A Grip on Sports: Pop your popcorn and settle in for a debate on the best of sports movies over the years

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The Ides of March are upon us. And the villain today isn’t Brutus with a knife, but a microscopic virus. It has stabbed the entire world in the back. At least it may give us time to re-read “Julius Caesar.” Or watch “Caddyshack” again.

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• We are still formulating our plans for the weeks ahead in this space, but we’re sure lists will have a role in some way. So what better way to kick off the staying-away-from-others season than with a list of our favorite sports movies?

After all, if you are going to re-watch shows and movies, this may just be the time to do it.

I don’t know about you, but my list of favorite movies, no matter the genre, changes all the time. There was a whole bunch of years the World War II film, “Mister Roberts,” starring Henry Fonda, was my favorite movie of them all. Now, thanks to its split personality – two directors fought over the final product – it is tough to watch, except the scene in which Jack Lemmon reads the letter from Doug sent just before – spoiler alert – his death. Still makes me cry every time.

There are a couple sports movies like that as well. “Major League” hit me at the exact right time in my life. Thirty years later, I wonder what flaw in my personality allowed it to do that. Then there are movies that have gone the other way. I wasn’t a hug fan of “Miracle” when it was first released. Now it’s on one of my best-of lists.

With that being said, let’s get to the lists. I’ve broken them down into three categories: comedies, fictional dramas and those based on real life. There is overlap, sure, movies that could have been in a couple of categories, but that’s OK. It just gives us more to watch. I’ve added some commentary, but for many of them I’m assuming you know something about them and have already formed your own opinion. And that’s good.

Comedies

This is the most saturated category, at least for me. Cutting it to a top five was hard and the also-worth-watching category could make up your top five lists easily. I’m not much of an off-the-wall comedy guy, so Adam Sandler isn’t included. But I know a lot of you love “Happy Gilmore.”

5. Caddyshack

Why? Mainly because of the cast. Great comedians doing what they do, all the while making fun of people who take golf way too seriously.

4. The Big Lebowski

Yes, this is a sports movie. Bowling is a crucial part of the film, as it was in my life when the movie came out. A lot of the peripheral characters used to bowl at Silver Lanes. Or at least is seemed that way.

3. The Bad News Bears

The Walter Matthau one. I’m pretty sure I coached youth baseball against Vic Morrow’s doppelganger. 

2. Bull Durham

Some of the lines came directly from things either my teammates or opponents said back in the 1970s. Baseball had a universal language Ron Shelton tapped into.

1. Slap Shot

When Paul Newman mutters about fans wearing him out, he was echoing every sports writer who ever lived.

Others: Dodgeball; White Men Can’t Jump; Tin Cup; Sandlot.

Drama

There have been some great movies, like “Raging Bull,” that are sports-based. But everyone has their favorites. Mine are below.

5. Rocky

In 1976 I read a small review about this “small” movie in the L.A. Times. I took a friend to see it in a nearly empty Academy Theater its first week. We left the theater ready to run through a brick wall – or up a bunch of stairs. Word of mouth turned it into what it became.

4. Breaking Away

Maybe this should be higher. It would be if the Italians weren’t the bad guys.

3. The Karate Kid

Still quote Mr. Miyagi a lot. He’s a hero of mine.

2. Field of Dreams

Saw this one with my dad. Enough said.

1. Hoosiers

The best basketball movie ever, edging out “Blue Chips.” (Yes, I’m kidding.)

Others: Vision Quest; The Natural (I liked the book’s ending better); Requiem for a Heavyweight (a great film lost in time).

Truish-stories

Sports is a breeding ground for great stories. Too many actually. And too often creative license becomes a license to destroy the story’s integrity.

5. Pride of the Yankees

Was Lou Gehrig the luckiest man alive? Not sure, but when Gary Cooper said it, he made you believe it.

4. Hoosiers

Norman Dale had to be Dick Bennett’s uncle or something, right?

3. A League of Their Own

Not the best movie ever, but some of the lines are unforgettable. Heck, “there’s no crying in baseball,” is enough to put it on some list some time.

2. Moneyball

Many of the more important parts of this movie happen while Brad Pitt is driving the Oakland-area freeways. If you have spent any time in California, you understand how true that is.

1. Miracle

“Not tonight.”

Others: Remember the Titans; Chariots of Fire; Eight Men Out; Rudy; Seabiscuit.

• If you want other opinions, the San Jose Mercury-News staff has some thoughts and there is this Vulture list from a year ago.

I’m sure you have your thoughts as well. My emails are always open.

• Our fearless leader, Boris … oops, Ralph Walter, has some thoughts on the times we are dealing with. And he shares with everyone the S-R’s plans for the next few weeks. As he says, the past week has been the greatest “what-if” of all time.

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WSU: There will be no sports in the Pac-12 this spring, no matter when the coronavirus subsidies. Theo Lawson relays that decision. … Andre Dillard became a star at Washington State. He also was a leader. And he has thoughts about Mike Leach leaving the school. He’s not all that upset. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Oregon State finished the truncated season on a high note. … Would Arizona State have won the conference tournament? … Arizona’s youth betrayed it some this season. How many players will return? The Wildcats are in the transfer market. … Colorado’s new football staff put its players first as the virus hit. … Broadcaster Dave Pasch is putting others first right now. … Jimmy Lake’s first spring at Washington has been a challenge already. … The lost moments will never be regained.

Gonzaga: Las Vegas didn’t waste any time turning its gaze to next basketball season. Two schools with Inland Northwest ties emerged as the betting choices for the title. Jim Meehan tells us Gonzaga and Virginia are at the top of the favorites’ list. … Grand Canyon University is looking for a new coach. At the top of the list is Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett, who was reportedly in his hometown of Phoenix for a conversation already.

Idaho: The Vandals have canceled their spring football game. … The Vandals dominate this year’s North Idaho Hall of Fame class. That news kicks off our local briefs. … Around the Big Sky, Portland State’s coaching staff took advantage of getting stuck in Boise. They turned something negative into something positive.

Mariners: With baseball’s decision to take a break, players are trying to figure out what to do.

Seahawks: The one aspect of sports still in play is NFL free agency. The Hawks have done well in it in the past. What are they looking for this year?

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• Though we received some emails yesterday, we’re still soliciting thoughts on what we should write about in the weeks ahead. We’ll probably reach on Twitter today for more suggestions. Until later …