This would have been the first weekend of the 2020 Major League Baseball season, but COVID-19 put a stop to that. But we baseball fans, even those of us staying “safe at home,” can still get our fill of America’s pastime. Only instead of Trout, Betts, Bellinger, Scherzer and Yelich, we’d be watching the likes of Costner, Sheen, Selleck, Redford and Matthau. Here are the best baseball films you can watch from the comforts of home – recommended by the staff of your ESPN Honolulu ‘ohana:
BOBBY CURRAN, Show Host and Play-by-Play Announcer: “Incredibly realistic depiction of minor league baseball and striving to get to the majors. Unbelievable performance by Kevin Costner as a career minor league catcher, Tim Robbins as ‘Nuke LaLoosh’ and Susan Sarandon as the love interest. What a realistic journey of the minor leagues with all of the hope and dreams of a trip to the Majors!”
MATT APANA: General Manager (and former UH baseball pitcher): “The movie exemplifies some things about life as a minor leaguer and the type of teammates (all the different personalities) you live to play ball with day in and day out.”
KU’ULEI AGBAYANI, Digital Media Manager and Traffic Manager: “No explanation needed for why it’s a great baseball movie. It’s one of my dad’s favorite movies and I’m pretty sure it’s the first sports movie we ever watched together, so it will always be one of my faves.”
LANCE TOMINAGA, Web Editor: “Maybe more than any other baseball movie, ‘Field of Dreams’ is a passionate love letter to the sport and its relevancy to our country. Also, if you’re not in tears at the end of the film, you’re just not human.”
CHRIS HART, Station Manager and Show Host: “Riveting from start to finish. On the edge of your seat experience! Two thumbs way up!”
CHRIS MOLS, Account Manager (and former Sacramento State pitcher): “I love the characters in this movie, and the storyline is a fun one. An all-time classic!”
MATHIAS BERBEL, Show Producer and host of “Hit the Bell with Mathias Berbel”: “An all-time classic for millennials, and you can learn to love or enjoy the game even if you have never been into baseball before. Great for kids and adults!”
KU’ULEI AGBAYANI: “Again, no explanation needed. Who doesn’t like this classic? I fell in love with it as a kid and still love it as an adult. It’s just so fun and carefree. Who can forget ‘The Great Bambi’, ‘The Beast’, and all the ‘fun’ at the carnival?”
CHRIS MOLS: “Kids come together over a game of baseball rather than be strangers. An awesome throwback to the days when you stayed out played till it was dark.”
ROB HIENAMAN, Senior Account Manager: “This movie has a bunch of interesting characters in it and a big-ass monster dog that ended up…well, watch it and see. And if course, it had ‘The Babe’ in it.”
GARY DICKMAN, Show Host and UH Basketball blogger: “My favorite baseball movie is ‘Pride of the Yankees’. True stories are always better, and when you have a disease named after you (like Lou Gehrig did), you know you’re big time. And Babe Ruth playing himself made it the best for me.”
GARY DICKMAN: “‘A League of Their Own’ is my second-favorite baseball movie. There’s great acting, great dialogue, and memorable lines like ‘There’s no crying in baseball’ and ‘It’s supposed to be hard. The hard is what makes it great.’”
LANCE TOMINAGA: “A compelling story, lots of humor, poignant moments and an amazing cast. It’s everything you’d want in a baseball movie. Also, Carole King’s ‘Now and Forever’ at the start of the film has become one of my favorite songs.”
MATT APANA: “‘The Natural.’ Great movie. I just love the story behind it.”
SHELDON NAGATA, Senior Account Manager: “Same game, but in a different culture. The story demonstrates a very different commitment to the game and culture.”
ROB HIENAMAN: “Interesting cast of characters, including a young Tatum O’Neal and Walter Matthau.”
MATHIAS BERBEL: “Great movie with an amazing cast. It shows how the game of baseball changed with time. It’s also based on real events.”
SHELDON NAGATA: “The old guy’s still got it!”
CHRIS HART: “Anything with Jon Lovitz deserves Oscar consideration!”
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