In the enjoyable recent movie, "Finding Forrester," a 16-year literary
prodigy (played by Zane Copeland, Jr.) takes an aging literary recluse
(played by Sean Connery) to Yankee Stadium as a birthday present. If that
scene sounds somewhat familiar, it's because there is a parallel scene in
"Field of Dreams" where an Iowa farmer (played by Kevin Costner) takes a
literary recluse (James Earl Jones) to Fenway Park.
As he usually does in a movie, Connery gets the better end of the deal,
even if this time it doesn't involve the infamous Pussy Galore. While
Jones receives a free ticket to a Red Sox game in "Field of Dreams," he
and Costner leave so early that the Red Sox don't even have time to hit
them up for a donation to build a new Fenway Park. Connery, meanwhile,
not only gets to stand on the same Yankee Stadium field on which Babe
Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle played, he doesn't even have to watch
the Yankees play (he and the prodigy, Jamal, sneak into the park during
the winter).
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Even
in this era of $250 million contracts and $650
million publicly funded stadiums, the baseball
diamond is still seen as a holy temple, a refuge
where we can gather together in the face of
cynicism, greed and 'Survivor'
sequels. ” |
What I find interesting is that in both movies, there is a character
based on J.D. Salinger -- and in "Shoeless Joe," the book "Field of
Dreams" is taken from, the literary recluse is specified as the J.D. Salinger. In both, the literary recluse is in need of spiritual healing, which he finds in part on a baseball diamond.
Apparently, the best way to end decades-long writers block is to take a
trip to the ballpark, though my experience near deadline is frequently
quite the opposite.
Jamal is a star high school basketball player but even he recognizes the
power of baseball over his preferred sport in "Finding Forrester." When
Jamal attempts to take the recluse Forrester to a Knicks game at the
Garden, Connery becomes so panic-stricken that he winds up cowering in
the corner and can't reach the court. But he reaches the very center of
Yankee Stadium, the pitchers mound, where his pain is soothed and he
begins finding the strength to enter the world again (though it
definitely did not work out that way for Ed Whitson).
Interesting, isn't it? Even in this era of $250 million contracts and
$650 million publicly funded stadiums, the baseball diamond is still seen
as a holy temple, a refuge where we can gather together in the face of
cynicism, greed and "Survivor" sequels. While football gets the highest
ratings, basketball is more popular the world over and Tiger Woods may be
the most popular athlete, baseball truly remains the national pastime,
the best reflection of the country's culture.
That's a good thing to keep in mind as we open our Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Calendars to January and begin another year. Baseball is facing
a very possible (if not likely) labor dispute after the season that could
make the 1994 strike seem as brief as Moonlight Graham's career. But the
game still retains a special meaning in America that the other sports
couldn't reach with a season supply of Mark McGwire's Louisville
Sluggers.
That's why if there is a lockout or strike after this season, baseball
will survive. The sport is too rooted in our conscious to be ruined by a
labor dispute over how to slice an ever-growing pie.
The players and owners may be national symbols of greed but the game
itself remains a national symbol of something much more. A comforting and
strengthening source of community, as well as an occasional rich source
for a good movie.
Jim Caple's "Off Base" column appears each Wednesday on ESPN.com. | |
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