10 – The Natural

Could have been better, with one part authenticity, and two parts unbelievable. The custom made Wonderboy bat and exploding lights are terrifically spoofed in The Simpsons “Homer at the Bat” episode.

9 – Space Jam

The Looney Tunes make this movie, otherwise basketball does not make it on my top 10 list. Bill Murray wasn’t bad either.

8 – Bull Durham

Who knew the minor leagues were funny? I liked the baseball stuff in this movie, but some of the slow off-field parts bored me.

7 – Happy Gilmore

Hockey meets golf. Now a CBC June staple. The Price is Wrong, Bob.

6 – Eight Men Out

In Eight Men Out, Shoeless Joe Jackson is a slow, illiterate, naive kid who can really play baseball. In Field of Dreams (see below), he is Ray Liotta.

5 – Major League

Wild Thing. And who doesn’t like the story of a sad-sack baseball team making good?

4 – Rudy

Being five-foot nothing, a hundred and nothing, I relate. Well, not to the part about getting beat up on the taxi squad of the Fighting Irish, but the other part.

3 – Slap Shot

Can never be outdone. Made the list as a “funny because its true” comedy. Hockey will never be the same as 1970′s minor league hockey.

2 – Remember the Titans

Pretty powerful overcoming odds, teamwork movie. Replaced Rudy in second spot. Did they really win it on a trick play?

1 – Field of Dreams

Made me believe in the power of baseball for a while. This was close, Field of Dreams is close to losing my top spot.

Close, but no cigar

• Bad News Bears series (original 1970s) – Made me laugh as a kid.
• The Rocky movies except Rocky Balboa, which I haven’t seen.
• Ali – couldn’t make a boxing move part of my Top 10.
• Raging Bull – again with the boxing, and less about the sport than about the person.
• A League of Their Own – Quaint, but not deserving of the Top 10.

Dishourable mentions

• The Mighty Ducks and D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks – only seen parts of the first. Disney named their team after this only to abandon the NHL 10 years later? Couldn’t someone see what kinda poor marketing strategy that was?
• Youngblood – Ewww… just thinking about it.
• Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice – Haven’t seen it, but why? Why would you make another?

As you can see, I need to catch up on my sports movies. What, no We Are Marshall, Gridiron Gang or Invincible? Or The Big Green or Miracle or The Rookie? Or Prefontaine or even Chariots of Fire? Sorry, haven’t seen them. Reviewing what is out there for sports movies made me even consider what qualifies as a sports movie. Do movies about sport playing animals like Air Bud and Ed qualify? What about cheerleading movies, or bowling movies? Where is the line exactly?

Perhaps something I have not seen could take the number one spot. Straighten me out with a comment about movies I have missed that deserve to be in the Top 10. I’ll add your recommendations to my “To Watch” list.

#6 – Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen

Though only indirectly about sports, Glory Days covers the reminiscing many a person has done as they grow older and they realize their best days are behind them, whether in life or in the batter’s box.

#5 – Cheap Seats by Alabama

Baseball gets more than its fair share of songs, possibly because America’s pastime lends itself to story songs. Cheap Seats is an ode to minor-league ball, outfield bleacher seats and ballpark concessions. Celebrating the fan experience, this one knocks it out of the park.

#4 – Big League by Tom Cochrane

A tragedy set to music, Big League is set apart as a serious song that rocks. The story of a talented player who is cut down in a car accident before his chance to play professionally strikes a tone with all Canadians and many Americans who identify the song with football.

#3 – Centerfield by John Fogerty

A song about riding the pine and itching to get on the field is familiar to many who have played any ball in there life. Just try not to sing along:

Oh, put me in, coach - I'm ready to play today
Put me in, coach - I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be
Centerfield.

#2 – Talkin’ Baseball by Terry Cashman

The baseball anthem that has filled many a rainout broadcast is a short history lesson on baseball. With multiple versions now recorded for various teams, you can learn a lot by listening to them all. Talkin’ Baseball was even adapted as Talkin’ Softball for the end credits of The Simpsons episode “Homer at the Bat”.

Well Mr. Burns had done it,
The power plant had won it,
With Roger Clemens clucking all the while,
Mike Scioscia's tragic illness made us smile,
While Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the barroom tile...

We're talkin' softball...
From Maine to San Diego.
Talkin' softball...
Mattingly and Canseco.
Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw.
Steve Sax and his run-in with the law.
We're talkin' Homer... Ozzie and the Straw.
(repeat)

#1 – Fifty Mission Cap by The Tragically Hip

This song is really not about sports at all, but about a hockey card. Using the card, The Hip masterfully tell the story of Bill Barilko, who scored the overtime winning goal in Game 5 of the 1951 Stanley Cup Final to clinch the trophy for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Barilko disappeared later that year in a plane crash. The Leafs next won the Stanley Cup in 1962, the year Barilko’s remains were finally discovered in June. The song weaves the story so much better and has built Barilko’s legend in another generation’s eyes.

Bill Barilko disappeared that summer,
he was on a fishing trip.
The last goal he ever scored
won the Leafs the cup
They didn't win another until 1962,
the year he was discovered.
I stole this from a hockey card,
I keep tucked up under
my fifty mission cap, I worked it in
to look like that

There you have it. I would be hard pressed to come up with many more sports related songs to expand this list, but there must be more. I purposely restricted this list to sports related songs, eliminating team fight songs, Stompin’ Tom songs, and anthems that are associated with sports like the ever present Queen hits Another One Bites the Dust and We Are the Champions or Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ which was used in the 2005 Chicago White Sox run to the World Series Championship. What are your rankings and what songs have I missed that deserve to be in the top six?