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Bottom of the Seventh
“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
The very nature of a 162-game baseball season can be exhausting. What’s odd is that a 3-game winning streak will not always be perceived as a tremendous accomplishment. The same goes for a long string of losses. There is a numbing element and until something drastic happens, the status quo can persist. Some cases literally require a divine intervention.
People will have their opinions on what they deem as the greatest movie made about baseball. “Field of Dreams” immediately comes to mind. Why? The reason is one of the components for a great movie about sports is that the game serves as only the visual vehicle of a much more profound story. The 1989 major motion picture meets this criteria, as does a 1994 Disney major motion picture that involves two foster kids, who are best friends, and the struggling Anaheim Angels. This is one of the greatest (if not possibly the best…?) baseball movies ever made.
It has heart, lots of laughs and emotional highs and lows that make it a timeless classic for all ages. It’s deservedly earned the gold standard of an amazing family movie. Plus, here is a rundown of the primary cast. Do any of these names look familiar?
-Christopher Lloyd
-Danny Glover
-Joseph Gordon-Levitt
-Tony Danza
-Adrien Brody
-Neal McDonough
-Dermot Mulroney
oh, and this guy named Matthew McConaughey
As mentioned earlier, sometimes things have to get really bad before they get better.
The Seventh Inning Stretch
“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
The story behind the Seventh Inning Stretch is not absolutely known. Here is an excerpt from an April 30, 2007 Yahoo! Voices article written by Beth Anderson Goldman, “The Origins of the 7th Inning Stretch,” as part of the Yahoo! Contributor Network.
As far back as 1869 there is a letter from baseball pioneer Harry Wright of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings saying, “the spectators all arise between halves of the seventh inning, extend their legs and arms and sometimes walk about. In so doing they enjoy the relief afforded by relaxation from a long posture upon hard benches.”
Urban legends also surround this ritual, even including former President William Howard Taft. Despite the fact the precise moment when this tradition began cannot be pinpointed, fans and casual observers alike are familiar with this celebratory pause in action. Perhaps the most famous of all baseball announcers, within the realm of popular culture, was Harry Caray of the Chicago Cubs. Caray himself was almost as well-known as his trademark glasses, with that large, thick black frame. Will Ferrell perfected that impersonation for SNL viewers.
Harry Caray was iconic. As a tribute to the man and legend, I encourage you to travel back in time, stand up and stretch for a minute, while enjoying his rendering of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
Top of the Sixth
“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
For twenty four Major League Baseball teams, today serves as Opening Day for the 2013 season. Despite the fact there will be 161 more games to follow, every team wants to start off the right way. A first game victory sets a good tone for the second game and so on and so forth. Winners always want to win and understand that it all begins with a great first pitch. The team that is on defense during the top of the first never wants to get behind early.
For some baseball teams though, bad karma can’t ever be broken. The following clip is not from a movie. However, I think most would agree the video below is a “pitch” perfect representation of the opening day for a particular organization.
The New York Mets host the San Diego Padres this afternoon.
Bottom of the Fifth
“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
For all of the fans who will make their way to stadiums to support their team, hopefully they will be filled with lots of enjoyment. While today is a work day, that doesn’t mean that people won’t find a way to get to the ballpark. Below is a short clip of the happiness that comes with watching a baseball game on a sunny afternoon in the one and only Wrigley Field.
And remember: Save Ferris!
Jimmy's Daily Planet 