Family Movie Night
By Karyn Bowman
By the time you read this, either the Cubs have won the World Series or they remain lovable losers who came this/close to ending the curse.
I don’t know at the moment if they have done one or the other. At this point in time they have won their second game and must win two more in order to break the curse.
It was great, it was terrifying. I thought they were going to lose it all at various moments when I wasn’t thinking the team had finally gotten over their fears.
I was feeling jealous of my cousin who was in Wrigley field during this tremendous win.
I almost felt bad for all of the times I made fun of him for being a Cubs fan while I am a Sox’s fan.
Almost.
But here’s the thing. I am happy to see the Cubs get this opportunity. But if they lose, I will not let Cubs fans know just how great my team was during the time they were in the World Series. Why, even former president George H.W. Bush was in the audience and they made a point of rubbing Houston’s nose in the loss by doing it quickly.
Perhaps that is too mean, I’m not sure.
In the mean time I can send you in the direction of some great movies about baseball.
You know the ones because they all seem to star Kevin Costner. Ok, maybe not but my two favorites are Bull Durham which is about an older player trying to figure out his role in Baseball as his playing career ends. The other is Field of Dreams in which a man discovers a secret world of deceased players in his cornfield.
Image from IMDb.com
Both movies, from different perspectives, tell a story that women can love and men can cry about without being total sissies. Maybe that is not politically correct to say but some guys still want to be macho stoics. Whatever.
You can still enjoy these stories of men finding ways to explore their feelings about lost chances and missed opportunities channeled into new opportunities such as a different career in your field or playing catch with your deceased father.
Or maybe you want to explore how the Cleveland Indians manage to stick it it their money-grubbing owner by not stinking and finding their way to the World series in Major League. It will involve a pitcher with wild throws and a voodoo spell to make a bat work. Meanwhile, Tom Berenger learns his game while in the last chance of his career to do something great.
Charlie Sheen appears in this movie as the pitcher with the strong but undisciplined arm. Dennis Haysbert is the Caribbean player who uses what ever he can to bring luck to his bat. None of these movies I have talked about are meant for kids.
But there is one that might appeal to them. Rookie of the Year is about a kid who discovers a new talent. After the kid’s arm heals from a break, the kid discovers he can throw as fast as a major a. Of course he is discovered. And soon he is playing for the Cubs as a pitcher.
It is a cute and sweet movie that kids can love. While not always plausible, it is fun and appropriate for younger members of the family..
Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 