Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde revisit the world of Major League with its direct-to-video second sequel, Major League: Back to the Minors! 2:09 – Intro; 7:47 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 15:36 – Amount of Baseball; 18:59 – Baseball Accuracy; 53:08 – Storytelling; 1:19:00 – Score; 1:24:01 – Acting; 1:31:40 – Delightfulness of Catcher; 1:33:37 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:38:51 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:42:19 – Yes or No; 1:46:18 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:47:21 – Favorite Moment; 1:48:26 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:51:25 – Scene You’d Like To See; 1:55:33 – Dreamiest Player; 1:55:56 – Favorite Performance; 1:58:22 – Next Time.

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On this episode of Take Me In to the Ballgame, Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the iconic Simpsons episode, “Homer at the Bat.” 1:27 – Intro; 6:30 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 13:23 – Amount of Softball; 17:16 – Softball Accuracy; 49:04 – Storytelling; 1:06:16 – Score; 1:09:32 – Acting; 1:13:50 – Delightfulness of Catcher; 1:17:52 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:20:08 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:25:15 – A bonus segment???; 1:32:44 – Yes or No!; 1:38:01 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:39:41 – Favorite Moment; 1:41:36 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:43:06 – Scene You’d Like to See; 1:44:32 – Dreamiest Player; 1:45:13 – Favorite Performance; 1:46:35 – Next Time. Enjoy, rate and review, please!

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Eric Gilde and Ellen Adair discuss the 1985 comedy, “Brewster’s Millions,” starring Richard Pryor and John Candy. Introduction to the film (1:28); Review of the 20/80 Scouting Scale (7:10); Amount of Baseball (17:04); Baseball Accuracy (23:29); Storytelling (41:29) Score (1:16:03); Acting (1:20:49); Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:27:02); Delightfulness of Announcer (1:32:26); Lack of Misogyny (1:35:19); Yes or No (1:41:44); Six Degrees of Baseball (1:45:15); Favorite Moment (1:46:52); Least Favorite Moment (1:48:35); Scene We’d Like to See (1:49:56); Dreamiest Player (1:52:05); Favorite Performance (1:52:54); Next Time (1:54:29). We hope you enjoy!

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Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1952 Grover Cleveland Alexander biopic, "The Winning Team." They introduce the film (1:36), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (7:00). Amount of Baseball (11:53) reveals a new take on this tool from Eric. Ellen has a player comp. Neither scout can refrain from getting into Baseball Accuracy in this category, but when it finally does come around, Baseball Accuracy (17:35) is a doozy. They discuss Alexander's Hall of Fame plaque, his nicknames (Alex, Pete, Dode, and later "Down and Away Alexander") Bill Killefer and David Ross comps, Galesburg team accuracy, old timey team names, and geography issues. How long was Alexander knocked out? When was he sold to the Phillies? Unsurprisingly, Ellen looks at how bad the Phillies usually were in the first half of the 20th century. They also discuss Eddie Plank, Eddie Collins, Rogers Hornsby, Alexander in WWI, his drinking, tragic Christy Mathewson inaccuracy, and the complete mess of the timeline of Alexander's career, as depicted. Oh, and the relationship with Aimee is a complete fabrication. Some accuracy issues with the 1926 World Series, and the famed Lazzeri at bat. Storytelling (53:47) essentially considers the following question: is this the worst thing that these scouts have ever seen? Ellen has some theories about some of the reasons it's bad, which only serve to make it worse. Score (1:16:51) is a relief, by comparison. Acting (1:17:14) considers various insufferable and unbelievable moments from Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Gordon Jones, and others. How did Ronald Reagan become President? In Delightfulness of Catcher (1:26:32), Bill Killefer and James Millican do fine. Brief mention of catcher archetypes in "Game of Thrones." Delightfulness of Announcer (1:31:31) discusses whether the World Series announcer was a secret producer of the film, how many times he blinks, and why these scouts are obsessed. In Lack of Misogyny (1:37:17), they discuss some early Aimee story points and the general pre-feminism of the film. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:43:11), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:47:17), Favorite Moment (1:47:46) Least Favorite Moment (1:49:28), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:50:27), Dreamiest Player (1:51:48), Favorite Performance (1:52:13), and Next Time (1:54:30).

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Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2002 Disney film "The Rookie." They introduce the film (2:02), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:07). Amount of Baseball (13:02) revels in this embarrassment of riches, and the excellence of the District Championship Game. Baseball Accuracy (20:35) cites Jim Morris's own opinion of the film's accuracy, and his relationship to his father, along with the radar sign scene, and the St. Rita story. There are oil rig gameplay questions. Did he try out in jeans? Did his dad get the baseball? Steve Cox erasure and some other accuracies with Jim Morris's MLB debut, Royce Clayton's foul ball, Morris pitching "for two seasons," and his tryout in the rain. The scouts also discuss his teammates Jose Canseco, Wade Boggs, and Kevin Stocker, the 1999 Devil Rays. The casting of the RuffNecks is hilarious, including the batter Carlton Fisk-ing the ball in the wrong direction. Randy Quaid's pitching motion, plus smart use of his pitching double Jeff Dowdy. Eric fact-checks Texas distances, and there is an Ellen Adair Breakdown on pitchers hitting 98 MPH in 1999 and today (h/t Nick Pollack). Can Ellen name more than five who threw more than 98 MPH in 99? Storytelling (49:34) dissects the interesting film structure created by its central bargain, the function of the nuns, and the Disney veneer balanced with excellent editing and cinematography. Ellen appreciates attention being paid to the football/baseball disparity, and both laud the excellent storytelling with the early scene with the father. But where is the middle child for the first hour of the film? They discuss the first minor league game sequence, the child's questions about the Devil Rays, and the relief pitcher as hero (w/r/t Seranthony Dominguez, JoJo Romero and Ranger Suarez). Brief St. Patrick's Day Accuracy. Score (1:11:22) addresses Carter Burwell's use of flute and John Bissell's music supervision, including Guy Clark's "Stuff That Works," Willie Nelson's "Nothing I Can Do About It Now," Elvis Presley's "Run On," and House of Pain's "Jump Around." Acting (1:17:14) discusses the performances of Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Brian Cox, Angus T. Jones and Blue Deckert. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:21:24) praises the perfect catcher behavior of Owls catcher Joel de la Garza, along with great acting by Angelo Spizzirri. The catcher at the try-out and at Jim Morris's debut also do not disappoint. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:24:56) considers the benefits of the announcer being a character in the rest of the film, and the great performance by David Blackwell. Good storytelling with the Orlando Rays announcer. Lack of Misogyny (1:27:32) considers the strength of Lori the character versus her story function, and some disappointment on the gendered role of the children and the impetus for Lori's reversal. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:33:01), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:38:59), Favorite Moment (1:40:58) Least Favorite Moment (1:42:08), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:44:30), Dreamiest Player (1:46:44), Favorite Performance (1:47:42), and Next Time (1:49:03).

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Ellen Adair and Brennan Brown talked so much during their review of EEPHUS (the episode before this one) that some of their baseball-related chatter had to be cut out. But now it's an episode of its own! They talk about Ellen's fundamentalist hatred of the Yankees and Brennan's crush on Bryce Harper. In "Nine Innings with Brennan Brown," Brennan talks about riding motorcycles, playing drums, and his upcoming Netflix series, THE BEAST IN ME, opposite Claire Danes, Jonathan Banks (and other heroes). In innings 4-9, Brennan gives many Yankees-related answers -- no spoilers here -- which Ellen forbears. They conclude by talking about the origins of Brennan's Yankees fandom, and issues with the Phillies, Yankees, and their chances this year.

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Ellen Adair and Brennan Brown talk about the brand-new instant-classic baseball film EEPHUS. Ellen introduces Brennan (0:40), and then the film (3:50) overviewing its festival appearances, the director Carson Lund, and some of the cast. They summarize the film (10:40) and review the 20-80 scouting scale (13:25) and talk about the scouting director to whom Brennan will be reporting Eephus's grades (14:30). They begin with Amount of Baseball (18:50), discussing this film's tool-defining wealth of baseball in numerous ways. Baseball Accuracy (26:37) delves into the baseball ability as depicted, and some of the questionable ball/strike calls that end the game. Ellen brings up an apparent What Inning Is It discrepancy that is not what it seems, and Graham as the MIA third base coach. They discuss Franny's paraphrasing of the baseball quotes in the film from Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Branch Rickey, Rickey Henderson and Yogi Berra. Ellen, scarred from REVERSE THE CURSE, has some trauma around the amount of Yankee content in a Massachusetts-based movie, which gets the scouts into a heated conversation. They talk about the definition and history of the eephus pitch, discussing Rip Sewell, Maurice van Robays, Ted Williams, Fernando Abad, Luis Tiant, Yu Darvish, Steve Hamilton, Phil Niekro, Dave LaRoche, Carlos Zambrano, Vicente Padilla, Satchel Paige, Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Zack Greinke, Brock Holt, and, of course, Bill Lee. A small sidebar on position players pitching, and a longer dive into some delightful Easter eggs with Bill Lee's appearance, and some of the magic realism of his existence. In Storytelling (1:03:45), our scouts discuss the tradition of slow cinema and how that applies to EEPHUS. They marvel at the way information is skillfully planted for the audience to put together, and appreciate the even-handedness of the depictions of the teams, if with some disagreements about the way the audience's empathy is guided. The fact that no one else besides the men involved care much about the game feels important, as does the fall setting, and this season as a thematic character. They discuss the film's relationship of comedy to tragedy. Brennan brings up GOODBYE DRAGON INN, and thinking about transcendental filmmaking leads to a conversation about being present, acting, baseball, time, mortality, and the spiritual exercise of play. The metaphor of the fireworks is explored. The Score Tool (1:51:26) discusses Carson Lund's percussive score and the use of radio as background scoring. In Acting (1:56:56) they discuss the performances of Russell J. Gannon, Cliff Blake, Keith William Richards, David Torres Jr., Ray Hryb, Peter Minkarah, David Pridemore, Theodore Bouloukos, Ethan Ward, Patrick Garrigan, Conner Marx, Brendan Burt, and the commendable evenness of tone across the whole ensemble. Delightfulness of Catcher Character (2:09:28) discusses the performances of John R. Smith, Jr, as John and Chris Goodwin as Garrett. Brennan is vulnerable with a personal trial that mirrors a moment in the film. Delightfulness of Announcer (2:22:23) considers the presences of Frederick Wiseman and Joe Castiglione. Lack of Misogyny (2:26:00) addresses Bobby's light moment of misogyny, balancing the film's intent with lack of full female characters. They also discuss the film's view of male friendship and male loneliness. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:36:26) Six Degrees of Baseball (2:40:49) Favorite Moment (2:41:10) Least Favorite Moment (2:45:50) Scene We'd Like to See (2:46:01) Dreamiest Player (2:48:20) Favorite Performance (2:49:40).

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Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the baseball portions of "Twilight." They introduce the film (1:49), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (6:01). Amount of Baseball (10:35) opens with a true conundrum: what is the amount of baseball in the baseball portion of "Twilight"? Do we consider the "first Mariners game" and spring training? Baseball Accuracy (15:30) considers the viability of a four-vampire baseball team and a three-vampire baseball team, with the varying degree of problems that arise. Discussion of vampires' familiarity with John Fogarty's "Centerfield," seventh-wheel vampires, and the Mike Fiers of vampires (?). Ellen has issues with the lack of analytical positioning, and Eric queries the notion of thunder from an aluminum bat. Is Alice tipping her pitches? A brief history of baseball gloves (w/r/t Charlie Waitt, Albert Goodwill Spalding, Bill Doak, Rawlings). Some baserunning headscratchers with Carlisle. There is no spring training in Jacksonville (h/t Meg Rowley), but there ARE spring training/regular season timeline issues in this film. Storytelling (40:11) digs in on the substance of the vampire feud, Ellen's annoyance with the notion of the Cullens as "vegetarians," and Eric's annoyance with the sparkliness. Are they good at baseball? Would putting Bella's hair down really help mask her human scent? Some discussion of the directorial style and costume choices. Score (55:39) addresses the use of Radiohead, the Black Ghosts, Muse, and the squealing guitars. Acting (1:00:03) discusses the performances of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, and Edi Gathegi, with shout-outs to Anna Kendrick and Gil Birmingham. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:04:57) weighs the Moment of Utmost Delight, Elizabeth Reaser's line deliveries, and the matriarch as catcher, while Delightfulness of Announcer (1:07:28) doesn't offer so much. Lack of Misogyny (1:08:01) considers the strength of female players, the film's upgrade over the book, with only a brief foray into the misogyny of the whole premise. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:14:20), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:19:52), Favorite Moment (1:22:01) Least Favorite Moment (1:23:50), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:26:37), Dreamiest Player (1:28:12), Favorite Performance (1:29:41), Review Thank You (1:30:41) and Next Time (1:32:39).

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