The Sandlot (1993)

Sandlot

Please do not purchase anything from this person. After two unreturned e-mails, and one month later, I did not receive anything from this person. And at this point, I have filed a claim with amazon.com and have not heard back. Not a happy camper!! December 21, 2008

A Home Run!!

The Sandlot was definitely the best movie of 1993. Hard to believe that was fifteeen years ago, I remember seeing this one in the theatre and enjoying every second of this heartfelt, inspiring film. The cast is hoot and Denis Leary is actually sweet in this! I recommend this childhood favorite to everyone, enjoy! September 29, 2008

Just good clean fun!

There is nothing about this movie that isn't just fun. Our family loves to watch this again and again. Everyone can relate to being a kid and going threw some of the things these kids go through. September 17, 2008

The Sand Lot

One of the best family movies of all time !! 10 STARS FOR THIS! July 25, 2008

You're killing me, Smalls

It is the summer of 1962, and Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), his mother (Karen Allen), and his stepfather, Bill (Denis Leary) have moved to a new neighborhood. Scotty is kind of an egghead and has a hard time making friends. His mother tells him to get out and make friends, get in trouble even. Bill, his stepfather, could teach him how to play baseball, but he is too busy. Luckily, Benny Rodriguez (Mike Vitar) asks him to play with their sandlot baseball team. Scotty has a lot to learn about baseball, and the other kids don't want to let him play:

Ham Porter: Benny, why'd you bring that kid?
Benny: Because he makes nine of us.
Yeah Yeah: Yeah yeah, so does my sister, but I didn't bring her along!


They don't keep score or anything, the game just goes on and on, the perfect game--unless someone hits the ball over the junkyard fence where 'The Beast,' dwells. One day Benny hits the ball so hard that the cover tears off. It seems like a sign that something great is going to happen, but they are fresh out of baseballs. Scotty gets the ball that his stepfather keeps in his study, but he is unaware of its value, as it is signed by baseball legend Babe Ruth. He hits his first homerun over the fence, but his victory is shortlived when he realizes that in order to get the ball back before his stepfather misses it, he will have to confront 'The Beast,' the biggest and meanest junkyard dog who has ever lived.

Smalls: I was gonna put the ball back.
Squints: But it was signed by Babe Ruth!
Smalls: Yeah, you keep telling me that! Who is she?
Ham Porter: WHAT? WHAT?
Kenny: The sultan of swat!
Bertram: The king of crash!
Timmy: The colossus of clout!
Tommy: The colossus of clout!
All: BABE RUTH!
Ham Porter: THE GREAT BAMBINO!
Smalls: Oh my god! You mean that's the same guy?

The Sandlot is a classic story of baseball, friends, and dogs. It is much loved by my sister and her daughters, who often quote from it, especially this scene with Scotty Smalls and Hamilton 'Ham' Porter (Patrick Renna):

Ham Porter: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s'more?
Smalls: Some more of what?
Ham Porter: No, do you wanna s'more?
Smalls: I haven't had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?
Ham Porter: You're killing me Smalls! These are s'more's stuff! Alrite now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the 'mallow. When the 'mallows flaming... you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!

This movie was also kind of messy, but good. It was real good. It was the Babe Ruth of baseball movies. Written and directed by David M. Evans, he also provides voice over narration. I could have sworn that it was James Denton who plays the plumber, Mike Delfino on The Desperate Housewives TV program, but it wasn't. David M. Evans did a great job on this film. Chauncey Leopardi was hillarious as Michael 'Squints' Palledorous. Marty York was also very funny as Alan 'Yeah-Yeah' McClennan. James Earl Jones played the owner of the junkyard, Mr. Mertle. The kids think he is the meanest man who ever lived, but let's just say that his bark is worse than his bite. There is a great scene at the community pool, and Marlee Shelton plays the lifeguard, Wendy Peffercorn.

Squints: I've been coming here every summer of my adult life, and every summer there she is oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling... smiling. I can't take this no more!

When the boys are in the pool watching Wendy Peffercorn, the dialog: "She don't know what she's doing" and the answer "Yes she does, she knows exactly what she's doing" is the same as in a similar scene in Cool Hand Luke (1967). Also a great scene when they challenge another baseball team, one that actually has uniforms, to a game. Did I mention that red haired, freckled, chubby Patrick Renna was a natural born comic as Ham Porter? His distracting chatter while he plays catcher in the big game is classic.

Ham Porter: PLAY BALL! Hurry up, batter. This better be a short game, I gotta get home for lunch.
[Pitcher pitches and the batter fails to even swing]
Ham Porter: Haha, that's one.
[cuts to new pitch]
Ham Porter: [to the batter] You know, if my dog was as ugly as you. I'd shave his butt and tell him to walk backwards.
[cuts to new pitch]
Ham Porter: Here it comes, it's coming, I tell ya. STRIKE THREE
[Porter puts the batter off, he swings and misses]
Ham Porter: YOU'RE OUT!
[cuts to new pitch]
Ham Porter: Is that your sister out there in left field, naked? She's naked?
Phillips: [swings and misses again] SHUT UP PORTER!
Ham Porter: Hey, hey, hey, I'm just trying to start a friendly conversation, come on.
Ham Porter: [two seconds later] Think she'll go out with me?

TEN FILMS ABOUT BASEBALL OR ELSE WITH SOME CONNECTION TO THE SANDLOT

Bull Durham
Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition)
Cool Hand Luke
The Natural
Major League
Eight Men Out
The Bad News Bears
61*
The Babe Ruth Story
The Pride of the Yankees

Squints: It's about time Benny, my clothes are goin' outa style.
July 16, 2008

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