life with more cowbell

Went to see Moneyball yesterday after my pal Ellen Green recommended it – and I was glad I did.

I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I do enjoy the occasional live game and go with friends – who are really into the game – to see the Jays play when they’re home. Consuming overpriced beer and spicy sweet potato fries is all part of the fun – it’s a good time. Even more fun for me than a live baseball game is a good movie about baseball – and Moneyball is definitely a good movie about baseball – and is based on a true story. Check out the synopsis on IMDb.

Excellent cast, featuring Brad Pitt as Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane (a former ball player and scout himself), Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Robin Wright making a brief appearance as Beane’s ex-wife. This is a baseball movie that looks at the economics and politics of baseball – and the unfair playing field of rich teams versus poor teams – and an innovative (and controversial) way for a poor team to work out a way to hold its own. Check it out – it’s funny, insightful and it’s got big heart.

Seeing Moneyball got me thinking about other great baseball movies. Here are some of my favourites: The Bad News Bears (1976), The Natural (1984), Bull Durham (1988) and A League of Their Own (1992). Then there’s Field of Dreams (1989), which I’ve never seen all the way through, and scores of earlier films, the titles of which escape me right now.

Got a favourite baseball movie?