My kids and I watched Rookie Of The Year recently and saw Angels In The Outfield over the weekend and we started watching Little Big League last night and will finish tonight.

The 1990's seemed to have a million baseball movies, there were some before that and a few after that but it seems like most of them were made in that decade.

Anyone know why? It's just fascinating to me that there are so many of them!

For the Love of the Game is my favorite.

I think it all started with The Natural in 1984, and then with the success of Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and Major League in 1988/1989 the genre took off.

Your kids would love Sandlot.

I know some lament the length of the baseball season but that is one more reason it is such a great game. Every game is not life or death. The best teams are all going to lose 60 games a year. This gives the game the laid back feel that is perfect for stories and characters, which is why so many good baseball movies exist.

As far as why the 90s? Could be a few reasons... The work stoppage in 1994 probably had something to do with it also. MLB might have been kicking in some money to paint the league in a good light or movie studios might have realized that people were jaded over the work stoppage and they could make good money on the nostalgia of baseball fans with good, clean fun baseball movies. The Sandlot (1993), Rookie of the Year (1993), Little Big League (1994), and Angels in the Outfield (1994) all hit right around the strike. Some were before, but I think everyone knew a strike was coming for years.

quote:

Originally posted by JWF:
Your kids would love Sandlot.

It's on the list!

I enjoyed all these movies, what's wild is, broadly it's not transferred to MLB views.

I agree that For the Love of the Game is a great baseball movie. I also love The Rookie, although it’s release date was 2002.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

Anyone know why? It's just fascinating to me that there are so many of them!

Because of Baseball Cards. Seriously I was born in 1983 so the 90s were my primetime kiddo years. Life was Baseball Cards, Beckett Monthly, Baseball, baseball and more baseball, going to the movies was also huge in the 90s being that baseball was so popular of course baseball kids movies would follow.

Pretty sure Baseball was the most played youth sport in the 90s.

We have watched all those movies multiple times with our boys over the last couple years. The Sandlot, Angels in the Outfield, and Rookie of the Year probably have come to 100 views combined around here.

Other good 90s kids movies were the Mighty Ducks series. We watched the original last night and are watching D2 as we type.

Angles in the outfield came out in 1951, with Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh. I don't know what revisionist nonsense you're talking out.



And if old, corny/campy baseball movies are your thing, find It Happens Every Spring from 1949, also with Paul Douglass and Ray Milland. It's not fine cinema, or even that great, but it's old time fun.

ETA: It's on Youtube.

I have not watched any baseball movies from the 90s. But my two favorites are Eight Men Out (1988) and The Bad News Bears (1976).

Eight Men Out was good,
Bull Durham was good,
Field of Dreams was good,



however someone mentioned MLB views, if that means people watching game on TV,

if they are like me and the wife, they are a good way to take a nap,

live games, hold my interest, but not sure why a televised game puts me to sleep

Mom in Law, however, is the worlds biggest Yankees fan, despite being southern, and watches every game that is shown on TV

doubt she has seen any of the movies mentioned

The Pride of the Yankees 1942.

I liked The Twilight Zone episode “The Mighty Casey” Season 1 episode 35.