The Baseball Movie Countdown, 10-6
We are counting down the 75 best — and worst — baseball movies ever made, some more factually correct than others.
OK, we’re closing in on the big finish as we count down the greatest (and not-so-greatest) baseball movies ever made. I sent out a massive email to several dozen of my friends and asked them to rank as many baseball movies as they would like. Some sent in just one. Others sent in as many as 64.
And here at JoeBlogs, we have put together the top seventy-five — we’re counting down to No. 1, which will be announced on August 20, the day Mike Schur and I will be at the Aero Theater in Los Angeles to introduce and talk about “A League of Their Own” (tickets here).
You can read Part 1 here — Nos. 75-56.
As I mentioned in the last post, I’m following the advice of voter and Brilliant Reader Daryl Morey and using the Condorcet Method to number the top 15. This matches up every movie head-to-head with the other 14, based on the voters’ rankings, and gives us a win-loss record.
Here are the next five!
No. 10: 42 (2013)
Condorcet W-L: 5-9
I have been lucky enough to be at the premieres of two movies in the Top 10 — my favorite was 42 in Kansas City. I got to meet and talk briefly with Chadwick Boseman, which is a memory I cherish. I got to spend some real time with one of our greatest actors, Andre Holland, who played sportswriter Wendell Smith and wanted very much to talk about Buck O’Neil and The Soul of Baseball. I got to see Harrison Ford from afar. It was truly incredible, and I love that 42 was made.
Is it a great movie? No, probably not. It plays pretty fast and loose with some facts and oversimplifies the story. But it’s easily the best Jackie Robinson movie — including the one where Jackie starred as himself. I like what the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Bill Francis says about it: “Heroic attempt to tell a story that may be untellable.” That seems about right to me.
I also like what Baseball Hall of Fame librarian Cassidy Lent says: “I want it to be better, but it goes on the list.”
