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Top of the Ninth
“As a celebration of the magic of movies involving baseball, at least one scene from a different film will be posted each day for the next nine days…”
—From “Top of the First” March 28th
Being the new kid in town isn’t easy. This is especially true when you are not fluent in the language of the other kids: baseball. In this case, classifying the new kid as mildly conversational was a stretch a mile long. This serves as the opening conundrum for Scotty Smalls, or just “Smalls,” as in the universally known and cherished phrase, “you’re killin’ me Smalls!” After an awesomely cool speech from his Mother, Smalls got out of his honor roll bubbled room and explored his new terrain. Here is that rad speech for Mrs. Smalls (turn the volume up!).
“The Sandlot” is one of the best movies about baseball of all-time. It’s a cultural staple for an entire generation. Serving up not only favorite moments of nostalgia, the 1993 classic also paints the picture of a group of friends that experience summer the way it was intended way back in 1962. They played baseball all day and every day at their very own “sandlot,” they went to the carnival at night with a little too much “help from their friends,” scoped out the girls (Wendy Peffercorn!), caused a ruckus at the community pool, told epic tree house stories, celebrated the 4th of July the right way, got chased by the biggest dog in the world and had unforgettable nicknames. To serve as a refresher course, the names included: Smalls, Squints, Yeah-Yeah, Benny the Jet, Ham, Repeat and, of course, The Beast.
Below is the trailer and two classic scenes. Welcome back to “The Sandlot!”
“This pop isn’t workin’, Benny! I’m bakin’ like a toasted cheese-it! It’s so hot here!”
“You’re killin’ me Smalls!”
http://youtu.be/XlddDZkkxCc
One quick recommendation: At least read an introductory book about your new language before venturing outside as to be cognizant of important phrases and figures, such as the most famous person of that culture.
Bottom of the Fourth
“As a celebration of the magic of movies involving baseball, at least one scene from a different film will be posted each day for the next nine days…”
—From “Top of the First” March 28th
Today is March 31st and officially Opening Day of Major League Baseball. The Houston Astros host the Texas Rangers tonight for the first game of the 2013 season. Accordingly, coaches and players are finalizing their lineups and strategies for the first few games. Cohesion is vital for clubs that want to perform at the highest level. It’s essential that everybody be on the same page. Once the first pitch is thrown, all the members of the team need to have, “all hands on deck.”
What happens if there is a discrepancy? Hopefully, there is a leader who can take his teammates through any mutinies. Otherwise, it could be “bad news.”
Top of the Fourth
“As a celebration of the magic of movies involving baseball, at least one scene from a different film will be posted each day for the next nine days…”
—From “Top of the First” March 28th
In baseball, there are blocks of time during a game that are uneventful. And in this case, the third inning didn’t see anything particularly out of the ordinary and, as a result, we will continue on to the fourth inning.
Lou Gehrig’s “Farewell to Baseball Address” is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, speeches given by an athlete in sports history. According to the second video below, he learned that he was diagnosed with the disease ALS. It would later become known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Subsequently, the Yankee slugger learned he had just three years to live as a result. About a month and a half later, on July 4, 1939, Gehrig stood before a stand of microphones at or around home plate and gave an emotional speech that continues to inspire more than seven decades later. Fittingly, the Yankee organization declared it, “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.” They scheduled the event upon first hearing of his news. The most famous line is considered to be, “Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”
The major motion picture, “Pride of the Yankees” includes this very address. Below is the scene, as well as footage from the actual ceremony.
Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Bottom of the Second
“As a celebration of the magic of movies involving baseball, at least one scene from a different film will be posted each day for the next nine days…”
—From “Top of the First” March 28th
Kevin Costner is one of the few actors who warrants a “must see” quality about his films. His movies range from investigating the assassination of JFK to being hired as the bodyguard to a pop sensation to some dancing with wolves… lots of ‘dancing’ (in fact, 4 hours worth!). Plus, we cannot forget about his Apple commercial. Like the product, pure genius.
Any great collection of baseball movies and classic scenes has to star Kevin Costner at least once.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the incomparable Kevin Costner…or should I say “Crash” Davis.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 