Top 5 Baseball Movies

Today marks the first day of Spring and with the sun shining bright and Spring Training baseball on the tube, I decided to make a list of my Top 5 Baseball Movies of All Time. While my list undoubtedly leaves off some dramatic crowd favorites, I had to keep it true to myself and, in many ways, my childhood. But before we dive into my Top 5 selections, let's acknowledge the honorable mention that failed to make the list: Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, The Bad News Bears (the original) and Rookie of the Year. They each offer a unique aspect that can be appreciated by the masses, but they just missed making the cut. Now, here are my Top 5 Baseball Movies of All Time:

*** View February's Movie List of the Month HERE

#5. Major League

I couldn't imagine playing baseball with a crazier group of guys. Talk about a collection of misfits and degenerates, 1989's Major League grouped together a recently imprisoned flamethrower Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), a washed up veteran named Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), a star only in his own mind Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes) and the voodoo believing slugger Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert). And when the franchise owner wants to relocate her baseball team to a warmer climate, she assembles this collection of so-called bums in order to draw poor attendance enabling her a way out of the current deal. However, this odds-defying team of "losers" decide to show-up their owner by putting on their work boots and getting a little dirty. Truly a piece of comedic genius, Major League serves as one of the greatest baseball movies ever.

#4. The Sandlot

Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) moves to a new neighborhood and doesn't know anyone. But when a group of local kids need one more person for a pick-up game of baseball, Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar) invites the new kid in town. Friendships evolve as these youngsters embark on a Summer filled with romance (we will always love you Wendy Peffercorn), rivalries, adventures and, most importantly, baseball. The Sandlot is a timeless film that perfectly embodies my youth through the love of America's Favorite Pastime. 

#3. The Natural

I'll never forget the first time I saw Barry Levinson's 1984 film, The Natural. There was something mystifying about Robert Redford's main character, Roy Hobbs. Hobbs is a middle-aged ballplayer who literally comes out of nowhere to help a losing baseball team climb to the top of the league in the 1930s. Hobbs and his bat "Wonderboy" (which was carved out of a fallen tree in his backyard that was struck by lightning) finally reach the heights that they were destined to accomplish 16 years earlier when Hobbs was shot by a crazed fan. With subtle elements of fantasy and mystique, The Natural is a brilliantly made film and one of baseball's finest theatrical representations.

#2. A League of Their Own

Call me crazy, but my second greatest baseball movie of all time is played by ... girls? 1992's A League of Their Own put such a fresh and innovative twist on my favorite sport by focusing on the women who were forced to play the game while men served overseas in World War II. Although some of these ladies could really play the game, like the Rockford Peaches' own Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), A League of Their Own mainly succeeds on the shoulders of two-time Oscar Winner Tom Hanks. Offering up some of the most quotable lines of all time (i.e. "there's no crying in baseball"), Hanks and director Penny Marshall deliver a winning film in every sense of the word.

#1. 61*

Perhaps the biggest New York Yankees fan of all time is Billy Crystal and, in 2001, he gave us the greatest baseball film of all time, 61*. Centering around the historic chase to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record, we follow Roger Maris (Barry Pepper) and Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane) on their unforgettable quest. With amazing attention to detail and historical accuracy, Crystal depicts the harsh actions demonstrated by Yankees' fans as "outsider" Roger Maris pulled away from his friend, teammate and fan favorite Mickey Mantle in the race to surpass Babe Ruth. Even more amazing is the fact that if you eliminate all steroid users from the equation, Roger Maris still holds the record with 61 home runs in a single season. It was an astonishing feat that forever impacted baseball and will always be remembered thanks, in large part, to a fantastic job by director Billy Crystal. Originally a made for TV movie, 61* transcends such a label and remains the greatest baseball movie of all time.