Fathers Day, minor-league baseball, and the 20th anniversary of Bull Durham’s release. Add it all up, and it can be a bit much for any man—but particularly this one.
On Sunday afternoon I ventured to Foothills Stadium to take in my first Calgary Vipers game, and if I may borrow from MasterCard; Ticket to the game: $7, Spolumbo’s sausage and a Big Rock: $7, New Vipers hat: $13, Sunny afternoon at the ballyard: priceless.
The game itself was an 11-run blowout that started poorly for the home side. The Vipers were behind 2-0 after the top of the first inning—despite not giving up a hit. But the bats came to life in a big way in the bottom of the second inning, when the Vipers hit three solo home runs to tie the game, and they never looked back.
The Vipers took the lead for good in the third inning, and a sixth-inning grand slam assured the fans would all go home happy. And for what it’s worth, it was the first time I’ve ever seen a grand slam live.
But the point of all this is the movie. I would have been 17 or so the first time my father sat me down, and basically forced me to watch it. At the time, being too cool for everything, I thought the movie was pretty hokey.
Then it happened. The speech. Right there at the 53 second mark. Maybe you were expecting this speech. Either way, I don’t know many ballplayers that can’t recite both.
In the eight-or-so years since that night, I’ve watched the movie at least 100 times. Every time it’s better than the last, and every time I laugh my ass off. Whether it’s Nuke LaLoosh absolutely destroying Try A Little Tenderness, or Crash Davis teaching LaLoosh the cliches, or Jimmy and Millie’s improbable romance, or Jose’s cursed glove. It gets me every time.
So to my dad: Happy Fathers Day, and thanks for teaching me about this movie.
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