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PLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 203: The PhenomOn this episode, we dive into the 2016 indie drama The Phenom starring Ethan Hawke and Paul Giamatti. After introducing the movie, we walk through the plot (13:17) and review the film (1:08:34). Rounding the bases on Inside Baseball, Andrew walks us through famous teenage phenoms (1:19:55); Paul gives a rundown of sports psychology (1:39:25); And we name our Top 5 Most Intimidating Pitchers (2:07:55). Sliding into home, we name the movie's MVP and rate the film (2:35:38). Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies is produced by Paul Leschofs and Andrew Knopp. Our theme music, Slow Burn, was created by Kevin MacLeod. Our ma...2020-06-3000 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 202: Kill the UmpireOn this episode, we’re stepping into the past to take on the 1950 William Bendix comedy Kill the Umpire. After introducing the movie, we walk through the plot (10:21) and review the film (44:48). Then, on Inside Baseball, Paul walks us through the history of the MLB Umpire (54:25); We share a Top 5 of historic calls made by umpires (1:04:53 & 1:37:00); We break down the vigorous training that umps have to undergo (1:19:47); Rounding third, we discuss technological advances being made in umpiring and debate Robot Umps (2:05:25); Sliding into home, we rate the film (2:35:11) and hope we don’t have to KILL THE UMPIRE! 2020-04-3000 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 201: Mr. 3000Hey baseball fans! We’re still hard at work on Season 2 of Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies (Update as of 3/20/2020). However, due to the delay of the 2020 baseball season, we’ve decided to release the Season 2 premiere early for everyone practicing social distancing and self-quarantining. Wishing you all a safe and healthy start to the Spring! On this episode, we’re diving into Bernie Mac’s screwball comedy Mr. 3000. After introducing the movie, we walk through the plot (11:18) and review the film (48:27). Then, on Inside Baseball, we give a rundown of the actual 3000 hit club (1:01:14); We discuss t...2020-03-2000 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESSEASON ONE ALL STAR GAMEOn this special episode of Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we’re celebrating the All Star Game. Leading off, we give our thoughts on the 2019 All Star Selections. Rounding second, we review all 10 movies from Season 1 and select one player from each movie to fill out our Season 1 All Star lineup. Sliding into home, we deliver a special message for YOU, our listeners, before signing off to get back to work on Season 2 (coming soon!) of Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies. Twitter: @BaseballPodShowInstragram: playballpodcast. Play Ball: Base...2019-07-0900 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 109: Field of DreamsOn the first Season Finale of Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we bring in filmmaker and friend of the show Tom Ptasinski to talk Kevin Costner’s all time baseball classic, Field of Dreams. Reaching first, we walk through the plot (8:27) and review the film (1:23:50). Then, on Inside Baseball, we discuss baseball in 1989, the year the movie came out (1:45:34); Andrew tries to figure out who won the actual Red Sox / A’s game that Kevin Costner takes James Earl Jones to in the film (1:51:34); we go through the history of the real Field of Dreams field (1:56:51); and we disc...2019-07-0100 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 108: American PastimeThis week on Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we’re talking about the little-known American Pastime, about the baseball leagues in the Japanese-American Internment Camps during World War II. First up, we give some historical background on the internment camps, walk through the plot (5:20) and review the film (23:34). Then, on Inside Baseball, we discuss the history of baseball in Japanese American communities (32:00) and give a rundown of the many baseball leagues played in the Internment Camps (36:16). Rounding second, we highlight some major baseball figures from the camps, including Kenichi Zenimura, the “Father of Japanese-American baseball” (45:07) and famous MLB scout...2019-06-2400 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 107: The FanAttaboy Bobby! Today on Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we’re talking about Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes’ rollercoaster ride of a thriller, The Fan. Leading off, we walk through the bonkers plot (5:50) and review the movie (58:31). Then, on Inside Baseball, we discuss baseball in 1996 (1:10:15) and compare Wesley Snipes’ Bobby Rayburn to his real-life inspiration, Barry Bonds (1:17:05). Rounding second, we discuss just how insane Barry Bonds’ talent was when we play everyone’s favorite game, “What the Fuck, Barry Bonds?” (1:28:08); Paul introduces us to the Giants’ original mascot, Crazy Crab (1:38:38); Andrew discusses Mo Vaughn’s relationship with a child cancer pat...2019-06-1700 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 106: SugarWe’re talking Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s 2009 gem Sugar. Leading off, we walk through the plot (6:06) and review the film (17:33). On Inside Baseball, we talk about baseball in the year the movie came out (42:48); We give a full breakdown of modern baseball culture in the Dominican Republic (46:39), including representation of Dominican players in MLB and the many different Dominican Leagues; We investigate the wild history of how baseball first came to the D.R. (56:46); We discuss Major League Baseball Academies in the D.R. as a source of developing talent and their impact on their local communities (1:07:02); We h...2019-06-1000 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 105: A League of Their OwnThere’s no crying in baseball! Today on Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we’re joined by friend of the show Susan Mangan for the all-time classic, A League of Their Own. Leading off, we walk through the plot (11:44) and discuss the deleted romance subplot between Tom Hanks and Geena Davis (50:05) before we give our reviews (1:15:10) and debate the climactic dropped ball in the final game (1:31:30). Then, on Inside Baseball, we dive into the history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, or AAGPBL (1:38:00) and name our top 5 women players (1:55:25). We then investigate why women traditionally play soft...2019-06-0300 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 104: Ed Get ready to go bananas! Today on Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we watch the 1996 comedy Ed, starring Matt LeBlanc and his baseball playing chimpanzee Ed Sullivan. Leading off, we walk through the plot (06:24) and give our reviews. Then, on Inside Baseball (45:42), we discuss famous players who suffered from the yips, the Angels’ “Rally Monkey” and the Dodgers “Rally Banana,” the very rare feat of the unassisted triple play, and baseball’s craziest promotions, starring Bill Veeck and Eddward Carl Gaedel. Sliding into home, we rate the movie (01:36:04) and preview next week. Play Ball...2019-05-2700 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 103: 42 and The Jackie Robinson StoryLet’s play two! Today on Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, it’s a Jackie Robinson double header. We discuss 42, starring Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson, and 1950’s The Jackie Robinson Story starring Jackie Robinson as himself. After walking through the plots of both movies (06:04) we’re joined by special guest Dr. Raymond Doswell, Vice President of Curatorial Services at the Negro Leagues Museum (14:28) for a wide-ranging interview on the legacy of Jackie Robinson and the Negro Leagues. We discuss the state of the Negro Leagues in the years leading up to integration, why Jackie was the perfect candidat...2019-05-1600 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 102: Take Me Out to the Ball GameBuy us some peanuts and cracker jacks! Today on Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies, we’re dancing our way through Gene Kelly’s 1949 musical, Take Me Out To The Ballgame. Leading off, we walk through the plot, listen to the film’s most memorable songs, and give our reviews. Then, on Inside Baseball (45:50), we discuss the feminist origins of baseball’s favorite anthem; We see if sabermetrics can tell us if Gene Kelly’s fictional 1908 world champion Wolves would have beaten the REAL 1908 world champion Cubs; Paul attempts to uncover the first double play in history, while Andrew identifies...2019-05-1600 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESEpisode 101: The Sandlot The series premiere of Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies! The show where your hosts, Andrew and Paul, watch and analyze every baseball movie. On the mound for our pilot episode is the 1993 classic The Sandlot. Leading off, we walk through the plot and give our reviews. Then, on our Inside Baseball segment (16:03), we dive into the history, trivia, lore, stats, and theories from the baseball in the movie. We discuss the REAL story behind Babe Ruth’s legendary “Called Shot” home run. We explore the theory of The Sandlot as a metaphor for breaking baseball’s color bar...2019-05-1600 minPLAY BALL: BASEBALL AT THE MOVIESWelcome to Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies!Welcome to our Podcast, Play Ball: Baseball at the Movies!The show where two best friends/film buffs/baseball nerds watch and analyze every baseball movie there is.The song used in this promo was written by Kevin MacLeod.2019-05-1300 min