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Eight Men Out

If our first film presented Shoeless Joe Jackson as an enigmatic but charismatic baseball player, the late-1980s drama Eight Men Out is the film to present Jackson as something a little less desirable and heroic. That scandal Jackson was part of in 1919, known as the Black Sox scandal, is the subject of this film from indie director John Sayles (who appears in the film as journalist Ring Lardner). Featuring a wide cast of character actors, such as D.B. Sweeney, John Mahoney, David Strathairn, Michael Rooker, Bill Irwin, and two up-and-comers, Charlie Sheen and John Cusack, Eight Men Out is a fascinating look at the dark side of America's pastime.

It may not seem so dark in these times full of players like Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds being completely tainted by the steroid scandal, but Eight Men Out stills makes for compelling drama. As in films such as The Natural, we see characters coerced into the evils of temptation; this time, though, the temptations were real and the fallout was enormous. Jackson and the seven other players on the White Sox, who decided to help rig the World Series, were banned from baseball for the rest of their lives (hence the poignancy of seeing Jackson on a baseball field in Field of Dreams). Some knew what they were doing, but Jackson in particular is portrayed as a bit of a lovable oaf, a guy who didn't figure out what trouble he was in until it was too late. Though Eight Men Out isn't usually thought of as one of the great baseball movies, its fine performances and stylish direction help it stand out from the crowd.

A League of Their Own

"There's no crying in baseball!" It's one of the most memorable lines from an American movie, delivered beautifully by Tom Hanks, in one of his funniest performances. Moreover, that line and performance come from a mostly great (I'll get to the exception in a second) baseball movie, 1992's comedy A League of Their Own. Based on the true story of how, during World War II, an all-women's national baseball league was started up while the men were off fighting, this movie focuses on two sisters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) who wind up becoming two of the new league's biggest stars.

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