After J.P. gets a hit, Knox calls on a petite tyke as the next batter. His name is Marvin, and he is standing on top of the junky car with a smashed windshield, wearing ripped blue jeans, a blue tee and an Angels cap. Marvin says he’s “never played any ball.” Knox tells Marvin when to swing, and he connects for a hit that Knox lets through his legs. It’s an infield hit for Marvin.
Not surprisingly, the kid crushes a pitch into the street,
and Knox tells Marvin to “run home!” He was instructed to do exactly what Knox
told him. So, he leaves the ballpark and starts running down the sidewalk,
muttering to himself, “run home, run home, run home…” Knox is confused, so
Roger, the catcher in this game, explains it to him.
“You told him to run home. He did.”
Can you imagine the cool factor of having a major league
manager stop by and pitch a sandlot baseball game on your block? This is the
first time we’re really starting to see Knox soften a bit and enjoy himself in
the company of Roger, J.P. and other kids in general.
We’ve reached the musical montage
To transition scenes, Knox tosses the baseball toward the sky, and a close-up
shot of the baseball comes down into the glove of Angels pitcher Bass. He
throws a pitch that turns into a newspaper edition of the Sports Gazette with a
giant headline – too big of a headline for a random game out of 162, in my
opinion – that reads “Angels Win Again.”
In the two other baseball movies I’ve watched and commented
on so far, newspaper clippings have helped tell the story. I absolutely love
that.
Among the clips to follow, an angel absolutely drags
Williams’ arm through a fence in the outfield to make a catch. We also see the
Angels move up in the American League West Standings (before there were the
three standard divisions of today). The division included Kansas City, Chicago,
Oakland, Minnesota, Texas and Seattle. Go Twins.
Knox argues with an umpire again, but in mid-rant changes
course and is nice about it, as to not get thrown out. Al helped him out on
that one. Not exactly that funny. Another newspaper headline, then the big
catcher – who runs like he has a stick up his butt – goes from first to third
and slides in safely, getting a push from an angel. He celebrates by pounding
his fists on his pudgy stomach, something the fans do as well. A Baseball
Weekly cover, and then a Sports Illustrated cover with Mel Clark on the front.
Unrealistic clips, but it’s a movie
Plenty of other clips roll to show how much the Angels have turned things
around and are playing good baseball, even if some of the plays are very
ridiculous by real-life standards. Oh, and we get another joke to poke fun at David;
he’s wearing a bee keeper’s hat to protect himself from all the flying peanuts
and popcorn in the stands. I don’t know why people would waste that expensive
ballpark fare, but to each their own.
Then there’s a triple play – without the help of angel
intervention – which is also unrealistic. Well, I guess if a really, really
slow runner hit the ball it would have worked. Force at third, then over to
second, but for some reason the ball was lodged in the webbing of the fielder’s
glove. He looks at it for what seems like five minutes before throwing his
entire baseball glove (and ball) over to first for the out.
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” ends with Al high-fiving a
couple of angels, and copies of USA Today dropped on the sidewalk with the
front-page headline: “Heaven on Earth!! Angels in 1st place!” I do not endorse
the use of exclamation points there.
All comes down to the end of the season, of course
Ranch Wilder is up in the stadium stands, also like it’s 2020, filming a TV
spot but really helping give the viewers context again. The Angels went from
last place at the All-Star Break in July to coming within one win of the
division title. There are two games left in the season, “ironically,” Ranch
says (sigh) against the defending champs (because, of course) Chicago White
Sox. The Sox are one game back.
Roger is watching at home on TV, which Maggie (remember
her?) hangs up from a call… on the Angel’s telephone that looks like a baseball
helmet. Seriously, they’re all walking souvenir shops.
Now, get ready for some conflict: Roger can’t make the game
this afternoon because his social worker called and his court hearing has been
moved. Roger freaks out about it. Honestly, I’d rather go to a baseball game
than court, too.
Also, I’m having continuity issues again. Why are all these
games in the afternoon in this movie so far? Sure, I know Sundays are always in
the afternoon, and maybe a weekday here or there. But all of them? And, have
Roger and J.P. really been going to all the home games? Because, uh, don’t they
have school? If this is the end of the season, that’s late September. School is
in session.
Let’s head to the ballpark
Stands are packed as fans got on the bandwagon for the Angels during all the
winning. Ranch sets the scene for us:
“The Southern California sun is shining, the field is ready,
the hot dogs are warm and there isn’t an empty seat in the house.” … As the
camera shows J.P. sadly pressing down on Roger’s empty seat next to him.
Knox comes over, and by this point David really knows his
place. Nothing is even said and David goes to get the kid a large Coke, two
(hot) dogs, three cracker jacks and maybe a car and corporate jet. It’s kind of
a random bit this whole time, but they had to come up with something for David
to do throughout the movie, I guess.
Knox is annoyed that Roger had to go to court and can’t
understand why they didn’t lie to get him out of it.
“That’d be lying. Maggie would never lie,” J.P. offers.
“Well Maggie’s not in a pennant race,” Knox mocks back.
J.P. pulls some giant binoculars to his eyes from around his neck (seriously, he’s right on top of the field; why does he need those things?) and for a moment makes us think he sees an angel, but no dice. He utters an “It could happen” (instance No. 4?) as to whether he could see angels.
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