Okay posters, I know you're out there. But now I need you all to go from passive readers to active participants in the "Best Sports Movie Bracket."
I started by coming up with 85 of my favorite sports movies, many of which are generally considered to be pretty popular flicks. From there I cut it down to 64, with some true cult classics like the Harlem Globetrotters Travel to Gilligan's Island and Gary Coleman's The Kid From Left Field hitting the cutting room floor (I'm not joking, both movies are decent).
From there I picked my number one seeds. I tried to come up with a baseball, basketball, football, and miscellaneous bracket but the truth is there aren't 16 good hoops movies out there. However, I did use that criteria for picking my number tops seeds, which were:
Hoosiers (Best Basketball, #1 overall)
Field of Dreams (Best Baseball-this one had more to do with generally accepted popular opinion then my views on the movie; I just don't want to have a catch with my dad)
The Waterboy (Best Football-the #1 seeds can't all be dramas)
Million Dollar Baby (Best Miscellaneous)
Then I simply rated the movies and placed them in brackets. I have seen almost every one of these movies with the exceptions being Sea Biscuit and Miracle, so in their case I tried to use their critical acclaim to keep them from being a #16 seed.
My plan is to host a round every other day. I will decide which teams advance, HOWEVER, I want people to chime in with thoughts they have on any particular match-up which will also be given significant weight.
Make me believe your favorite should win their games!
So here are the brackets (I'll have first round winners on Thursday):
MIDWEST
#1 Hoosiers vs. #16 Mr. Destiny
#8 Eight Men Out vs. #9 Any Given Sunday
#4 Legend of Bagger Vance vs. #13 Sea Biscuit
#5 Caddyshack vs. #12 Angels in the Outfield
#2 Bull Durham vs. #15 Rookie of the Year
#7 Karate Kid vs. #10 The Benchwarmers
#3 Rocky Balboa vs. #14 The Naked Gun
#6 Glory Road vs. #11 Coach Carter
WEST
#1 The Waterboy vs. #16 8 Seconds
#8 Brewster’s Millions vs. #9 The Replacements
#4 Finding Forester vs. #13 Johnny Be Good
#5 Miracle vs. #12 Blue Chips
#2 Friday Night Lights vs. #15 The Longest Yard (Burt Reynolds)
#7 Varsity Blues vs. #10 The Hurricane
#3 Major League vs. #14 Teen Wolf
#6 Necessary Roughness vs. #11 Paper Lion
SOUTH
#1 Million Dollar Baby vs. # 16 She’s the Man
#8 Jerry Maguire vs. #9 Bring It On
#4 Happy Gilmore vs. #13 White Men Can’t Jump
#5 Breaking Away vs. #12 Fever Pitch
#2 Rudy vs. #15 Cobb
#7 Invincible vs. #10 League of their Own
#3 The Rookie vs. #14 Summer Catch
#6 61* vs. #11 Mr. Baseball
EAST
# 1 Field of Dreams vs. # 16 The Cutting Edge
#8 The Babe vs. #9 The Natural
#4 We Are Marshall vs. #13 Hoop Dreams
#5 Cool Runnings vs. #12 For the Love of the Game
#2 Cinderella Man vs. #15 Slap Shot
#7 Mr. 3000 vs. #10 Dodge Ball
#3 Remember the Titans vs. #14 Basketball Diaries
#6 Rocky 1 vs. #11 Rocky 2
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14 comments:
Cool idea, but Waterboy as a #1?
Here are my winners:
MIDWEST
#1 Hoosiers
#9 Any Given Sunday
#4 Legend of Bagger Vance
#12 Angels in the Outfield
#2 Bull Durham
#7 Karate Kid
#3 Rocky Balboa
#6 Glory Road
WEST
#1 The Waterboy
#8 Brewster’s Millions
#4 Finding Forester
#12 Blue Chips
#2 Friday Night Lights
#7 Varsity Blues
#14 Teen Wolf
#6 Necessary Roughness
SOUTH
#1 Million Dollar Baby
#8 Jerry Maguire
#4 Happy Gilmore
#5 Breaking Away
#2 Rudy
#7 Invincible
#3 The Rookie
#11 Mr. Baseball
EAST
# 1 Field of Dreams
#9 The Natural
#4 We Are Marshall
#5 Cool Runnings
#2 Cinderella Man
#10 Dodge Ball
#3 Remember the Titans
#11 Rocky 2
A potential second round match-up between Field of Dreams and the Natural looks complelling.
My elite eight are: Hoosiers, Bull Durham, Waterboy, Friday NIght lites, Jerry Maguire, Invincible,Field of Dreams, and Cinderella Man
Final 4: Bull Durham, Friday Night Lights, Jerry Maguire, Field of Dreams
Championship (too close to call): maybe Bull Durham vs. Field of Dreams in a battle of the best baseball movie ever!
Rocky 2 is by far better than Rocky 1...
I like some of these 80's "classics" you pulled out of moth balls like Johnny Be Good and Teen Wolf, which may have been the last good movie Michael J. Fox made.
As for an eventual champin, all i can say is "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy."
Uhhh, Waterboy? Numero Uno? Okay. And, you stacked the Midwest! Hoosiers, Bull Durham and Caddyshack? Caddyshack a 5-seed? WT? Caddyshack is one of the greatest golf movies of all time. It's 100 times better than Happy Gilmore. And, dude, go to Iowa. If you come to visit, I'll drive you the six hours to Dyersville. It's awesome. Okay. Enough ranting. Here's the winners:
Midwest:
Hoosiers; Eight Men Out; Sea Biscuit; CADDYSHACK; Bull Durham; Karate Kid; 3-14 game was rained out/cancelled; Glory Road.
West:
The Waterboy; Brewster's Millions; Finding Forester; Miracle; The Longest Yard; Varsity Blues; Major League; Paper Lion.
South:
Million Dollar Baby; Jerry Maguire; Happy Gilmore; Fever Pitch; Rudy; League of Their Own; The Rookie; 61*.
East:
Field of Dreams; The Natural; We Are Marshall; For the Love of the Game; SLAP SHOT - Hansons are awesome!; Dodgeball; Remember the Titans; Rocky
Bossick,
I'll invite you to be on next year's selction committee.
Originally, I wanted to have brackets with basketball, football, baseball, and other but... a lot of basketball movies stink (Eddie,The Sixth Man, etc.).
I agree that most people like Caddyshack... I'm not the biggest fan... so the rankings were a combination of personal likes and critical acclaim.
Waterboy got in because a football movie was guranteed a no. 1 seed and I wanted to give a comedy a nod.
Had I picked Friday Nights Lights as a #1 and picked say Bull Durham as #1, I never would have been allowed back in Iowa.
BY the way Dave, who's your final four?
Personally Dave I loved Waterboy. Any movie with Captain Insano in it rules.
As for my picks, I'll just give a final four:
Hoosiers,Friday Night Lights, Invincible, Remember the Titans...
I guess I'm just a fan of true story movies.
I'd have Lights vs. Titans in the finals in a battle of great high school teams.
Final four: Caddyshack; Major League; Rudy; Field of Dreams. Caddyshack is widely considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. It was hard knocking off Slap Shot and Hoosiers. You're right, though, the hoops movies pretty much stink. Oh, I've not sat through Raging Bull the way through, but I understand that's a very good flick.
best football movie - Remember the Titans.
best basketball movie - Hoosiers
best baseball movie - The Natural
best boxing movie - Rocky
best hockey movie - Slapshot
best golf movie - Caddyshack
although, my favorite movie of all time is Field of Dreams, which isn't so much about baseball as it is about the philosophy and mythology about the game.
I need to take trip there and take batting practice, put one in the cornfield and then leave the ball there.
I'll be taking a break from the fire storm created at the other blog to break down this compelling tournament.
Let's start with the Midwest
Here are my first round picks
No. 1 Hoosiers easily moves on.
No. 9 Any Given Sunday edges out Eight Men out on the strenght of the chick from Saved by the Bell's performance.
No. 13 Sea Biscuit in an upset.
No. 12 Angles in the Outfield, it was man tears moment, when everyone was flapping their wings.
No. 2 Bull Durham is an underated comedy and could do some damage in this bracket.
No. 7 Karate Kid barley moves on.
No. 3 Rocky, Rocky, Rocky....
No. 6 Glory Road in a battle of decent hoops movies.
I'll have my other breakdowns in following posts.
Here's the West breakdown:
No. 1 Waterboy could be Adam Sandler's best work.
No. 8 Brewster's Millions. God bless Richard Pryor.
No. 4 Finding Forester, but I see a second round exit.
No. 12 Blue Chips. Any movie with Nick Nolte gets my vote.
No. 2 Friday Night Lights, could make a serious run out of this bracket.
No. 7 Varsity Blues, I give it a 10, a 10 a, well you get the point.
No. 3 Major League - Wild Thing, I think you move me.
No. 6 Necessary Roughness, you gotta love Sin Bad and that dude from Quantum Leap.
Here's the South
No. 16 She's the Man, I just didn't like Million Dollar Baby.
No. 8 Jerry Maquire - Show me the second round.
No. 4 Happy Gilmore, I smell Final Four.
No. 12 Fever Pitch, Let's go Red Sox.
No. 2 Rudy, I don't know hobbits could play football.
No. 10 A League of Their Own - There's no crying on Chris' blog.
No. 3 The Rookie, almost had a man tears moment.
No. 11 Mr. Baseball, there's just something about Tom Selleck's mustache.
Nice response so far bloggers! I knew you were out there somewhere...
Hey Andrew, I like Field of Dreams, too but for different reasons then most. Most guys get caught up in the "catch with the dad scene", but for me the true man-tears moment is when Moonlight Graham steps off the field and gives up baseball to save the choking girl.
Mumbles, the Saved by the Bell chick is Elizabeth Berkley who played Jessica Spanno. Berkley is best known for her turn in Showgirls...
Also I just saw Angel in the Outfield a couple of weeks ago and the man tears where flwoing in that very spot.
As for the man tears moment that always gets me, it is in Cool Runnings. After a collective "huh" everone waits to find out which part.
When they crash at the end and they carry the bobsled over the finish line... it gets me every time.
Not to ramble, but Cool Runnings is a Disney film as is Cars which I saw at the movies with my wife and daughter. At the end, when Lightning McQueen pushes the veteran car across the finish line and loses the race, saying "I thought you should finish your final race," it got me.
My response was a teary, "Damn you Disney you got me again."
I didn't know so many people saw me in Necesaary Roughness. By the way, despite what wikopedia says, I'm not dead.
Finally, the East
No. 1 Field of Dreams, makes me cry every time.
No. 9 The Natural flies under the radar.
No. 4 We Are Marshall, haven't seen it, but it has Matthew McConaughey and that's enough to make it move on.
No. 12 For The Love of the Game just because it has the Tigers.
No. 15 Slap Shot, have to have a hockey movie move on.
No. 10 Dodge Ball, I watch the ESPN 8 The Ocho all the time.
No. 3 Remember the Titans, I didn't see it, but I didn't like the Basketball Diaries.
No. 6 Rocky I, all the others fell off from there.
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