Monday, February 29, 2016

'Fastball' Documentary

Whoops, wrong movie.

Not that one either.

Yes, this is the one!


On Thursday, March 24, people in more than 50 Major and Minor League markets will be on deck for one-night-only fan screenings of “Fastball.” This timeless documentary will enthrall baseball fans young and old and is now available via Tugg Inc., the web-based platform that allows fans, teams and organizations to bring movies to their own local theater for screenings. Fans should head to the official Fastball Tugg website to request their own show and check back often as additional screenings are added.

The documentary, which is narrated by Kevin Costner (“Field of Dreams,” “Bull Durham”), also features active Major Leaguers Justin Verlander, Andrew McCutchen and David Price as well as baseball legends in Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, Goose Gossage, Derek Jeter and the late Tony Gwynn. The feature from writer/director Jonathan Hock and producer Thomas Tull will also be released in theaters and on demand March 25. It is already available for pre-order on iTunes.

The essence of baseball is the primal battle between the pitcher and batter, but the magic of the game arises from that confrontation, only 396 milliseconds in the making. The mysteries and memories of Baseball's greatest heroes are revealed in “Fastball,” featuring interviews with dozens of former players, from legendary Hall of Famers to current All-Stars.

Based on the original idea by the film’s producer, Thomas Tull, who also produced the Jackie Robinson biopic “42,” “Fastball” is peppered with archival footage of baseball's greatest moments plus original high-speed 4K footage and motion graphics that unlock the secrets hidden within a ball traveling over 100 mph. While players, historians, and scientists might disagree on who was actually the fastest pitcher in history – and yes, the film does the physics and concludes with a clear verdict – “Fastball” tells the story of the game itself.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Catching Up: Good News and Shit Sandwich

Per LA Times' Bill Shaikin:
The Dodgers open the season on the road -- and Vin Scully will be there.

Scully said Wednesday that he would broadcast the April 4 opener in San Diego -- the first game of his 67th and final season as the voice of the Dodgers.

"I love opening day, wherever it is," Scully said. "It's so near. I said I'd love to share in that."

Scully, 88, said he would not call the rest of the series.
Excellent noticias! This means Vin will be calling the season opener (in San Diego) and the season closer (in San Francisco). Cannot wait to hear Vin call in the game from Petco.

Now on to the stinky part, courtesy Bill Plaschke:
In a move that echoed the broadcast turmoil of winter 1972...the Dodgers’ ghost television network made yet another galling decision recently when it announced it was cutting back spring training broadcasts from 31 to 16.
That's right, kids. We'd gotten used to catching mid-day, weekday Spring Training baseball from Camelback Ranch. At least, those of us who can watch Dodger telecasts had. Now they've halved the number of ST broadcasts. I understand that they don't get huge ratings, but: The Dodgers have their own fucking network to show these games and to get fans excited about the upcoming season (a point Plaschke makes in his column). Instead they'll show some completely obscure Dodger games from decades ago. This is low-hanging fruit, so not sure the rationale if there actually is one.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Today