Little Big League

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Little Big League

Little Big League theatrical poster
Directed by Andrew Scheinman
Bill Pohlad
Produced by Steven Nicolaides
Andrew Bergman
Mike Lobell
Written by Gregory K. Pincus
Starring Luke Edwards
Timothy Busfield
John Ashton
Ashley Crow
Kevin Dunn
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Showtime Networks
Release date(s) July 1, 1994
Running time 119 minutes
Country United States
Language English
IMDb profile

Little Big League  is a 1994 film about an 11-year-old (later turns 12) who suddenly becomes the owner and then manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The start of the film explains about the life of Billy Heywood, a preteen son to a single mom, Jenny. He and his two friends, Chuck and Joey, play on the same Little League Baseball team. Billy's grandfather is Thomas Heywood, owner of the Minnesota Twins. They are a last-place team (the real-life Twins finished second in the American League West in 1992 and were World Series champs the year before) the year principal photography was shot, but finished poorly and began an eight-year slump in the spring of 1993), but Billy and his grandfather absolutely love each other, the Twins, and the game of baseball. When Thomas dies, it is revealed that he wanted Billy to inherit the franchise and specified that if Billy was still a minor, Thomas' aides would help him along until Billy was old enough to run the team himself.

Eventually, after firing the current manager (because Billy thought the manager was too hard on the players) he decides to name himself the new manager after one of his friends points out, "It's the American League! They have the DH! How hard can it be?" The players are very skeptical of Billy as manager, but Billy promises that if he does not improve the team's standings within a few weeks, he'll resign as manager. But the team improves considerably and move up to division race contention. Unfortunately, not all is going smoothly for Billy, as he is ejected from a game (and later given a one game "suspension" by his mother) for swearing at an umpire. Furthermore, Billy's friends do not like how Billy's managerial responsiblites are keeping him away from being with his friends. Billy later tells his mom that he's tired of being a "grown-up" and decides to quit as manager after the end of the season.

At the climax, they are set to play the final game of the season, against Ken Griffey, Jr. and the Seattle Mariners, with the American League Wild-Card playoff spot on the line. Eventually, with two outs in the bottom of the twelfth inning, losing by a run with a man on base, the first baseman Lou Collins tells Billy he asked his mom to marry her. He says she replied to ask Billy. Billy says if he hits a homer, he will. But then he changes his mind, and lets him marry Jenny anyway. The film strays from the traditional sports movie formula by having the Twins lose the big game thanks to Griffey taking away Lou's homerun by way of one of his spectacular catches (he is known in real life for his catching of would-be home runs). In the end, Billy lets the Pitching coach become the manager and goes back to school, while reassuring the players that he will still be the owner, and says that he might come back as manager if junior high doesn't work out. But not before he gets a standing ovation from everyone in Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Trivia

  • Arthur Goslin's surname is a reference to legendary Washington Senators player Goose Goslin (the Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 to become the Twins).
  • The trick play Bowers (Jonathan Silverman) executes towards Griffey in the final game may not be feasible. Though his feet aren't visible, it shows him 'coming set' to deliver a pitch, and faking a throw to first base (where Griffey is standing as the base runner). In reality, the rules state a throw must be made to first base during a pickoff move or it is ruled a balk. One can argue that Bowers' foot was not on the pitching rubber, thus making the play legal. However, in baseball, base-runners tend not take their lead off of first base until the pitcher places his foot on the pitching rubber. A right-handed pitcher, though, must break with the rubber (remove his back [right] leg) before throwing to first. It is entirely possible (and feasible) that Bowers 'came set,' then, in one motion, took his back leg off the rubber, and making the throw. A base-runner will be off the base once the pitcher is in the 'set position,' and dive back at the hint of motion of the back leg. When base-runners dive back to first, they normally face the outfield (as to avoid getting hit with the baseball in the face). Thus, it can be argued that, although legal, Ken Griffey Jr. Would have been able to see the ball sailing down the Right-Field line.
  • In the final game against Seattle, you see Micky Scales homerun go over the left field fence that also includes a glass fence. But, when Lou Collins hits the ball Griffey robs, the wall has disappeared.

[edit] External links

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