What’s Aged the Best?
Bob Uecker’s Harry Doyle broadcasts win. The alternatives are Jake Taylor’s bunt; the film’s slow motion; the Cleveland opening; credible baseball-player casting and Charlie Sheen’s physicality; the season-long structure and specialized roster; Lou Brown; baseball texture; Yankees villainy; the manager’s hunch; worst-to-first baseball magic; closer entrance music; and the profane R-rated tone.
In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:27Read transcript
- Having Jake Taylor win with a surprise bunt instead of a home run is introduced as an Aged Best answer.
- The movie’s slow motion, especially Willie Mays Hayes running in pajamas during the opening, is offered as another Aged Best answer.
- The opening credits’ documentary-like Cleveland images are praised for establishing the city and stakes.
- Casting performers who look and move like baseball players helps the games feel credible.
- Charlie Sheen’s youth and physical credibility as a pitcher hold up especially well.
- Bob Euker as the lifelong local radio hack is praised throughout and is ultimately chosen as the winner.
- The movie captures the day-to-day aspect, ebb and flow, and checkpoints of a baseball season.
- The roster’s pre-Moneyball specialization, including speed, defense, and relief pitching, feels ahead of its time.
- James Gammon’s Lou Brown is praised as a funny, credible manager rather than a sentimental caricature.
- The film captures baseball's rule-bending, dugout drama, rituals, and superstitions.
- Using the Yankees as the final villain restores their evil-empire role after a weaker decade.
- The worst-to-first pennant story delivers the kind of baseball-movie magic the hosts want from the genre.
- The grizzled manager's absurd hunch succeeds even though putting in Charlie Sheen should not work.
- The Wild Thing sequence is credited with creating the closer-entrance-music tradition that followed.
- The R rating, swearing, and adult jokes give the sports comedy an edge missing from safer versions.