In the musical/movie, Annie, the title character sings a song about the sun coming out the day after today.
While the song about a sunshine filled tomorrow has more to do with an orphan’s wish for better days during the Great Depression than actual meteorology, for many people the gray days of winter have them wishing that they could bet their bottom dollar to get the sun to come out.
This is the plight I have found myself in the last couple of weeks as my section of Texas has had more gray skies than blue skies.
And while the gray in the sky has me asking just who stole my sunshine, there is one place where the sun always shines and the grass is always green.
I am referring to the world of cinematic baseball where even when a movie is filmed during the winter the action on the screen invokes warm days and clear skies.
To be clear, not all baseball games are warm. I have sat through many cold early season baseball games including a particularly cold Pensacola night. However, somehow even freezing at a Ballpark seems warmer than just walking around on a gray day.
There is just something about a Ballpark that warms one down to the core.
In the spirit of seeking sunshine and to help usher in the upcoming baseball season, we will be featuring baseball movies every Monday between now and Opening Day.
That equates to about 12 weeks of cinematic baseball to get you in the mood for the arrival of the Boys of Summer in April.
Today we kick off our 12 week countdown to opening day with Bleacher Bums.
The film follows a group of season ticket holders over the course of a season and explores the interpersonal relationships that develop when you spend several hours a week surrounded by people who share a common interest, in this case baseball.
I have often said that baseball is a sport that is best experienced live at the Ballpark. There are so many sights, sounds, smells and other sensory sensations that just can’t be captured on television.
But in the spirit of our quest for cinematic sunshine, Bleacher Bums can provide that in Ballpark feeling. You may want to have some hot dogs and popcorn available to fully recreate the sitting in the bleachers feeling.
While the actual baseball scenes in the movie offer a few errors, the film connects on the interaction of fans and the conversations that often break out during the course of a game.
Through the years, just as I think I have heard almost everything imaginable in a Ballpark, something new is overheard from my seat and I am reminded of Bleacher Bums and how it captures the Ballpark conversations to a science.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to check the weather forecast once more to see if there is any sunshine coming in the 10-day forecast.
Copyright 2015 R. Anderson