Worst Baseball Movies

[savafan]

I'm just curious if there is any worse baseball movie out there than The Babe with John Goodman. Maybe Ed with Matt LeBlanc, but those are the worst two I can think of.

[redsmetz]

Some have listed Bang The Drum Slowly as one of the best, but when I watched it a couple of months ago, I realize how dated it is (it was made as a contemporary story to the 70's, rather than as a period piece in the 50's). It's such a great story, I'd love it if someone would remake it. I wouldn't categorize it as the worst though.

[Dunner44]

I wasn't particularly enamored with Bull Durham... but thats just me. However, I did like most of the baseball parts of the movie, but the storyline otherwise sucked.

My favorite baseball movies of all time: Major League 1 and 2. Bob Uecker and whoever plays Ceranno are hilarious, and Wes Snipes as Willy Mayes Hayes is great.

[savafan]

whoever plays Ceranno

Dennis Haysbert of 24 and the All-State commercials

[redsfan4445]

I think the worse one was the movie with a ficticious guy who is on the Atlanta Braves breaking the homerun record of 62 homers.. i cant remeber the name but it was lame..

[Dunner44]

Rookie of the Year was also horrible, but it had a pre-roids Bonds, which made me laugh when I saw it recently, and that guy from Home Alone is so goofy as the pitching coach.

What ever happened to Danny Glover? He did that and Angels in the Outfield, and suddenly its as if he cant have a role other than baseball manager...

[savafan]

What ever happened to Danny Glover? He did that and Angels in the Outfield, and suddenly its as if he cant have a role other than baseball manager...

SAW...and Glover wasn't the manager in ROY...not sure who that guy was

[Dunner44]

SAW...and Glover wasn't the manager in ROY...not sure who that guy was


SAW was good, i forgot about that. The triumphant return of Cary Elwes... the only other movie I saw him in after The Princess Brie was Glory. Looks like Albert Hall was the ROTY skipper.... never heard of him, but he does a fair Danny Glover.

[Ltlabner]

Angels in the Outfield? The kid who can suddenly pitch or something? I didn't see it but the premiss is stupid.

[savafan]

Angels in the Outfield? The kid who can suddenly pitch or something? I didn't see it but the premiss is stupid.

That was Rookie of the Year. Angels in the Outfield was the remake (before remakes were cool) where a kid thinks he can get his family back together if the Angels win the pennant and gets the assistance of real life angels to help the team win.

[Shaknb8k]

Little useless movie fact: Danny Glover's character in Angels in the OF was a former player for the Cincinnati Reds. I got chill bumps when a person in the movie said something to the extent of your not in Cincinnati anymore...We dont expect you to win every game. I also always thought it would be awsome if all the fans in LA would have started doing the angel arm flap thing during the WS in 2002.

[blumj]

The Slugger's Wife. Really, really bad.

[KronoRed]

Major League 3

[savafan]

Major League 3

I haven't even viewed this one. The concept was too ridiculous for me.

[KronoRed]

2 was also bad ;)

[bthomasiscool]

Rookie of the Year was also horrible, but it had a pre-roids Bonds, which made me laugh when I saw it recently, and that guy from Home Alone is so goofy as the pitching coach.

What ever happened to Danny Glover? He did that and Angels in the Outfield, and suddenly its as if he cant have a role other than baseball manager...

I have to admit rookie of the year is one of my favorite baseball movies ever. Gardenhoser, your in!

[edabbs44]

Safe at Home with Mantle and Maris is the worst ever.

Some good ones not mentioned are The Scout (very funny), Talent for the Game (very good movie) and Pride of the Yankees (though I hate the Yankees, just a great movie all around).

[savafan]

2 was also bad ;)

2 had its moments, but Omar Epps as Willie Mays Hayes and a catcher who couldn't throw back to the pitcher unless he memorized the stats of the playmate of the month were a bit ridiculous.

[KronoRed]

For Love of the Game as well, I watched it once and wasn't sure what was going other then the perfect game ;)

[tbball10]

i love the both the original and remake of the bad news bears.

[oneupper]

I know a lot people around here like it, but I thought "The Natural" was just too melodramatic to stomach.

[djc27osu]

I think the worst baseball movie ever is The Scout...it has Brandon Frazier who pitches a perfect, perfect game throwing 112 mph and hitting home runs everytime he hits.

[OldRightHander]

I know a lot people around here like it, but I thought "The Natural" was just too melodramatic to stomach.

I'm still wondering how Hobbs managed to hit a walk off homer in the top of the inning.

[Johnny Footstool]

I think the worse one was the movie with a ficticious guy who is on the Atlanta Braves breaking the homerun record of 62 homers.. i cant remeber the name but it was lame..

As blumj pointed out, it's "The Slugger's Wife" starring Michael O'Keefe and a hot Rebecca De Mornay. Terrible movie, but I did enjoy one particularly raunchy scene featuring De Mornay moaning "Mmm...that slider is one hell of a pitch."

[cincinnati chili]

I need to watch Major League again, because the first time I didn't care for it. But "The Fan" is the all time worst I've ever seen.


I'm still wondering how Hobbs managed to hit a walk off homer in the top of the inning.

Is this accurate? I'm not sure it is. He did it at home, so it had to be the bottom of the inning.

[edit] Okay. You're talking about the Wrigley Field game.

Good catch on your part.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087781/goofs

[Johnny Footstool]

I'm still wondering how Bump died by crashing through a plywood wall.

[Dunner44]

I'm still wondering how Bump died by crashing through a plywood wall.

That Chineese dude went through a wall and made a catch in Major League 2. "You have no... no.... marbles"

[Falls City Beer]

Mr. 3000. I caught some of it when we were at my in-laws. I wanted to vomit out of my eyes.

[captainmorgan07]

major league 3 was alright 2 was ridiculous

[max venable]

Little useless movie fact: Danny Glover's character in Angels in the OF was a former player for the Cincinnati Reds.
Not to get nit-picky, but everyone else seems to be correcting Angels In The OF and ROY takes, so here's mine: IIRC, Glover's character was the former manager of the Reds, and the once superstar pitcher (played by Tony Danza) was a former Reds pitcher. Right?

[Phhhl]

"The Kid from Left Field" starring Robert Guillome, Gary Coleman and Gary Collins HAS to be the worst baseball movie ever made. I remember watching it as a first run, movie of week when I was 11 years old. Not only did it feature the worst uniforms in the history of the game (the brown, yellow and white of the old Padres), but it featured some of the worst acting of any film I have ever seen. Even as a kid just learning to love baseball and receptive to anything about it, it was the proverbial two hours I will never be able to recover in my life. It was a setback in my viewing history.

http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/19048/moviemain.jhtml

[max venable]

I'll vote for Little Big League and Major League III as two of the worst ever.

[BCubb2003]

This is obscure and really has nothing to do with baseball, except that there was a movie filmed in Cincinnati called "Artworks," starring Virginia Madsen as a security expert who falls in with the owner of an art gallery, and they start stealing paintings from the homes of rich people who don't appreciate art. Anyway, there's a scene with a newspaper, and on the front page it says something like "Reds pitching a concern."

It was probably the most realistic scene in the movie.

[jmcclain19]

I thought The Scout was just pure torture to watch.

Both of the Major League sequels were awful. Summer Catch was right up there. Mr. 3000 was akin to ice picks stabbing my eyeballs.

But if I had to pick just one, it's The Scout.

[CrackerJack]

I know a lot people around here like it, but I thought "The Natural" was just too melodramatic to stomach.

Boo to you!! And Danny Graves while I'm at it. Best baseball movie ever. And Field Of Dreams should be blacklisted along with Pete Rose's autograph.

[nmculbreth]

Summer Catch with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel.

[Guacarock]

I don't know if it's the worst baseball movie of all time, but THE BAD NEWS BEARS GO TO JAPAN really creeped me out. Bizarre Hollyweirdish "concept" for a quick-cash sequel, having Tony Curtis as the boozy, scumbag manager in charge of all those young boys adventuring in the Orient. Hide the children!

Speaking of which, when wasn't a baseball manager boozy on screen? The prototype? Has to be Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan, slugging down the joy juice from his flask to fortify himself from the debacle of babysitting all those glamorous gals on the loose in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN.

It's slightly off-subject, but I'd be remiss not to mention a few indelibly etched baseball scenes from the movies:

The ever-cool Steve McQueen pounding the ball into his mitt as The Cooler King in THE GREAT ESCAPE, prepping for his high-flying motorcycle stunts.

Speedy, slow-witted outfielder Stan Shaw outstaging the likes of Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor in BINGO LONG TRAVELING ALL-STARS & MOTOR KINGS. After getting barreled down by Shaw, catcher Jones poses the $64,000 question: "Say, boy, does you do this constantly?" Shaw replies: "No, suh. I does it all the time."

And, what's the greatest baseball movie ever made? Not Ken Burns' documentary epic, although it is most admirable and watchable. I'd give the nod to the seven minutes of frenzy and wit in the cartoon BASEBALL BUGS, featuring Bugs Bunny holding down every defensive position for the Tea-Totallers in the team's David vs. Goliath struggle to survive a beefy onslaught by the Gashouse Gorillas. Simply sublime. Doesn't get it any better.

[MrCinatit]

The Scout was hurting. Deeeeeeep hurting.
I don't know if I was just in a lousy mood when I watched it, but I loathed Cobb.

[deltachi8]

Major League 2, Major League 3
Mr. 3000
Hu$tle

[Hap]

In 1979, there was a remake of The Kid From Left Field (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079399/) starring Gary Coleman and Robert Guillaume. The antagonist on the team was played by Gary Collins.

[KoryMac5]

Couldn't stand Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner is just sooo over the top in everything he does.

[4256 Hits]

The Pete Rose movie by ESPN was terrible, I made though half and had to turn it off.

[max venable]

Major League 2, Major League 3
Mr. 3000
Hu$tle
Good call on Hu$tle...just plain awful.

You guys made me think of another one...remember Mr. Baseball w/ Tom Selleck? Horrible.

[Reds1]

Angels in the Outfield? The kid who can suddenly pitch or something? I didn't see it but the premiss is stupid.

Ya, this one was pretty good. My kids loved it.

Worst is Sandlot 2 and I'd say the Bad news bears remake was terrible.

We actually turned off Sandlot 2. Language was terrible for my kids. I dont' think anyone has said that one.

[Falls City Beer]

I think what we're learning here is that baseball movies, by and large, suck.

[Matt700wlw]

I think the worst baseball movie ever is The Scout...it has Brandon Frazier who pitches a perfect, perfect game throwing 112 mph and hitting home runs everytime he hits.

Sign him up!

[Spitball]

Couldn't stand Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner is just sooo over the top in everything he does.

My whole family loved Field of Dreams. The day after we watched it for the first of ten thousand times, my oldest turned our front yard into a baseball field. I loved the part where Terence Mann (character based on JD Salinger) and Ray Kinsella are at Fenway Park.

Ray Kinsella: So what do you want?
Terence Mann: I want them to stop looking to me for answers, begging me to speak again, write again, be a leader. I want them to start thinking for themselves. I want my privacy.
Ray Kinsella: No, I mean, what do you WANT?
[Gestures to the concession stand they're in front of]
Terence Mann: Oh. Dog and a beer.

My daughter was about eight and would answer anyone asking "What do you want?" with "A dog and a beer." I thought my mother-in-law was going to pop an aorta.

I didn't like the fact they had Shoeless Joe bat righty, nor that Ray said something about Joe killing triples despite the fact he was a leftfielder.

Fear Strikes Out was good but Anthony Perkins absolutely looked like a sissy on the baseball scenes.

[realreds1]

1. The Benchwarmers!
2. Major League 2
3. Summer Catch

[Dunner44]

No one has mentioned "Hardball" with Neo.... i just can't see him doing baseball. I never saw it, but I'm assuming since Mr. Reeves is in it that it is puke.

And the very idea of a Sandlot 2 makes me want to cry. I saw it in the video store and wanted to rip every copy off the shelf and burn them.

[Dunner44]

No one has mentioned "Hardball" with Neo.... i just can't see him doing baseball. I never saw it, but I'm assuming since Mr. Reeves is in it that it is puke.

And the very idea of a Sandlot 2 makes me want to cry. I saw it in the video store and wanted to rip every copy off the shelf and burn them.

[Hollcat]

Anyone ever see "Blue Skies Again" ( I think that's the name of it). It was about a girl trying to make a ML team. It's probably really crappy but I was young when I watched it and since it was baseball I liked it.
For the love of the game is horid, even without Costner it would suck.
My vote for best goes to the baseball game scene in "The Naked Gun"

[GAC]

How about some older films?

Babe Ruth starring William Bendix. Pure fluff

And Hustle, starring Tom Sizemore (somebody upstairs doesn't like Pete).

[max venable]

No one has mentioned "Hardball" with Neo.... i just can't see him doing baseball. I never saw it, but I'm assuming since Mr. Reeves is in it that it is puke.

And the very idea of a Sandlot 2 makes me want to cry. I saw it in the video store and wanted to rip every copy off the shelf and burn them.
I liked Hardball. Good movie. I'd actually recommend it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

[Newman4]

My favorite baseball movie is Major League and my worst vote goes to Major League 3. I shed a tear watching the star fall that far. :D Plus, I was one of the hundred or so suckers that actually went to the theater to watch that crap.

I wasn't much for "Eight Men Out" to be honest. Kind of boring.

I hated "Hustle" because it was so cheaply and incompetently made. Poor acting, poor set, poor directing, etc. IIRC, ESPN had the nerve to state "broadcast in HD" haha.

I give "Summer Catch" some slack because Matthew Lillard (the dude from Without a Paddle) is hilarious as the catcher and my cousin also played in that league about the same time as the movie
.
I have to know realreds1, why does "Benchwarmers" suck? Because I didn't catch it in the theater but was interested in getting the DVD. Should I save my money?

[Spitball]

Has anyone ever seen It Happens Every Spring? It's about this college professor who invents a wood repellent. Anyway, when he'd put it on a ball and pitch it, the ball would would do a crazy hop around the bat. So, he signs with, maybe, the St. Louis Browns and...wait, I liked this movie.

[BoydsOfSummer]

Major League 2 was on HBO late last night. Nothing else was on so I watched most of it. The stench won't leave my nostrils. Even so, it's still not as bad as Hu$tle.

[CRedsLarkin11]

Not to get nit-picky, but everyone else seems to be correcting Angels In The OF and ROY takes, so here's mine: IIRC, Glover's character was the former manager of the Reds, and the once superstar pitcher (played by Tony Danza) was a former Reds pitcher. Right?


I don't think it ever mentions where Clark(Danza) played in his superstar days(or I don't remember) and Glover's character did play for the Reds, I'm not sure if he managed them, I just remember the scene where he is going through his old stuff when he may be on the verge of losing his job and he pulls out his NL MVP award and it says Cincinnati Reds on it. (and the Johnny Bench Sports Illustrated cover with Glover's face, haha)

[max venable]

I don't think it ever mentions where Clark(Danza) played in his superstar days(or I don't remember) and Glover's character did play for the Reds, I'm not sure if he managed them, I just remember the scene where he is going through his old stuff when he may be on the verge of losing his job and he pulls out his NL MVP award and it says Cincinnati Reds on it. (and the Johnny Bench Sports Illustrated cover with Glover's face, haha)

Ranch Wilder: But this one really got to you. You leave Cincinnati after ten years of winning ball clubs - although the really big one always seemed to be just out of reach - and you come out here to manage our Angels. Now, expectations were high that you could turn this team around. But that just doesn't seem to be happening.

George Knox: You blew your arm out, played on too many pain pills.
Mel Clark: Pain pills? You were the one stuffin' them down my throat five years ago in Cincinnati.
George Knox: Hey, it was your decision to swallow 'em!

Drunk Fan: Hemmerling for Mitchell, go back to Cincinnati.


LINK (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/fun-facts/B0000633U2/ref=imdbdpff_q_0/104-1329294-4545559?%5Fencoding=UTF8#quotes)

[Dunner44]

Benchwarmers was dumb for a baseball movie, and wasn't hat great as a comedey in general,but Jon ovitz and Jon Herder together mke it funny David Spade's character sucks, and Rob Schneider is the only person who actually "acts" in the movie.

[Nugget]

Baseketball - Sooooo stupid. Do people actually watch that kind of movie.

OK who dissed Field of Dreams, you may not like KC but it was a great story and JEJ was great. It also gives the younger ones an insight into some baseball history.

[Blimpie]

The Sandlot 2 undid all of the warm fuzzies that The Sandlot has fostered.....and somebody needs to tell that to ABC Family because they are running it on a continuous loop apparently.

[Slider]

I didn't think much of Mr Baseball with Tom Selleck.

[Johnny Footstool]

Anyone ever see "Blue Skies Again" ( I think that's the name of it). It was about a girl trying to make a ML team. It's probably really crappy but I was young when I watched it and since it was baseball I liked it.
For the love of the game is horid, even without Costner it would suck.
My vote for best goes to the baseball game scene in "The Naked Gun"


UGH. That one was in heavy rotation on HBO in the early 80s. Boring, poorly acted, and utterly ridiculous.

I saw "For Love of the Game" today. Steaming pile.

[billy117]

Angels in the Outfield.

The biggest problem I have with baseball movies is when they get actors who can't actually play or even throw a ball normally. Tony Danza in Angels in the Outfield pitching looks terrible. Even though I like Bull Durham Tim Robbins looks like a spazz trying to pitch.

A lot of people don't like Kevin Costner but at least he can throw a ball and I can't believe how many people hate For Love of the Game. And in Mr. Baseball Tom Selleck looks at least believable to me, which made the movie moderately enjoyable.

And while we're (or I'm) on the subject of actors trying to be athletes, in Rudy did you know that Vince Vaughn was actually cast as the Quarterback for Notre Dame first because he said in his audition that he was an All State Honorable Mention QB in highschool. But on the first day of shooting when they took him out warm up and throw some passes they found out he was lying, he looked like he'd never thrown a football before in his life. So they moved him to halfback and in the scene of the halfback pass someone else had to come on the field and throw the ball for him. Just thought that was a hilliarious sports movie story.

[redsmetz]

My whole family loved Field of Dreams. The day after we watched it for the first of ten thousand times, my oldest turned our front yard into a baseball field. I loved the part where Terence Mann (character based on JD Salinger) and Ray Kinsella are at Fenway Park.

Ray Kinsella: So what do you want?
Terence Mann: I want them to stop looking to me for answers, begging me to speak again, write again, be a leader. I want them to start thinking for themselves. I want my privacy.
Ray Kinsella: No, I mean, what do you WANT?
[Gestures to the concession stand they're in front of]
Terence Mann: Oh. Dog and a beer.

My daughter was about eight and would answer anyone asking "What do you want?" with "A dog and a beer." I thought my mother-in-law was going to pop an aorta.

I didn't like the fact they had Shoeless Joe bat righty, nor that Ray said something about Joe killing triples despite the fact he was a leftfielder.

Fear Strikes Out was good but Anthony Perkins absolutely looked like a sissy on the baseball scenes.

I have to concur with your family's assessment. There are enough gems in this movie and frankly think it's one of Costners better pictures (along with Bull Durham). James Earl Jones plays his part well, as does Burt Lancaster in his last role on the big screen. I like W.P. Kinsella as a storyteller (the writer of Shoeless Joe). Another of his books which is really crazy is The Iowa Baseball Confederacy which I describe as Shoeless Joe on acid (or so I would think if I'd ever done such a thing). I also enjoyed his collection of short stories which featured some baseball stories if I recall correctly - titled Boxed Lunches.