From my notes on Bull Durham, the 1988 comedy written and directed by Ron Shelton about a romantic triangle set in baseball's Carolina League.... what makes it art is not the romance or the baseball but its pitch-perfect insights into the existence of a marginally-talented man. On the margins is where most of us live—if we're lucky (it's a hard world)—and aspirations of greatness almost always wind up being delusional.
"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen," Thomas Grey wrote, "and waste its sweetness on the desert air."
Well said. Unfortunately.
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13 comments:
New to your blog, I'm impressed.
I consider myself a “fair weather fan” regarding the subject of sports. I was caught up in the excitement when my hometown’s baseball team made it to the World Series (and felt genuine disappointment for this group of guys when they were beaten quite miserably). Imagine my surprise when, during the build-up to the big games, I watched Bull Durham and Eight Men Out and enjoyed both. Your succinct observations on the appeal of the film speak for fans and non-fans, (marginally-talented) men and women.
get a hit Crash
get a hit Crash
Shut up!
New to your blog, I'm impressed.
Thanks, Chris!
And for any of the gang who want to check out Chris's blog, Shine a Light Cinematography, you can click here. I've added it to my blog roll and will be following it as well.
I consider myself a “fair weather fan” regarding the subject of sports.
Like writing about the movies, the best thing about sports is that it provides a common language for otherwise very different people to talk about their values without having to sound like a preacher or politician.
(That, and it can jazz your limbic system like grabbing hold of a live wire during a thunder storm. Great stuff.)
lollygaggers!
Run, dummy!
I just want to know how Douglas beat Errol. I have made my protest known on Rotten Apples. Clearly some shenanigans in the works.
I don't know what happened -- when I left for the beach a couple of weeks ago, Errol Flynn was comfortably ahead. When I got back, Douglas Fairbanks had made an improbable comeback.
Not to mention the number of votes kept going up and down in large amounts. 25 votes disappeared at one point and then all of a sudden the final total is up to 109, nearly twice the number of any previous poll.
Maybe it's connected with Blogger's other recent issues ...
Maybe it's connected with Blogger's other recent issues ...
I can personally guarantee you that there were no Blogger shenanigans, or untoward losses of votes; I received those votes fair and square.
If you would like, I will submit to the Mythical Monkey the names and email addresses of thirty persons who voted for me -- enough to defeat that no-talent hack Flynn.
I ask only that those names not be revealed publicly; Flynn was a criminal, and they're fearful. . . .
Yes-that was well said. Now, I wonder what Errol Flynn would have said...
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