"Mad Men" Star to Front Disney Baseball Flick

Hey, you know that story about the two javelin throwers from India that, after taking part in a reality show, came to the States, tried out for and got signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates?

If so, you probably won't need to see "Million Dollar Arm"...the film version of the that very same story.

Unless you're a fan of Jon Hamm.

The "Mad Men" star (and St. Louis Cardinals fan) has signed on to star in, well, this is what Deadline Hollywood had to say.

Mad Men star Jon Hamm has become attached to play a sports agent in Million Dollar Arm, the drama based on the true story of how sports agent J.B. Bernstein discovered professional pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel through a reality show he staged in India with cricket players. Mayhem Pictures’ Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray are producing with Joe Roth and Palak Patel of Roth Films. Thomas McCarthy wrote the script and the plan is to shoot in the fall.

And before you get all, "I wonder how this will end" about this movie, remember this...you've never heard the names Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel and this movie is being distributed by Disney.

Let's pray there's no talking animals.

Ben Zobrist Appears in Short Film

If watching Ben Zobrist has taught us anything...it's that the Tampa Bay Rays utilityman is versatile.  In his six seasons in the bigs, dude has taken the field at every position except pitcher and catcher.

And now, the 2009 All-Star can add "actor" to his resume.

Zobrist is set to make his movie debut (alongside his wife Juliana) soon, having filmed a cameo appearance in the short film "Snake".  The short was shot in Nashville this past winter and was written and directed by Zobrist's friend Erik Parks.

You can track the production of "Snake" by following the movie over on Facebook.  Below...you can watch its trailer.

More Baseball Movies for Josh Reddick to Avoid

According to the Boston Herald, former Red Sox outfielder Josh Reddick knew nothing about the Oakland A's when he was traded this offseason.

So what did he do?  He did exactly what every 25-year-old male would do...he turned to movies.  That's right, dude apparently watched "Moneyball" on his flight out West to expand his knowledge.

Was it helpful?

"Not really," the outfielder said. 

Now, not to rain on Reddick's parade, but if he's looking for baseball realism on his laptop when flying cross country, there is better source material than "Moneyball"...six Oscar nominations or not, the movie is littered with errors.

That said, here are some more baseball movies that he might want to avoid and why.

"The Stratton Story" (1949)
In Monte Stratton's 1934 pitching debut versus the New York Yankees, Joe DiMaggio is shown circling the bases in stock footage. Two problems, DiMaggio didn't debut himself until 1936 and Stratton...well, he first took the mound against the Detroit Tigers.

"The Winning Team" (1952)
In "The Winning Team", Grover Cleveland Alexander (played by Ronald Reagan) is shown leading the Phillies to the pennant in 1916.  The correct year was 1915.

"Fear Strikes Out" (1957)
In "Fear Strikes Out", Hall of Famer Joe Cronin was not the manager of the Red Sox when Jimmy Piersall played. Mike "Pinky" Higgins was. Cronin was the General Manager.

"Field of Dreams" (1989)
Not only was "Shoeless" Joe Jackson incorrectly shown as being a right-handed batter, he was also shown as being a left-handed thrower.  In real life, the outfielder batted left and threw right.

"The Babe" (1992)
When Babe Ruth calls his shot at Wrigley Field during the 1932 World Series, you can see the famed ivy on the bleacher walls. Unfortuantely, the ivy wasn't planted until 1937.

"The Rookie" (2002)
Several of the players shown in the movie were not with their respective team at the time Jim Morris made his big league debut.  Most notably...Alex Rodriguez.  The slugger was still hitting home runs in Seattle in September 1999.

5 Days of Christmas: Sam Fuld

You're going to be reading a ton of Christmas-related posts during this, the week leading up to the anniversary of the birth of the baby Jesus...and this site is no different.

All this week, The Hall is presenting the "Five Days of Christmas". That's right, five straight days of one of The Hall's most popular features...the "Friday 5".

Earlier this season, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Sam Fuld broke down his five favorite superhero movies.

Now...in the spirit of the season, here are "Super" Sam's favorite holiday flicks.

Love Actually (2003, directed by Richard Curtis)
Says Sam:  I'm an unabashed sucker for rom-coms.

It's a Wonderful Life  (1946, directed by Frank Capra)
Says Sam:  Jimmy Stewart is unreal in this, I try to watch it every year.

Elf  (2003, directed by Jon Favreau)
Says Sam:  Will Ferrell in tights...enough said.

Home Alone  (1990, directed by Chris Columbus)
Says Sam:  So good they made a Home Alone 4.

Polar Express  (2004, directed by Robert Zemeckis)
Says Sam:  I loved the book as a kid...love Tom Hanks.

Friday 5: Nick Digilio

Well, stat nerds...today is the big day.

"Moneyball" hits the big screens.

Even though the reviews around the blogosphere have been mixed, the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer is sitting at 92%, so, who can you believe?

Enter my old friend, WGN radio personality, film critic and baseball fan Nick Digilio.  I caught up with Digilio and asked him what he thought of "Moneyball" and where he would rank it among his all-time favorite baseball movies.

1. The Bad News Bears  (1976, directed by Michael Ritchie)

2. Field of Dreams  (1989, directed by Phil Alden Robinson)

3. Eight Men Out  (1988, directed by John Sayles)

4. Moneyball  (2011, directed by Bennett Miller)

5. Bang the Drum Slowly  (1973, directed by John D. Hancock)

Personally, I'm a big "Bull Durham" guy...but what about you?  What are your favorite baseball movies?

And if you've never listened...you can check out Digilio every weekend on WGN Radio (and online), Friday from 10:00pm until 2:00 am and again on Saturday from 6:00 to 11:00pm.

The "Moneyball" Reviews Are In! Who to Believe?

This past week, critics hit the theaters to see the latest Brad Pitt vehicle.

But this is no ordinary Pitt movie, friends, this is the big screen adaptation of the stats nerds' bible Moneyball...and if the early reviews are any indication, this thing is going to polarize the baseball blogging world.

Most vocal about the movie's quality (or lack thereof) is ESPN.com's senior baseball writer Keith Law.

Says Law:

Moneyball, the movie, is an absolute mess of a film, the type of muddled end product you’d expect from a project that took several years and went through multiple writers and directors. Even good performances by a cast of big names and some clever makeup work couldn’t save this movie, and if I hadn’t been planning to review it, I would have walked out.

Pretty harsh words, really, but then again, I really wouldn't expect anything less from Law.

I can't say that I'm not a fan of the guy, but as a regular listener of the Baseball Today podcast...I can say that I appreciate the times when he isn't on versus the times that he is.

On the other side of the fence is Hardball Talk's Aaron Gleeman...a fan of the Michael Lewis-penned tome.  Dude even considers it "some of the best, most important baseball writing of all time".

I came into the movie with low expectations and was bothered by some of the poetic license taken in telling a tale I’m very familiar with, but the underdog story is compelling, the individual performances are mostly very good, the Aaron Sorkin-penned dialogue is funny and charming, and “Moneyball” is absolutely worth seeing.

So why is he agreeing with the critics (the movie is currently at 83% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer) and not Law?

Is it overall objectivity?

Or is it that Gleeman, while also a baseball fan and writer, isn't as close to the subject matter as Law, who was interviewed for the book?

Either way, I don't think "Moneyball" was put together to get Law's approval or the approval of his scout buddies that he so adamantly defends.

"They are set up as dim-witted bowling pins for Beane and Brand to knock down with their spreadsheets," Law writes. "It’s cheap writing, and unfair to the real people being depicted".

This move was made to get asses in the seats.

The filmmakers want to fill the theatres with movie goers who have casual knowledge of the sport.  People who will stare blankly at the screen for two-plus hours and, on the way out, give it a simple "thumbs up" or "thumbs down".

This thing was not made for the sabermetrics zealots.

And besides, if you've ever had an argument with the SABR crowd, you know that making a simple "up" or "down" decision doesn't come that easily. Most are long, drawn out diatribes that make getting hit in the head with a Randy Johnson heater a welcome option.

My favorite quote about the film comes from Slant Magazine's Joseph Jon Lanthier who wrote that the movie is "about as concerned with baseball management as Sports Night was with sports broadcasting".

And, honestly, that's how I think we, baseball fans, need to go to into this thing.