"Little Big League" Stands as One of the Greatest 90s Sports Movies

It was my pick during date night for the movie and I went with another sports movie from the 90's that I adored. The movie was "Little Big League”. A quick synopsis of the movie, the owner of the Twins dies, gives the team to his grandson who is 11, grandson takes over as coach and after the team buys in, he leads them to a turnaround. It is your typical 90's sports movie story. But there is one big difference. And this difference is why I think this may be the best 90's kids sports movie. Let’s discuss.

First off, the movie is good on its own. It has some cliche stuff in it, but not as much as other 90's sports movies. The kids in this one aren't as precocious as other kids. The adults are funnier and looser in this movie. The baseball players, some real MLB players, don't have to actually act. They can just be themselves, and that is the best use of their talents. But the best thing about this movie is the ending. Spoiler alert for a movie that came out 30 years ago, but the Twins do not win in the end. They don't even make the playoffs.

That is what I instantly loved about this movie, even when I first saw it as a 12 year old. "Little Big League" shows everyone that you can still have a good time even if you don't win it all in the end. The fact of the matter, the way they portray the Twins at the start of this movie is that they need a miracle to even have a chance at the playoffs. And the way they show the progress, the frustration, the ups and downs of a long season, it is all about as realistic as any 90's kids sports movie that has ever been made. Major League Baseball has a grueling 162 game season. That is a ton of time. So there are going to be good times and bad times. This movie shows that.

Another this movie also shows how tough it would be for a bunch of professional baseball players to buy into an 11 year old coaching the team. I do not think any player would ever truly buy in, but in the fantastical world that this movie made up, the idea of these guys deciding to play for him, it works. The main character has a vast knowledge of baseball. He knows the game inside and out. He is smarter than some of the coaches on staff. It works. But it is that final game that makes this movie as great as it ended up being. The Twins and Mariners have to play each other to get in the playoffs. They have a deciding playoff game to see who gets the last Wild Card spot. And it goes back and forth. Ken Griffey Jr blasts a three run homer early on to give the Twins a 3-0. The Twins find their way back into the game with some base hits and then one of their players hits a three run homer to tie the score. Then it is back and forth. Neither team scores until they end up in the 12th inning. The Mariners get the go ahead run on a single. So it is 4-3 in the bottom of the 12th. The Twins come to bat and quickly get two outs. This is another thing I like about this movie. There is no pomp and circumstance. The count doesn't go to 3-2 every single time. The Twins ground out and line out on a few pitches. Then a guy gets a base hit and the Twins best batter comes up. He and the coach have a little chat and he comes up to hit, but not before the Mariners bring in Randy Johnson as a reliever. This would have been a perfect time to really milk the count and make the scene hyper dramatic, and I totally would have bought it. But this movie zigs whenever I think it will zag. The first pitch is high and tight and then Lou Collins, the Twins star player, crushes a 1-0 pitch to left center. It looks like it is going to clear the fence and put the Twins in the playoffs with a 5-4 win. All the while though, Ken Griffey Jr is chasing the ball down. They pan from Collins to Griffey Jr a few times before Griffey Jr robs the home run and ends the Twins season. It is exhilarating and unexpected. I love that. The Twins didn't have to win to make this movie as awesome as it ended up being. The crowd still loved the team. The Mariners respected their opponent. The players grew to love the 11 year old coach. They were all super bummed when he announced he wasn't coming back to coach the next year. And the crowd was still there waiting to give the coach and the team a standing ovation. Again, the Twins didn't even make the playoffs. But they rediscovered their love for the game and made the team fun to watch again.

I love this movie and I loved it even more on this rewatch. Go check out "Little Big League" and find out what makes it so incredible for a 90's sports kids movie. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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