EVEN MORE BASEBALL!

     After my last effort, about the best baseball movies, an alert reader pointed out that there are quite a few very recent baseball films that deserve mention. And he was right!

     42 (2013) is a good biopic about the late, great Jackie Robinson. He was the first black player in the major leagues. Unknown Chadwick Boseman is fine as the lead, and equally obscure Nicole Beharie is good as his wife. Harrison Ford, who seems to get even crustier with each outing, nails the part of Branch Rickey. Rickey was the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and signed Robinson because he was a great player and because it was the right thing to do. The film is unstinting about the hatred and abuse heaped on Jackie and his Herculean efforts to control his temper and play the game. As a kid I loved the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson was my favorite. I still remember a game when he stole home.

     Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane is better known than lots of players and managers because he was the inventor of Moneyball (2011). Because Oakland is a very small market with a very small amount of money (relatively speaking, of course)Beane (Brad Pitt) hires a Harvard math prodigy (Jonah Hill) and studies statistics very carefully. They throw traditional scouting out the window and proceed to unbelievable success with bargain players. Pitt is quite good. When Beane has agreed on a deal on the phone, he just hangs up, saying "When you've made the deal, don't stick around." 
      The other side of the coin (personal observation over statistics) is well represented in Trouble With The Curve (2012). Clint Eastwood plays himself (as always) as an aged baseball scout on the lookout for new talent. The fact he is going blind doesn't help a lot. Amy Adams plays his daughter, who tries to help him with his scouting. A trip to North Carolina turns up an unknown pitcher who can really bring it.
     Finally, there is Jon Hamm as a sports agent down to his last athlete, who has a brilliant idea. Cricket is practically a religion in India, and he realizes from watching TV that those guys really throw hard. Maybe he could find a couple of prospects to bring to America? This is based on a true story. He starts a contest in India to select the best pitchers, and finds a couple with real velocity. Of course, they have absolutely no clue about baseball, but are willing learners. Million Dollar Arm (2014) is funny, charming and quite engaging.
     All of these movies are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for 12 and up.