Pop quiz — what movies are these quotes from?� “If youbuild it, he will come.” “Heroes get remembered, but legends neverdie.” And of course, “Pitcher’s got a big butt.”
Baseball fans can recognize these famous lines from “Field ofDreams,” “The Sandlot” and “Rookie of the Year,” but it takes aplayer to relate to them.
As the Northwestern baseball team (19-16, 10-8 Big Ten) hosts afour-game series against Iowa (13-21, 5-14) this weekend, theWildcats might look back on moments from their favorite baseballmovies to keep them grounded.
“They remind us that baseball’s not about the glamour, not abouthow big the players are, they bring you back down to earth,” saidjunior center fielder David Gresky. “If you’re having a hard timeout there, they remind you why you play.”
With the Hawkeyes sitting in last place in the conference, thethird-place Cats are shooting for their second sweep in as manyweeks. This weekend’s four games mark NU’s last home series of theseason, but the team has two more midweek contests scheduled atRocky Miller Park.
“Since we have two more series after this one, we don’t get thesame nostalgia that we would probably get during the last homeseries,” senior Travis Tharp said. “We’re just thinking aboutgetting the wins.”
The Cats need to finish at least sixth in the conference to earna bid to the Big Ten tournament, but the team’s goal is secondplace.
“We want to come out of this weekend with no fewer than threewins,” senior Eric Roeder said. “We need them to have a realisticshot of finishing second.”
But Roeder knows from baseball movies that it’s okay not to win– as long as you try your best.
The Cats all have their own take on Hollywood’s depictions ofbaseball, and most players singled out one film as theirfavorite.
“‘Bull Durham,’ without a doubt,” said junior left fielder DanPohlman. “It shows the mystique of the game.”
The 1988 movie chronicles the highs and lows of a minor-leagueteam on and off the field.
NU coach Paul Stevens agrees that the “risque” elements of “BullDurham” appeal to a young-adult crowd, but his favorite is “TheSandlot.” Stevens said he appreciates the “light-hearted and pure”story about neighborhood boys.
Another movie, “Rookie of the Year,” boasts an NU connection.Pitching coach Tim Stoddard revisited his Major League Baseballroots as a technical advisor, and he was the character in the 1993film heckled with the movie’s catch phrase, “Pitcher’s got a bigbutt.’ ��
“My butt’s big, and I don’t care,” Stoddard. “The movie was shotat the end of the (collegiate) season at Wrigley Field, so a lot oflocal coaches got to be extras.”
Infielder Tharp took his affection of baseball movies a stepfurther, choosing a line from “Bull Durham” as his senior quote inhigh school.
Under his name in the Boulder (Colo.) High School yearbook, itreads: “Quit trying to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring,and besides that, they’re fascist. Throw some ground balls. They’remore democratic.”
But not every NU player views baseball movies throughrose-tinted glasses. Senior Brandon Ackley, for one, thinksHollywood’s interpretation of the sport is unrealistic.
“Maybe I’m weird, but I hate baseball movies,” the outfieldersaid. “Hitting home runs off the lights? That could neverhappen.”
Most of the Cats rely on baseball movies more for theirentertainment value than learning a spiritual, life-changinglesson. But no matter how seriously they take the films, the Catswill adhere to one quote from “Bull Durham” as they try to extendtheir winning streak this weekend.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes itrains.”
