FanPost

Baseball Documentaries to watch


Several days ago I made a post about all the baseball movies I'd watched. People seemed fairly interested, and maybe it has given or will give you an idea of something to watch during this indefinite/indeterminable time. (Seriously, get an Amazon Fire Stick or similar device if you don't already have one, even if Amazon is evil)

I also checked out my IMDB ratings history for baseball documentaries I'd watched over the years. The list only includes, like, high quality, full length documentaries, so it's shorter than the list of movies. Obviously not all the short stuff we see on MLB Network or the local stuff on Fox Sports Wisconsin, or whatever. I didn't include the Ken Burns, but heck, might as well watch that over the next few weeks if you've never seen it.


Here are the ones I had voted on and some thoughts:

9. For the Fun of the Game: This is a history of the American Association/Northern League St. Paul Saints. It's kind of half promo, but does share a lot of stories about their fascinating history and how they changed the world of independent and minor league baseball starting back in 1993. Much of the stuff you see your local minor league team doing orginated with the St. Paul Saints. I lived in St. Paul for grad school about 15 years ago and was close to old Saints stadium and went to a few games. It's hard for me to imagine them in their new, fancy stadium, but it sounds like they've been as popular as ever.

8. Ballplayer:Pelotero This is a documentary that kind of could be a companion to the movie Sugar. It talks about the Latin baseball culture and incredible pressure on teenagers in places like the Dominican. It's been a long time since I watched it, but I believe it has quite a bit about the DSL.

7. Opposite Field This documentary is about the efforts to build a little league team and the sport of baseball in, of all places, Uganda, in east Africa. It's been a while since I saw this too, but I remember it being a fascinating story of people trying to learn about baseball and build a culture in a place with no knowledge, whatsoever. Sadly, the kids also face institutional barriers, subtle racism and microaggressions as they pursue Little League glory.

6. 30 for 30: Jordan Rides the Bus If you were around in the early 90's and old enough to pay attention, you knew the story of Michael Jordan's bizzare and crazy attempts at being the basketball Tim Tebow. I mean, it was a media circus. If you are younger or want to reminisce about an earlier era in baseball, check this one out.

5. 30 for 30: Fernando Nation Another slice of baseball life you may not know much about it if you are under, say, 45, this tells the story of the incredible ascent of young Fernando Valenzuela in the early 80's. He came from the middle of nowhere in Mexico, not like today's endlessly scouted and promoted international youngsters. Fernando took over the sports and media world for a short time.

4. Knuckleball The story of the craziest pitch in baseball, that old catcher Bob Uecker used to watch, wait till it quit rolling, and then picked it up. It seems like we've finally reached a time when there aren't any active knuckleballers, so this could be a lost art.

3. The Battered Bastards of Baseball This is one of those documentaries that just leaves you shaking your head. The story of an early 70's Portland minor league team that played in the affiliated minor leagues but had no affiliation, this one is just crazy. The marketing and culture of the team were off the wall. Actor Kurt Russell even played for this team.

2. No No: A Dockumentary Even more unbelievable, the story of Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis, and the early 70's no hitter he threw while high on LSD. This is another documentary that is just insane. Baseball culture and the world and general in that era were nuts.

1. Catching Hell This is an ESPN documentary about the Steve Bartman incident. Yes, it's about the Cubs. But this one truly moved me and stuck with me. The whole story is incredible, the game, the Cubs collapse, and the awful mob mentality of the fans. The most moving part is the security guard who protected Steve.