Major League (film)

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Major League
The official movie poster for Major League.
Directed by	David S. Ward
Produced by	Mark Rosenberg Chris Chesser Irby Smith
Written by	David S. Ward
Starring	Tom Berenger Charlie Sheen Corbin Bernsen Rene Russo Wesley Snipes Chelcie Ross Dennis Haysbert Bob Uecker
Music by	Randy Newman
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	April 7, 1989
Running time	107 min.
Language	English
Budget	$11,000,000
IMDb profile

Major League is a 1989 film written and directed by David S. Ward. Made for US$11 million, Major League grossed nearly US$50 million in domestic release^[1] and spawned two sequels (Major League II and Major League: Back to the Minors), neither of which could replicate the success of the original film.

1 Plot
2 Facts
3 Influence
4 Trivia
5 Comparisons with Bull Durham
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Cleveland Indians are perennial losers. For years, few things have gone right with the team, and when Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitton), a former Las Vegas showgirl, inherits the team from her late husband, it doesn't look like their fortunes will change any time soon. The greedy Phelps hates Municipal Stadium and the city, and sees an opportunity to get out of Cleveland: if the team's attendance falls below 800,000 paid customers, she can legally void the Indians' lease with the city and move the team to Miami, Florida.

To that end, she signs "a has-been and a couple of never-will-bes," including catcher Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), an aging former All-star (and former Indian, two seasons earlier) with chronic knee problems who has been toiling in the Mexican Leagues; pitcher Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), a punked-out felon from the "California Penal League" with a blazing fastball (Sheen at the time could top 80 miles per hour); Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes), a speedy center fielder who boasts that he hits like Willie Mays and runs like Bob Hayes; Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), a surly Cuban defector who possesses incredible power, but can't hit a curveball and believes in voodoo to help him get out of batting slumps; and Eddie Harris (Chelcie Ross), a veteran finesse pitcher who, without a powerful arm like Vaughn's, resorts to doctoring the ball with Crisco, Vagisil, Bardahl, and, if the umpires are watching him closely, snot. Already under contract is third baseman Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen), a high-priced prima donna who is biding his time until free agency and is making "plans for life after baseball," so he refuses to field the ball properly for fear of debilitating injury. Hired to manage the team is Lou Brown (James Gammon), a tire salesman who's managed in the minor leagues for years, but had never reached the majors. The only person privy to Rachel Phelps' plan is newly promoted General Manager Charlie Donovan (Charles Cyphers), the team's former field manager.

Spring training in Tucson does not go well. Vaughn's fastball is clocked at 96 miles per hour, but he has problems throwing it in the strike zone. Hayes, who thinks he has home-run power but hits pop flies instead, is told by Brown that he should hit the ball on the ground and "leg out" base hits. On the final cut-down day (teams can keep 25 players active through most of the season; those who don't make the team are sent to the minor leagues or released outright), a tag in his locker tells Vaughn that he's been demoted; it turns out to be a prank played by Dorn, who thinks Vaughn is a show-off due to his flashy appearance ("Whoa! Another freak-show candidate. How do you cut your hair, rook, Veg-O-Matic? The earring's cute, too, have you got the, uh, matching bracelet, 'veg-head'?").

Back in Cleveland, Taylor takes the rookies (Vaughn and Hayes) out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, where he sees his ex-girlfriend, Lynn Wells (Rene Russo), dining with her current beau. (Though listed in the credits as "Lynn Wells", her name is pronounced "Weslin" both times it's spoken in the film.) Noting that Lynn "would have been (my wife) if I hadn't messed things up," Jake decides to try to win her back. Because Taylor has a reputation as a womanizer (he was once hit with a paternity lawsuit; though it was a hoax, it was clear he had been with the woman), Lynn brushes off his advances, announcing instead that she and her fiance (Tom, an attorney) are getting married.

Vaughn, meantime, is struggling. In his season debut, his first pitch is delivered about four feet wide of home plate, prompting the team's Jack Daniel's-swilling announcer (Harry Doyle, played by former catcher and current Milwaukee Brewers announcer Bob Uecker) to deadpan, "Ju-u-u-u-u-u-ust a bit outside." Vaughn then proceeds to walk the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches, causing fans to quickly dub him "Wild Thing". Vaughn's subsequent apperances have similar results, prompting Brown to pull him into his office. "You've got a great arm, it's one of the best I've ever seen," says his manager, "but your control hasn't come around like we'd hoped it would." Brown begins to suggest a stint in the minors, then discovers that Vaughn has vision problems. With glasses, Vaughn's next appearance is a complete-game victory.

After a sluggish start, the Indians show signs of being competitive, compiling a won-loss record far better than Phelps expected. Deciding that the players are being "coddled", she guts the medical staff and equipment, turns off the hot water in the locker room, trades in the team airplane for a propeller-driven craft barely big enough to hold the team, and later dumps the plane in favor of a bus similar to those used by minor-league teams. Still, the Indians keep winning, and a confident Brown tells his General Manager, "all we need is something to bring it all together." Donovan ruefully provides that final ingredient by spilling Rachel Phelps' plans, and when Brown tells his team, its captain (Taylor) says the only thing left to do is win it all. As added incentive for each victory, Brown peels a section of clothing from a life-size cutout of Phelps from her days as a showgirl.

As the regular season ends, the Indians and the New York Yankees are tied for first place in their division, leading to a one-game playoff. During a news broadcast from the team's hotel, Dorn's wife sees him leave with another woman. Mrs. Dorn meets up with Vaughn—sitting in a bar, distraught after learning that he would be passed over in the pitching rotation in favor of the veteran Harris—sleeps with him, and tells her husband just before game time. When Vaughn is called in to relieve Harris in the ninth inning, Dorn runs to the pitchers' mound but, instead of fighting with Vaughn, implores him to strike out the batter (Haywood).

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Hayes legs out a hit and steals second base. At the plate, Taylor signals a suggestion to Brown, then points to the bleachers, "calling his shot," announces Doyle. "Nobody's done this since Babe Ruth in the '32 World Series!" After a brushback pitch, Taylor points again, then bunts instead, barely beating the throw to first by the surprised third baseman, who had been duped into playing deep. Hayes is waved home by the third-base coach and slides in ahead of the tag, safe, sending the Indians into the playoffs with a 3-2 win.

The team and its fans go wild in celebration; Dorn sees Vaughn in the crowd of people, decks him with a punch, then pulls him back up and hugs him over their victory. Jake looks into the stands and sees Lynn, showing her left hand—there's no engagement ring, meaning she now believes Taylor is "just a guy trying to put his life back together." The film ends with Lynn in Jake's arms, and his teammates giving high-fives and signaling, "we're number one!"

[edit] Facts

The filmmakers chose the Cleveland Indians as their example of a notorious losing franchise because the actual Indians had a very similar history of futility—the franchise was the butt of many jokes and fit in perfectly with the premise of the film. Within five years of the film's release, however, the team had a new stadium (Jacobs Field) and had entered into a period of success: from 1995 to 1999, they won five division titles and two American League pennants. The Indians won another division title in 2001.

Milwaukee County Stadium, then the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, doubles as Cleveland Municipal Stadium for the film, although several exterior shots of Municipal Stadium were used, including some aerial shots taken during a rare sellout game. (Both facilities have since been demolished: the former site of Milwaukee County Stadium is now a parking lot for the Brewers' new home, Miller Park, while the new Cleveland Browns Stadium—a football-only facility owned by the City of Cleveland and used by the Cleveland Browns—sits on the site of its predecessor.)

Major League was notable for featuring several actors who would go on to stardom: Wesley Snipes and Rene Russo were relative unknowns before the movie was released, while Dennis Haysbert remained best known as Pedro Cerrano until he portrayed US President David Palmer on the television series 24. The film also spawned two sequels—Major League II in 1994 and Major League: Back to the Minors in 1998—though neither received the worldwide critical acclaim garnered by the first film.

The film also featured former Major League players (including 1982 American League Cy Young Award winner Pete Vuckovich as Yankees first baseman Clu Haywood and onetime catcher Steve Yeager as third-base coach Duke Temple) and used the names of several crewmembers for peripheral players.

[edit] Influence

In the film's climatic one-game playoff with the Yankees, Indians pitcher Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, relegated to a relief role, dramatically enters the game to an X cover of the The Troggs' hit song "Wild Thing" as the crowd cheers wildly and sings along. Today many real-life closers walk or run in from the bullpen accompanied by loud and imposing hard rock or heavy metal, a trend that has been traced to Vaughn's entrance in Major League. [1]

Relief pitcher Mitch Williams, whose speed and control problems were similar to Vaughn's, was nicknamed "Wild Thing" after the film came out. Instead of fighting the image, he switched his uniform number from 28 to Vaughn's 99, and wore it for the rest of his career.

During the beginning of the 2006 season, Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Jonathan Papelbon donned a haircut not too dissimilar to that of Rick Vaughn's from the movie. Although Papelbon sported a mostly shaved head with a mohawk, he had a "zig zag" pattern in the back, beginning behind the ears and leading down to this neck. He reportedly won a friendly bet with teammate Kevin Youkilis, and in doing so, was forced to cut his hair.[2] Currently, even though he no longer resembles Rick Vaughn, Papelbon enters home games from the bullpen to "Wild Thing" blaring from the Fenway Park sound system.

[edit] Trivia

Charlie Sheen has been credited by some Major League Baseball players as having one of the most realistic pitching deliveries of any actor. This is largely due to the fact that Sheen was a pitcher in high school, and was still throwing the ball in the high 80mph range during filming.
In the climatic final game Jake Taylor calls his shot just like Babe Ruth did in 1932. There is some speculation on if Ruth was actually calling his shot. Charlie Root, who gave up the famous homer to the Babe, claimed that if Ruth had in fact called his shot, he would have thrown the next pitch at Babe's head. In the movie that is exactly what the Duke does to Taylor.

Main article: Babe Ruth's Called Shot

There are several connections to the city of Milwaukee in this film in addition to County Stadium. The appearance of the scoreboard (located in right field) was not changed during filming of the movie. It contains the logo of local television station WTMJ. WTMJ-TV, locally Channel 4, is used as a "local" Cleveland station using the same call letters and word/logo style for interviews and other press appearances. Longtime Brewers broadcaster and Milwaukee native Bob Uecker played Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle. As noted previously, 1982 Cy Young winner, Pete Vuckovich was a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers when he won the award.
Since the filming of Major League, another baseball themed film has been shot in the Milwaukee area, Disney's Mr. 3000. The story follows Stan Ross (played by Bernie Mac) who was a Milwaukee Brewers baseball star with 3,000 hits that earned him the nickname "Mr. 3000." However, years later, it was discovered that, due to a clerical error, he was three hits short, so Ross attempts to return to the game at the age of 47 to get three more hits and secure his place in the record books and keep his local marketing gimmick from being proven invalid.
Many fans of the Florida Marlins franchise have compared the team's 2006 season to that of the team in Major League. Both teams were supposed to remain in the cellar, yet each team was instead involved in a playoff race.
Interestingly, the last time the Indians won a World Series, they had to win a one-game playoff to reach the Series. The Indians finished the 1948 season in a first-place tie atop the American League with the Boston Red Sox and defeated them in a playoff game at Fenway Park to advance to the 1948 World Series. They would then defeat the Boston Braves in six games.
The "library scene" with Tom Beringer and Renee Russo was shot in Northwestern University's picturesque Charles Deering Library, built between 1931 and 1933. The Deering Library now houses Northwestern's Music, Art, and Special Collections.
Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen had previously starred in Oliver Stone's Platoon. In that movie Sheen's character has the last name Taylor, while in this film it is the name of Berenger's character. Also, and rather ironically, in Platoon Sheen and Berenger end up mortal enemies, whereas in this film they are good friends and roommates.
Dennis Haysbert fell ill during the last week of shooting, causing production to halt for two weeks. Haysbert and James Gammons had made a bet regarding the photograph hanging in Lou Brown's office, Haysbert claimining it was Nolan Ryan, Gammons claiming it was another player. Haysbert lost and was forced to drink a half liter of Gammons urine, resulting in severe illness.

[edit] Comparisons with Bull Durham

Although the film is generally considered one of the better baseball films, its release within months of the release of the more highly-regarded Bull Durham made evident several similarities between the films, to Major League's detriment (with the Bull Durham aspect being listed first):

An aging, broken-down catcher: Kevin Costner's Crash Davis and Tom Berenger's Jake Taylor.
A wild young pitcher, with a wild nickname, that the catcher mentors: Tim Robbins' Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh and Charlie Sheen's Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn.
An intellectual girlfriend: Susan Sarandon's Annie Savoy and Rene Russo's Lynn Wells.
A Hispanic slugger who believes in voodoo and wants to sacrifice a live chicken to bring about a desired result: Rick Marzan's Jose, to remove a curse his girlfriend placed on his glove, and Dennis Haysbert's Pedro Cerrano, to hit well in the playoff game.
A born-again Christian trying to express his faith, and being ridiculed for it: William O'Leary's Jimmy and Chelcie Ross' Eddie Harris (though Harris, much older and more cynical, is clearly more in need of divine inspiration than Jimmy).