September 21: The Cleveland Indians of Baltimore

Because it's beginning to look less and less likely that I will be watching my team in the playoffs in two weeks, I went to a backup plan. Today I watched as a team with a rookie catcher who couldn't make an accurate throw to the pitcher made an unlikely push for the World Series. Led by a washed up, has-been catcher as the interim manager, the fictional 1994 Cleveland Indians had all the promise in the world coming off a division-winning season with the addition of a highly touted free agent catcher. But would the stars align for this band of misfits? Could the team overcome the return of their hated owner?

Let's me set the record straight. Major League is the superior film of the series but because it wasn't available on Netflix streaming, I was forced to settle for its sequel. With that being said, if you're able to look past the inaccuracies, the second film is still an enjoyable hour and forty-five minutes.

A manager making the decision to bring in a dropped player as a coach? A player turned owner turned general manager turned bench warmer? A Cleveland team playing in a Baltimore ballpark? Although all of these story lines can be made for the sake of the film, I have a hard time forgiving the filmmakers for failing to acknowledge a basic baseball rule. Pedro Cerrano crushes a pitch into a flock of seagulls in deep center field, rounds first and continues his trot to the aid of a fallen bird. Instead of being called out for traveling outside of the base path, the umpire waits until the outfielder tags him. It's an entertaining scene, but inexcusable for a baseball enthusiast such as myself.

Ichiro Suzuki didn't make his debut in American baseball until 2001, so the fad to bring over Japanese players wasn't as big in '94 as it is today. I don't know how many Asian players were in the major leagues when the film was released, but Isuro Tanaka has got to be one of the most racist depictions of a character of all time. Introduced in the team's clubhouse wearing a gray kimono and toting a Samurai sword, he is the stereotypical Japanese man in every sense of the word.

It's called Progressive Field now. In 1994 (the year it opened) it was Jacobs Field. I've never been, but based on pictures I've seen, it looks like a pretty nice ballpark. It has a great view of the downtown skyline in center field and was even voted as the best Major League ballpark in a Sports Illustrated fan poll in 2008. I have been to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore and I thought it was a great field, but I can't understand why the film was shot here as opposed to Cleveland's brand new complex. The warehouse in right field is a trademark of the Orioles and if you know baseball at all, you'll remember the brick wall towering over Cal Ripken Jr. as he jogged around the warning track after breaking Lou Gehrig's record. Seeing the jumbo tron with The Sun on its top border flash "Indians Win" takes away some of the magic.

Major League II has every sports movie cliche from the rival slugger glaring at the pitcher to the miraculous come-from-behind victory. It's predictable and yet still entertaining. It has returning characters, new characters, and characters played by different actors from the original. It's a true sequel. Not as great as the first, but still decent.