With baseball starting it felt right to get in spirit with my Top 10 Baseball Movies. Most of these you should have seen, but all are worth seeing again. Please note that it does not say “… of All Time” as these are all color movies and aren’t musicals so Pride of the Yankees, Damn Yankees!, Yankee Doodle and so on have been excluded.

10. A League of Their Own

Yes, it’s about women playing baseball, but it’s a good movie. You can even stand Rosie O’Donnell for all two hours. Plus, where would we be without, “There’s no crying in baseball.”

9. Stealing Home

Not as much baseball as you’d like, but the movie does a good job of capturing why we are all so connected to the sport.

8. Eight Men Out

Charlie Sheen can actually play baseball. John Cusack, not so much.

7. Baseball by Ken Burns

Yeah, it’s a documentary and a bit slow at times, but it’s got a lot of cool stuff you didn’t already know.

6. Bang the Drum Slowly

It’s the baseball version of Brian’s Song, but you get to watch Robert Dinero prove he was a star long before he was one. It’s Michael Moriarty’s breakout role too.

Now for the murders’ row of Kevin Costner baseball movies…

5. For Love of the Game

Not as strong as the other two but I still try his Clear the Mechanism trick whenever I’m at the plate. Interesting concept too with the backstory playing out between innings of Costner’s possible perfect game.

4. Bull Durham

Tell me you didn’t try to breathe through your eyelids just once.

3. Field of Dreams

It doesn’t quite stand the test of time but it is still an amazing movie. Makes me want to have a catch every time I watch.

2. Major League

This would probably be number one if it wasn’t for Corbin Bernsen’s acting, or me having to believe that Dorn could actually lay out Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn with one punch. By the way, greatest on-the-field putdown: “Nice one, Dorn.” Bob Uecker is truly amazing. Wesley Snipes is downright cool. Watch and you’ll remember why we all liked Charlie Sheen in the first place.

1. The Natural

In the book, he strikes out at the end. Would kind of make for a different movie, huh? I dare you to watch this movie and not want to one, make a bat, two, swing a bat, or three, high five Roy Hobbs as he rounds the bases at the end. The only problem is a 30something Robert Redford playing a high schooler, but you can get past it for this masterpiece of a movie.

Have a different Top 10? Tell me what it is and why. That’s what that comment button is all about.

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Born on barbecue and raised on the Chiefs, Chris started life in Independence, MO and grew up in nearby Stilwell, KS. He is a proud Jayhawk having gone to school in Lawrence, and is still waiting on a sequel to Danny & the Miracles. Chris has been a sports writer, professional poker player, bullfighter, advertising executive, boxing promoter, tango champion, stuntman, constant Raider Hater and he once killed a man, just to see if he really bled crimson and blue.  He is currently the Marketing Director and consummate professional here at RotoHog.com.