Angels in the Outfield (1951) About a hapless Pittsburgh team that starts to win with divine assistance. Fine performance by Paul Douglas.
 

Angels in the Outfield (1994) Saccharine remake of the classic (see above).
 

The Babe (1992) John Goodman alone makes this worth watching.
 

The Babe Ruth Story (1948) An appallingly bad biopic. The scene at St. Mary's with William Bendix as the sixteen-year old Ruth is hilarious (unintentionally).
 

The Bad News Bears (1976) Charming little sleeper about Little League baseball starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal (forget the two sequels).
 

Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976) Set in 1939, this unusual movie (based on the William Brashler novel) about a black barnstorming team and their misadventures has outstanding performances from Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor and James Earl Jones.
 

Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) Touching film about a dying catcher and his friendship with Henry "Author" Wiggins, starring Robert De Niro and Michael Moriarty. Based on the novel by Mark Harris.
 

Bull Durham (1989) Perhaps the best marriage of romantic comedy and baseball ever. Susan Sarandon is unforgettable as Annie Savoy, a worshiper in the Church of Baseball, Tim Robbins is funny as Nuke LaLoosh, and Kevin Costner is terrific as the world-weary catcher, Crash Davis.
 

Cobb (1994) Film that promises much but delivers little, especially given the talent involved.  Tommie Lee Jones is mesmerizing as the dying baseball great, while Robert Wuhl is convincing as the sportswriter who is commissioned to ghost-write his autobiography.  But the film deals only with the last months of Cobb's life.  The demons that drove Cobb are graphically depicted, but the man's relationship to the game and his ultimate significance remain opaque.  A distinctly unsatisfying film by Ron Shelton, the director of Bull Durham.
 

Cooperstown (1993) Strange baseball ghost story with Alan Arkin and Graham Greene. Jury is still out on this one.
 

The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)  A TNT film that does a wonderful job of evoking the climate of prejudice that Robinson faced as a young army officer. While not looking at all like Jackie, Andre Braugher captures the defiant spirit and extraordinary courage of the great man.
   

Don't Look Back (1981) Louis Gossett, Jr. is fine as Satchel Paige but the other performances don't match up. Worth a look, though, despite the numberless inaccuracies.
 

Eight Men Out (1988) Excellent film about the Black Sox scandal, starring John Cusack as Buck Weaver and D.B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe Jackson. John Sayles directs with a real feeling for the game and the era.
 

Fear Strikes Out (1957) Powerful performances by Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall and Karl Malden as the baseball dad from hell. I am famous for my impersonation of Piersall in the climactic scene of this movie.
 

Field of Dreams (1989) Yeah, yeah I like it. But it is baseball mysticism run rampant. Enough already.
 

For Love of the Game (1999)  Kevin Costner's third baseball film proves less absorbing than the first two -- and is definitely less entertaining. He plays Billy Chapel, a future Hall of Famer, who is struggling with both his love life and the question of retirement as he pitches what might be his final game. Kelly Preston is bland as the romantic interest and John C. Reilly is splendid as his best friend and battery mate, Gus Sinski.
   

It Happens Every Spring (1949) A scientist discovers a substance that will prevent a baseball from striking a bat.  A wonderful comedy with Ray Milland, Jean Peters and Paul Douglas -- again.
   

It's Good to Be Alive (1974) Uplifting story about the great Brooklyn Dodgers' catcher Roy Campanella (played by Paul Winfield) and how he faced life after an auto accident left him paralyzed.
 

The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) Jackie Robinson plays himself in a film that is surprisingly honest about the racial issues of the time.
 

A League of Their Own (1992) A terrific film about the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Lori Petty. Great supporting cast with Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell and Megan Cavanaugh as players in a league that flourished from 1943-1954.
 

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (2000)  The best documentary ever made about a baseball player. Director Aviva Kempner has crafted a loving tribute to an extraordinary human being who prevailed against antisemitism and became a beloved figure who inspired two generations of Americans.  Draws from Greenberg's autobiography, newsreel footage, interviews with Hank, and recollections of friends and admirers (among them Walter Matthau and Alan Dershowitz).
 

Long Gone (1987) William Petersen is Stud Cantrell, player-manager of the Tampico Stogies, still trying to get to the big time after a decade in the minors.  He is pursued by Dixie Lee Boxx (Virginia Madsen), an amorous nut-seller and baseball groupie (1950's edition).  A young Dermot Mulroney is fine as a rookie second baseman and Larry Riley is superb as a John Henry-like power hitter, Joe Louis Brown.  First half has some of the playfulness and madcap spirit of Bull Durham but the movie finally cops out and becomes a predictable melodrama.
 

The Natural (1984) The ultimate "baseball as myth" film. Hollywood changed the ending of Malamud's novel, of course. Sterling performances by Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Wilford Brimley and Richard Farnsworth.
 

Pastime (1991) A bittersweet movie with a heartfelt --and heartbreaking -- performance by William Russ as a washed-up minor league pitcher who befriends a 17 year-old black rookie.
 

Pride of St. Louis (1952) A silly movie about Dizzy Dean's career. Dan Dailey and Joanne Dru star.
   

Pride of the Yankees (1942). Inspiring film about the Yankee star who succumbed to the disease that now bears his name. Gary Cooper is superb as Lou Gehrig (but definitely not an athlete) while Teresa Wright is luminous as his wife, Eleanor.
 

Rhubarb (1951) A cat inherits a baseball team: believe it or not.
 

The Sandlot (1993) A small miracle that captures the wonder of baseball and the terror of childhood.
 

The Scout (1994) A good idea (Albert Brooks as an about-to-be-fired scout who discovers a wild, gifted young flake of a pitcher, played by Brendan Fraser) that never quite makes it as a movie. See the cameo by the inimitable George Steinbrenner.

Soul of the Game (1996) A good idea: portray three black stars on the eve of breaking the color line.  The film, however, is contrived and uninvolving.  Blair Underwood is not compelling as Jackie Robinson and Delroy Lindo is miscast as Satchel Paige.  Mykelti Williamson has a fine turn as the troubled, tragic Josh Gibson.

The Stratton Story (1949) The peerless Jimmy Stewart gives another convincing portrayal of a decent man (a talented pitcher who loses a leg in a hunting accident) who faces impossible odds -- and wins.
   

The Winning Team (1952) A biopic about Grover Cleveland Alexander that glosses over Pete's alcoholism and epilepsy. Ronald Reagan is fine as Alexander, though Doris Day is a bit too perky as his wife.
 

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