BARRY LEVINE: ‘Field of Dreams’ tops baseball movies

Jerry Blevins is a good relief pitcher who posted a 6-0 record with a 2.94 earned-run average for the lowly New York Mets in 2017. As a movie critic, the 34-year-old southpaw is a minor leaguer, who typifies the term “bush leaguer.”

He penned a recent editorial for “Sports Illustrated” explaining why he believes the classic baseball film “Field of Dreams” is a bad movie. “Field of Dreams” focuses on a struggling Iowa farmer (Kevin Costner) who hears voices that tell him to build a baseball field.

“It’s not the best baseball movie. It’s not even Kevin Costner’s best baseball movie. ‘Bull Durham’ (1988) and ‘For Love of The Game’ (1999) are significantly better baseball movies,” Blevins wrote.

Blevins explained that he got into a Twitter discussion after he listed his Top 5 baseball movies, which included “The Sandlot” and “Major League.” He started to get pushback from people because “Field of Dreams” wasn’t in the top five.

One of his biggest points of contention with the movie was the fact that Ray Liotta played Shoeless Joe Jackson and batted righty. Jackson, however, batted lefty during his Major League career.

“My favorite part of the movie is Moonlight Graham, played by Burt Lancaster, who gives up his dream to save Ray Kinsella’s daughter from choking. Costner starred in the movie as Kinsella. That’s true heartbreak for me,” Blevins said.

“Oh, and the big climax of the movie is when Kinsella got to play catch with his dad. That part is even ruined for me because Kinsella says, ‘Have a catch.’ Maybe it’s my Midwestern roots, but I’ve never said anything but ‘play catch.’ Nobody says ‘have a catch’ unless they are mocking ‘Field of Dreams.’”

Blevins also claimed the movie had no “re-watchability.” Not only does he not watch it when it comes on TV, but he said “Old Yeller” is much more of a tear-jerker than “Field of Dreams.”

Blevins is right about the minor slips in “Field of Dreams,” but that’s like slamming a player for the only error he made during a season.

Sorry, Jerry, but I love “Field of Dreams” and have watched it over and over again for three decades. When I get depressed in the middle of winter and need a “baseball fix,” I always put my copy in the VCR and watch it. It helps eliminate my depressed mood.

With the Major League Baseball season scheduled to open this week, here are my nine favorite baseball movies following “Field of Dreams.” The films are listed in order of release.

“Pride of the Yankees” — The 1942 film starred Gary Cooper as New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, Teresa Wright as his wife, Eleanor, and Walter Brennan as New York sports writer Sam Blake. The movie is the life story of Gehrig, one of baseball’s greatest players, who was dying from ALS. His famous “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech is heart-wrenching.

“Bang The Drum Slowly” — Michael Moriarty and Robert DeNiro starred in the 1973 movie about a catcher (DeNiro) who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and got emotional assistance from teammate Henry Wiggen (Moriarty), the star hurler for the New York Mammoths.

“Bad News Bears” — This was the first of several films about the Bears. The 1976 movie starred Walter Matthau as Southern California Little League coach Morris Buttermaker, Tatum O’Neal as Amanda Whurlitzer, the girl he brought to the team to pitch, and Vic Morrow and Joyce Van Patten as the league’s overseers. The movie traced the improving “Bad News Bears” race for the league title.

“The Natural” — Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger and Wilford Brimley starred in the 1984 movie about Roy Hobbs, an aging baseball player (Redford) who has never played in the big leagues as he tries to bring his team, the New York Knights, from last place to the playoffs.

“Bull Durham” — Kevin Costner starred in this 1988 movie as a career minor leaguer who is sent to Class A to groom a highly touted, but thick-headed rookie pitcher (Tim Robbins). Susan Sarandon co-starred.

“Eight Men Out” – The 1988 film focused on members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox who were approached by gamblers to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The movie starred John Cusack as White Sox star Buck Weaver, Clifton James as White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, Michael Lerner as gambler Arnold Rothstein and Christopher Lloyd as gambler Bill Burns.

“Major League” — Charlie Sheen starred as pitcher Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn, Tom Berenger as veteran catcher Jake Taylor and Wesley Snipes as outfielder Willie Mays Hayes in the 1989 movie about the fictionalized version of the Cleveland Indians who managed to save their struggling season.

“A League Of Their Own” – Candy-maker Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) decided to create a women’s professional baseball league during World War II. The 1992 movie starred Tom Hanks as Manager Jimmy Dugan, Geena Davis as star catcher Dottie Hinson and Lori Petty as pitcher Kit Keller and Hinson’s sister. The film followed one team’s battle for the league’s championship

“For Love of the Game” — The 1999 film follows the perfect game performance of an aging star baseball pitcher, Billy Chapel, of the Detroit Tigers, played by Kevin Costner, as he deals with the pressures of pitching in Yankee Stadium in his final outing by calming himself with memories about a long-term relationship with girlfriend Jane Aubrey, played by Kelly Preston.

This week in rock history: Albany’s Ray Charles updated Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia On My Mind on March 25, 1960,” a song that would become Charles’ first chart topper. … Ricky Nelson recorded his first songs for the Verve label on March 26, 1957. “A Teenager’s Romance” became a No. 10 hit for Frankie Trumbauer in 1931. Nelson’s version climbed to No. 2, and a cover of Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin’” reached No. 4. During his 15-year recording career, Nelson places 36 songs in the Top 40. … The first record released by Del Shannon, “Runaway,” entered the chart on March 27, 1961, on its way to becoming a million-selling, No. 1 hit. … Van Morrison recorded “Brown Eyed Girl” on March 28, 1967, and it quickly rose to No. 10. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. … Connie Francis had her first chart success as “Who’s Sorry Now?” reached No. 4 on March 29, 1958. During the next 10 years she charted 55 more songs. … On March 30, 1958, Little Richard had his final Top 10 hit with a song he had recorded in October 1956, “Good Golly Miss Molly.” The previous autumn, he had given up rock ‘n’ roll and had enrolled at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., to study theology. … The Shirelles’ “Soldier Boy” was released on Sceptor Records on March 31, 1962. The tune became the group’s biggest hit, reaching No. 1, selling more than 1 million copies and earning a Gold record.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].