Class of 2014 Inductee: Roy Hobbs

The Natural (1984)

New York Knights Outfielder

In the early years of cinema, baseball and boxing dominated sports films, though each one took a vastly different narrative. Boxing flicks showcased the sport’s dirty underbelly, where the mafia and corruption took the forefront. Baseball took a vastly different approach where there was almost a magical appeal to it. Perhaps, that is what made the 1984 film, “The Natural” so effective as it combined the magic that is associated with the game, at a time when the sport was becoming in the eyes of fans as a “business”. Perhaps that is why this film ages so well and why Roy Hobbs entered the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame on the first full ballot.

We first see Hobbs as a 19 year old pitcher in 1923 on his way to try out for the Chicago Cubs, and along the way at a carnival he strikes out “The Whammer”, the top hitter in baseball and draws the interest of a woman who obsess over ball players and lures the young phenom to her hotel room shooting Hobbs and committing suicide, but that isn’t the last time we are to see Hobbs.

He returns to the screen as a thirty-five year old hitter, a rookie signed by the New York Knights whose management was deliberately tanking (thus signing an unproven 35 year old) so that due to a previous deal where if they won the pennant, the Manager (Pop Fisher played by Wilfred Brimley) would not become make a part owner of the team.

Once Hobbs gets a chance to play, he literally blows the cover a baseball with his bat; and it was not just any baseball bat. It was “wonderboy” a bat made from a tree that was struck by lightning from his youth.

With his bat, his skill and his leadership, the Knights push towards the pennant, though not before Hobbs has to turn down a bribe to throw games and the residue of his gun shot wound from his youth, which is threatening to not just end his career, but his life.

It’s a story of morals and perseverance and one where the love of Baseball trumps a lot of the wrongs in the world.

Robert Redford, who was 48 when he played the 35 year old rookie, still had that boyish charm that made him believable in the part, brought that every man character that allowed him to become a star to both sexes. In his youth, Redford was considered one of the best looking actors in the business, bordering on being a pretty boy; but he had such a down to earth quality that even when he didn’t look the part; he still looked the part.

Perhaps that is why when we watched Redford, it didn’t bother us that he looked a little old, or that he didn’t quite look right in the batter’s box. Redford WAS Roy Hobbs, and for a man who had a lot of great roles in his career, this remains the favorite of many. No wonder he got in right away. Now pardon our pun as we say Hobbs was a “Natural” fit for the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.

{youtube}qdtCFKVtSls{/youtube}

{youtube}i94ldGNNSQ0{/youtube}

When the first Major League came out in 1989, Corbin Bernsen was one of the top television stars in the United States. His portrayal of the slimy, yet affable Arnie Becker on L.A. Law made him a star. With magazine covers and Emmy nominations, what is the next step for every television star of that level? Why a stab at feature films of course!

With a high billing, Bernsen was cast as the team’s lone super star, Roger Dorn, whose unlikable character was only concerned with preserving his worth for another large contract; basically shown by his lack of hustle for fielding ground balls. So just were the highlights for Roger Dorn?

Watching his Manager, Lou Brown take a piss on his contract.

Letting Cerano (a rookie) take his golf club cozies for a “hat for bat”

Finding out his wife slept with the other rookie (Ricky Vaughn) who he antagonized in Spring Training.

It wasn’t all bad, as his single led off the rally for Cerano to tie the game in the 7^th against the Yankees, but who remembers that?

When Major League 2 came out, L.A. Law was pretty much over, as was what was left of Corbin Bernsen’s hairline. Roger Dorn bought the Indians (foreshadowing the ability of players to actually buy into franchises only a few years later), though he would wind up back on the team in a bungling role (where his highlight was leaning into a pitch to get the walk). Actually, Dorn’s fall from the Baseball pecking order mirrored Bernsen’s fall from the primetime television. Somehow Dorn’s character became the owner for the Minnesota Twins in the third Major League film, but for the life of us, we can’t remember how that happened in the plot.   Although, weren’t the Twins legitimately looked at for contraction a few years later?   Perhaps it was due to the fine management of Roger Dorn.



The Bullet Points:
Movies Appeared:
Major League (1989)
Major League II (1994)
Major League: Back to the Minors (1998)

Actor:
Corbin Bernsen

Position Portrayed:
Third Base/Owner

Played for:
Cleveland Indians

Why you should vote for him:
In his defense, playing third isn’t easy.

Why you should not vote for him:
Remember his wife cheated on him. Athletes are supposed to cheat on their wives (which did happen in the movie) but for the opposite to happen? Unacceptable!

{youtube}puq452c1l_8{/youtube}

{youtube}4ccUDrB_8jQ{/youtube}

{youtube}L9XkWdi45VM{/youtube}

Class of 2014 Inductee: Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn

Major League (1989), Major League 2 (1994)

Cleveland Indians Pitcher

The cast of characters from Major League may have been the most colorful group of characters ever assembled on a baseball diamond, but those who watched the 1989 classic generally believe that the man who stood out the most was Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn.

He had the unique “veg head” haircut. He had the black horn-rimmed glassed with the small silver skull and crossbones on the bridge. He had the “I don’t give a f**k” attitude and he could throw a baseball 100 miles per hour. He was the kind of player that men wanted to party with and women wanted to sleep with, even his teammates’ wife!

On the field (and let’s just focus on the first film), he had his crowning achievement by finally beating the Yankees and striking out Clu Haywood, who had crushed them all year and putting his Indians in the position to win the deciding game of the division. That moment alone is Hall of Fame worthy, and of course aided by the fact that we watched his game mature (though not necessarily the man) through the season. Like Coach Brown said, he was a big reason they got there!

Charlie Sheen, who was at the apex of his movie career, was perfectly cast as Vaughn as the role did require certain aloofness and quite cool that Sheen provided. Nobody (and probably not Sheen himself) would ever say that he had a lot of acting range but there are times you don’t need a great actor to play a character (the film had that in Tom Berenger as Jake Taylor), you just need someone who is a character.

For the role, Sheen claimed that he took steroids to bulk up and he was able to get his fastball to roughly 80 miles per hour. That may not be Major League level (pardon the pun), but it made him look like a pitcher and mechanically he was sound enough to be believable; and yes, something like that SHOULD matter in terms of entering this Hall of Fame.

Now what kind of Major League career would he have had? As the reported Major League 3 (we’re not counting the Back to the Minors) film that he was reportedly to be a part of never materialized, whether it be as a mentor (older player or coach, we have no idea), but whether Vaughn entered the Baseball Hall of Fame, or flamed out after two seasons, this was a Hall of Famer based on what we saw.

Chalk one up for the California Penal Baseball League!

{youtube}bBaNdHqC_Yo{/youtube}

{youtube}g_wc9JvTXGc{/youtube}

Will Farrell returns at his comedic best as NASCAR racer Ricky Bobby. We lost count on the amount of laugh out loud moments regardless of the absurdity of the situation, and it still gave us what we wanted as sports fans; plenty of racing action. Ricky Bobby and Jackie Moon were only two years apart; and it would not surprise us to see both enter the Hall quickly.



The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Actor:
Will Farrell

Position Portrayed:
Nascar Driver

Played for:
Dennit Racing Team

Why you should vote for him:
Farrell was at his satirical and comical best here.

Why you should not vote for him:
He didn’t win at the end…not that anyone remembers.

{youtube}RkxAAilnLEI{/youtube}

{youtube}A27nH_TtN3k{/youtube}

{youtube}D5E23GxcVHA{/youtube}