0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/18/2014
You’re going to love The Battered Bastards of Baseball. Period. Full stop. Inning over. If you’re a baseball fan, this movie will charm you and keep you smiling throughout its 80-minute run time. Boot up your Netflix account, find this movie in the catalog (which shouldn’t be too difficult, since Netflix acquired this film directly), […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/17/2014
Let the second half of the 2014 MLB season begin! Each of baseball’s six divisions are closely contested (also resulting in tight wild-card races), which should make for some fun baseball during the next two-and-a-half months. Potential trades and playoff races will naturally be the stories followed most closely from now through September. But zooming […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/16/2014
I did not expect to write anything about Derek Jeter for the Wednesday after the 2014 All-Star Game. I can understand if you don’t want to read anymore about him today, though I certainly appreciate it if you’re sticking with me here. The internet and TV are surely bursting with stories on the Yankees shortstop […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/15/2014
MLB teams don’t get a do-over after the All-Star break. Yet several clubs contending for division titles and playoff spots need turnarounds from a key player or two to improve their chances at the postseason. Just about every contender is in such a position despite disappointing performances from hitters or pitchers that have been major contributors […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/12/2014
It was a rough week for several teams in MLB. Many big names went down with injuries, and may have taken their respective clubs’ playoff chances with them. Two division races could be significantly affected by these developments. Off the field, at least one team should probably reevaluate how its upper management interacts with fans. […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/10/2014
Michael Cuddyer might not be activated from the disabled list by MLB’s July 31 deadline. If he’s fully recovered from his shoulder injury, several playoff contenders could show interest in his right-handed bat. However, that’s apparently irrelevant because the Rockies don’t want to trade him. Owner Dick Monfort made that clear in an interview with […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/9/2014
Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka had his worst game of the season Tuesday night. Facing the Indians, the right-hander allowed five runs and 10 hits (two of them home runs) in 6.2 innings. He’s already allowed as many runs in two July starts than he did for five appearances in June. That led plenty of analysts […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/8/2014
The July 31 MLB trade deadline is three weeks away, but trading season already got off to an explosive start with the A’s getting Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs. The Yankees soon followed by acquiring Brandon McCarthy from the D-Backs. It’s possible that Oakland wiped out the trade market for starting pitching […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/7/2014
It was only a matter of time before the Arizona Diamondbacks officially began looking toward next year. The D-Backs have arguably been the biggest disappointment in MLB this season (Red Sox and Rangers fans might disagree with that), compiling the worst record and run differential in the National League. With the All-Star break and trade […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/3/2014
Being currently without a general manager isn’t stopping the San Diego Padres from doing some business. It’s just a bit curious that transactions like signing players to new contracts are happening without the executive that would normally attend to such matters in place. The Padres signed outfielder Seth Smith to
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 7/1/2014
The Phillies had a hard collision with reality over the weekend. Philadelphia was swept in a four-game series at home by the Braves, effectively burying whatever faint chances at contention that may have still been entertained. Though just about everyone had already lowered the coffin into the ground weeks ago, the Phillies showed signs of […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 6/28/2014
Being a major league closer can be a volatile gig. The latest example of that was demonstrated by the Pirates and Angels, who swapped struggling relievers on Friday. Pittsburgh sent Jason Grilli to Anaheim in exchange for Ernesto Frieri, a somewhat surprising deal given the success each pitcher had as his team’s closer last season. […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 6/26/2014
Earlier this year, we told you about a documentary called The Battered Bastards of Baseball that played at the Sundance Film Festival and was popular with movie bloggers and critics. The film is about the Portland Mavericks, an independent minor league team that existed from 1973 to 1977. Two of the well-known names to play for the Mavericks were Jim Bouton and actor Kurt Russell (the son of team owner Bing Russell).
At the time, the question was whether or not the film would get a theatrical release around the country, allowing fans to see it. In perhaps the best possible development, Netflix picked up the documentary and will make it available for streaming on July 11. Here is the trailer.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball is also being developed as a feature film by producer Justin Lin (who directed three of the “Fast and Furious” movies), and could possibly be directed by Todd Field (In the Bedroom, Little Children), who was a bat boy for the Mavericks.
0 comments by Ian Casselberry
If you see Transformers: Age of Extinction this weekend, one of the guys playing alongside Optimus Prime, robot dinosaurs and Mark Wahlberg’s biceps could be playing Josh Hamilton in an upcoming biopic. According to Deadline, director Casey Affleck wants to cast Jack Reynor as the Angels outfielder in a feature film of Hamilton’s life story. […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 6/24/2014
MLB announced the team captains for the 2014 Home Run Derby on Monday, giving the Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista the captain’s “C” for the AL and awarding NL honors to the Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki. As our Bob Biscigliano detailed earlier, the rules and format for this year’s derby have changed, hopefully leading to a better […]
