Five Real Baseball Teams Fictionalized in Movies

Baseball movies are a dime a dozen, there are plenty of them out there whether they be fantasies about a person achieving some dream or adaptations of real-life events. One oddity is when a movie focuses on a team that really exists, and basically portrays a fictional version of that team as if the events had really happened. I guess it makes sense, giving us a real team makes it easier to get into the film. Especially when the team is known for being horrible. It saves a lot of setting up because the team exists, we don't need all that exposition. They use actual locations, stadiums, and uniforms which is always cool to see. 

For whatever reason these seem to be either kids films or romance films. But here are five examples of what I mean:

Detroit tigers-For Love of the Game

Released in 1999 this movie is seriously underrated. Kevin Costner plays an aged Detroit Tiger pitcher trying to get a perfect game against the hated New York Yankees. This really is framing device about the lost love of his life. Not a bad movie though some of the cliche's are a little hard to take. And yes the team wins and he gets his perfect game. As for the real Detroit team...well they keep trying, 

Five Series That Became Their Own Spin-off's

 I've talked a lot about spin-offs, when a character is introduced in one series and spun off into their own. Some however are more than spin-off's, they are continuations.

Now a lot of shows will dramatically change focus to spice things up. Empty Nest had Harry go from working in a hospital to a free clinic. Gimmee A Break changed the setting to New York City. Welcome Back, Kotter had a new teacher and focused more on the school. But in the end these were still the same shows. But what happens when the show runners want the show to continue, but one or all of the main stars or even entire cast don't want to come back? The show literally becomes its own spin-off, sometimes keeping the name we love and other times changing to reflect the change. Here are five examples:

Mayberry R.F.D

Andy Griffith was ready to move on from The Andy Griffith Show. So in the eighth season the town became more of the focus with Griffith being seen less and less. Andy Taylor moved away at the end of Andy Griffith and when the show officially becomes Mayberry R.F.D. it was literally the same show, minus Andy and Opie. Who did make appearances. 

Top 10 Favorite Star Wars Characters

Well here's one long overdue. I discussed my favorite Star Trek, Disney, sitcom, and Muppet characters but never discussed this franchise. With one exception but we'll get to that when we get to that. I think one reason is because before the sequels came out there didn't seem to be a large group to choose from. Star Trek had five series and there are dozens of Muppets if you include Sesame Street. And before people yell at me yes I know there are a crap ton of Star Wars characters when you include the minor one's but I am not a huge Star Wars fan remember. So let's see if I can figure out my ten favorites, they can be minor or main it doesn't matter, and for this list no EU material or animated shows are being considered just the nine movies (I never saw Rogue One or Solo).

And most importantly this just for fun and just my opinion, feel free to disagree

#10.Finn

I went back and forth about this one. The character had a great start, beinbg an ex stormtrooper and all. But he never really went anywhere. In Last Jedi he spent most of his time on a stupid side quest and did even less in Rise. But he was good in Force Awakens and made a good pair with Rey.

Ten Star Trek-TNG Episodes I Will NOT Re-Watch

 

My friends this is a special anniversary. This year will mark 35 years since Star Trek-The Next Generation first aired. As you know, I have said a lot about this show. I wanted to do a tribute like last year for TOS where I watched every episode, but that's a lot of episodes and I hate long projects. The worst part is, I'd have to watch episodes I really don't want to.

There's a big difference between saying an episode is bad and saying it is unwatchable. Ten years ago I talked about episodes of this show considered bad, but many I will still put on (or watch if it happens to be on). What about the episodes I personally find so boring and/or stupid I will not watch it, ever. So since I have praised this show, let's talk about the dreck. These are either episodes which aren't awful (for the most part) or even bad just not for me. Of course this is just opinion if you like the episode(s) that's awesome.

Haven

I said this already but how bad an episode can it be to considered one of the worst in season 1? Troi is getting married and who the heck cares. And of course Laxwana first appears but this before they reigned her character in so she's just annoying. A lot of people probably figured "Code of Honor" should be on here and I admit, it;s a close call. That episode is infamously bad. Honestly I don't watch the first two seasons much anymore but this is one episode I will never turn on. 

Random Thoughts-Strange New World's

When it comes to the newest Star Trek shows, I am firmly in the "it's not my Star Trek" camp. I don't have a problem with them existing or anything, but I feel the same way my parents felt when TNG first came on. Namely, it's not the Trek I love and can't get into it.

I watched the pilot for Discovery and thought it was ridiculous. I never went back and things I have heard did not exactly make me regret that choice. Picard is..passable. I like that it's a continuation not another damn prequel series. But the episodes drag and some of the choices made are..head scratching. I find it funny how these shows respect and disregard continuity all at the same time. I have not seen the animated shows.

Strange New Worlds is the latest show and it focuses on Captain Pike. Yeah another prequel about 10 years before the original series. The premise is good, taking us back to the planet of the week concept Trek used before becoming serialized. But is it good?

My Tribute-The Works of George Perez & Neal Adams

 When it comes to comic books, some people just transcend the medium. You know there name even if you don't know what he did or why he is famous. And George Perez was like that for me. Since he passed away recently it seems only fair to run down some of my favorite works of his. 

Wonder Woman

This was the first time I really knew the name, even though he had done a crap ton of work before this but we'll get to that. A lot of people forget as amazing an artist as Perez is, he was also a good story teller. And he was tasked with taking charge of the post Crisis Wonder Woman who was totally revamped. And while I did have some issues with it, I hated the fact her entire legacy had been wiped out, these were some damn good stories and of course the artwork was superb. 

That Weird Star Wars/Muppet Show Crossover

Ah Star Wars Day. What to watch? The nine movies? The well done animated series? The Disney+ TV series? Hey about this...

The Muppet Show?? Well yes, as a matter of fact. Ok I dont think this is a big secret but yes on Feb 23, 1980 rather than just having Mark Hamill as a guest the creatoes went all out and did a full fledged Star Wars show. I guess if I was George Lucas I'd want to repay Frank Oz (and Jim Henson) for Yoda any way I could too. I've mentioned this once or twice but in honor of Star Wars Day let's run down this silly episode and see if it holds up.

Five Worst Kept Movie Secrets Ever

Spoilers are a common thing these days but even with that creators do still try to keep things a surprise. Some do it well, for instance when Independence Day came people didn't know who was in it or what it was about-they just wanted to know how the White House gets blown up! However very often the secret can't be kept and becomes public knowledge. Most recently they did everything they could to keep the fact that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were in the new Spider-Man movie but most had figured it out. 

Here are five more times when something that was supposed to be a big surprise was known to fans long before they saw the movie. 

Star Trek Generations

This in the days when the internet was still kinda new so spoilers weren't rampant like they are these days. And yet, the fact that Kirk was going to die was the worst secret ever. Everyone knew that was going to happen. Trek is usually better at keeping there secrets. Even worst was Into Darkness, they tried desperate to keep the identity of the villain secret but who didn't know it would Kahn?

A Look at DC Comics "Millennium" Event

It really makes me feel old that this came out almost 35 ago. I thought it came out in 1987 but I guess it was technically early 1988, but whatever. I loved this event and still do---even though it's one of DC's lamest events. So you may wonder, if it's not that good why do I love it? I'm so glad you asked.

This event had a pretty big build up since the hook was that every on going comic was going to reveal that a supporting cast member was, in fact, a Manhunter in disguise. I'll come back to that, but first let me explain the story.

Manhunters preceded the Green Lantern Corps but were banished after betraying the Gaurdians of the Universe. They hid until some event which would make them act again and employed sleeper agents on Earth to watch the Heroes and learn all about them. So what was that finally caused them to act? Long story short, A guardian and a Zamoran show up on Earth announcing they are selecting ten people on Earth to advance the human race. The heroes have to protect these ten while they are prepared for this, at the same as sleeper agents attack to distract them. The sleeper agents could be anyone including those closest and most trusted by the heroes. And yeah, that's the story. As the Gaurdians train these ten people the rest of the heroes are either protecting them or fighting the Manhunter agents.

Five Deleted Scenes That Shouldn't Have Been

Whenever I see deleted scenes from a movie, I usually get the reason. Either the scene is redundant, or drags the movie down, or was so stupid you wonder why they ever thought it would work. However, once in a while you see deleted scenes and wonder, why weren't these scenes in the damn movie? Not only were they cool scenes, but they explain away plot holes from the theatrical release! I know sometimes it's simply a matter of running time, a problem movies these days stopped caring about apparently, but why cut something that literally hurts the movie? I mean in Lord of the Rings they cut seeing Saroman get killed, and people complained that they never saw what happened to him! Just leave it in! Yes it was restored later.  In Superman Returns one of the big complaints was that we have no idea what happened to Superman after he left Earth. There's a whole five minutes scene that explains it (at least a little)!  Screw that put two lines of text on the screen that's enough. Or how about Titanic when we see David Warner all bloodied and beat up with no reason why...yup that's explained in a deleted scene. 

Anyway here are five deleted scenes that never should have been, in my opinion. And I'm not saying deleted the scenes ruined the movie just there was no reason for them not to be there. 

Star Trek II

These scenes have been restored in various versions, so this is probably not the best example. But I will never understand why the cut the line that explains that the young cadet is Scotty's nephew. It makes that scene of Scotty carrying him t the Bridge that much more dramatic. By the way a lot of people wonder why he did that, and I think he was just in shock.

Five Non-PSA Comics About Real Life Issues

The other day I went over PSA comics. which are usually sponsored by a company for the express intent of educating on something. However, it doesn't have to be a corporate sponsored PSA to get a relevant story. There are plenty of issues of normal comics out there where the hero stopped fighting aliens or evil villains to tackles a real-world problem. 

Here are five examples:

SUPERMAN #72

While this is clearly a filler issue, as the death of Superman arc was looming, that doesn't take away from the message of the story. Superman discovers a woman is the subject of domestic violence. But he's powerless tro do a thing about it, even when the victim ends up killed! 

Five Silly Promotional DC Comics

 I talked about PSA comics the other day but there is another genre I should mention. When the comic is a straight up ad comic. At least PSA's have their hearts in the right place, trying to educate and inform. When the comic is using a hero or heroes for a straight up, blatant advertisement things get silly. Especially when the hero has to play the fool in order to make the product look superior. Marvel has a load of these promoting everything from the NFL to Hitachi Data Systems (I don't get that either). But DC has done its fair share of shilling to and are five examples. 

Superman Meets the Quick Bunny

You know, at least with the Kool-Aid Man Marvel was smart enough to give the character its own world to inhabit. They didn't try to force him to work with Captain America or something (nah they saved that for there orange juice psa). Here, Superman meets the Quick Bunny and the entire "Quick" Club. The story is just silly and it's funny to see Superman maintain his dignity as he is being upstaged by four kids and an anthropomorphic rabbit.

Five Misguided PSA Comic's

I talked about PSA's the other day but there are other kinds besides those aimed at children on Saturday morning. PSA's can be seen for adults also, movie theatres often run psa's before movies, and the radio can be chalk full of public service announcements. Yet another area that always interested me is comic books. This is when an entire comic is trying to raise awareness for a good cause, and advertising at the same time.

 

I guess it makes sense, kids are likely to pick up any issue that has their favorite character on it even if it is a deliberate advertisement. And yes, a PSA is still an advertisement even if the goal is more sincere. Though some PSA's are less subtle than others. It's actually quite a genre, but once in awhile the comic misses the mark. There will be a goofy element, or just a lame story, which takes the well meaning PSA and turns into a joke because of how silly it is. Here are some examples:

Heroes Against Hunger

In the 80's one of the biggest problems was the famine in Africa, and there were lots of efforts to assist with that. From "We are the World" to this PSA comic in which everyone at DC had a handle in. The problem with the issue is that they created a generic super villain to fight, called "The Master" or some nonsense, which I think was a mistake. It's fine to have a bad guy like a gangster or something realistic but when it's a sci fi based villain like here or aliens as in other PSA's you're diminishing the problem. Then Lex tries to fix the problem with science but is told the situation is to messed up for that. 

Five More PSA's From When I Was Growing Up

 It was almost ten years ago that I did a look at my favorite PSA's growing up. About five years later, I went over the more memorable PSA characters that have been famous in pop culture. But the 80's gave us a lot of PSA's, and some of them are remembered more than others. We loved the PSA's because they were so silly and goofy. 

Here are five more PSA's that I never quite got out of my head.

Bugs Bunny for Kitchen Safety

This is a pretty straightforward one regarding staying safe in your kitchen. Not much to really say about it, though as an adult I realize Mel Blanc did all the characters not just Bugs. 

Five Sitcoms You'd swear are Spin-Off's but AREN'T

Spin-off's are a dime a dozen in TV. Whether it be taking an established character and putting them in their own show, or creating a character in an episode to sort of backdoor pilot a new show. Sometimes however a sitcom will be created that clearly shares a universe with another hit show, even created by the same talents, but IS NOT officially a spin-off. This goes all the way back to the Beverly Hillbillies/Green Acres/Petticoat Junction shared universe. 

 In order to be a spin-off at least one character has to be introduced in the first series. But once in awhile creators skip that with the new show and establish later on that the two series do in fact share a universe. 

One I mentioned the other day was Wings, the show about an airport in Nantucket. 

The NBC show was created by many of the same people who made Cheers, and there were several appearances by characters from that show. But it was not a spin-off in the literal sense even though it easily could have been. Heck they did it with the Tortelli's! Here are five more examples of what I mean:

King of Queens

This comes so close to being a spin-off but is not. Kevin James did appear on Raymond first, but his character was not Doug Heffernan. Heffernan first appeared on King of Queens which is clearly a spiritual spin-off in many ways. And the entire cast of Raymond appeared on Queens. The oddest part is when Kevin James appeared as Doug Heffernan on Raymond after Queens had been on awhile. What ever happened to that character James played beforehand? 

A look at "Cheers" Appearances on Other Shows

Back when Cheers was new, something kind of unusual happened. A short episode was produced for the United States government all about the benefit of savings bond. The episode, if you can even call it that, is 11 minutes long and never aired on TV.

Sadly the clip is not on YouTube but Venmeo. So if you want to watch it you need to CLICK HERE

The funny thing is that this was not the first time Cheers did a segment for another show. I guess it makes sense, the show was a mega hit for NBC so of course the network is gonna use the show to promote there own network. Though sometimes, these appearances had nothing to do with NBC. The funny thing is if you go thru these clips you geta nice history of the series, from the early Shelley Long days to the later years with Kirstie Alley, Here are a few times when Cheers made an appearance on another show other than there own. 

NBC PREVIEW

In what I think is an embarrassing one the relatively new series serves as the framing device for NBC's new 1983 fall lineup. 

Ok the Cheers stuff was lame but good lord do I wish TV was like this again. Sigh, I miss the old days when networks were one big happy family.

Top 10 Best Comic Teenage Sidekicks

One of the sillier concepts from the old days of comics that isn't around so much anymore is the teenage sidekick. It never made sense to me, why would kids relate more the brat kid being kidnapped every issue rather than the big strong hero saving the day?? Maybe that's why they died out. But for awhile everyone had a kid sidekick and today I want to run through what I think are the ten best.

A lot of times Sidekicks are there for comic relief. Such as Woozy Winks and the lame Uncle Marvel. Sometimes they're just..boring like Jimmy Olsen or Stripesy (Before the New 52 made him sort of badass). And sometimes they are just so lame like when Sandman had a sidekick named Sandy no one remembered (until rebooted in the 90's). When they do work they really work however. 

You may wonder why Donna Troy isn't on here, and let's just say it's a long story. This list does not take into account these characters appearances in movies or tv nor does it include future alter ego's they would aquire (good or evil). Just how they functioned as a sidekick. This list is rated by there impact and lasting appeal. And most importantly, they had to have spent time working with the hero they are emulating. These days the rule seems to be make a teenager with super powers have almost no relationship at best with the adult hero they are emulating, and that's just not a sidekick to me. 

Johnny Thunder (JSA)

Why the JSA needed a mascot, as he was called, is anyone's guess. But that's what he was an honorary member who hung around and had a friendly thunderbolt around to do his bidding (whether he knew it or not). 

Five Trek Series Concepts Quickly Abandoned

 It's always funny to look back at an idea and see ideas that creators came up that never came to the screen. These were ideas which for one reason another, such as budget or just realizing the idea was idiotic, never made it to the show. However, what's even more interesting is when an idea does make it to the show-before it gets dropped because creators realize it made no sense for one reason or another. 

Here are five Trek examples of an idea that made it to air before vanishing. 

Yeomans-TOS 

I think most people know how and why Grace Lee Whitney left the show. But what is often overlooked is that not only did Janice Rand leave, but the whole concept did as well. The first pilot had a yeoman, who literally stood there looking worried all episode. In the series proper Rand was supposed to the captain's personal yeoman, and we see that in a couple early episodes where Rand is keeping his organized and serving him coffee. In one episode Kirk barks at the idea of a female yeoman because he doesn't need another female to worry about. I love 60's sexism, I mean it's not as if a female yeoman would be competent! Anyway as I think i mentioned before after Grace Lee Whitney was let go the yeoman's made less and less appearances on the show and Kirk certainly never had his own personal valet again.

Top 5 Least Favorite "Diane" Episodes of Cheers

A few years ago I talked about how I was more of a fan of the Kirstie Alley era than the Shelly Long era of Cheers. So to do a best/worst list it had to be that era of of the series since I wasn't as familiar with the first five seasons. Since then I have become familiar with that era, and yeah most of these episodes are great. Not all of course. So to make things even here are five best/worst from that period.

And no they don't have to be centered on Diane to count here. I also decided to keep it to five rather than 10 because there were only five seasons.

Father Knows Least 

Some episodes just feel, off. There's no way to really describe it but this one about Carla's pregnancy (her first on the show) just felt weird to me. Especially that ending that even Carla herself seems to think is a tad odd.