Hollywood All Time Baseball Team

Recently I was reading Entertainment Weekly’s book Guide To The Greatest Movies Ever Made.  In that book they listed a Baseball Movie Hall of Fame by position.  They listed nine performers from Kevin Costner in Bull Durham to D.B. Sweeney in Eight Men Out. 

This got me to thinking….could I come up with an entire 25 player baseball roster using baseball movies?  Well since you are now reading this…the answer was yes….I could.

Luckily Hollywood has been making baseball movies for a very long time. So I had many possibilities when it came to filling out my roster.

I did follow some rules while picking my roster.  I wanted 15 position players and 10 pitchers.  I only could use one person per movie.  And finally any Oscar® winning performer would get preferential treatment.

The Starting Lineup….By Batting Order

Ty Cobb: Ty Cobb would be the perfect leadoff hitter.  This Hall of Famer was one of the greatest baseball players of all-time.  When he retired he was the career leader in hits and stolen bases.  Cobb was probably not the nicest person off the field….but he sure could play baseball.

Tommy Lee Jones: Jones played Ty Cobb in the little seen movie, Cobb.  Jones made Cobb the year after he won an Oscar® for his role in 1993’s The Fugitive.  So the first player on our team is perfect…..as we get an Oscar® winner actor playing an all-time baseball great.

Batting 2nd – 3B John Cusack as Buck Weaver in 1988’s Eight Men Out

Buck Weaver:  Weaver played for the Chicago White Sox from 1912 to 1920.  He was one of 8 players banned from the Major Leagues for his connection to the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.  Weaver was not one of the players that got paid to throw the World Series….but was banned because he did not come forward when he knew the fix was in.  Weaver seems like he would be an outstanding pick to bat 2nd in our lineup.  He was a great bunter….leading the league in sacrifice hits in 1916 and 1916.

John Cusack: This was a perfect role for Cusack.  Cusack is a lifelong Chicago baseball fan (as he grew up in Chicago).  If you get the chance to see Eight Men Out you will see that this actor is bringing some real baseball skills to the movie.  One of the few players to make this team…that not only does not have an Oscar®…but he has sadly never even been nominated for one.

Batting 3rd – RF Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs in 1984’s The Natural

Ray Hobbs: Ok…Hobbs is a fictional player….but parts of the movie are from the true story of the bizarre shooting of former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus by a woman in Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Hotel.  Hobbs and his “Wonderboy” bat would make a great number 3 hitter.  Plus in a pinch we could throw him on the mound to face a tough left handed hitting batter.

Robert Redford: Redford played Roy Hobbs in the 4 time Oscar® nominated movie, The Natural. The Natural was actually heavily influenced by the writings of Homer and Greek mythology.  Redford was playing the Odysseus part.  Redford has two Oscars® in his trophy case. One for directing 1980’s Ordinary People and a Honorary Oscar® that he got in 2002.  When watching The Natural…check out Redford’s  sweet baseball swing.

Batting Cleanup – DH James Earl Jones as Leon Carter in 1976’s The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings

Leon Carter:  Carter is a fictional character…but he is based on a real player named Josh Gibson.  Due to the color barrier, Gibson never got a chance to play in the Major Leagues….but his powerful swing was said to be even more powerful than Babe Ruth’s swing.  Carter is the perfect cleanup hitter.

James Earl Jones: Jones is perfect as Leon Carter in the Bingo Long movie.  I can easily imagine how intimidating it would be to pitch to Jones when he is standing in the batter’s box.  Jones was given an Honorary Oscars® in 2011.

Batting 5th – 1B Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig in 1942’s The Pride of the Yankees

Lou Gehrig: Gehrig is another all-time great baseball player. Gehrig earned his nickname “The Iron Horse” by playing in 2,130 consecutive games.  This Hall of Famer would be one seriously dangerous number 5 hitter.

Gary Cooper: Cooper played Lou Gehrig in this 11 time Oscar® nominated movie. This is one of the few sports movies to earn a Best Picture Oscar® nomination.  Cooper won two Oscars® (1941’s Sergeant York & 1952’s High Noon).  Cooper was not much of a baseball fan….so his real baseball skills would probably not help out my team.  But we get another Oscar® winner actor playing an all-time baseball great.

Batting 6th – LF John Goodman as Babe Ruth in 1992’s The Babe

Babe Ruth:  Probably the greatest baseball player to play the game.  Retired as the all-time career home run champ.  And before he became an everyday player he set records as a starting pitcher.

John Goodman:  Babe Ruth had to be in this lineup.  Over the years many people including the Babe himself have played Babe Ruth in movies.  The final decision came down to Goodman’s Babe and William Bendix’s Babe.  I went with the most recent Babe movie…..but since the movie is so bad…I dropped him in the batting order and have him playing a different position in the field.

Batting 7th – 2B Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson in 2013’s 42

Jackie Robinson: Robinson is another all-time great Hall of Fame baseball player. Famous for breaking the color barrier in baseball…Robinson was also one of the fastest players to ever play baseball.

Chadwick Boseman:  Boseman played Jackie Robinson in 2013 and James Brown in 2014.  Based on those performances it seems like it is only a matter of time before Boseman joins the ranks as Oscar® nominated performers. 

Batting 8th – C Robert DeNiro as Bruce Pearson in 1973’s Bang The Drum Slowly

Bruce Pearson:  Another fictional character.  Pearson was mostly a backup catcher in the movie….so I guess he got to the majors based on his outstanding defensive skills….well we can use that on this team

Robert DeNiro:  The fact that DeNiro can bring not one but two Oscars® to the team gaves him the edge over Kevin Costner’s Crash Davis from Bull Durham.  As for DeNiro’s baseball skills?  Well…it least he is a great actor.

Batting 9th – SS Gene Kelly as Eddie O’Brien in 1949’s Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Eddie O’Brien: O’Brien was the star shortstop for the Wolves.  O’Brien can sing…he can dance….and along with Frank Sinatra made up a good double play team.  This fictional baseball player can entertain the team on road trips.

Gene Kelly: Along with Fred Astaire…Kelly is one of the most famous dancers of all-time.  Kelly was a very physical dancer…so he will have to assume he has some baseball skills…as his movie does not show much baseball action.  Kelly received a Honorary Oscar® in 1952.

The Bench

 

The Starting Rotation

The Manager