Comments on: Get That Bum Off the Stage http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/ Development site for Bronx Banter Blog's upcoming look and feel Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:56:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: matt b http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200643 matt b Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:13:19 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200643 [10] There's a Dodgers game on the radio in a couple scenes in Blake Edwards' "The Party." I always liked that touch - it helped make it feel like a real summer night in LA in the 60s. [10] There’s a Dodgers game on the radio in a couple scenes in Blake Edwards’ “The Party.” I always liked that touch – it helped make it feel like a real summer night in LA in the 60s.

]]> By: The Hawk http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200642 The Hawk Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:11:20 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200642 There are not many good baseball movies. I was just thinking last night though, how good The Bronx is Burning miniseries was. Baseball movies are usually corny. There are not many good baseball movies. I was just thinking last night though, how good The Bronx is Burning miniseries was.

Baseball movies are usually corny.

]]> By: mrm1970 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200641 mrm1970 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:05:23 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200641 The worst baseball-related movie ever is "Strategic Air Command," starring Jimmy Stewart. Discharged from the military after a successful career as a bomber pilot, Stewart returns home to his civilian job: third baseman for the Cardinals. But he ultimately gives up baseball--and staying at home with his pregnant wife--because the Air Force needs him to pilot bomber planes on early Cold War era missions. The worst baseball-related movie ever is “Strategic Air Command,” starring Jimmy Stewart. Discharged from the military after a successful career as a bomber pilot, Stewart returns home to his civilian job: third baseman for the Cardinals. But he ultimately gives up baseball–and staying at home with his pregnant wife–because the Air Force needs him to pilot bomber planes on early Cold War era missions.

]]> By: ed http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200640 ed Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:46:31 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200640 Idunno, I always liked Field of Dreams. Sappy, absolutely, and the New Age spirituality (twinged with Native American mysticism) always felt pretty empty to me... but the stuff with his dad I get. Although tapping into the memory of playing catch with your dad doesn't exactly require virtuosic cinematic skill. Idunno, I always liked Field of Dreams. Sappy, absolutely, and the New Age spirituality (twinged with Native American mysticism) always felt pretty empty to me… but the stuff with his dad I get.

Although tapping into the memory of playing catch with your dad doesn’t exactly require virtuosic cinematic skill.

]]> By: Alex Belth http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200639 Alex Belth Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:30:12 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200639 Does ANYONE need a remake of The Pawnbroker? UGH. Talk about heaviosity. LOL Does ANYONE need a remake of The Pawnbroker? UGH.

Talk about heaviosity.

LOL

]]> By: The Mick536 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200638 The Mick536 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:54:06 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200638 [20] I can see your point about how the book can divide a room. Movie should be remade, preferably by Roman Polanski. Redford ruined the character. Perhaps, at the time of its making, people would not have accepted a character of such low repute. Redford may not have made the movie if it tracked the book. Looking forward to another reread. Mark Harris greatly under appreciated as a writer. Bang The Drum still moves me. Very close to the book. Someone should make the other books into movies. Why hasn't anyone made a movie from The Universal Baseball Association? It could be a modern day Pawnbroker. Coover's book is brilliant [20] I can see your point about how the book can divide a room. Movie should be remade, preferably by Roman Polanski. Redford ruined the character. Perhaps, at the time of its making, people would not have accepted a character of such low repute. Redford may not have made the movie if it tracked the book. Looking forward to another reread.

Mark Harris greatly under appreciated as a writer. Bang The Drum still moves me. Very close to the book. Someone should make the other books into movies.

Why hasn’t anyone made a movie from The Universal Baseball Association? It could be a modern day Pawnbroker. Coover’s book is brilliant

]]> By: The Hawk http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200637 The Hawk Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:41:18 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200637 [13] Well-said, even though I didn't pick up on any of that. [13] Well-said, even though I didn’t pick up on any of that.

]]> By: jonnystrongleg http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200636 jonnystrongleg Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:38:59 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200636 [16] Thanks for the review, and for not spoiling the details. Looking forward to it. [16] Thanks for the review, and for not spoiling the details. Looking forward to it.

]]> By: jonnystrongleg http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200635 jonnystrongleg Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:37:52 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200635 [20] the natural's a room divider, i'm sure, but i'll never understand why some people feel the need to stick to that awful ending of that awful book. the movie was a vasly superior experience for me. [20] the natural’s a room divider, i’m sure, but i’ll never understand why some people feel the need to stick to that awful ending of that awful book. the movie was a vasly superior experience for me.

]]> By: Emma Span http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200634 Emma Span Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:34:20 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200634 Stay strong, Alex! The only thing that sucks harder than the end of Field of Dreams is the end of the Natural. Stay strong, Alex! The only thing that sucks harder than the end of Field of Dreams is the end of the Natural.

]]> By: thelarmis http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200633 thelarmis Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:26:44 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200633 The A's just released The Big 'G' The A’s just released The Big ‘G’

]]> By: unmoderated http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200632 unmoderated Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:21:39 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200632 Can't even watch Field of Dreams. Costner monotone. J.E. Jones totally wasted in that role. Ray Liotta.... The wife rules, though. For the same reason I don't bother with horror flicks, I don't bother with schmaltz like this. My head can't buy into it. Can’t even watch Field of Dreams.
Costner monotone.
J.E. Jones totally wasted in that role.
Ray Liotta….
The wife rules, though.

For the same reason I don’t bother with horror flicks, I don’t bother with schmaltz like this. My head can’t buy into it.

]]> By: Diane Firstman http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200631 Diane Firstman Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:03:04 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200631 Pavano to Twins for a PTBNL ... 173 baserunners in 125 innings, a 5.37 ERA ... maybe we'll see him in the playoffs? :-) Pavano to Twins for a PTBNL …

173 baserunners in 125 innings, a 5.37 ERA … maybe we’ll see him in the playoffs? :-)

]]> By: RCK http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200630 RCK Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:46:12 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200630 [4] I did see Sugar and think that it is definitely worth seeing. It's a really nicely done, sincere but not overly sincere film. It makes a point without being preachy. I would like to discuss it more, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone here who hasn't seen it. The parts of it with which I was dissatisfied are intrinsic to the plot. [4] I did see Sugar and think that it is definitely worth seeing. It’s a really nicely done, sincere but not overly sincere film. It makes a point without being preachy. I would like to discuss it more, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone here who hasn’t seen it. The parts of it with which I was dissatisfied are intrinsic to the plot.

]]> By: Shaun P. http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200629 Shaun P. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:31:27 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200629 [11] [14] I imagine the Giants will be thrilled to have him chase 3000 hits in their beautiful park by the Bay. Or the Mets. Or the Reds. Some GM will (foolishly) overreact to his YS2.0-driven performance (.302/.397/.577 at home, vs .273/.346/.459 on the road), in a contract year and overpay him accordingly. (BTW, his road numbers for this year match his career line almost exactly (.289/.355/.439), and I expect those numbers to start going down next year. Damon could make 3000 hits, but it might not be pretty getting there.) That's not a knock on Damon - I think he's awesome. But he's not multi-year contract awesome, not at his age. If he'd take a one-year deal on the cheap, and there was really nothing else out there, then I'd be all for him re-signing. Anything else - thanks for the memories, Johnny! [11] [14] I imagine the Giants will be thrilled to have him chase 3000 hits in their beautiful park by the Bay. Or the Mets. Or the Reds. Some GM will (foolishly) overreact to his YS2.0-driven performance (.302/.397/.577 at home, vs .273/.346/.459 on the road), in a contract year and overpay him accordingly. (BTW, his road numbers for this year match his career line almost exactly (.289/.355/.439), and I expect those numbers to start going down next year. Damon could make 3000 hits, but it might not be pretty getting there.)

That’s not a knock on Damon – I think he’s awesome. But he’s not multi-year contract awesome, not at his age. If he’d take a one-year deal on the cheap, and there was really nothing else out there, then I’d be all for him re-signing. Anything else – thanks for the memories, Johnny!

]]> By: a.O http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200628 a.O Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:19:12 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200628 @ #11: The only thing I care about with respect to Johnny is that the rest of his girly-armed career is spent with someone else. @ #11: The only thing I care about with respect to Johnny is that the rest of his girly-armed career is spent with someone else.

]]> By: Statler http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200627 Statler Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:13:09 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200627 On a more substantive note than my first comment, I think the most challenging thing about making a baseball movie is the audience(s). Yes, baseball is the iconic American game, but it occupies a lot of different places in people's lives. Some (few) of us are Fantasy Baseball geeks, tracking players and stats across all baseball. Some of us encounter baseball as a way to connect with friends at a bar--our lives have changed and drifted apart, but we can all appreciate the experience of a game, a beer, and rooting for the home team. Some of us live and die game-to-game. After a lopsided loss, we believe the wheels have come off on some definitive level. Others are placid, season-long viewers, able to keep their eye on the next game and the next and the one after that. But I'd wager the large majority of people are casual fans, the guys (or gals) who watch playoff baseball, and have their sports narratives prepared for them by ESPN, TBS, or what have you. The way they engage with the sport explains the slow-motion shots in baseball movies and the peculiar durability of stats like wins, batting average, and saves. I saw all of this because I noticed something in your article, (and while this is criticism it's mean respectfully) a sort of unconscious privileging of your knowledge about "real baseball." But that's a perspective born out of a dedication to the ins-and-outs of the sport that most people don't share. So I kind of take issue with the idea that things are "heightened the wrong way" as you say. Everybody has a right to enjoy the game in their own way--that's part of what makes it the American game--and I'm not sure levying moral judgments against people who experience it differently is productive or illuminating. On a more substantive note than my first comment, I think the most challenging thing about making a baseball movie is the audience(s). Yes, baseball is the iconic American game, but it occupies a lot of different places in people’s lives.

Some (few) of us are Fantasy Baseball geeks, tracking players and stats across all baseball. Some of us encounter baseball as a way to connect with friends at a bar–our lives have changed and drifted apart, but we can all appreciate the experience of a game, a beer, and rooting for the home team. Some of us live and die game-to-game. After a lopsided loss, we believe the wheels have come off on some definitive level. Others are placid, season-long viewers, able to keep their eye on the next game and the next and the one after that.

But I’d wager the large majority of people are casual fans, the guys (or gals) who watch playoff baseball, and have their sports narratives prepared for them by ESPN, TBS, or what have you. The way they engage with the sport explains the slow-motion shots in baseball movies and the peculiar durability of stats like wins, batting average, and saves.

I saw all of this because I noticed something in your article, (and while this is criticism it’s mean respectfully) a sort of unconscious privileging of your knowledge about “real baseball.” But that’s a perspective born out of a dedication to the ins-and-outs of the sport that most people don’t share. So I kind of take issue with the idea that things are “heightened the wrong way” as you say. Everybody has a right to enjoy the game in their own way–that’s part of what makes it the American game–and I’m not sure levying moral judgments against people who experience it differently is productive or illuminating.

]]> By: williamnyy23 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200626 williamnyy23 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:09:37 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200626 I like Field of Dreams even though it probably isn't a good "baseball" movie. Something about playing under lights in a cornfield is appealing to me. Long Gone is also very good, but one of my favorite baseball movies is Pastime. I like Field of Dreams even though it probably isn’t a good “baseball” movie. Something about playing under lights in a cornfield is appealing to me.

Long Gone is also very good, but one of my favorite baseball movies is Pastime.

]]> By: Joel http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200625 Joel Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:04:47 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200625 From out of left field: You know with 2,380 lifetime hits, Johnny Damon has a shot at 3,000. He would have to stay healthy for 3 more years and do a little something in a 4th year--which would be his age 39 season. But it is possible. HOF then for Johnny Damon? From out of left field: You know with 2,380 lifetime hits, Johnny Damon has a shot at 3,000. He would have to stay healthy for 3 more years and do a little something in a 4th year–which would be his age 39 season. But it is possible.

HOF then for Johnny Damon?

]]> By: Alex Belth http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/08/07/get-that-bum-off-the-stage/#comment-200624 Alex Belth Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:04:09 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=22464#comment-200624 You know what has a good baseball-related scene in it? The grenade throwing kid who loves Dennis Martinez in "Under Fire," and over-looked but excellent Nick Nolte movie. Also, the scene in "In the Bedroom" when the killer is being driven to the woods to meet his maker, with the Red Sox game on the radio in the background, really added some subtle but creepy tension. You know what has a good baseball-related scene in it? The grenade throwing kid who loves Dennis Martinez in “Under Fire,” and over-looked but excellent Nick Nolte movie. Also, the scene in “In the Bedroom” when the killer is being driven to the woods to meet his maker, with the Red Sox game on the radio in the background, really added some subtle but creepy tension.

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