of both the Oval Office and the game of baseball itself.
Now if you’ll excuse me I think I need to practice my pitching just in case I am ever called on to throw out a first pitch. After all, no one wants to be the person who inadvertently hits the mascot during the opening pitch a la Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh of Bull Durham fame.
For some people this means nothing more than the fact that yesterday was the 12th and tomorrow is the 14th.
For the superstitious among us today means all of the things above in addition to it being an unlucky day all the way around.
As we do every Friday the 13th it is time to state the facts about the origins of the day and uncover why some people just really do not like it.
While many may think that the Friday the 13th craze started with a certain movie character named Freddy, the roots of Friday the 13th actually run much deeper than late 20th Century cinema.
For many people a black cat crossing their paths is a sign of bad luck. Photo R. Anderson
Since the 19th Century Friday the 13th has been considered an unlucky day in Western and Eastern superstition.
Friday and the number 13 were considered unlucky by some on their own so it was only logical that both occurring at the same time would be even unluckier.
In fact fear of Friday the 13th even has a name; friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom Friday is named in English and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen).
Personally I have never feared Friday the 13th and am among the people who consider it just another day.
But the arrival of Friday the 13th is another opportunity to think about sports and the superstitious rituals that many athletes seem to follow.
The movie Bull Durham did a very good job showing the superstitious side of baseball through chants over bats, breathing through one’s eyelids, chicken, and of course a garter belt where the rose goes in the front. Photo R. Anderson
There are players who will eat the same pregame meal because they feel that to eat anything else would risk certain disaster on the field.
Hitters on a hot streak in baseball are notorious for continuing whatever “routine” it is that they feel is behind their streak since they feel any deviation will likely mean the end to the streak.
The movie Bull Durham did a very good job showing the superstitious side of baseball through chants over bats, breathing through one’s eyelids, chicken, and of course a garter belt where the rose goes in the front.
Baseball is not the only sport with superstitions. Across all levels of sports there are athletes who have a lucky shirt, or other article of clothing that they can’t go onto the field of battle without.
The link between superstitions and sports can start at a very early age.
Back in high school I did a feature article on the goalie of my school’s woman’s soccer team, who attributed her on-field success to a lucky argyle sock that she wore during every game.
Although he could be moody and liked to bite my nose to wake me up each morning, my dearly departed black cat, Lucky, was mostly a sweetheart and was certainly nothing to be superstitious of. Photo R. Anderson
Granted it was not a pair of socks but one single sock that took over when her “magic shoes” fell ill.
Throughout my career I have been around many other superstitious athletes, and I am sure I will meet many more.
To date though a single “lucky” Argyle sock has been the most memorable athlete superstition I have encountered.
So on this Friday the 13th beware of those around you who are extra cautious of their surroundings.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to see if I can find a black cat while walking under a ladder and holding a broken mirror while stepping on all of the sidewalk cracks I can find.
Today, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, also known as November 11th, is set aside as Veteran’s Day in America.
The holiday got its start on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War.
Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning in 1919, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938.
In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day, and became a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
So while this has long been a day set aside to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have served in the armed forces to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy, the way to honor those troops has changed in many ways through the years.
Americans still put out their flags on this holiday. Some towns still hold parades and the banks and post office are still closed.
The honoring of veterans has moved into the nation’s sporting events as well allowing thousands of people to celebrate and remember in mass.
Large American Flags have long been a tradition at sporting events. This past weekend stadiums across the country honored Veterans and America with flags and tributes. One tribute left a sour taste however. Photo R. Anderson
Watch almost any sporting event over the past weekend and there were displays of patriotism and honoring of the troops as far as the eye could see.
As troops have not always received warm welcomes on the home front it was especially nice to see how the men and women of the armed services are respected and appreciated for their sacrifice.
Had the honoring of the troops stopped at the pregame ceremonies it would have been the perfect way to say thanks. Unfortunately many teams and in some cases leagues took things a tad too far for my taste.
Many teams added camouflage flourishes to their uniforms as an homage to the troops. These flourishes in many cases included camouflage wristbands and towels as well as camo windbreakers and caps for the coaches.
The camouflagication of the sidelines even went so far as putting a camo pattern on the headphones the coaches used to communicate.
While I agree that honoring the troops on Veteran’s Day is a good thing I often cringe when I see people wearing camouflage without “earning it.”
Now, I know this is hunting season in most of the country, or at least down in Texas. So to be clear I am not trying to take away anyone’s right to wear camouflage and a bright orange vest while channeling their inner Elmer Fudd by going hunting for wabbits, deer, or ducks for that matter.
What I am saying is that over the past few years I have become more and more sensitive to people wearing the current style of military camouflage when they are out and about in their daily lives.
Flyovers such as this one by the United States Navy’s Blue Angels are perfectly good at sporting events. Players wearing camouflage, not so much. Photo R. Anderson
I have no issues with people wearing old school green camo since that can usually be determined not to be current issue and looks nothing like what the troops are currently wearing.
I even have a pair of camouflage cargo pants that are extremely comfortable but I made sure that I did not buy the “official” pattern when I got them.
So this weekend when I saw the various players with camouflage towels, and coaches with camouflage hats and headphones, I questioned once again if that was really the best way to honor the veterans.
By comparison when sports teams honor police and fire fighters they do not don S.W.A.T. patterns or simulate a firefighter’s bunker gear proving that one can honor our vets and first responders without dressing like them.
For years baseball players have worn camouflage uniforms a couple times a year to honor the troops so the trend is certainly not limited to football.
I certainly can be in the minority opinion here but to me the camouflage the troops wear is earned through the sacrifice of making it through basic training and then further tested through battle.
Using a camouflage towel to wipe up sweat between plays on the field just seems wrong to me.
In one of the games I was watching one of the camouflage towels fell to the turf and was stomped on as the players moved to that area of the field.
I know that the towel was not dropped intentionally, but seeing the image of that fallen towel had the same reaction for me as if I was seeing an American flag on the ground.
I guess I look at the camouflage that the troops wear as an extension of the flag that they are sworn to protect.
It would be deemed highly inappropriate for a football player to have a sweat towel that looked like the American flag on the field so in the same way the camouflage towels just seem equally inappropriate to the point of being offensive.
Again, I know that the intent of the teams and league is completely honorable and meant to pay tribute to the troops but the execution just strikes me as wrong.
Honor the troops with the 100-yard flags that are rolled out for the National Anthem and held by real soldiers in uniform.
Honor the troops by having people stand and cheer when a vet is on Jumbotron screen.
Honor the troops by thanking a veteran for their service.
These are perfectly fine ways to honor the troops without trivializing the uniform.
Again, I may be completely out on a limb here and perhaps the masses see no issues with the camouflage being used by athletes and coaches.
But to me it screams out like a cheap gesture and also a way to make money as the camouflage caps are often available for purchase by fans.
I have never served in the military and do not pretend to be able to speak for the troops.
To do that a few years back I asked an Army reservist their thoughts on the uniform pattern being worn by non-soldiers and they said, “Camo is a uniform worn by the military and should be given the proper respect. Too many have died with the uniform on for it to be the latest fashion trend.”
And again before I get angry replies from hunters neither I, nor the soldier quoted above, are referring to the camouflage cap you can get at Walmart with your hunting camouflage pattern and favorite team’s logo on it.
I am talking about the use of the current military camouflage pattern and nothing else.
So, on this Veteran’s Day if you see a soldier, make sure you thank them for their service which makes your freedom possible. For that matter thank a veteran any time you happen to cross paths with them since thanks should not be limited to a single day of the year.
And if you see an athlete wearing camouflage know that their heart is likely in the right place. But try not to go out and buy the same camouflage cap they are wearing since there was a price paid and a sacrifice made every day by thousands of Americans in that pattern and wearing that comes with a willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for your country.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a flag to place on the patio
Copyright 2015 R. Anderson
Covering the world of baseball one pitch at a time.
Southpaw Musings 