Best Baseball Movies? Best Baseball Books?

[Cowboy7130]

Off the topic of gloves a bit, but with spring training upon us and Opening Day just around the corner, I can't wait to see some baseball! So before I head off to the video store tonight, I thought I would get some input from some baseball guys.

What baseball movies do you have in your collection? Which baseball movies do you consider among the best ever made, and which ones do you enjoy watching over and over again?

How about books? What should be "required reading" for students of the game?

[MVALZ]

Ball Four....enough said.

[Moonlight Graham]

Hey cowboy! I thought I'd start a topic about that myself. I've bought a few books to back up my ball club and I can say I have a few treasures here now. The most recent one I got, well, this morning actually, is the Visual Dictionary of Baseball. I haven't had time to read it yet as you can guess, but I have leafed through it and I can tell there's everything in it a rookie like me needs to know to get started, from basic gear to score keeping. There are also 2 full pages about the teams of the National and American leagues. You can see it here :

http://www.amazon.com/Visual-Dictionary ... 454&sr=8-1

I would also recommend the New Dickson Baseball Dictionary. It's more about understanding baseball as a second language than about the game itself, but it's very informative, very well documented. I didn't know baseball had influenced spoken English so much.
There are more than 7000 references. For instance did you know that the word "bonehead" was linked to baseball from its origins? And do you know what pulling a john anderson means? It's full of incredible stories. It even explains where the seventh inning stretch comes from.

There are also quotes from Casey Stengel or Yogi Berra which are always good laughs (like "ninety percent of this game is half mental").
There's a great passage in the preface about the author getting a new mitt at age 47. You should all read it.

As for a film, I would definitely suggest "Field of Dreams". But I think you would have guessed!

[vintagebrett]

If you are going to the video store make sure to get Major League - my brothers and I can recite the entire movie while we watch it!

[drasher81]

Major League and Major League II never seem to get old. I have actually been slowly collecting items from the movies. Since I started looking I have Lou Browns jersey Parkmans helmet from MLII a hat worn by Wesley Snipes and and a handful of bats as well.

[Mike_2007]

Another vote for Ball Four! My second favorite baseball book after Moneyball. You MUST read moneyball if you haven't already!!

[Mike_2007]

My favorite baseball movie is Bang the Drum Slowly - but it is a little sad

[jwoody]

THE NATURAL.....

[Bravosin99]

Here are some of my favorite baseball movies.
1. A League of Their Own.
2. Fields of Dreams.
3. Sandlot
4. The Natural.
5. Bull Durham.
6. The Bad News Bears.
7. For the love of the game.
8. The Rookie

[mittmutt]

If you are wanting to do some stydying/learning, I love Ken Burns documentary

[glovemedic]

Off the topic of gloves a bit, but with spring training upon us and Opening Day just around the corner,....
How about books? What should be "required reading" for students of the game?

I just finished "Wild and Outside" a book about the Northern Independent league. It is an awesome read for some insight into a behind the scenes look at professional baseball.

[ebbets55]

Fun topic. The Bad News Bears is the greatest baseball movie ever. I almost named my son Tanner after Tanner Boyle. I collect baseball movies and have all of the new ones and most of the old ones (about 30 in all). Here's my two cents worth on some of the bigger ones.

Eight Men Out - One of my favorites because of my generation of actors.

The Natural - Way overrated. Too corny in my opinion. I know I'm in the minority but there are 20 movies I would watch 100 times before I would watch this one again.

Major League - The Caddyshack of baseball movies. Need I say more. Love it.

A League of Their Own - Outstanding. Geena Davis was hot. Looked like a pin-up girl. Great job Penny Marshall.

Bingo Long's Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings - Negro League Comedy starring Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor and James Earl Jones. Good flick about a barnstorming team.

Bull Durham - A must see.

Fear Strikes Out (The Jimmy Piersall Story) might be the worst baseball movie ever made next to The Babe Ruth Story with William Bendix. Only Anthony Perkins looks less like a baseball player. A right handed thrower should not throw while leading with his right foot.

The Winning Team (The Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander) at least has Ronald Reagan in it (the second greatest president of all time behind Lincoln).

The Pride of St. Louis was fun (The Dizzy Dean Story). Gotta love the countryisms of Ol' Diz.

The Stratten Story (Monty Stratten) was O.K. but Jimmy Stewart didn't make a great ballplayer either.

I liked Safe at Home because it had Mantle and Maris in it. Cute kid in the movie.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame was a baseball musical taking place in the 1890's starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelley. It pretty much sucked.

The Sandlot - You're killing me Smalls. One of the best.

There are many others but I'll cut it off here. One last note. When I heard about Kevin Costner's third baseball movie, For the Love of the Game, I couldn't wait to go see it because he doesn't make bad baseball movies, right (Field of Dreams and Bull Durham)? It was the first movie I ever went to by myself because my wife was not a Costner fan. Anyway, it was a total chick flick and I was bummed. I will say though, that the silent dialogue he had going in his head was absolutlely incredible. Chick flick aside, it has some good inside baseball in it.

JD

[crackofthebat]

Best movie - The Pride of the Yankess - It will bring a tear to your eye - even if a Red Sox Fan!
Best book - The Glory of Their Times - A must read for any baseball fan

[vintagebrett]

JD, I agree, The Bad News Bears is probably 1b on my top baseball movies, with Major League 1a. Of course, by this, I mean the original Bad News Bears, not the crappy remake with Billy Bob Thorton.

[nygiants]

"Alibi Ike" with Joe E. Brown. My grandson and I couldn't get off the floor

It Happens Every Spring
The Big Leaguer

(All Time Favorite is Field of Dreams)