Fever Pitch Movie Poster - Ecrater.com
As a devoted baseball fan and someone who enjoys watching movies, the first movies that come to mind are probably A League Of Their Own, Field of Dreams, Sandlot and more recently, Money Ball or 42. There is one baseball movie that I do not think gets enough credit though, and that is Fever Pitch.
For anyone who has not previously watched Fever Pitch or might have forgotten about it, Jimmy Fallon plays a loveable schoolteacher who has an immense fandom for the Boston Red Sox. He meets Drew Barrymore's character and the two start a blossoming romance. The show follows the relationship and the immense fandom that Fallon has for the Red Sox. While many of us baseball fans may not have the type of fandom that Fallon’s character does, I think at the heart of the movie, all sports fans can relate to his character.
Whether you're a child, teenager or adult, there is something that grips you and pulls you into a specific team, and the ebbs and flows of the season seem to run your life at times.
Baseball in particular, has seasons. It all starts with Spring Training and the beginning of a new season, flashed with all the hopes of a Championship Team. This then turns into the regular season, 162 games of excitement, dread and daily scoreboard watching. If your team is playing to expectation, you can hope for the third season, the Playoffs and the crowning of a Championship team. The final season, much like winter for us Canadians and East Coast/Mid West Americans, is the offseason, which always seems to pace itself slowly, having its highs and lows. No matter the season though, baseball fans are always analyzing and breaking down the front office moves and on-field production.
Coming back to Fever Pitch and the heart of the article, Fallon’s character has numerous moments where he encapsulates what the sport truly means to him, and that I, as a sports fan and many more fans, can relate to. His character lists off items that he loves about the game of baseball, like the ballpark, the people, the colors, sounds and smells. Whether you have been to a Minor league, collegiate, summer league or Major League stadium, I think these are the things that stand out the most. You get to the ball park, the sights and sounds pull you in and welcome you. You crush a couple glizzys and eat spits or peanuts, wait to sing during the 7th inning stretch and just hope that your team can pull off the win and keep pace in the division. On top of that, you and anywhere from 500 to 30,000 other fans, are supporting your team's colors, believe in the same thing and are brought together by the love of this game.
Rogers Centre (Matt Roberts/Facebook)
Towards the end of the movie, he talks about how your team is always there for you. Every April, rain outs are reschedule, the team never breaks up with you or gets divorced. I think this is a part of the fandom that makes sports truly beautiful. Each new day, game, or season is a fresh slate, a new beginning, so you move on from yesterday and look forward to tomorrow. If a person could apply their love for baseball, or whichever sport of your choosing, there might be more love and less hatred in the world. Yes, there is a small corner of sports fandom that does not show this, but most fans of individual sports are some of the nicest, most caring, loyal people you can meet.
Nothing beats the excitement of going to the ballpark. The rush of getting into the stadium, waiting for the promotional giveaway, heading to your seats, and taking in the sights and sounds. These next few hours are all about the small things, the grass being cut perfectly, the shale being cleaned and matted right and the laughing kids as they fall in love with the same game that pulled you in, and made you believe in something, good or bad, for 6 months a year.
Rogers Centre and CN Tower (Matt Roberts/Facebook)
This is a love letter from a Toronto Blue Jays fan. I hope reading this brings you nostalgia from being at the ballpark and you remember that one moment where everything just made sense.