The Baseball Movie Draft

12:03Sean Fennessey:The good news is the finances of the Dodgers are great. Everything's going to be perfectly fine since they figured out that issue. I think that that colors a little bit of the baseball season. If not, I'll be curious to see if that infects any of the relationship to the two movies that are coming out next year. But like the Dodgers thing, I think, has put a little bit of a pall over the sport over the last few years. And this feels like we've reached maximum Dodgers frustration where it's like very evident that there's some criminal enterprise underneath the experience.

12:35Sean Fennessey:I'm not I'm not I'm not officially indicting the man. I have no legal power. It's just one man's opinion. Yeah. You know, do you think that Moneyball killed baseball, Louise?

12:46Mallory Rubin:You mean Moneyball? The movie or the philosophy? The movie, well, first of all, it tries its hardest in that film to create a romance out of statistical analysis in advance. Sure. I can not be romantic about baseball. But, like, for lack of a better phrase, it's almost like too good. And then after that, there's this kind of retrenchment of like, alright, so what would a baseball movie in a world where people know what warp and war are, what do you think? I don't know. It's really interesting. I hadn't thought about that. I think there's probably something to that. I think there's also just something to the state of the world and the cynical headspace that we all share.

13:25We're like, I don't know, a lot of baseball movies, and I say this with like love and from a position of gratitude for this, but they're incredibly corny and incredibly saccharine, and they require you to give yourself over to that feeling, right? They're often about some sort of connection to yourself, to your community, to your family, to somebody across time, right? To your sense of capacity and achievement. And like, I don't know, there have been good baseball movies since Moneyball. Like, Everybody Wants Some was delightful, but that's not necessarily the most widely seen baseball movie. Nor was it intended to be, right?

14:02But the way that people would point to the movies from the late 80s and early 90s in particular and say those were some of the defining films, to your point from earlier, Chris, like of our childhood or of that moment in time, that that doesn't feel true

14:16Mallory Rubin:yeah there are two post moneyball baseball movies that I hold very dearly neither are about the fable fairy tale Cleveland team that goes to the World Series or they're not even really about well they're not about the majors and if I'm guessing the two correctly one is about one is like a game but it's really about everything that happens in and around the world of the game. That's Ephus. And then Everybody Wants Some is about dudes rocking, you know, adjacent to a baseball team. Did the way that we, I was going to say we, like I watch a lot of sports, but the way that watching sports change, change the way that we relate to any of these movies.

14:59I mean, it does feel like there's so much extracurricular sports watching. I'm thinking about fantasy leagues and all of the other content that, that so much of being a fan is outside of the game. And most of the movies before Moneyball are like about there is a climactic game in a professional sports league.

15:21Sean Fennessey:I think it's an insightful question. I'm not sure that it infects the enjoyment of baseball movies so much as just the market forces of them not being appealing to audiences. The reason why it felt like the 90s was this boom time for me specifically is because there's a period between 1992 and 1996 where they're making a ton of baseball movies for kids. Yeah. And those movies, I saw every single one of them in movie theaters and they're all quite unusual. They're all fucking great. At the time, at least, they were very charming. Yeah. And that was, you know, that generation of baseball fans really fell in love with the stars of the sport and thus fell in love with the sport and thus fell in love with all the surrounding material around it.

16:04Sean Fennessey:Moneyball the book and what it did to the sport itself may also have infected downstream our ability to enjoy and even just narrativize the sport on screen. Plus, it obviously has fallen pretty clearly into third or maybe even fourth place in terms of big American sports. Yeah, and there's like a kind of counterintuitive aspect to that, where on the one hand, the fact that maybe baseball is a little bit less central in the public consciousness and to the shared experience makes it for the studios or filmmakers less like, oh, this is a sure thing. this is going to be a winner to make a movie about baseball just because of the question of, like, despite my prior baseball's back statement, do people care about baseball?

16:40Are they going to get excited? But I think the flip side of that, too, is like, I know you said earlier there haven't been that many baseball movies, but 70-some is, that's not nothing. Whereas, like, now obviously F1 is just Top Gun and Cars, but that's tapping into a new boom of American fandom, like a fledgling group of people who are saying, I'm interested in this for the first time. I watch Drive to Survive. I want to, oh, I've been thinking about his F1 for me. Maybe I'll check out this movie, you know, wrestling movies, boxing movies. Like there's just like a, we're not just making baseball, basketball, football movies all the time.

17:16Sean Fennessey:There's a huge component to this too, which is that it's really hard to look like you're credibly playing baseball at a high level. Like just to look like you're a pro player. Yeah. And there have been a few stars who have gone back to the well a few times because they, they are so credible. We, you know, I know you sell primetime. I don't know if you sell primetime. this is a not even a spoiler but there is a scene in which robert pattinson has a catch throws a baseball pretty credibly i thought um but like this is revisionist history on your part

17:43Mallory Rubin:well relatively speaking given his british heritage skylar gizondo in that scene is faking

17:49Sean Fennessey:being bad at throwing i asked that question on the pot i don't know presumably yes my answer was yes but it was pointed out to me of course and this may come up in terms of what you think qualifies as a baseball movie, but Robert Pattinson plays baseball in Twilight. Yeah, of course. The Twilight baseball scene is... Okay, so point of order.

18:05Mallory Rubin:You've opened up Pandora's box. Yeah, well, you... There's... We should talk about the categories for this draft, which are the usual drama comedy at Sean added kids movie and wild card. Yeah. And high concept. Based on a true story and high concept. Yes. For either high concept or wild card. Yeah. If you're taking high concept to mean this is a high concept pick by me, Oh. Or. Interesting. No, Wild Card should be. Or Wild Card. Wild Card should be baseball scene and not baseball movie. This was going to be my pitch. Okay, so baseball parentheses, basically. Wild Card could be anything.

18:39Sean Fennessey:I'll make Wild Card can be anything in the world of baseball related to movies. Right. So it could just be another baseball movie or it could be a documentary, but you could also do. I was thinking of a very broad definition for Wild Card. Okay. I'm down with your high. I was thinking of it high concept, meaning high concept on the page, the premise of the movie.

18:57Mallory Rubin:Yes. But if you can make the argument that this pick is, you prefer just all go on wild card for the sake of not chaos, right? I don't really care. As long as wild card can be whatever baseball movie I want it to be. Or whatever baseball scene I want it to be. It can. Yeah, then that's fine. Then you, you know. We'll see. I'll give you my rationale here.

19:18Sean Fennessey:Because there's a limited quantity of films, the balance between high concept and kids movie makes it very competitive. Those two categories, there will be a dearth. Whereas drama and comedy, there's a lot of picks. You may not love all the picks that you get, but there are a lot of options. Those other categories, a smaller number makes it more intense as we go through it. That's going to be really interesting in the first and second round because, you know, draft strategy versus like this is clearly the best movie. Like, are we going to take, well, there are some really good ones in high concept based on a true story.

19:47So there are a couple real doozies at the top. But like there are a couple movies that would definitely be picked as drama or comedy. It's like those categories are so deep. does it make sense to do that in the first round? But if you can get your favorite baseball movie, are you not going to do it? You know, like you got to do it. Do you want to have the movie you love

20:03Sean Fennessey:or do you want to have the best overall board? Any other thoughts before we pick our draft order? I'm curious if you guys think that there's like a clear number one or even a clear top four. No, I think there's a rush more and then there's a free for all. I generally agree with that. I think there's a Mount Rushmore.

20:20Mallory Rubin:I had one more question. Do you guys have a story that's been, that's happened in the world of baseball or even like you can even think of that's happened since Moneyball that you kind of wish there was a movie about? Oh my God, what a great question, Chris. Miles' Freddie Freeman's road trip with his cat. That's right, with the... Yeah. What about Freddie Freeman? I listen. I listen. When you talk, I listen. I feel so seen and known by you right now. What about Freddie Freeman's trip to Istanbul to get his teeth fixed? I was going to say the veneers can really come into play. The cat has like little like a manicure pedicure on the car.

20:51You're not even veneers now. Why are people mad about... Well, it's just that they're... The Chabell Run said it best. Let people have bad veneers. No, yeah. People can do what they want with their teeth or anything else. She did. Yeah. She did. I think there are just a few LA athletes who have some very prominent veneers. There are many other things going on.

21:07Sean Fennessey:Are you... I'm never going to do it. I can't do it. Veneers? Yeah. And now... Amanda, don't. Now Cy and I have matching chipped teeth. So it's fine. You should file your teeth forever. I'll tell you what. I'll make a deal with you. I'll make a deal with you. You said that... No, no. If you do it, I'll never acknowledge it. I know, you said that. I'll never ever mention it. I'm not going to do it. I can't do it. But it's just like of all of the problems, Freddie Freeman getting his teeth fixed, I don't really care.

21:29Mallory Rubin:Look, the Dodgers have it all. They're going to have to do it. And to that point, Otani would be a Hollywood story.

21:36Sean Fennessey:He's a great movie.

21:36Mallory Rubin:It would also be an interesting Heart of Darkness Underbelly story. That's what I'm saying. There's some dollars. No, you need to do the...

21:43Sean Fennessey:Lance Oppenheim's Otani. That would be good.

21:45Mallory Rubin:Can you imagine if Sidney Lumet was still with us and he made a movie called The Translator and it was about him. That would be awesome. That would be so good.

21:52Sean Fennessey:I mean, there's a lot of classic stories. We have not had a dramatized Maguire Sosa movie. And that's a really rich story. Yeah, for sure. Their friendship, the chase, and then all the aftermath and really the fall of that era of baseball in a lot of ways. It could be a really good film. Yeah, a steroid era I think would be really good. I mean, God, there's some gambling stuff to do, certainly. You could do something in a few years when Trout finally wins the World Series with the Phillies after returning home. Oh, yeah. A career, the best player of his generation who just couldn't win with the Angels finally goes home.

22:25You could do that. My pitch, obviously, will be, you'll still be fiddling with your fucking formula. Pete Alonzo.

22:32Sean Fennessey:I think you're going to need some success in Baltimore before making a movie about that.

22:36Mallory Rubin:You would make a movie about a guy having like an okay season for a mediocre season? Pete Alonzo had 43 home runs. How dare you? I would do, did you guys ever see the video of the kid from LSU who is a pitcher and like lied to his coach that he used to be a, used to hit back in high school. So his coach let him pinch hit and he hit a home run and like his post game conference was like, I just lied coach. I'm sorry. I just wanted to hit nukes. You know, like it was. I didn't see that. But it's like one of those things where it's like, that would be a good movie. But in the age of like reels, it's kind of hard to like squeeze any more juice out of that.

23:13Mallory Rubin:Yeah.

23:13Sean Fennessey:I mean, but that is, you find a lot of baseball movies have those kinds of premises too, were. They're not about the biggest stars, but this is like a wow true life story, which is why based on a true story is one of our categories here today. Okay, this will be interesting. Let's do a draft order. Jack, what do we got? Just want to say, Mal, you're talking a lot of shit for a team that traded their franchise cornerstone

23:32Mallory Rubin:to their division rival and missed the playoffs. Here we go. A draft order. Adley Rutschman franchise cornerstone? Was that, was he not the prince who was promised? What are you talking? Are you serious? No. You're being delusional. This is revisionist history. Come on. maybe holiday god damn it selecting first is Mallory Rubin I don't know if it's a great draft to select first I gotta be honest I mean I'm happy about it because I can stick my favorite movie but it's a long wait for the second selecting second is Amanda Dobbins okay I'll take it and third is Sean Fennessey

24:03Sean Fennessey:fourth Chris Ryan okay the turn tough to wait for the turn I dreamt on the turn last night actually you dreamt I did

24:11Mallory Rubin:did you literally dream about it

24:13Sean Fennessey:or did you just I don't dream about this show at all. You don't dream. I do dream, but I don't remember my dreams. Then how do you know that you dream? Because I've had dreams sometimes. Okay. Like I've had, I've remembered, you know, somewhere between 10 and 100 dreams in my life. Okay. That's it? I don't, yeah. Are they, are they, are the dreams that you remember? Do they repeat? Are they? I have a couple. Okay. I haven't had an anxiety dream in a while. Wow. Congratulations. That must be nice. My life is amazing. I had the.

24:42Mallory Rubin:That kind of vulnerability. Really?

24:44Sean Fennessey:Man. Everyone at this table knows that I'm a desiccating husk of fallen emotion. So it's easy for me to say. But yeah, I don't dream. You dream all the time? I used to remember my dreams more often, but I do dream. The thing is, I wake up a lot throughout the night, so I have more opportunities to remember a dream. You ever lucid dream?

25:04Mallory Rubin:Yeah. That's a powerful experience. That's the nap dream. You start to really go out of your mind. That can be very good. You usually have a 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. dream. Yeah. Yes. That's pretty vivid. that's when I remember my dreams the most as well how wet are your dreams? sodden okay okay

25:20Sean Fennessey:number one overall they shouldn't be allowed to sit next to each other Mel thanks for being here guys thanks for having me I love this podcast I love all of you I love baseball and I love film I also love Kevin Costner can you rank those orders those in order with Costner which we all know what your pick is going to be yeah I mean this is this is no surprise to anyone I'm taking Bull Durham it's a question of the category Bull Durham is not only my favorite baseball movie and my favorite sports movie. It's one of my three favorite movies, like, ever. I just love Bull Durham. It's a formative movie in my life.

25:48When I saw it for the first time junior year of high school, I watched it five days in a row. And I just love it. It is everything I want in a baseball movie. It's obviously a great romance. Yeah. I mean, Annie and all-timer. Absolute all-timer. Nukle Lush, what a character. And Crash Davis, historic. And, you know, Crash ironing at his boxers. Foundational text. It really is. It's just, boho crash, you do make speeches. It's just a wonderful movie. It has some of the most quotable lines, lollygagging, candlesticks. Ron Shelton, former member of the Baltimore Orioles farm system. I mean, come on, what do you want from me?

26:26But I think this is a movie where, you know, Annie's opening monologue about the stitches on a baseball and the beads on a rosary, you know right away that you're going to get a really special experience that is an examination of the struggle and the euphoria that baseball uniquely provides. and it's just absolutely magic. It's incredibly funny. You know, you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a fucking boat. Like, I've watched this movie 500 times and I cackle like a lunatic every time Crash says that to Nuke. The Garters.

26:58Mallory Rubin:What is his wrong lyrics for the song? Is she maybe wooly? Yeah, women get wooly. Women don't get wooly, they don't get wooly. It's just so great. You know, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains the baseball cliche machine all of it but like when Crash I mean obviously like I believe in the cock the pussy that whole speech is iconic but when Crash says to Annie I was just gonna say that's the peak of Kevin Costner like that scene that's it in his boxers yeah from there on that's a different one but yeah from there on he's you know kind of holds altitude for like a few years and then it's over it's just it really is an incredible Crash performance it's amazing the I think one of my favorites always, though, until obviously, you know, 60 Minute Man and fucking in the bathtub and in the bathrobes and knocking the milk over on the kitchen counter, the cereal, like all of it.

27:50It's just incredible. If you think you're winning because you're getting laid or because you're not getting laid, then you are and you should know that. Do you subscribe to that? Yeah, I do. As a fan.

28:03Mallory Rubin:Superstitions. Yeah, like I think there is something that this movie understands about what it is like to try to play baseball, crash a career minor leaguer who has to train this hotshot who doesn't appreciate the thing that he has. But also to sit there in the stands every day to give yourself over to this team and this experience. It's just really unmatched and unrivaled. I love it. I guess I'm going to take it in comedy, even though comedy is such a loaded category. I hate to draft comedy in the first round. I could take it in drama. I think there's a case for it in almost every category here, except for high concept.

28:36Kids movie?

28:37Sean Fennessey:No, no, it's not a kid's movie.

28:38Mallory Rubin:Because it's based on a true story of Ron Shelton's experience.

28:40Sean Fennessey:There's a lot of real minor league baseball, and it's a real minor league baseball. I was going to ask if based on a true story felt like too much of a stretch or if it felt eligible. I think it's a stretch and the board would need to consult on it, but it speaks to, I think, the kind of like flexibility of the movie. Yeah, certainly that is undeniable in terms of what informs it. We're dealing with a lot. cursed gloves etc can I take it in that category based on a true story I don't know if it's based on a true story that feels like a stretch I think it's based on his personal experiences but it's not based it's not really the same thing I'm gonna take it in I'll take it in comedy that feels like the the truest place for it to be even though it's a loaded category okay what a great movie you guys like Bull Durham Big Finn I do like Bull Durham a lot I deleted it from the top of my comedy category.

29:31So there you go. Would everyone have taken it with the first pick? No. I'm about to take my first pick. I assume I know what yours is. Yeah, in drama, which is, of course, Moneyball. Okay. One of my favorite movies of this century, as we did. What number was it for 25 or 25? Yeah, that's kind of low, but that's okay. I think it was accurate.

29:56It is a movie about the, like, intellectualization and the, you know, numberization and the corporatization of sports that then turns it back into, as Mal has already quoted, like the most romantic movie about baseball and sports made in our lifetimes. Incredible Brad Pitt performance. Incredible score that the last time the Phillies did something good in the playoffs, it was immediately, you remember the Bryce Harper home run that then immediately got set to the, the Hatton, Chad Hatton, what's Chris Pratt's character's name? Oh, Hattaberg. Hattaberg, yeah. The music when it cuts out. This will destroy you, the music, yeah.

30:39Great, great meme. I quote this all of the time. And, you know, it's very moving and also a Girl Dad movie for the Girl Dads among us.

30:51Sean Fennessey:Ben and Miller come back to feature films. Yeah. I would, you know, Foxcatcher didn't go as we all had hoped, but nevertheless, I would like to see him make another movie. so you're putting this in drama

31:01Mallory Rubin:out of respect for Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson who would probably say this was not based on a true story and Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez

31:09Sean Fennessey:none of the true stars of the Oakland Athletics really featured in the film one of the great moments for me of 2025 was when we screened this movie in Chicago and it was a secret surprise screening and I'd never really been able to like lead one of those before and so when the movie started and people realized in the room what it was and the excitement and the enthusiasm. That was really, really exciting and fun to watch. Yeah, this is an all-time great. And really the only truly modern all-time classic. You know, like it's... Yeah. There are some more that have come out after it that I like a lot, but one that I think kind of transcends.

31:47Sean Fennessey:Okay. It's my pick at number three? Yeah. Gosh. Where'd it go? A lot of good choices. I mean, there are some obvious ones. Yeah, there's some big ones. Why don't you leave those on the board? Take something else. I'm just going to pick my favorite. Go ahead. My favorite that is left right now is A League of Their Own. Is that what you were thinking? Wow. I mean, I still, I had to take Moneyball. I had to do it, but I didn't. I thought it might still be there for me. But you know what? You guys are feminists. That movie was never. We're allies. What's the problem? That movie wasn't making it out of the first round.

32:25with this great draft. There's no way. I mean, it's the one. It's a whole timer.

32:29Sean Fennessey:I mean, it's just straight up one of the most entertaining movies of all time. So, you know, I'm taking it in based on a true story. Even though it is also a comedy and a drama and features amazing performances. Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, of course. Great Madonna in this movie. Very funny Rosie O'Donnell in this movie that is based on the true life story of the All Girls Baseball Association that launched during World War II to sort of backfill for the absence of Major League Baseball during that time. And yeah, I saw this movie, me and my brother and my sister, in movie theaters with my mom, which I get was in 92 this movie.

33:05Sean Fennessey:So I was 10 years old. And I thought it was hysterical. Thought Hanks was unbelievable as Jimmy Dugan. And where are we at with girls in baseball? Like, I think there's a girls baseball team at my daughter's school. As opposed to softball. Yeah. like encouraging young girls to play the sport I should probably start getting my head around that I guess I should have asked whether how do you know no question mark was eligible for this film because it's softball I think it's yeah does Owen Wilson play a baseball player I thought he's just

33:40Mallory Rubin:a sports writer I saw it once I don't remember

33:46Sean Fennessey:baseball I don't think that's going to be Alice's sport but if she was like I want to play baseball that would be exciting Yeah. It was always a bummer to me when I was a kid. I had one year of co-ed T-ball, but then it was like, go play softball. And no shade at softball, but I really wanted to play baseball. Growing up in Reisterstown, Maryland in the 90s, I really wanted to play baseball. Calstown. You fucking know it, man. Yeah. Yeah. BJ Serhoff's town, Brady Anderson's town. One thing about this movie, the baseball is really good. Yeah. The staging and choreography of the baseball sequences.

34:17Sean Fennessey:Oh, it's awesome. You know, the conclusion of the movie with the slide and the ball falling out of the catcher's mitt. Incredible moment. If people listening to this have not listened to the rewatchables on A League of Their Own featuring Mal's strategic breakdown of that last scene and what people should and shouldn't do, I recommend it. That's why we podcast, ladies and gentlemen. And yeah, there's like, I don't know. There's just not many better baseball movies in this movie. Yeah. I want to pitch you guys on something right now. And if you'd like to take the trip to San Francisco, since it's going to be October, it's going to be Halloween season, let's all dress as the racing peaches for A League of Their Own.

34:56I've never gotten to do it. You know how that was always like the hot girl group costume at Halloween in college?

35:02Mallory Rubin:You want me and Sean to dress as like, who are you going to be? No, no, no. You were all. You have to take a 51 second kiss. I was going to go as Michael Myers.

35:13Sean Fennessey:We're going to go with who? Michael Myers. I think that you would look cute in the skirt. You know? Mike Myers one night. Isn't it Rockford Peaches? Rockford Peaches. Rockford Peaches and the Racine. I forgot what their team is called. Anyway, you know the costumes. You know the socks. My sons do like piss for that long for a long time. I gotta think about what's going to be my holiday costume for a San Francisco trip. And it's always what I think of.

35:38Mallory Rubin:That thing is they drink beverages all day long, right? They just always have the water bottle that I'm responsible for.

35:43Sean Fennessey:you go as Michael Myers I'll go as Arthur Clown deal I just I had an idea for a group that's a two night event okay well I'm just I'll be there for one night oh really

35:54Mallory Rubin:damn now I really am not going to have anyone to have dinner with did you hear that he programmed this out so I can't go to dinner I did hear about this that's not what happened but I am going to just wear my Rockford Peaches outfit the entire flight from New York to San Francisco

36:10Sean Fennessey:you more of a kit or a dotty kind of such a kid yeah for sure but I will say it feels like one of those things where your answer changes as you age a little bit just based on like what perspective you're bringing in the moment but yeah sure yeah that's sort of like Aiden Mr. Big situation and it goes back and forth over time way back on Mr. Big you're way back you're a kid or a dotty oh me I don't know she's kind of dotty I think okay more dotty and you yeah Madonna I mean definitely yeah Yeah, what was Madonna's? Oh, May Mortabito. Sure, yeah. Madonna's so hot. What was Rosie O'Donnell's character name?

36:49Sean Fennessey:Rosie was Doris Murphy. Yeah, that's a great character name. Wow. Special film. Directed by Penny Marshall. Boulder on Moneyball, League of Their Own. Yeah. No surprise that that's the top three. CR number three, number four, and number five.

37:03Mallory Rubin:On to turn. Two movies from the same frigging year. Let's take Field of Dreams in drama. Yep. 1989. Valda Robinson's adaptation of W.P. Kinsella's novel about Chulis Joe Jackson coming back to life and healing generational divides and families. And this movie, everybody's got one that's like, this movie is my emotional kryptonite. This movie destroys me. This is almost not a rewatchable for me because it's too affecting. The World of Dreams. And yet we did it as a rewatchable. We did it as a rewatchable, yeah. But some of the hardest, ugliest cries ever could come in the last 15 minutes of this movie.

37:47Oh my God, it's really very beautiful.

37:50Mallory Rubin:And it's really quite great. I watched it probably within the last five years, the whole way through. And for as corny and maybe as cheesy as some of the stuff is, like boomer, hippiedom, kind of like recovery stuff, God damn, James Earl Jones is good in this. and Costner is great in this and Amy Madigan is great in this and Busfield is good in this and like Leota looks beautiful in this movie as Joe Jackson. It's just an awesome, awesome film. Dude, I rewatched this like when you said we were doing the draft. I knew I would only have time to watch a few of them but I think the way I live my life is I'll just never miss an opportunity to rewatch Bull Derman's Field of Dreams.

38:32And actually I did Moneyball too. No matter how many times I see it there are a lot of the big cries as you said Chris but when Moonlight Graham

38:44Mallory Rubin:takes that step I mean it just destroys you no matter how many times like that idea of living your life for a thing that you never got to taste and then you get it for a second and it's gone again yeah what the fuck

38:59Sean Fennessey:the thing about this movie I rewatched it in 2024 and I similarly have a very emotional relationship to it I think most young people when you see this movie and especially boys and their dads. There's huge stuff going on there. But it's an extremely strange movie about obsession. And at times it feels like a little bit more like a horror movie than it does like a Fantasia drama. Yeah, there's a voice in the cornfield telling him what to do

39:24Mallory Rubin:and he's risking his family's well-being on it. For sure. He has to ask his wife a number of times if she thinks he's insane.

39:30Sean Fennessey:Exactly, yeah. So I think it's not maybe what younger generations might think it is based on the poster of Costner standing in front of the moonlight in the cornfield. I would say the last 20 minutes

39:41Mallory Rubin:are different than the rest of the movie. You know, like that, the rest of the movie is like at times surreal, at times comic, at times... It feels like a midlife crisis movie. Yeah, and a midlife crisis movie and then the last 20 minutes are like, holy shit, the waterworks are on. Yeah. Same year, I'm going to take Major League in comedy. This is kind of like the two sides of my 12-year-old being was like one was like getting in touch with like a world of adult emotion and like ideas about like you're not always going to be young and like time is a thing but then this major league is a movie that I just watched 403 times and it was just like Rick Vaughn is an important person to me as was Rene Russo in this film yeah this is David S.

40:33Mallory Rubin:Ward's movie about what would happen if the now the Cleveland Guardians, but back then the Cleveland Indians, had somehow made a crazy run into the playoffs against odds with the evil owner Rachel Phelps, who's trying to sabotage the team. Margaret Whitten? Was that the actress? So that she can move the team to Florida and live a better life outside of Cleveland.

40:56Sean Fennessey:Little did we know the then-Florida Marlins were right around the corner. Yeah. The team would change their name to the Guardians.

41:03Mallory Rubin:And this is an ensemble of Dennis Haysbert, Corbin Bernson Charlie Sheen Tom Barringer Wesley Snipes as Willie Mays Hayes a ton of character actors and it's just a season of baseball comedy and it is it is perfect still it's so fucking good when Wild Thing comes in oh my god when they play the song and the whole stadium sings it's fucking electric yeah it really is I don't know how this one ages or how it goes for like I don't know like how it would play for like a 13 year old now but it's a pretty perfect movie in its own way. Right back.

41:40Sean Fennessey:I want to give some love to James Gammon, the manager, Lou. Lou Taylor. Who's unbelievable. Has a heart attack in Major League 2. I probably have seen Major League 2 more than Major League 1. Really? Why? Because it was on cable all the time as a kid. Omar Epps fan. You know, he did solid work filling in for Wesley. We would have preferred Wesley Snipes, but you know, he did his thing. okay those are two very good picks there's a character

42:06Mallory Rubin:in Major League 2 named Kamikaze Tanaka who I don't know if that's the most sensitive naming of a character I've ever seen I wouldn't say

42:12Sean Fennessey:Major League also you know it's Hayesburg's character Pedro Serrano not exactly the most woke characterization yeah a voodoo practicing slugger okay can't hit the curveball I mean those are two all-time classics I'm gonna take the most recent favorite in comedy and take everybody who wants some. Oh, okay. I love that movie. Just because I think it is the most elite baseball hangout movie of all time. I think the thing that it gets the most right is what baseball bros are like. You know, I played travel baseball. I was just talking with somebody about this, maybe even your husband, Amanda. But it was like, I joined a travel baseball team when I was eight and I played travel baseball until I was 17.

42:54And so I, in addition to playing for the school team,

42:58Sean Fennessey:was just around my teammates around all year for 10 years.

43:03Mallory Rubin:Were you preparing Zach for the next decade of his life?

43:06Sean Fennessey:That's what we were talking about. I was like, you've got two boys and they're both look like athletes. Yeah. You're fucked. Yeah. And I wasn't even that good, but I was still on a team that was like traveling all around Long Island every Saturday morning.

43:16Mallory Rubin:Welcome to San Bernardino on a Saturday. I was going to say, do you want to be the travel baseball coach?

43:22Sean Fennessey:I think you need to be more esteemed than that. No offense. I know you were a football player yourself. I guess by that, I meant like family coach. Oh, you mean like your chauffeur? This movie obviously is about a college team, a Texas college team that is very specifically based on Richard Linklater's experience. He grew up as a very competitive baseball player. And the camaraderie of the dudes. It's supposed to be like Sam Houston State?

43:44Mallory Rubin:That's where he played. Yeah.

43:45Sean Fennessey:I don't know if that's actually the school that is portrayed in the movie, but that is where he played. And it's just very authentic to the way the guys should talk, the way that they talk about girls, how they party, their relationships, their friendships. they're they're rivalries you know the ways they don't get along the what is Kurt Russell's son's name Wyatt Wyatt the Wyatt Russell character in this movie is one of the greatest creations in modern movie history so good and is him listening to Fleetwood Mac Pink Floyd excuse me Pink Floyd is it Pink Floyd or is it the I thought he was listening to taking bodies I thought it's the early Fleetwood Mac song oh you might be right it is instrumental but it might be Pink Floyd I can't remember anyway taking bong hits and then we later learn that he's 30 years old one of the most amazing reveals like casually when he has to leave the team this movie cracked me up and is a very warm and cozy nightlight kind of a movie that I really dig so I'll take that in comedy great one great pick oh Dobbins what are you gonna do I'm gonna go kids movie and I'm gonna do Sandlot well listen you got to it's right there I mean this is So this is also, this is 93.

44:59So you get a League of Their Own in 92, Sandlot in 93. I was like eight and nine, saw both of these in theaters. I don't want to bring up any harsh memories, but baseball is like alive locally where I was at that time. And this is just -

45:18Mallory Rubin:They say much the same thing in Moscow right now, you know? I've renounced them, okay? I was there but I left they hadn't won yet at this point yeah but it was exciting and you got to you know they were in and they had not been like exciting for a long time and it was

45:35Sean Fennessey:where do you stand on the chop not good I don't think that we should be doing that yeah that was embarrassing good still going I was there last year anyway now I remember watching this as a kid I've watched it no it's insane that they still do it it's absolutely everything about the Braves then but especially now it was outrageous Yeah. Many people are saying. The Sandlot. Yeah. It's great. It's amazing. The Sandlot. Let's bring it back to the Sandlot. I showed this to my son, who's four, my older son, who does play t-ball. And he loved it. Asked to watch it again the next day, which is the sign of a movie, really.

46:12It's a thing with Maverick. Incredible ensemble of young kids, including—I had forgotten until I rewatched how important Mike Vitar was to me growing up. and then he just oh man and he doesn't act anymore he's like

46:26Sean Fennessey:that's Benny the Jet yeah yeah yeah powerful childhood crush powerful powerful childhood crush I just also gotta say like the costume design of these boys yeah it is certainly my fashion inspiration for my children and maybe possibly for myself they look so awesome are you kidding no I know they're amazing they're the coolest kids in the world we had Wendy Peppercorn they had they had Benny the Jet yeah so Sandlot it is for me. I think that's the right pick. I was hoping it would somehow fall one more to me, but I respect the choice. I think that the draft is pretty unimpeachable so far. Without looking,

47:04Mallory Rubin:who's the director of The Sandlot? David Mickey Evans. Wow. Who also directed National Lampoon's Barely Legal. Okay. You wouldn't know that. Which he started?

47:16Sean Fennessey:Recently. He also directed First Kid. Remember First Kid? And Beethoven's Fourth. But First Kid is not Chasing Liberty. Well, no, those are two different films. Right, but they're about the same concept. Yes, but the First Kid was a more irreverent comedy. Sure. What happened in Chasing Liberty? Can you tell me right now? Is that Channing Tatum? Mandy Moore is the daughter of the president. Yes. And she wants to be free. Who to? Who is the president? Yeah. Sinbad. Nope.

47:49Mallory Rubin:Oh, I'm thinking of the Channing Tatum movie where he protects Jamie Foxx as the president? Is it like Tim Matheson? Who is it? No, it's Mark Harmon.

47:57Sean Fennessey:Oh, Mark Harmon. Right. And then who is the person that... So how does she want to be free? She wants to be free because she's fallen in love with a classmate who's played by Leonardo DiCaprio. No, she wants to go to some parade in Berlin and she falls in love with her Secret Service agent played by... Oh, Chris Pine. Matthew Goode. Chris Pine is Princess Diaries 2 please please get your source test is there any baseball in any of these movies no I don't know actually could be a Chasing Liberty oh man alright now you have a turn I do two turns in fact couple movies that I really love all classics off the board thus far I think we've got some left for sure I think we've got some left for sure so I'm gonna go high concept here cause that as you noted earlier is like not the deepest category and I could still get one of my top two picks in that field.

48:53So I'm going to take the natural as my high concept.

48:56Mallory Rubin:Okay. Price is still on the board. Yeah. I didn't think it would be a first round pick, but I thought it would be a second. Yeah, I'm super excited to hear you try to explain this. Go ahead. At the table where I was told that midichlorians weren't a Skywalker family anymore? What's high concept about a guy being good at baseball? But that's, oh, Chris, if only it were so simple. So tell me how it's so complicated about it. I think so. When I asked Sean what's high concept, he said anything that has like a magical quality or something that is like highly mythic. Why are you doing all of this? Remember when he berated me on the Star Wars draft and was like, ask me more questions and sometimes then I'll let you do things?

49:40I learned my lesson. Why are your nostrils flaring already? I think I only asked you one question. This was the only question I asked you. I'm not mad about it.

49:47Mallory Rubin:He's a very relaxed dungeon master today. I feel like we could get away with a lot.

49:51Sean Fennessey:I'll read you what I wrote to Mallory. He's right. Why is this happening behind closed doors? She texted me. Just texted him. Yeah, but again, why? He didn't want to bother you guys. He didn't want to bother you guys. Bringing in the council. I wrote anything that features a magical presence or quality, anything that is absurdist and gimmicky. Uh-huh. So I would posit that... It's pretty broad. Yeah. That's broad enough to make a lot fit, including The Natural, a movie where a prodigious talent's life and career are derailed by a ill-timed bullet wound. But also a magical bat is felled by a bolt of lightning.

50:27Wonderboy.

50:28Sean Fennessey:Lightning bolts hit trees all the time. I think The Natural qualifies. Okay. I think it's close, but there's a mythological quality to the story. This is baseball gods come to Earth. Roy Hobbs is a baseball god. He is a mythic figure. He's as much a comic book figure and a figure of lore as he is a baseball player. And so I think by that standard, it qualifies. Okay.

50:49Mallory Rubin:What do you think? I'm going to allow it. I forgot. I forgot about the also the random gun person. I mean. And why that happens. His girlfriend. Yeah. I know, but it's.

51:02Sean Fennessey:Who is it? Kim Basinger? Yeah. Yeah. What a night that was. Worth it? Some might say worth it. It's a bit of a confusing moment in the story. It is. That's another kind of why I think high concept. It is actually a little bit of a, oh, wait, this is the plot of this movie, like every time you return to it. But look, you can't really say Roy Hobbs or, you know, these certain key terms from The Natural without thinking of the spray of the lights when the Homer hits the light tower. It's just, it's great. Never tire of The Natural. So that's my pick for Hot Concept. And then because Sandlot is off the board, I will go Bad News Bears as my kids movie.

51:37Which one? The first. Okay, good. the first with respect to all the breaking training heads out there, of which I am one. I'm going with the first Bad News Bears. Great movie. You know, Kelly Leake, an important figure, an important figure for people of our age. The cigarettes, the attitude. In general, Bad News Bears, you know, what a wonderful story that examines what is winning really worth? What does it mean? You know, second chances, newfound connection. and also tell those fucking Yankees where to stick their trophy, you know?

52:12Mallory Rubin:Great film. Do you like the sequel? I do, actually. Do you like the Linklater remake? I like pretty much every Linklater movie. One thing I'm always a little bit troubled by as I age is when people are like, oh, I watched the wrong Bad News Bears. Oh, yeah. Which happens a lot, I think. Meaning they watch the Billy Bowman version instead of the original. Oh, wait. So that's always, that happens, I think, with increasing frequency.

52:35Sean Fennessey:The original holds up very well. I'd never seen it until this year. yeah and it is wonderful it's such a delight and I was like oh this it's great it's Michael Ritchie and him in the middle of an amazing period those kids are so funny and it's edgy it feels when you're a kid it's definitely a kid's movie but it feels edgy it feels like slightly promiscuous in a fun way so yeah the natural and high concept bad news bears in kids movie back to Dob Mob yeah I'm sorry for what's about to happen oh boy summer catch? what? no I just many of my comedies are off the board so I am going to take Ephus. That's fine.

53:12Which I also, which is a beautiful movie. Is that a comedy? It's funny. It's observational comedy. It's also quite sad. I would put it in drama. Well, so are all comedies because comedy is about exploring your trauma through laughing, right? What? What's happening?

53:35Sean Fennessey:Can you circle on that? I don't know. it is funny it would be considered a comedy but at the end of it is like a real existential kind of despairing which is why I respond to it instead of you know some of like the more slapstick options yeah this is as we were referencing earlier a movie about a rec league and one game that goes on and on and everything that it reveals about this community of people and what baseball means to them, but also just what it is to be a person and trying to connect with people and trying to find something that has meaning and to preserve it.

54:17Mallory Rubin:A real hidden gem from the last couple of years. Really wonderful. So that is Ephus, and that's my comedy.

54:25Sean Fennessey:In a tough spot. I'm going to fucking kill you. All these movies are good. I'm in a tough spot. Because there's three movies I want. And there's no way all three of them are going to last through Chris's turn.

54:39Mallory Rubin:I'm ghostbustering you, man. I'm trying to ESP you. Are you being Vigo? I'm just trying to project what I want. I've done it. I can only do so much.

54:54Mallory Rubin:It's all good because if you do it, it just means we're brothers. It's cool. That's beautiful.

54:59Sean Fennessey:In drama, I'm taking sugar.

55:01Mallory Rubin:That's not what I was going to do. but I was definitely high up my list that's a great movie well then that worked out

55:07Sean Fennessey:Bowdoin and Fleck cooking all these picks are great is this their last great movie? did Mississippi Grind come out before this? it did right? after Sugar was after

55:17Mallory Rubin:Half Nelson and then this

55:19Sean Fennessey:Sugar was 08 right? Anna Bowdoin and Ryan Fleck who are probably best known widely for having directed Captain Marvel which is an atrocious film

55:28Mallory Rubin:and a couple of episodes of Masters of the Air

55:29Sean Fennessey:yeah they made some TV they made some some good films since. Was it the Callum Turner episodes?

55:37Mallory Rubin:It's the second half after Fukunaga vanished. I can't remember what. God, okay. Wow.

55:44Sean Fennessey:Sugar is a film they made in 2008 about a young player whose nickname is Sugar played by Alhanes Perez Soto who is a Dominican farmhand. He's a young, like a rising young talent. the movie is probably the most realistic portrayal of what it means to play in the minor leagues it's very different from Bull Durham which is more farcical and fun and this is more about it's an immigration story it's a story about a person kind of lost inside of a culture and also a person who has to confront what they do when their life doesn't work out exactly as they're told it's going to work out very like sharply nicely observed drama and there's not a lot of films about this, like this about sports in general.

56:32Sean Fennessey:It is not about a famous person that features an actor you've never seen before. And it does feel like it's from a completely different era in Sundance filmmaking. I really, really like this movie. And it's one of the very few baseball dramas that isn't like a star laden, kind of gloopy vehicle. And we'll see if people get into any of those films as we keep going in here. but I would take this over some other stuff.

56:58Mallory Rubin:Yeah. Okay.

56:59Sean Fennessey:That's sugar. Good pick.

57:00Mallory Rubin:Okay. Two for me. Based on a true story, I'm going to take eight men out. John Sayles' movie about the Black Sox scandal. I think we've talked about this on this pod. We have. At various points, but the 1919 World Series and the gambling scandal that rocked baseball stars John Cusack, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney, and a litany of other people, especially incredible Shoeless Joe pod from you I know I know Shoeless Joe Jackson kind of forgotten because at the time because a lot of the movies that were coming out about baseball around this time celebrated baseball and celebrated the mythology and the romance and the fantasy of you know you'll hit the home run in the last inning or whatever and this is about a bunch of guys who basically had their lives ruined by participating in or being adjacent to a gambling scandal in the early 20th century.

57:55Mallory Rubin:And it's a fucking incredible movie. Well, part of what's so good

57:58Sean Fennessey:about it is like there's a lot of nuance in the way it is portrayed because like as with all John Sayles movies, it's really about power and wealth and who controls who and the idea of ownership and just what a terrible, was it Comiskey was the owner of the team at the time?

58:11Mallory Rubin:Yeah, but there's also, or Abe, Comiskey. Yeah, no, it was Comiskey because it was the White Sox. But then there's all this stuff about who put forward effort even in throwing it. You know what I mean? And like the guys, like various guys who didn't really seem to have any idea of what was going on or guys who were basically like, I'm not taking the money, but you can only do so much as an individual in a baseball team. And that is, I mean, that is part of them, the plot of Field of Dreams, right? Like when he has to reckon with the guilt he carries for saying to his dad, like how could your hero be a criminal?

58:46And then of course, this is the penance, right? And this is the way that he can reconnect with ghosts of many forms is to find some empathy for that experience.

58:56Mallory Rubin:John says that to me all the time about Chase Utley. When I walk into a cornfield. Okay, so I take that in based on a true story. Yeah, you have another pick, Sierra. Yeah, and... Hmm.

59:17I think in High Concept, I'm going to take the third 1989 film, and that is Night Game starring Roy Scheider. Oh my God.

59:29Mallory Rubin:Which is about a Houston police detective trying to catch a serial killer who only kills blonde chicks while the Astros have Night Games.

59:38Sean Fennessey:First of all, it's a fantastic pick. Second of all, this is one of the greatest movie posters of all time. but it's a hook hand through a baseball. Okay.

59:49Mallory Rubin:A lot of really good Astrodome footage in this movie. Yeah, sure. Shider. That's what you were looking for. Shider is on a phone phoning it in in this movie. Whatever he thought he was signing up for, this is the paycheck of all paychecks. It has such a crazy that guy cast and is mostly about blondes being murdered in Houston. and I'm only emphasizing that because the film goes to great lengths to be like this guy likes killing blondes it's on Tubi I highly recommend it Peter Masterson directed it, Trans World Entertainment put it out, one of our great studios at that time have you seen this one?

1:00:30Sean Fennessey:I have seen this movie sitting at a 2.7 on Letterboxd right now, I'm looking for the logs how do I see how many people have seen this movie? not many This is the first true twist of the draft. But I respect that. It's good. It's good.

1:00:43Mallory Rubin:It's an interesting testament to my influence in that space to see if we get a couple more logs. Oh. Get those numbers up. Hits the one million club. There you go. When it passes Eddington.

1:00:56Sean Fennessey:Peter Masterson also came up. I forget for the Hackman. Did you watch Full Moon in Blue Water? No, I don't think so. The Terry Garr movie? No. What a weird career he had. I mean, honestly, a great CR pick. Neither of your picks were the movies that were on my board. which is fascinating for me. Eight Man Out,

1:01:11Mallory Rubin:was it on your board? It was, but I already picked

1:01:13Sean Fennessey:based on a true story. So it was, okay. I don't know where to put this movie, but I'm going to take this movie because this is also a relic of my childhood. I've got two potential spaces where I can put it. Okay, this is exciting. And I think I'm going to put it in high concept. Yeah. And I'm going to take rookie of the year. you got to. This movie rules. This movie is so good. I love it. I have no problem saying one of my absolute favorite movies when I was 11. Same. I'm deleting it from High Concept. He got there first. That's all I can do. Yes. Henry Rohn. He breaks his arm. The tendon stays tight.

1:01:51It's too tight. You don't need to say it like that. Just because we were all of an age where... I was watching Night Game. If you know what I'm saying. Indeed. Okay. This is a wonderful movie.

1:02:08Sean Fennessey:I believe this is Daniel Stern's directorial debut he also plays the pitching coach in this film Phil Brickma yeah is he the Cubs pitching coach Bobby Bonilla

1:02:17Mallory Rubin:is in this movie as a Met yes

1:02:19Sean Fennessey:the Mets are embarrassed which was hard to accept but the Cubs were kind of a joke at this time so it was okay they needed something a couple of things about this movie truly deranged Gary Busey performance as Chet Rocket Steadman

1:02:34Mallory Rubin:yeah he was a night game

1:02:36Sean Fennessey:he was like But I love it. He seems completely cocared out of his mind. I love it. It's so entertaining. Do me a favor, kid. Don't call me that. A lot of demons. A lot of demons. Thomas and Nicholas. Honestly, great job. Great job by him. I'm not sure that the science checks out on Henry Rowan Gartner. Being able to throw 104 miles an hour. But it seemed like a lot of fun when I was 11. I just want to cite two people. One, Amy Morton. Legendary Chicago stage actress to me. actress who plays Henry's mom who's terrific in the movie it's so wonderful and they have that nice moment at the end when he's on the mound I know I may have cheered up watching that this morning may have sound like a baby every time I see it I know but I did like rewatch it this morning because I was like I haven't seen this in many years it was really good this is a great kids movie and then the last person is Bruce Altman who plays like the new stepdad figure who's just a real motherfucker just a real motherfucker well I sold him yeah that could have obviously gone in kids movie yeah and maybe i'll regret not taking it in kids movie nevertheless it is a high concept that a 12 year old boy would be able to throw 100 miles an hour and strike out major leaguers yeah okay what a movie what a film that's true i probably watched that a thousand times when i was a kid i watched it all the time too and that was on my high concept list and now it's out but that's okay uh things are getting a little thin for me that's okay you know so i'm gonna go except for wildcard where I can go for days.

1:04:04So, based on a true story, I'm going to take the other film that made me cry this morning when I was doing a refresher, which is The Rookie. Listen, when he calls his son to tell him that he's going to start in the major leagues, I mean, it's wonderful.

1:04:20Sean Fennessey:Yeah, this is a really good movie. And everything with the team. So this is about, it's Dennis Quaid plays a high school coach and I believe no a high school teacher I believe Texas who did not get to pitch he never got to try out for the major leagues because his dad Brian Cox didn't believe in him and then he does it's kind of a sequel yeah prequel to Succession now that I think about it and then at the age of 35 the high school baseball team that he coaches kind of like goads him into trying out and then he ultimately gets to pitch and it's just absolutely beautiful based on the true story of Jim Morris

1:04:55Mallory Rubin:yeah I would say Dennis Quaid probably has the silver medal for sports movies of this era underneath Codder. It's Cap Rooney in Any Given Sunday. Yeah. Incredibly credible as an NFL quarterback. What's the one with Robin Williams? Best of Times?

1:05:11Sean Fennessey:Best of Times. No, that's Kurt Russell.

1:05:13Mallory Rubin:No, but Quaid is a Ellis... He's got a football movie. Hold on.

1:05:19Sean Fennessey:That's not... That's not Any Given Sunday? Yeah. One second. I think he's really good as Cap Rooney basically playing Dan Marino in Any Given Sunday. Mm-hmm. The Rookie is a really good movie it's really really it's and you know it's like old school very classic very sentimental totally Disney-fied but works really well very emotional it is the kind of movie that the early part of this conversation was like could you still make this and would you accept it because of its sentimentality I don't know but they're trying to do what's the Superman plays the giant movie coming out Mr. Irrelevant Mr.

1:05:51Irrelevant it's football it does look good that looks good and I will say he gave like a very convincing intro at CinemaCon just being like, you know, I'm Eagles born and bred. And it was very hard for me to put on a Giants jersey. And I just want you to all know.

1:06:05Mallory Rubin:Of course, what's a G? He is. I don't really recognize that depiction of Lorde's Taylor in the preview that I've seen. Or Bill Parcells. Or Bill Parcells. Well, it's being played by

1:06:14Sean Fennessey:Michael Shannon who's known to play lunatics.

1:06:17Mallory Rubin:Dennis Quay was in Everybody's All-American. Oh, I've never seen that. Taylor Hackford movie. I've never seen that.

1:06:23Sean Fennessey:Okay. Now we're to Mallory. for two picks. Oh, oy vey. Okay.

1:06:29Mallory Rubin:We're getting down to the end here. Who's going to break the seal with wild cards? What I wonder if Mal's going to do here. I am going to take my wild card on the turn. Yeah, I am. I'm going to save drama for last.

1:06:39Sean Fennessey:Mal's got drama based on a true story and wild card deal. I'm going to take my based on a true story. I'm going to take 61, which I really love. I think that movie's great. Billy Crystal. This is the Maris Mantle movie. Shout out Thomas Jane. Always fun to see him. I'm more of a Barry Pepper guy. Barry Pepper as Maris. It's a wonderful performance. Just sensational. You look like a fucking optical illusion. I really love this movie. The first time I saw it, I thought it was just absolutely excellent. And I haven't rewatched it as many times as I'd like over the years, but I quite enjoy this film.

1:07:11And it is like a version, you know, you were saying, it's kind of like, okay, where's the Sosa, Maguire, Bond, steroid era? Like movies, this is obviously a historical, backdrop for the PED moment that came after in terms of the records and what stands and how we now appreciate the deeper history anew. But movies, dramatizations, fictionalizations about real baseball history and these moments where every single at bat carried some sort of significant consequence, just like, I don't know, electric. So yeah, I love that movie. I'm taking 61 in based on a true story. And then I'm going to -

1:07:53Sean Fennessey:Hold on, hold on. Yeah, please. Who is the real, who's the true home run king in baseball, in your opinion? Oh, wow. Okay. Oh, that's a good question. Do you not think it's Barry Bonds because of the steroids? I'm asking your opinion. I, my feeling, this is a very, we could have a four-hour discussion on this, but I think that it's a complicated thing in real time to litigate cheating in baseball because there are versions of cheating in baseball across baseball history, right? I agree with that. So... betting on the game is like befouling something sacred.

1:08:28Mallory Rubin:So that's why you're not acknowledging Pete Rose's hit king in honor of Grand Wizard Ty Cobb. Barry Bonds hit those home runs. He did it with some aid. To me, it's crazy that Barry Bonds wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. Do you disagree?

1:08:43Sean Fennessey:Barry Bonds is the best baseball player I've ever seen. Yeah. So, without question. There you go. What about you? What do you think?

1:08:49Mallory Rubin:I mean, it's funny. I'm going through this right now with Manchester City Chiefs. for the last decade in the Premier League. Has that been happening? Yes. And they've been brought up on 114 charges of financial fraud. Was Jude part of it? Jude is not part of it. Okay, thank God. Jude is not part of it. Jude is very important to me as well. Not my beloved Jude. Erling Holland is part of it. Oh, dear. Oh, yeah. Everybody's got to return those. In any case,

1:09:19Sean Fennessey:I don't think that they should have to give back those trophies. They won them. There you go. Can you name the 10 seasons in which a player has hit 60 home runs? No. Sorry. Isn't that like a bunch recently?

1:09:31Mallory Rubin:Like, didn't Cal Raleigh do it? Cal Raleigh did it.

1:09:33Sean Fennessey:Judge, obviously. Aaron Judge. Yeah. He did it in 2022. Bonds. Bonds did it one time. Yep. He hit 73. Sure did. Roger Maris hit 61. Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron never hit 60 in the season. Okay. did Hank Aaron even hit 50 in a season

1:09:55Mallory Rubin:not sure that he did he just hit 40 for 30 years like that

1:10:00Sean Fennessey:I believe so I know obviously Maguire and Sosa who we already talked about of course Hank Aaron the most he hit was 47 in a season uh Maguire hit it did it twice Sammy Sosa did it three times Sammy Sosa had 66 64 and 63 home run seasons pretty remarkable remarkable and peds and corked bats yeah yeah he did have some help yeah barry bonds was 36 years old when he had 73 home runs that's older than kyle schwarber and bryce harper are right now it's true so it could go the other way yes they could get on peds start out yeah yeah uh okay you have a second pick i'm sorry to interrupt oh gosh um i think that jude had some teammate relations issues recently.

1:10:47With who? Someone from Real Madrid. Oh, yes. Yeah. My two remaining categories are drama and wild card. They seem to do that based on what I learned this summer. Okay. The highest overall rated movie that I still have left is... According to who? To me, to my personal ranking. Okay. My color-coded spreadsheet that I quickly whipped up. Great. I mean, could I try to get it into drama? Like, maybe, but I think it would be more authentic to take it as my wild card. So I'm going to take Damn Yankees.

1:11:14Sean Fennessey:Mm-hmm. Fuck, Mallory. Sorry.

1:11:17Mallory Rubin:Really? That was going to be my high concept. High musical comedy and high concept? I mean, you're selling your soul? Yeah, it certainly could have been. I almost took it in high concept earlier. Yeah. Then I was allowed to take the national.

1:11:27Sean Fennessey:Yeah. What the fuck, Mallory? Please. I mean, it's fine. Luckily, I have another bad movie. You can get back at me by taking Silver Catch in the last round. Okay, fine. Whatever. Go ahead. This movie's great. No, I mean, that reaction says, you made the pick for me, I think, with that reaction. Wonderful concept. wonderful film wonderful theatrical production have you guys seen this on the stage no I didn't no it debuted I have some time ago I think you'll see

1:11:54Mallory Rubin:Tyler Ferguson is like just does it has been doing it for like 12 years or something just sensational stuff isn't it Bob Fosse

1:12:02Sean Fennessey:who originally did the choreography in this yeah and it's Gwen Verdon is in the movie as well and Fosse is in that's what I was just singing when they do the mambo number yeah fuck sorry it's fine it's okay Joe Hardy high fries you know I don't know what else to say. My pick is, the pick I have left is stupid, but funny to talk about. Okay, let's hear it. You're up. Well, who says I'm going to do that? I'm obviously just going to go to Wildcard and take Good Will Hunting. And the scene in the therapy office, I had to see about a girl, you know, when he's recounting. Okay, so this is why you were asking earlier.

1:12:35Okay, it's just interesting. Multiple baseball scenes in Good Will Hunting. But we call it a baseball movie? I'm curious. We talked about this at the beginning. You were present for it, where baseball scenes in baseball related scenes. I would say it's integral. They do also get kicked out of a Little League game. The best baseball scene in the movie is going to the Little League game.

1:12:57Sean Fennessey:Talking shit and sitting in the bleachers. Like a bunch of fucking losers. It's a great movie. I think that's totally fine in Wild Card. The Carlton Fisk and, you know, reenacting it and waving it out. And I had to go see about a girl. There we go. So, shout out Goodwill Hunting. Who are you rooting for this year in the playoffs? Can't root for the Red Sox. Probably the Brewers. Yeah. We'll see some Miz magic. Would love to the Phillies. We have the Dodgers. Not the Dodgers, obviously.

1:13:28Mallory Rubin:We have the Braves and then the Dodgers if we get past the Braves. It's off-road. If we get to pass the Dodgers, it's because God has come down and touched Bryce Harper. And it's going to happen. That would be beautiful. That's a movie making.

1:13:41Sean Fennessey:Could absolutely happen. Okay, is that my pick? Yeah. Yes. Oh, my.

1:13:49Sean Fennessey:Kids movie. Bangers left. I'm going to take the Bad News Bears and Breaking Training. I'm not going to say it's better than Bad News Bears. It's not. It's good. But in terms of like you lost your star and this is clearly a cash grab, kind of remarkably good. Yeah. Sure. Two reasons. One.

1:14:11Mallory Rubin:Major League Two.

1:14:13Sean Fennessey:kind of similar. Although, rather than try to replicate Buttermaker with a different actor, they bring in William Devane as Kelly Leake's long-lost dad. Kelly Leake finds him. The whole movie is about this struggle between them, their inability to get along, but William Devane turns out to be a great manager. Speaking of the Astrodome, some great Astrodome stuff in Breaking Training that you're playing against the Houston team. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think legitimately one of the best sports sequels ever. There's a couple of movies that I liked when I was a kid that are still on the board here and we can talk about them.

1:14:46Sean Fennessey:I don't think those movies are actually good though. Whereas I do think the Bad News Bears and Breaking Training is good. I'm not trying to sully anyone's pick. It's more like nostalgia and affection than it is. Like if you put one of those movies on for me right now, I think I'd be like, eh, I'm not as into it, but we can save that conversation in case those films come up. I hope they do. So Bad News Bears and Breaking Training. Okay, CR, you've got two. Are these your last two picks?

1:15:07Mallory Rubin:These are my last two picks. Can I have Summer Catch and Kids Movie? young adults yeah what do we mean by kids I think why not I think kids is like a little restrictive

1:15:21Sean Fennessey:summer catch is rated PG-13 for sexual content language and drinking it's targeted at 13 year olds yeah I agree

1:15:31Mallory Rubin:Lillard, Prince Dennehy all cooking

1:15:37Sean Fennessey:they're cooking in it? yeah they're cooking do you know what summer catch has on Rotten Tomatoes? I think that's like a 5 % right? Yeah it's 8 % 8 %

1:15:46Mallory Rubin:Well I didn't say it was a long lost American cinematic classic It's just my kids movie of choice I support you And it's about Freddie Prinze plays a prospect Who has one last summer to show his wares to pro scouts So he's in this like basically like this minor league Semi pro league in Cape Cod Yeah And then Jessica Biel comes along, gets in his head, and starts thinking about a life outside of baseball. And all his boys are like, this is your chance. He's like an Otani-esque two-way player. And Tenley, Biel plays this woman named Tenley. She's getting in his head about. Tenley Parrish.

1:16:28Sean Fennessey:Yeah, life and love. This movie was sold so hard to me and many other young men with a very memorable image of Jessica Biel emerging from a pool. Yes. Sure. Which was prominently featured in the trailer. I know it well.

1:16:40Mallory Rubin:I still didn't go see it I like it more than the other kids movies that are left and in wild card Interstellar there's baseball Interstellar the Yankees play Interstellar during the dust storm the way that Christopher Nolan chooses to communicate the severity of the environmental crisis facing these people is to ruin a baseball game with a dust storm blowing over.

1:17:13Sean Fennessey:Yeah. We also, in addition to having...

1:17:15Mallory Rubin:We didn't run out of engineers. We ran out of farmers, you know? Right, right.

1:17:19Sean Fennessey:Cool. In addition to having a Shoeless Joe draft, you've also had a cornfield draft. Yes, right.

1:17:25Mallory Rubin:And it's telling because I've started to move into off of snow and mountain horror into cornfield horror. Okay, okay.

1:17:33Sean Fennessey:It's cornfield horror season for you. Yeah. So what comprises that? Children of the Corn, of course. Yeah. How many of those films have you seen?

1:17:40Mallory Rubin:Also Jeepers Creepers, problematic, but also very good horror movies.

1:17:46Sean Fennessey:We have so much time in October to talk about problematic horror movies. I promise. I'm going to carve out a lot of space.

1:17:52Mallory Rubin:I was just saying, corn is on the mind. The more problematic the movie, the better for you? No, not when it comes to horror. I like it right down the middle.

1:18:04Sean Fennessey:Okay, good to know.

1:18:05Mallory Rubin:Anyway, Interstellar is my wild card. Sure, why not? Can I ask you a sincere question out of genuine curiosity? Are there not like other more fully framed around baseball, baseball movies that you like enough to take? Or is it more just you wanted to take Interstellar? Why are you not acknowledging the beginning of... High concept was a movie where a guy hits a home run. I'm not trying to challenge the pick. I'm genuinely curious. Are you like, I don't really like any more of these baseball movies? No, I have a bunch that I could have picked. Yeah. But I thought it would be funny if I did Interstellar.

1:18:35Mallory Rubin:Yeah. I like it. And a lot of my wild cards, I would say, are only tangentially baseball related. Okay.

1:18:43Sean Fennessey:I have a wild card. Now, there are plenty of scripted baseball movies on the board still. A lot of documentaries. But I'll be taking baseball by Ken Burns. Wait, is that eligible? Is 61 eligible? 61's a feature film. Ken Burns is a... Where did it air?

1:19:00Mallory Rubin:HBO. But Ken Burns... I mean, the baseball is nine discs. Sure. I know it's because it was one of the graduation gifts I received from my dad for high school graduation. The box set.

1:19:10Sean Fennessey:It's a film. It's a documentary film. Great. A lot of great Walter Johnson big train info in there. Also wild card. You know, we allowed Good Will Hunting. So I think it's okay to allow. Why are you talking to me like I'm a charity case? We discussed the parameters. She and I brought good content.

1:19:25Mallory Rubin:We brought good content ideas. As did Ken Burns. I'm here to celebrate. Is this not a miniseries, Sean? That's what I was asking.

1:19:32Sean Fennessey:We have expanded. You're off the show. we've expanded the parameters of this category okay and so i'm only feel free you could have

1:19:40Mallory Rubin:had so much fun you could have picked something wacky yeah i'm here to i'm here to represent that

1:19:45Sean Fennessey:you're an institutionalist of this sport yeah which is finally told decade by decade across nine innings wonderful in the original series now one thing i wanted to point out there was an expansion of the baseball series in 2010 to account for the time period between 1994 and 2010 that transpired. A lot of time spent on baseball and 9-11 and the relationship that baseball fans had and New Yorkers, amazing. Mike Piazza home run after the 9-11 game. It's now been 16 years since the 10th inning installation.

1:20:16Mallory Rubin:Well, you know where this is all going. Ken Burns' National Parks, Ken Burns' baseball. When they play a baseball game at Grand Teton, like they asked Trump if they could do, that's when the two films collide. And you think Trump should direct it? whatever he'd like to do after Office that would be great anything to get him out of the pace if he wants to make films I support that anything I don't know what he'd like to do

1:20:40Sean Fennessey:should he narrow that should he run Paramount? um yeah it is I don't know I don't know why I am go ahead fight it fight it

1:20:54Mallory Rubin:she and I did a lot of work you know we really looked into where else baseball has been found in cinema

1:21:01Sean Fennessey:by pointing out two of the most popular movies in the history of this show. Congrats on all your hard work. I've got more where that goes. Yeah, I got a lot of those. I'm just saying, yeah, this, I mean, it is more, it's episodic. If you want, I'll take Avengers Endgame Encore. Because there is, of course, a memorable sequence in which Joe Russo says, I miss the Mets. And there is an overhead shot of an abandoned city field.

1:21:25Mallory Rubin:That's right. There you go. I think you should have to do that.

1:21:26Sean Fennessey:I think you should do that. I think you should have to do that. Yeah. Yeah.

1:21:30Mallory Rubin:Because I want the social engagement of people being like, why did Sean have a traumatic brain injury?

1:21:36Sean Fennessey:I mean, there are other good documentaries I could take. Yes. Of course there are. Yeah, there are a lot. I thought you might take note of them. I didn't know it was on the big documentary, you know? Well, this is the biggest of them all. Yeah. This is the biggest baseball documentary that ever will be. Was it eligible for Oscars or was it eligible for Emmys? It won an Emmy. Do you think that Ken Burns should continue to say much? Was 61 eligible for Oscars or was it eligible for Emmys? Well, oh, okay. It was eligible for Emmys. Stop making the face of me. I didn't do anything. You are the one who was asking the question.

1:22:07Sorry for pointing out the obvious.

1:22:09Sean Fennessey:Well, we allowed 61. Sally Field won an Emmy for the Octopus movie.

1:22:14Mallory Rubin:Yeah, Remarkably Bright Creatures. Congratulations to her. Chris hasn't seen it. I have not seen it. Do you know who it's narrated by? It's narrated by somebody? Well, the octopus has a voice. The octopus is the voiceover. I haven't seen the film, but I read the book. Ever since they took Paul the Octopus from me, I haven't really engaged with octopus content. There was my octopus teacher. Sure. And then Paul the Octopus running the fucking table on the World Cup. Yep. And then he's R.A.P.

1:22:38Sean Fennessey:So I'm just out. You know who voices the octopus, right? In the film? No. It's Alfred Molina. That's cool. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doc Ock. Funny. Versus Emmy. Yeah, that's right. Exactly.

1:22:50Mallory Rubin:Okay. Amanda's turn. You can have, yeah. You're taking baseball by Ken Burns. Okay. So since we're all feeling flexible, let me pitch you guys. Oh boy.

1:23:01Sean Fennessey:Is this going to be more of a change up? Let me pitch you guys on the high concept of a movie about a magical baseball bat that allows Lieutenant Daniel Caffey to take on the highest ranking member of the Marines. I have bad news for you. That is a softball bat.

1:23:22Mallory Rubin:But you can have it when he's got his bat and he's watching player jack. Like a twins game. Yeah. And he said, no, no, no, no. I'm talking about when it's, oh, he really does think better with that bat. Is that still a, that's a softball bat? No, that's a baseball bat. That is a wooden baseball bat if I remember correctly. He uses an aluminum bat in the softball practice. A lot of baseball in the background. Two men,

1:23:44Sean Fennessey:by any definition, a baseball bat. Let me pitch you on another, another high concept movie. Okay. About two men, not brothers by blood, but brothers by the streets of Boston and specifically Charlestown oh wow let's go who need to rob Fenway Park the town sure she's not gonna punch it in with you she's not looking at you thank you sorry um because they have to pay back which one do you think is more baseball I mean neither of them are high concept like one is a legal drama and the other is a heist movie they're just genre movies if you come up with a movie that is a high concept movie that has baseball in it we could at least entertain the concept okay

1:24:29Mallory Rubin:can I give you one well I do actually have one more that I watch are you covering the money

1:24:35Sean Fennessey:we're podcasting I was gonna cheat I was gonna I was gonna throw she's texting me okay I have one more I think that those were great pitches you know and you picked a TV show and so did you so whatever but those are at least those are films that were released in theaters that have baseball in them. And baseball plays pivotal roles. If you had never opened the can of worms on Wildcard, we wouldn't be in this situation.

1:25:02Mallory Rubin:I did it too, though.

1:25:04Sean Fennessey:I think if we would have said we were doing strict definition. Of what? Of all categories. Okay. We wouldn't be in this. But because we opened up Pandora's box. In what position? That I don't have a high concept because she took damn Yankees? No, we might not have been, you know, having to work through. Oh, man. Well, you needed to watch more high concept films because there are more out there. Thanks so much, Sean. I love your feedback.

1:25:29Sean Fennessey:Keep pitching now. See if you get one across the line. Or we can just keep this show running in perpetuity. Okay, I have one more that I watched on Fast Forward.

1:25:41In the last 45 minutes before Chris and Mal got here, you guys know about The Catcher Was a Spy?

1:25:48Sean Fennessey:Yes, I do. Did you see it? Yes, not a high concept movie But the catcher was his spy Yes Yeah, but then he has to like defuse a bomb or something I think you're not understanding high concept Take days to confuse I did, but Mallory took it from me and then you took rookie of the year and he took field of dreams Not too late to do angels in the outfield I don't like angels in the outfield I watched it this morning

1:26:17Mallory Rubin:What about Casablanca? I should be able to take Pocahontas. They don't have baseball. I know those films well. Terrence Malick's The New World.

1:26:29Sean Fennessey:I don't want Angels in the Outfield. What about Little Big League? Yeah. Yeah, Little Big League is definitely eligible. That movie's also great. Obviously, what you were referencing earlier, right? Little Big League and Angels in the Outfield, I assume. They're not great. They're not actually good, but we have a fondness for them. They're memorable from our youth. Watched them thousands of times. Why can't I do Days in the Confused?

1:26:52Sean Fennessey:I don't think it's a high concept movie. It takes place over the course of one night. Is that a high concept?

1:26:57Mallory Rubin:It's a concept.

1:26:58Sean Fennessey:That's not really it.

1:26:59Mallory Rubin:And they get high in the movie.

1:27:03Sean Fennessey:Now that's funny. If she pitched that, I would have accepted that. Oh my God, incredible. I'll reread what I wrote to Mallory. Which you didn't write to us. So once again, the definition is not the middle. You could have asked. You could have asked. You know what? I don't like to ask for permission. I like to ask for forgiveness. Unfortunately, you have to get permission from me to end this episode. Magical. This film features you can walk off and you're draftically incomplete. Yeah. Do you want to file an incomplete? I don't think so. The film must feature magical presence or quality. Anything that is absurdist or gimmicky.

1:27:41Okay. I'm Googling magical baseball movies. You want to do this? We're going to do this. Okay. Let's see. I don't want to do I don't want to do Angels Weapon would Ephus be

1:27:52Mallory Rubin:a high concept baseball I don't think so okay I'll

1:27:55Sean Fennessey:I'm willing to hand you this one you may not have seen this movie okay but I think Brewster's Millions is a great high concept baseball movie what about it happens every spring you know I've never seen that also eligible there's a substance that comes into play I thought for the love of the game

1:28:10Mallory Rubin:would be a high concept baseball movie I had but then I think that's debatable because of its structure? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. High concept is the first thing that they walk into the room when they pitch the movie is like it takes place over the course of one game. This guy having flashbacks about his emotions. In a way, for the love of the game, I mean, if Damn Yankees is High Concept, then for love of the game can be... But Damn Yankees involves treating your soul.

1:28:37Sean Fennessey:Satan is in Damn Yankees. I, you know, I will say this. You don't know what's going on in Costner's head for love of the game. I mean, okay. He's not Satan, I can assure you that. Got a handjob under a towel, asks how do you like to be kissed so we have a pretty good idea actually I have on my camera roll as I've said on rewatchables before about 5 ,000 pictures of Kevin Costner smelling his glove in that movie very important film I wouldn't mind it being selected in this draft I'm willing to roll with that if that's something you want to do Ed's a great pick Ed is eligible Ed is about a baseball playing monkey and it was the first project that Matt LeBlanc signed on for in the aftermath of his friend's success.

1:29:18That is, that's actually an incredible pick. Fine. Ed it is.

1:29:23Sean Fennessey:Ed is eligible. You're going to get to pick the village. Holy shit. That was really worth it. Genuinely. That was great. Ed. I think I'm out. You're out. Yeah. Mal has one more pick. Excuse me. We're going to get to go home today, folks. It's hard to top Ed to bring the draft home. So my last, I actually haven't taken my drama. Okay. My last week is my drama. Wow. Congratulations. Interesting. Interesting. Well, Ed's off the board. Yeah. But For Love of the Game is still here. Yeah, there you go. I could go with the Costner bookend, you know, Bull Durham to open and For Love of the Game to close.

1:30:00But I'm going to take 42. I feel like that movie should be selected in this draft. Yeah. Right?

1:30:04Sean Fennessey:Sure. I can't believe I just took Ed off my long list. I also had to cross off Ed, which I did have on my board, I got to say. Sorry. There were a lot of movies that weren't taken. Angels in the Outfield, Little Big League, Pride of the Yankees, For Love of the Game, Fever Pitch, Million Dollar Arms. A lot of documentary. Hardball didn't get taken. Bang the Drum Slowly didn't get taken. I think Bang the Drum Slowly and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars are both great. Those are two great 70s movies that don't have as much of a legacy now, but are both very, very good. I was deciding for my pick here, I was deciding between 42 and Bang the Drum Slowly.

1:30:43but I don't know how many I don't know how many people have seen Bang the Drum Slowly do we think I've seen it great movie I think not a lot of people

1:30:51Sean Fennessey:it is very very good Michael Moriarty and Robert De Niro as a pitcher and catcher quite sad who are who are literally tied together contractually and emotionally that's right you know I think Amanda you could have gone after The Naked Gun oh interesting sure but like I don't really care about that so I mean Ed was an iconic

1:31:12Mallory Rubin:Would you have allowed Amanda to take Ferris Bueller's day off? Hmm. You're really interested in movies across one day being high concept. Oh, as a high concept movie. I wasn't saying that. I was saying it's a wild card. As a wild card. Sure. Okay. High concept. I think I just had a different interpretation, but you know what? You're the, you're the author of this pod. What about Mr. 3000? Yeah, for sure.

1:31:36Sean Fennessey:Have you seen that? Uh, that's Bernie Mac. I have seen that. Bernie Mac. The late, great Bernie Mac plays a, uh, a player of some renown who we learn due to a clerical error. And in fact, he did not get 3000 hits in his career. He was three hits short of 3000 hits. And so at the age of 47, he goes back to the major leagues to try to get three more hits. Do you think the fan is high concept? I thought that you might take the fan as like a long card. I rewatched it for this drama. Just to check in to see if it was any better than I'd realized or if I could reclaim it. Yeah. And it wasn't as good as I had hoped.

1:32:15Sean Fennessey:I don't know if it's high concept. Okay. It's basically just the king of comedy but for baseball. What about the scout? That is a comedy. I'm not sure if it's high concept. I kind of like the scout. Steve Nebraska played by Brendan Fraser plays a rising psychiatric issues. Baseball star with some problems. Okay. And Albert Brooks is the scout who holds his hand through the process leading him to Yankee Stadium. Leading him to a therapist played by Dan. and we used that's right sure I thought Dobbins might take trouble with the curve

1:32:47Mallory Rubin:the Clint Eastwood movie yeah it's kind of the anti-money ball I do think I saw that but I don't have any memory of it yeah exactly yeah Twilight has baseball sure does Boyhood has baseball which one? Boyhood Boyhood oh my best friend's wedding has a pivotal baseball scene showdown no it's White Sox

1:33:08Sean Fennessey:Comiskey yeah okay were you hoping more documentaries would be taken. No-No, a documentary facing Nolan. Yeah. Life and Times of Han Greenberg, The League, Up for Grabs, Batter Bastards of Baseball. Yeah, there's a lot. I think they're all good and not great.

1:33:28Sean Fennessey:Chris, you didn't take Cobb. I didn't.

1:33:31Mallory Rubin:It was between that and Million Dollar Arm. Can you tell Amanda a bit about Ty Cobb? Well, he was racist. Yeah. I think he was from Georgia. As many racists are. I believe was the Georgia Peach his nickname and he was a diehard competitor

1:33:45Sean Fennessey:what was Ty Conch Detroit Tigers

1:33:48Mallory Rubin:for the entirety of his career I believe he was the Georgia Peach yeah

1:33:52Sean Fennessey:he was a virulent racist he played 24 seasons he had a career batting average of 366 he was portrayed

1:33:59Mallory Rubin:by Tommy Lee Jones in Ron Shelton's less beloved follow up to Bull Durham in terms of a baseball huge movie for Robert Wohl baseball fans just making sure that War North of 10 is not actually named after Ty Conch and it's not but

1:34:12Sean Fennessey:north of 10 twice war north war north of 10 twice and north of 9 four times he was an absolutely demon at baseball who Ty Cobb his career war is 149.8 that is insane he was significantly better than everybody except for who Babe Ruth Rogers Hornsby you guys like studied Ty Cobb stats huh oh well again I mean if you're a Ken Burns baseball fan yeah I was so into baseball stats as a kid um what else is on the board any other long list stuff yeah what did you get picked let's see Anybody ever see Game 6? Don DeLillo script, right? Michael Keaton. Oh, no. Which all takes place effectively through a guy who has tickets to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series but doesn't go.

1:34:53Mallory Rubin:That's like a crazy Lost Downey performance, right? Damn. Isn't he the theater critic in that?

1:34:57Sean Fennessey:Yes, he is in that. Did we talk about Pride of the Yankees already? You know what movie I really... We didn't really talk... I'll pair it with another movie that I'll recommend for people if they haven't seen it which may not have aged super well in terms of its relationship to psychiatric health but in 1957 there's a great movie called Fear Strikes Out about Jimmy Pearsall based on a real player who played for the Red Sox. I had that on my list too. That's great. That I saw as a kid. Anthony Perkins plays him. And I think it's like right before he, it's right before Psycho. Yeah. And he's amazing as an outfielder who gets the yips.

1:35:24Sean Fennessey:Not unlike we were just discussing Drake Mays got the yips right now. And a guy who can't hack it in the field or at the plate because he's having some mental struggles. And it's like a, I thought a pretty sensitive movie given the time frame. It's Carl Malden, his father in the movie. And it's like really hard on him. what else any other movies

1:35:42Mallory Rubin:is The Slugger's Wife as bad as everybody says it is I've never seen it haven't seen it it's got like a 2 % it's like Hal Ashby's last movie 2 % sheesh Neil Seidman wrote it I will say that The Catcher was the spy was as bad as everyone said it was it's very bad

1:35:57Sean Fennessey:even on twice the speed highly really bad yeah one last question for you guys Base Kit Ball yeah I have it on my list is that a baseball movie absolutely I think it is right of course

1:36:07Mallory Rubin:specifically not because it's Base Kit Ball yeah I mean there is baseball baseball has to yeah be a core concept that they build off of

1:36:15Sean Fennessey:we allowed that we didn't allow what did you Gone with the Wind what did you go for that was Ty Cobb Ty Cobb's favorite movie I see one movie I think A Few Good Men and The Town and The Catcher Was a Spy which is quite bad Dazed and Confused all great films that in one way or another have been another. They all would have been great wild card picks. Include the sport of baseball. Yeah. There's probably baseball in other movies. What am I not thinking of? War of the Worlds. When he has a catch in his son. Yeah. That's important. For like two seconds. And they're like working out the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

1:36:54Sean Fennessey:That's right. That's right. Cruz. Speaking of, our next episode is about Tom Cruz and Digger. Exciting. Yeah. Would you say you're excited about it? Sure. I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. I'm interested. But you don't have tickets. That's no, not yet. But I tend to.

1:37:09Mallory Rubin:Doesn't seem like she needs him. I tend to say this, you know, let me look this morning. Is something available mid morning? That's kind of my approach. Unless it's like, I like that. That's a good way to live life. Yeah. Yeah. You will see it opening weekend. This coming weekend, right? Well, Saturday, I'm going to see the director's cut of Miami Vice. Sick. Michael Mann will be presenting it. Okay. I will be present. Just you and him together. You're levitating right now. In your living room? In your bathroom.

1:37:37Mallory Rubin:he's holding up an iPad for you but I will I will go see Big D this weekend yeah

1:37:46Sean Fennessey:Big D should we recap our draft picks sure all right Mallory since you went first you can go first in order round one through round six you're the only person who keeps that track but go ahead I took Bull Durham as my comedy in round one In round two, I took The Natural as my high concept and Bad News Bears as my kids movie. In round four, I took 61 as Based on a True Story and Damn Yankees as my wild card. And then I took 42 as my drama in round six. Dobbins. I'm just reading them as they are in the spreadsheet. In comedy, I took Ephus in drama, Moneyball. In high concept, the acclaimed film, Ed.

1:38:32and based on a true story, The Rookie, in kids movie, The Sandlot, and in Wildcard, Good Will Hunting.

1:38:37Mallory Rubin:I love it when you do the Scarlett Johansson, her voice, to do these lists. I like that movie. Because when you're talking about baseball, the catcher was a spy.

1:38:50Sean Fennessey:In comedy, I took Everybody Wants Some. In drama, I took Sugar. In High Concept, I took Rookie of the Year. And based on a true story, I took A League of Their Own. In kids movie, I took The Bad News Bears and Breaking Training. And in Wildcard, I took Ken Burns' baseball.

1:39:02Mallory Rubin:It is a wild card. In comedy, I took Major League. In drama, I took Field of Dreams. In high concept, I took Peter Masterson's Night Game.

1:39:15Mallory Rubin:And based on a true story, I took 8 Men Out. In kids' movie, I took Summer Catch, PG-13. In wild card, I took Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. Incredible closing. Stretch and fix from you. at night game this happens so many drafts where I'm playing so within the lines for the first three picks and then I have a massive brain hemorrhage and start is that what happens? yeah all the time it's always like I'm gonna win I'm fucking dominating is it at the like 42 minute mark you're like now I'm out yeah like my three picks were unbelievable it's not even focus it's just that like that's your I start to just overthink it and like oh, what would be cool here is if I did something for laughs.

1:40:00Mallory Rubin:And then I'm like, oh, no. Oh, no. You should, at the next live show,

1:40:06Sean Fennessey:you should bring, like, samurai energy. You should be like, I'm not going to do bits. No laughs. I'm here to win. Because, you know, she's won, like, the last nine consecutive live shows. Miles and a Rockford Peaches outfit. We got to figure that out.

1:40:20Mallory Rubin:I just have a Hanzo sword.

1:40:23Sean Fennessey:Maybe you should be Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill. aka Bruce Lee I'm not gonna be a Rockford Peach but I'm gonna be something are you gonna wear a costume? of course I will don't wear a mask this has not been discussed before it's a great idea though you nailed it

1:40:40Mallory Rubin:so are you it's only Rockford Peach you won't do any other costumes I just thought it would be a nice group I never got to do that you know what she should do? you never asked we should make her do be the girl from The Ring the hair down she kind of already got that going

1:40:54Sean Fennessey:call that too Tuesday. Okay. Hey, Mal, thank you very much. Guys, thanks for having me. What a treat. Love baseball. Love you guys. Love Kevin Costner. Just to recap some of the things that I already said. Good job by you.

1:41:08Mallory Rubin:It's a shame you don't have like a legendary baseball player as your guest to throw to right now. A legendary baseball player? Yeah, like Ted Herbeck, you know, thrown into my lung.

1:41:17Sean Fennessey:Is he a legendary baseball player? He's a long, no. He's a long, no. I don't know who would be my ideal. I'm in Carson Beck. Mike Piazza? Bench mode right now. Carson Benj is my guy. Mike Piazza, complicated. Yeah, I know. He was a great legend to me once upon a time. Now I believe he's fully behind Donald Trump.

1:41:34Mallory Rubin:And he was mean to Shia LaBeouf. Is that a fact? Yeah.

1:41:37Sean Fennessey:What did he say? Did he not deserve it?

1:41:42Mallory Rubin:When did Mike Piazza and Shia LaBeouf interact? He talked about it on his Channel 5 interview. Shia LaBeouf did. Oh, okay. And he said that Mike Piazza treated him like shit when he was trying to get his autograph when he was a kid. No kidding. Yeah. Oh. Wow. Interesting.

1:41:56Sean Fennessey:Gosh, that's a whole other episode. That's a rich text. Let's table that. Thanks to Jack Sanders, our producer, for his work on this episode. Thanks to Lucas Cavanaugh. Thanks to Ed. Amanda. Amanda, thank you, Amanda, for all your great works here. Amanda and I shall return imminently. Maybe. To discuss. If it's just me on Digger. If the apology is written down. Me solo on Digger. And read aloud to that prompter. Okay, I'll see you guys very soon to talk about Digger. Bye.