Greetings again from the darkness. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this one. You don’t need to be an old man either. Since I am both, you can only imagine the appreciation I have for writer-director Carson Lund and his co-writers Michael Basta and Nate Fisher as they deliver a nostalgic and humorous look at how men deal with glory days of old and a rapidly changing landscape that looks to erase the past and their memories.
Two adult recreational league men’s teams gather for a final game on the baseball field where they’ve played their entire lives. The land is being developed for a new school, so the River Dogs and Adler’s Paint square off to scratch that itch one last time – safe/out arguments, aching bodies, rounding the bases, and the form of male camaraderie that only exists when keeping score is involved. In fact, this game has an official scorekeeper in old-timer Franny, who takes the game even more seriously than many of the players.
The field and the game take place in New England, but the location could be anywhere, U.S.A. These are friends and acquaintances, some connected only through baseball, while others are lifelong buddies, co-workers, and relatives. As throwbacks to a different era, this game, which goes extra innings, includes a lost ball in the woods, car headlights to illuminate the field, a delay due to a trash truck, and a shortage of pitchers.
For those who don’t know, an “eephus” pitch is an extremely slow, arcing junk pitch designed to contrast with fastballs and catch the hitter off-guard. Probably the most famous was Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch to Ted Williams in an all-star game, and the pitch has been used more recently by Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. However, the pitcher most associated with the pitch is Bill “Spaceman” Lee, who pitched for the Red Sox for many years. Known for his quirky personality, the pitch was a natural part of his arsenal. That same Bill Lee, now 78 years old, makes an appearance in this film, and even pitches an inning … showing off the titular pitch.
Lee also gets to rattle off a couple of his most famous phrases: “Strikeouts are fascist” and “The sun don’t shine on the same dog’s ___ every day”. And as quickly as he appeared, Lee is then nowhere to be found. The post-game handshakes have a bit more emotion than a typical game, and the players even take in some fireworks before heading back to real life. A nod to Lou Gehrig’s famous farewell is included, and the film ends with Tom Waits singing “Ol’ 55”. Appreciation is the best word I can come up with for Carson Lund and these teams of actors who portray the fun and pain that goes along with a final game.
The film is currently streaming and available VOD
Movie Reviews from the Dark 