The Reality of Major League
Most baseball fans have an appreciation for the film Major League. Certainly the movie has its appeal for all fans, just as Field of Dreams, Bull Durham or Eight Men Out do.
But I'm not sure non-Indians fans understand just why the movie was, and still is, so special to Cleveland faithful.
The movie was re-released this week on DVD, with two documentaries, an alternate ending (!) and trailers.
Even if you have the movie on DVD (I did, but I left it somehere and someone still has it), you should pick this up.
But back to the main point.
To Cleveland fans, Major League represented something most had never seen -- an Indians title.
The film was made in 1989, 35 years after the last Indians title. Not only had the Indians not won a title, but for most of those years, they hadn't even been close.
So when Wesley Snipes slid accross the plate in the playoff game to end the movie, the emotions that generated were real. Even at 11 (when my parents finally let me watch the edited version) I doubted I'd ever see an Indians title.
Of course, just making a movie about the Indians would have been one thing. But since the film is really, really, good, it made the experience of watching it an exciting deal.
I'm not sure if non-Indians have that same feeling when they watch.