Is it the best baseball movie ever? Maybe. Certainly, it's the one with the best photography, thanks to director Barry Levinson; and the one with the best music, thanks to Randy Newman.
It's not perfect, though. And I don't mean that it's corny or sappy.
I'd still like to know what happened to Roy Hobbs between 1923, when he was a hot pitching prospect and got shot, and 1939, when he was 35, a right fielder, and a great hitter. Not to mention what happened to him after he shot out the lights at the end. Sure, he reunites with his wife and son, which is the whole point. But, still, I'd like to know that story.
Richard Farnsworth died in 2000, Darren McGavin in 2006, Robert Prosky in 2008, Wilford Brimley in 2020. The rest of the stars, along with director Barry Levinson and composer Randy Newman, are still alive as of May 11, 2022.
UPDATE: Robert Redford died on September 16, 2025. Michael Madsen died 2 months earlier, Joe Don Baker 2 months before that.
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May 11, 1984 was a Friday. Andrés Iniesta, a star for Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona, was born.
These games were played in Major League Baseball that day:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. Ken Griffey Sr. hit an RBI single to send the game to extra innings, and the teams traded runs in the 14th inning, including a home run by the Yankees' Roy Smalley. But a Jack Perconte sacrifice fly won it for the M's in the top of the 17th inning.
* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Rookie sensation Dwight Gooden went the distance, pitching a 4 hit shutout, striking out 11.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-2 with 3 walks, but no stolen bases. Joe Morgan had a 2-RBI double. Eddie Murray went 1-for-3, Cal Ripken 0-for-4.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. César Cedeño hit a home run for the Reds. Manager Pete Rose did not put player Pete Rose into the game.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the California Angels, 8-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. For the Angels, Reggie Jackson goes 0-for-4, and Rod Carew only 1-for-5, but Doug DeCinces hits a home run. But the Tigers get a home run from Kirk Gibson.
* The Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount hit a home run.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-4 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City. (It was renamed Kauffman Stadium in 1993.) George Brett did not play for the Royals in this game, but Jorge Orta hit a home run.
* The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-1 at the Astrodome in Houston.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres, 6-4 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The Phils got homers from Len Matuszek, Ozzie Virgil Jr., MIke Schmidt and Sixto Lezcano. Tony Gwynn went 0-for-4.
* And the Montreal Expos beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-5 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
Ordinarily, football would have been out of season. But these 4 games were played in the United States Football League that night:
* The New Jersey Generals lost to the Washington Federals, 31-17 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Yes, the Generals lost to the Feds. That was embarrassing.
* The Birmingham Stallions beat the Jacksonville Bulls, 42-10 at Legion Field in Birmingham.
* The Memphis Showboats beat the San Antonio Gunslingers, 38-14 at the LIberty Bowl in Memphis.
* And the Chicago Blitz beat the Denver Gold, 29-17 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
One game was played in the NBA Playoffs, Game 6 of an Conference Semifinal: The New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics, 106-104 at Madison Square Garden. Bernard King scored 44 to offset Larry Bird's 35, and send the series to a Game 7 at the Boston Garden. But the Celtics won it.
And the Stanley Cup Finals were between games. The previous night, the Edmonton Oilers had beaten the New York Islanders, 1-0 at the Nassau Coliseum, on a 3rd period goal by Kevin McClelland. The Isles had won 4 straight Cups, but their "Drive For Five" would come to a disappointing end: Their dynasty ending, and the Oilers' dynasty beginning.
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