Take me out to the ball game — on screen

The 2024 baseball season is upon us. To get you in the mood, Tribune film critic Nina Metz and sports writer Shakeia Taylor take a look at two cinematic titles often missing from the conversation — sometimes fairly, sometimes not — when it comes to movies about our national pastime: “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” (1976); and “Hardball” (2001).

They are rentable or available on a streaming platform. As with most sports movies, they pivot around similar themes of persistence, patience and redemption.

“The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” (1976)

A comedy about Negro League baseball players in 1939 who are fed up with low pay and form their own barnstorming team, led by Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones.

Shakeia Taylor: “Bingo Long” is one of the best baseball movies I hardly ever see or hear anyone discussing. It features some actors who became big names (Richard Pryor!) and was produced by Berry Gordy and Motown. It’s been more than 100 years since Rube Foster and the owners of Black baseball teams met in Kansas City to formally organize the Negro National League and the Negro Leagues are more popular than ever. This movie is a must-watch to me as it’s one of the rare instances of that particular era being presented visually.

There’s an attention to detail of the Negro League era that, if you’re unaware, might go unnoticed. From the unique team names to the sole woman owner to the on-field antics during games, the film takes the lore and brings it to life. Inside the comedy, there are also some realities of the unfortunate things players experienced.

Nina Metz: I wasn’t familiar with the movie until you suggested it, and I’m so glad I watched it because it feels specific in all the right ways. We rarely see movies that tackle the business of baseball itself and the history of players getting screwed so that owners — even Black Negro League owners — can reap the financial rewards. This is what prompts pitcher Bingo Long (Williams) to say enough is enough, we’re striking out on our own. I can’t see players doing something similar today; the closest modern approximation might be the Harlem Globetrotters in terms of the winking hijinks they bring to the game. But baseball has become too big and corporate for a ragtag team of pros to go from town to town to take on the competition.

Part of what makes it work is that they’re playing in mostly rural areas. At one point, their car is impounded for bogus reasons (see: racism) and they work as laborers to make enough money to get it back. After a long day in the sun digging for potatoes, they line up to collect their measly pay in front of a billboard featuring a white couple that advertises the “world’s highest quality of living — there’s no way like the American way.” It’s a subtle and brief visual, but the irony is clear and it’s searingly effective.

Williams plays a guy willing to take big chances to break the status quo (and quickly realizes how annoying the administrative side of this is going to be) while Jones plays the aging, more practical-minded one looking around and wondering if the sacrifices are worth it. These days, Jones is better known as a voice actor — and what a voice it is — but I love what he’s doing here. Plus: A rare movie featuring two future “Star Wars” actors!

“Bingo Long” was a hit, making $33 million on a $9 million budget. And yet it’s a title most people today probably don’t know. Do you have any theories why?

Taylor: It’s interesting you mention the car being impounded. In 1925, Fred Goree — manager of a barnstorming team whose history is largely unknown and passed down through word of mouth — was killed by a police officer on a stretch of highway between Chicago and St. Louis as he was on his way to a baseball game. When I watched the movie, I was reminded of that story. It’s something Negro leagues players faced constantly. Playing in small, rural towns meant passing through “sundown” towns — places Black people were to avoid after dark.

I had no idea this movie was a hit! I’ve always thought maybe it was some small film that never really took off simply because it is not held in the same esteem as many other films in the genre, especially considering how history is so important to baseball. I would imagine the subject matter impacted it. The discussion of segregated baseball is one many find uncomfortable, and in the ’70s it was an entirely different conversation. It could also be due to the fact that for roughly 30 years we saw Black American interest in baseball wane and the film went with it. Or it could just be the film never garnered the cult following other sports movies have so it never got passed around. It’s time more people give it a shot.

“Hardball” (2001)

Keanu Reeves plays a compulsive gambler who finds redemption as a baseball coach for fifth graders in Chicago.

Metz: Of the movies we watched, this is my least favorite. The kids are cute, so there’s that (it is also an early role for Michael B. Jordan). But the premise is basically: What if “The Bad News Bears,” but with a saccharine inspirational white savior storyline? The script is actually based on the 1993 nonfiction book “Hardball: A Season in the Projects” by Daniel Coyle, about a Little League at Cabrini-Green that was run by “white, college-educated young men with short hair, suburban backgrounds and orthodontically corrected teeth.” (Coyle was a coach himself but the Reeves character isn’t based on him.)

An early moment makes his situation clear. The guy’s name is Conor and he’s slumped over a church pew when a priest approaches him: Are you looking for faith? Forgiveness? Conor: “I’m looking for the Bulls to cover the spread.” Well, they don’t. Which means Conor is in debt up to his eyeballs to not one but two bookies. An acquaintance offers to pay down a portion of it, and in exchange, Conor must coach a group of kids who live in a housing project on the city’s West Side (the ABLA Homes specifically). The movie’s Chicago bonafides are hit-and-miss. One scene takes place in an office on Wacker Drive and you can see actual Wacker Drive through the windows! In another, Conor comes home after a bad day, cracks open an Old Style and pulls out a single slice of … New York-style pizza? I mean, I guess. The real issue is that Conor is such an unformed character. Diane Lane plays the kids’ teacher who is also Conor’s love interest.

I was reading a review of Coyle’s book, which talks about the “delicate relation of the men to the children, an incendiary mixture of affection and exasperation. Surprisingly, the coaches decided that tough discipline wasn’t what the (team) needed, but rather patience, cajolery and occasional bribery,” which the movie does capture, to its credit. Not touched on: the “dissension between the league’s Black and white organizers.” The movie just isn’t built for it.

It’s directed by one-time “Head of the Class” actor Brian Robbins, who is currently CEO of Paramount Pictures. Presumably, he’s a better executive than director.

Shakeia, where do you land on “Hardball”?

Taylor: I cannot address this movie without first saying “Rest in peace, G-baby!”

“Hardball” is one of those movies I never know where I stand on. The title song is one with a hook I can sing over and over. The kids’ stories felt relatable even if extreme at some points. The violence depicted in the movie was a little over the top. I love the Chicago-ness of it but the white savior thing does kind of get old — it was the coach and the teacher!

But all of that aside, I think what resonates is a group of kids getting to know and love baseball. We saw them go from kids who couldn’t play well at all to learning how to play together, visiting Wrigley Field, and winning a trophy. Despite life happening all around them they found love and support in one another and the beautiful game. They found something to play for. And Sammy Sosa waved at them! Can you imagine taking your first trip to Wrigley and that is who notices you? My goodness.

Metz: Fun fact: The Wrigley scene was filmed at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium (insert shrug emoji).

“Mr. 3000” (2004)

A comedy starring Bernie Mac as a self-centered baseball player who returns to the game post-retirement through some unlikely circumstances and learns humility along the way.

Taylor: I will never, ever say “Mr. 3000” is a great movie. However, I will say Bernie Mac, a Chicago White Sox fan, playing a Milwaukee Brewer was funny to me. But he always seems to be playing himself. The way he speaks and moves is always very much him, so I’m not sure how much he was actually acting. I’m not sure how believable he was as an aging, out-of-shape ballplayer. His swing was ugly. He never looked athletic enough to be a former player.

Angela Bassett as his romantic interest went right along with him looking out of place — everything was out of his league.

Metz: Seeing Bernie Mac’s face just makes me smile. “Here he is, with that trademark scowl,” the announcer says when it’s his turn at bat. I laughed! Also, I love a premise that’s set in motion by a clerical error — in this case, he’s a few base hits short of 3,000 and rejoins the Milwaukee Brewers nearly a decade after retirement to fix his stats.

I appreciate that it includes that sports movie staple, the training montage (with his introduction to pilates: “Pu-what?”). This is also a movie that boasts the odious phrase “girl pushups” and the trope that I hate most of all: The female reporter (Bassett’s character works for ESPN) sleeping with someone she covers. The way Hollywood likes to pretend this is totally fine and completely normal and not unethical drives me bananas.

It’s not common behavior for obvious reasons (it’s unprofessional!) but most women journalists in the real world regularly encounter assumptions that this is, which is why I want the trope to just die already! Shakeia, what has that been like for you as a woman who covers sports?

Taylor: Ha! It is extremely frustrating! I cannot tell you the number of times someone has asked me if I’ve seen any players undressed or they’ve alluded to the fact I could or should possibly date one. I think it’s thanks in part to this exact trope. I usually just explain that the players and I are at work and simply doing our jobs and that ends the discussion. Sometimes I just think people believe it’s the makings of a great love story.

Back to the movie though. Bernie Mac seemed like a really fun guy generally and it showed here! This made me think of how he sang on that fateful night at Wrigley Field in October 2003 and he prematurely called the Cubs the champs. Whew.

“Sugar” (2008)

A baseball prospect from the Dominican Republic comes to the U.S. to play single-A ball for a farm team in Iowa.

Metz: I discovered this movie only recently (someone recommended it the last time you and I talked about sports movies) and it’s become one of my favorites. An indie written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, it’s a migrant’s story that is thoughtful about the challenges of moving to a new place where everything is foreign and discombobulating.

We first meet the quietly charismatic Miguel, who is nicknamed Sugar (Algenis Perez Soto) at a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic. Among the skills they learn are a few important catchphrases in English: “I got it!” and “Line drive” and “I’ll do my best.” There’s so much pressure. The stakes are high: This is steady money and the potential for a lot more. He makes it to spring training in the U.S. and then lands a spot on a Single-A roster in Iowa. But the story isn’t focused on the baseball of it all so much as Miguel’s experience — the alienation of being in a place where you’re not fluent in the language or culture and suddenly being expected to adapt and perform at your highest level. Many of Miguel’s teammates are native Spanish speakers, but their English is also limited, which becomes a minor but meaningful language barrier at the diner where they eat. There’s a wonderful moment where a server picks up on this and quietly brings a plate with eggs done three different ways, realizing that Miguel doesn’t have the vocabulary yet.

Staying in a motel during spring training is one thing. Staying with a family during the regular season is something else. Aside from the free room and board, it’s supposed to offer a home away from home. (This practice was recently phased out as part of player contract negotiations.) Staying with this religious couple is deeply isolating, even if they are polite and well-meaning. “No cervezas in the casa and no chicas in the bedroom,” they tell him. “And you must be quiet after 10.”

You would never know the movie was made 15 years ago except for the absence of cell phones. But the themes remain consistent to this day; even when many of the logistics of moving to a new country are squared away — as a player, he has a place to live, a daily structure and income — emotionally it’s daunting.

I know you love this movie as well.

Taylor: It’s a must-see! Baseball has always been international, but present-day professional baseball in the U.S. is even more so. In 2023, there were 285 Latino/Hispanic players in MLB. That’s 30.2%. That’s significant. A number of them speak Spanish and typically use an interpreter to speak with the media. I’ve seen fans on social media complain that a player doesn’t speak English and it really makes me grimace because it shows there is a real lack of understanding of what these players experience. Sometimes players speak English just fine but worry about being misunderstood or misquoted so they default to using their interpreter with hopes of avoiding miscommunication.

They come to a country they don’t know, a culture they don’t understand and are immediately expected to get it — to assimilate. Making it to the majors is already hard enough, trying to make it and absorb American culture appears to be extremely difficult. “Sugar” is a great portrait of what that might look like.

The isolation Sugar experiences while desperately wanting to win and feel accepted comes through in the film. He wanted to feel affection, to eat something he enjoyed (the eggs! he was tired of French toast!) and to make his mother and sister proud. I cannot imagine living that while also having to deal with racism and a language barrier.

Unlike many sports movies, there is no comeback story. No dramatic game on the line or happy ending. Just a story of the reality we never consider — the players who might make an initial impression, but for whatever reason, never make it to the big lights.