Major League - 1989

Paramount Pictures, Morgan Creek, Mirage

Written and Directed by David S. Ward

Cast:

• Jake Taylor – Tom Berenger
• Ricky Vaughn – Charlie Sheen
• Roger Dorn – Corbin Bernsen
• Lou Brown – James Gammon
• Lynn Wells – Rene Russo
• Willie Mays Hays – Wesley Snipes
• Pedro Cerrano – Dennis Haysbert
• Eddie Harris – Chelcie Ross
• Rachel Phelps – Margaret Whitton
• Susan Dorn – Stacey Carroll

Story: The owner of the Cleveland Indians dies, leaving his ex-showgirl wife the controlling interest in the team. She has a plan: to hire a team of players so bad their attendance will drop below the contract requirements so she can move the team to Miami. Her catcher is Jake Taylor, a former team member whose knees are past their prime, her pitcher is a young hothead just released from the California penal system, and her star hitter is a Cuban refugee who can't hit a curve ball. Her manager is Lou Brown, a guy who has never managed in the major leagues. But as this collection of misfits, has beens, and never weres assembles on the first day of training, He looks at the General Manager and says, “My kind of team, Charlie, my kind of team.” Rachel Phelps continues to try to impede the team with cutbacks in equipment and transportation, until the general manager spills the beans to Lou. When Lou tells the team, they decide the only thing they can do about it is win the whole damn thing.

Review: You have to love films about baseball, especially when they are extremely well written. This is one of those films. Ward has a handle on baseball players and baseball fans that cuts straight to the heart and draws you in. Instead of focusing on a single player, he makes baseball what it ought to be...a team effort. His team is Tom Berenger, who plays the past his prime catcher ready to have one more decent season. Renee Russo is his ex-fiance who has moved on with her life, but is still in love with Jake. Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes become the “hotshots” of the rookies, Sheen as the pitcher with the blazing fast ball and a lack of control, nicknamed the Wild Thing, Snipes as Willie Mays Hays, the runner out to score 100 stolen bases in the season. Dennis Haysbert gives an excellent performance as Pedro Cerrano, the Cuban who defected from his native land to practice his religion...voodoo. Harsh language and a couple of scenes of brief nudity drew an R rating from the MPAA, but the teens ought to love it, especially the ones who have played baseball in school. Definitely a collectible.