THE BULLPEN

     It's a quiet day in the world of Black-N-Gold & Blues for Mrs. Black-N-Gold. Our Penguins are in a tailspin as the season unwinds. The Pirates are still a few weeks away from Opening Day as they continue to work in Bradenton. Our Steelers made some noise last week with some signings but have not been heard from since. And it's sometimes hard for Mrs. Black-N-Gold to keep up on recent blues happenings when she can't always afford tickets to the latest shows or the newest CDs. Fear not, Mrs. Black-N-Gold continues her goal of a blog a day in 2015.

       As you may have guessed, Mrs. Black-N-Gold loves baseball, especially her Pirates. What she also enjoys is a good movie about the grand old game. So today, Mrs. Black-N-Gold presents to you her 5 Favorite Baseball Movies. If you haven't seen all of these fine pieces of baseball cinema, she highly recommends that you do so. Perhaps you have your own favorites such as "Field of Dreams" or "Angels in the Outfield". If so, feel free to share them with Mrs. Black-N-Gold and tell he why they're your favorite. You may change her mind or at least make her see the movie in a whole new light. Let's step up to the plate, shall we?

5)Fever Pitch-This is a romantic-comedy starring the likable Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, two actors that Mrs. Black-N-Gold feels you could sit down with and have a beer. Ok, it's not exactly about baseball but it does have the Red Sox improbable 2004 World Series run in the storyline. It's fun to see Fallon's character try to woo Barrymore's as he's carrying on his love affair with the BoSox. There are even cameos by some of the players. Of course, we also get to see Johhny Damon's "sweetest ass in the league". Sigh.

4)Pride of the Yankees-A movie about the Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig, starring Oscar-winning actor Gary Cooper. This black and white feature may seem old and outdated to some of you. To Mrs. Black-N-Gold, it never gets old. Cooper brings to life a true, larger-than-life figure, both on the field and off. For Pride of the Yankees, you're going to need a hanky, especially when Coop delivers the famous "Luckiest Man Alive" speech. There won't be a dry eye in the house.

3)Major League-You'll get plenty of laughs out of the original movie starring then-unknowns Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes as well as the hilarious Bob Uecker. Unfortunately, the studio decided to milk this one for all it's worth. Nothing beats the first Major League. The sequels were like replacement players during the strike of '94.

2)The Bad New Bears-This was another franchise Hollywood ran into the ground with sequels, a television show and a re-make. Except no substitutes. The original starring Oscar winners Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal is the real deal. Who could not love the underdog story of the woeful, ragtag Bears and their crumdgeon of a coach?

1)A League of Their Own-Batter up, hear that call.....Another movie with star power in the form of Academy Award winners Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. This movie is losely based on experiences of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League which ran from 1943-1954. The Penny Marshall-directed film reminded us that "girls are what you sleep with after the game, not what you coach during the game" as Hanks's character Jimmy Dugan spews. He also chastises that there is "no crying in baseball". He's wrong on both counts. Break out the tissue again as the ending always makes Mrs. Black-N-Gold cry.

So there you have it, some of Mrs. Black-N-Gold's favorite baseball movies to tide you over until first pitch on Opening Day. Now go get yourself some peanuts and crackerjacks and enjoy the show. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!