With the exception of war, sex and crime, nothing has lent itself the world of film like sports.
The debate about the best and worst sports movies of all time is a perpetual argument without any satisfactory resolution. The best sports movie of all time? Even I wouldn't open that can of worms.
But there's another idea, one handed to my when I was talking with my friend John Steinmiller, media relations manager for the Milwaukee Brewers. The question is what movie game or sports event you would see if you had only one admission ticket left.
For me, the answer is not even a contest.
It's the final game between Taft and Bakersfield High Schools in "The Best of Times" with Robin Williams and Kurt Russell. In high school, Williams' character dropped the final touchdown pass that would have given downtrodden Taft it's only victory ever over Bakersfield. Williams figures the only way to redeem himself 16 years later is to replay the game. Opinion is universally against Williams and his wife (played by Jack Palance's daughter, Holly) utters the line all of us men would love to hear when she says, "It's me or the football."
The game is great, and Williams makes the catch at the end, and it's all about redemption and second chances. I'd pay to watch that game.
I admit, however, that's not the only great game and I've asked some friends for their suggestions.
I've got a bunch of friends in the theater, and it's funny but most of them picked the same thing. Josh Schmidt, my Broadway music director and composer friend and David Chambers, my Broadway director friend, led the way by picking the movie "Pride of the Yankees" and the famed Lou Gehrig farewell speech. One interesting thing is that the movie speech by Gary Cooper was much, much longer than Gehrig's real speech. The only similarity was the phrase "... luckiest man on the face of the earth."
One of the more overwhelming choices, made by many of my friends is the final game in "Hoosiers." Included in that bunch are my daughter Alli Smoko, OnMilwaukee.com's Jeff Sherman, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Don Walker and musician John Sieger. Sieger said his favorite moment was when Gene Hackman told his team, which seemed a little intimated by the surroundings, to "measure the court." It certainly says some about evening the playing field.
Another friend of mine, who wants to remain anonymous for reasons known only to him, picked a legendary event in the world of pool. He takes the match between two legendary movie characters, Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) and Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) in "The Hustler." He says he would love to have had a seat in that seedy pool hall to witness it. A golfing friend of mine says: "I'll take a ticket to the Durham Bulls game when "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) first takes the mound with "Crash" Davis (Kevin Costner) behind the plate. After that game, recalling Nuke's performance, the assistant coach gives the manager a review of the pitcher's line (which includes hitting the Bull mascot a couple of times) concluding with "But, this kid's got serious sh-t." For my money, that's one of the great lines in sports movie history.
Mark Metcalf, noted actor, director and the epitome of the word "artist," explained his choice. "I was once a fan of the horses, although it's possible that I was a fan of the fans and of Aqueduct in New York, and there was a poet that I used to go to the track with who was writing an epic poem about horse racing, and we'd always take a woman of one sort or another, a smart one, often European, and not a kid, a woman who'd been hurt and probably hurt others a few times, one of those ones who will cry inexplicably in the back of a taxi... anyway, because of that, I think the big race in 'Seabiscuit' may be my favorite."
Only Metcalf could get away with that choice and that explanation.
Calling it a "classic tale of the underdog triumphing over long odds," my New York friend, Bob Geline, picks the fight between The Spaniard (Russell Crowe) and the Tigers in the movie "Gladiator." It's funny, but Trenni Kusnierek, former Milwaukee sports reporter and now national sports reporter, picked the same thing. Maybe it's something about New York.
Drew Olson, senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com, chose "Major League" a movie with strong personal appeal because it allows him to "see County Stadium again." He's joined by playwright and actor Thomas Rosenthal, who wrote: "I mean, Pedro Cerrano finally hits a curve ball for a big home run. Then you have the Wild Thing striking out Pete Vukovich in a crucial situation, and of course, the gimpy Jake Taylor dropping down the bunt after calling his shot. Willie Mayes Hayes scores. Unforgettable moment. But I'd have to have the transistor radio along so I could hear Uecker... uhm, I mean Harry Doyle, making the call: ‘The Indians win it. The Indians win it. Oh my God the Indians win it!' Someday, he'll be calling it like that for the Brewers in a World Series."
The spark of this article, John Steinmiller, says that the World Series game in "The Natural," based on the book by Bernard Malamud, would be special. He says the glimpse into the golden age of baseball is priceless.
The fight game has some wonderful moments in film, from "Rocky" to "The Wrestler." But two choices made by my friends went in other directions. Peter Dineen, my North Carolina pal, picked the battle between Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson. "From championship to corruption, what sums up boxing better?" Peter said.
Bill Dwyre, the retired sports editor of the Los Angeles Times went for the "toe-to-toe battle between Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas in "Play It To The Bone." Every punch was a roundhouse and every round a brutal brawl."
Humor and sports didn't get much support, except for the golf match in "Caddyshack." Andy Tarnoff, OnMilwaukee.com's main guru, said he'd be voting for Danny and Ty and would never shout "Noonan!"
It was interesting getting this list together, and I'm sure there are plenty of other candidates that we could talk about. But I leave it to my good friend, Damien Jacques, longtime drama critic who has just joined OnMilwaukee.com.
"I'm coming up blank," Jacques wrote. "I only remember the sex scenes from movies."
I love Damien.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
