Baseball Movie Battle: ‘Angels in the Outfield’ vs. ‘Rookie of The Year’
By Rob Myerson
Baseball Movie Battle
‘Angels in the Outfield’ vs. ‘Rookie of The Year’
Better Plot
“Angels in the Outfield”, a story about Roger Bomman, a kid with a runaway mother and a neglectful father, living in a foster home. Roger and his foster brother, J.P. are both die-hard California Angels fans and stay dedicated to the team regardless of how bad they appear to be in the early goings of the movie. The plot really takes off thanks to Roger not totally understanding hyperbole, when his dad says that they can be a real family again once the Angels win the pennant. That sparks Roger to ask God to help the Angels out, which he does by sending real-life Angels to help the ballclub. Roger and JP become unofficial mascots and build a relationship with the team, specifically manager George Knox. The team goes on an unprecedented winning streak to set up a “no real Angels allowed” showdown with the Chicago White Sox for the right to go to the playoffs. After a sold-out crowd head fakes Mel Clark into believing that an Angel was helping him, he completes his gem to lead the Angels to victory. Oh, and Roger and JP get adopted by Knox.
In “Rookie of the Year”, Cubs super-fan Henry Rowengartner breaks his arm only to have it heal “just a little too tight”, which thanks to a strange whiplash effect, allows him to throw a triple-digit fastball. The Cubs eventually sign Rowengartner who through the tutelage of ace Chet “Rocket” Steadman (and maybe future father in law?) helps the teenager learn the in’s and out’s of being a professional Major League Baseball player. The two pitchers lead the Cubs to the playoffs, where they needed to beat the rival New York Mets to move on to the World Series. Despite slipping on a ball and losing his “power” to throw hard, and a subsequent questionable managerial decision to leave an ordinary teenager on the mound in the 9th inning of a playoff game, Rowengartner defies the odds and leads the Cubs to victory.
Tough choice, on paper the easy answer should be “Angels in the Outfield” in a landslide. It has the whole orphan angle, baseball-playing Angels, and hits all the emotional chords that you’d want in a family baseball movie. The point, however, will go to “Rookie of the Year” due to its well-timed comedy, the Cubs snapping a (at the time) nearly 100 year World Series drought, and better baseball scenes.
Pick: Rookie of the Year