Padres Editorial: Friars On Base Ranks Their Favorite Baseball Movies Part II

Mandatory Credit: flix66.com

Scott Alfano discusses #4-The Sandlot:

The 90s were great for a number of reasons, but one of the best has to be the sheer number of baseball movies that came out during the decade. Without a doubt, one of the best was The Sandlot.

Releasing in 1993, The Sandlot came out early enough for kids to still be kids. They weren’t censored the way children in movies are today. This was The Goonies of baseball movies. The movie took place thirty years earlier, giving an instant nostalgic feel that lasted throughout the movie.

The movie, of course, centered on baseball. Scottie Smalls had just moved to a new town and knew close to nothing about the game.

However, the hodgepodge collection of the other young baseball players brought everyone together. The comedy and the memorable quotes like, “You’re killing me Smalls!” “You play ball like a girl!” “Baby Ruth, who is she?” have kept the movie relevant for decades.

To go along with The Goonies feel, how can you forget about the Beast? The massive, legendary dog owned by James Earl Jones, eating dozens of baseballs made for the perfect enemy.

The Sandlot made baseball romantic. Other movies that came out at the same time were funny or cute. The Sandlot gave genuine laughs, had a large enough main cast that everyone watching had their own favorite character, and you felt like you were growing up with them.

Two words: Wendy Peffercorn. Young kids across the world got their first crush the first time they saw this movie. Squints’ fake drowning to land his first kiss with her had all of us standing in our seats.

I was lucky enough to be eight-years old when The Sandlot came out. So I was able to really put myself into the movie. I can’t imagine being an adult and seeing the movie for the first time. It had a massive part of me falling in love with baseball. The Sandlot is a movie every parent needs to show their children growing up.