Support NeoGAF

[XiaNaphryz]

The Big League Stew baseball blog on Yahoo Sports has a quick retrospective on Major League up for its 25th anniversary.

“Major League,” which starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen and Wesley Snipes, among others, debuted in theaters 25 years ago Monday — April 7, 1989. It became a No. 1 hit at the box office and one of the most beloved baseball films of all time.

Writer/director David S. Ward, whose other credits include “The Sting” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” wanted to make a baseball movie involving the Cleveland Indians. He was a long-suffering Indians fan who grew up in South Euclid, Ohio.

“I started to feel like the only way I would see the Indians win anything is if I made a movie where they did,” Ward says today. “I realized, it would have to be a comedy, because nobody would take this seriously.”

Sure, we laughed, but we also fell in love with the team and its quirky roster that included a junkball pitcher, a walk-on leadoff man, a slugger trying to use voodoo to conquer curveballs and a washed-up catcher who just wants to win one more time.

“It’s a great feeling to know that it still has fans,” Ward says. “The fact that it’s still playing and people are still responding to it 25 years later, that’s gratifying for any filmmaker.”

15 things you didn't know about the movie

Go to the link for the full text, but here's a quick summary of the list:

1. Charlie Sheen (Vaughn) Says He Took Steroids To Prepare For His Part

Charlie Sheen didn’t have the Hollywood bad-boy rep back in 1989 that he does now, but he was still very much Charlie Sheen back then. Back in 2011, Sheen confessed to Sports Illustrated that he took steroids for six to eight weeks to prepare for his role as Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn.

Ward says today that he doesn’t know whether that’s true, but Sheen was throwing in the mid-80s while filming the movie.

2. Dennis Haysbert (Cerrano) Really Could Hit Homers

As Cerrano, the Cuban import who hit balls “very much,” Haysbert had the honor of being the film’s power hitter. Truth was, it wasn’t totally fiction. Haysbert was the only member of the fictitious Indians who could actually clear the yard.

“Every time I was supposed to hit a home run in the movie, I did,” Haysbert says.

It’s a fact that Ward backs up. “He was so jacked by that,” Ward says. “He said, ‘I don’t think I’ll ever do anything more exciting as an actor.’ ”

3. ‘Major League’ Wasn’t Filmed In Cleveland

Astute baseball fans know this. They recognize that the home stadium of Jake Taylor’s Cleveland Indians was actually Milwaukee County Stadium, where the Brewers played at the time. The opening scene of “Major League,” which shows Cleveland landmarks, was one of the few parts shot in Cleveland. Milwaukee citizens had no problem cheering for the Indians, though. For the film’s final game, more than 27,000 fans showed up to be in the crowd.

4. The Ending We Know Isn’t The Original Ending

There’s an alternate ending to “Major League” that was actually the film’s original ending, but it tested so poorly, Ward re-wrote it. In the original ending, cheapskate owner Rachel Phelps reveals that she never wanted to move the team to Miami. She actually believed in the team and was playing the villain role to help them rally together. After spending the whole movie hating her, viewers weren’t ready for that swerve. This ending was included in a 2007 DVD re-release of the film, so some people may know the story.

5. You Never See Willie Mays Hayes Throw A Baseball

The reason? Snipes can’t throw very well. He had never played baseball before filming the movie. He was athletic, so he could do most of the things needed to be Willie Mays Hayes.

“The hardest thing to do if you’ve never played baseball is throw a baseball convincingly,” Ward says.

The catch in the final game, where he reaches over the wall to swipe a home run? Snipes made that. “He was freakishly talented,” Ward says. Except the throwing thing.

6. One Of The Great Lines In The Film Came From MLB player Pete Vuckovich

Pete Vuckovich, who had an 11-year MLB career as a pitcher with the Brewers, White Sox, Cardinals and Blue Jays, plays slugger Clu Haywood in “Major League,” a Triple Crown winner who has the number of Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn until the final game.

One of Vuckovich’s great lines comes when he’s approaching the plate and says to catcher Jake Taylor: “How’s your wife and my kids?” That wasn’t in the script. Rather, Ward told Vuckovich to say something that MLB ballplayers would say in that situation. That’s what he came up with.

7. Bob Uecker Was Calling Brewers Games When He Wasn’t Shooting The Movie

Uecker’s shoots for “Major League” were different than most because he’d have to work around his Brewers broadcast schedule, so he’d end up showing up for a day or two and shooting many scenes back-to-back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9myYc8Pn8o

8. A Lou Brown Jersey Hung At James Gammon’s Funeral

James Gammon played Lou Brown, the ornery but lovable manager of the Indians. He died in 2010, and a Cleveland Indians jersey with “Brown” across the back was displayed at his funeral.

9. Corbin Bernsen (Dorn) Was Actually A Pretty Good Baseball Player

As Dorn, Bernsen’s most enduring trait in “Major League” is not wanting to get in front of ground balls. Even though Dorn had a big hit in the final game and made a diving defensive play, most remember him as a pretty boy who didn’t want to get hurt.

So after “Major League” people just assumed Bernsen wasn’t a good ballplayer. Truth was, he played in high school and thought about playing college ball. So he could field a grounder, regardless of what the early scenes in the movie portrayed.

“That was always a bit annoying,” Bernsen says, laughing. “I was supposed to miss those balls. There were times where it was hard to miss the ball.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X8552DxqOk

10. Former MLB Catcher Steve Yeager Made Some Of Jake Taylor’s Throws

Steve Yeager, who played 15 seasons in the big leagues, was the film’s technical adviser and, many times, it’s him behind the catcher’s mask as Taylor and not Berenger.

The rifle throw down to first base near the end of the film? Totally Yeager, now a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I love Tom Berenger,” says Corbin Bernsen. “He’s a good guy. But he can’t throw.”

11. Charlie Sheen Would Throw 100+ Pitches A Day

The movie didn’t have any digital effects, Ward says, so they’d have to play baseball until they got the outcome they wanted. Ward recalls one time Sheen having to throw 100 pitches just to get one shot correct because the actor playing the batter (unbeknownst to Ward at the time) didn’t wear his contacts and was having trouble hitting.

“His arm was sore for 10 days,” Ward says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE4Nms6fqAA

12. Corbin Bernsen Really Punched Charlie Sheen

“They didn’t get the timing right,” Ward says, “and he actually hit Charlie. We had to turn Charlie around after that, because we didn’t want people to see a red bump on his face. We couldn’t shoot it another day.”

Says Bernsen: “If I did it, it was probably well deserved. I don’t deny it.”

13. Wesley Snipes Was Pretty Beat Up By The End Of The Movie

“He had huge raspberries just from the sliding,” Ward says. “He wasn’t used to sliding that much.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JIHAzU5ylc

14. The Famous American Express Commercial Almost Didn’t Happen

It wasn’t until the second-to-last day of shooting, Ward says, that American Express finally agreed to be a part of “Major League.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dag8i3DePBY

15. Jobu Is Still Around And Living On A Guy’s Piano

There is only one Jobu, the voodoo doll that Cerrano called upon to help him hit curveballs. Where is Jobu now? He lives at the home of Morgan Creek Productions’ managing director Brian Robinson, sitting atop a piano with his bottle of rum and cigar.

Robinson lucked into getting Jobu, and has turned down an offer to sell him for $35,000.

 

[The Outsider]

Fuck you Jobu. I do it myself.

 

[Malo]

GOAT baseball movie.

 

[Grym]

RIP County Stadium

 

[Mighty Chin]

I worked at a cinema when this movie came out. The only movie I've ever worked where it started in one of our 300 seat cinemas only to be moved to the 1000 seat one the next week. It was huge.

 

[CaptainSlow]

I wish I remember being a one year old and going to the filming with my parents at County Stadium. I have a picture of my parents holding me in the stands that they had someone take of them in some photo album somewhere.

Greatest baseball movie of all time!

Spoiler

Biased Milwaukee resident and Brewers fan

It's going to be a sad day when Bob Uecker retires. Best baseball announcer and one of the funniest people alive.

 

[FutureZombie]

Juuuust a bit outside.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Love this movie. Def one of my fav baseball movies.

 

[negreenfield]

I'll never forget seeing this movie in the theaters because I was 12 years old and somehow tricked my grandparents into taking me. I was so freaking nervous the whole movie only about nudity, not language or anything else so I was so relieved when they showed the boss after taking off the pieces was wearing pasties. Sigh of relief, haha!

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGraAwtXbEQ

4.28 - 5.00 - Yo Bartender. Joboo needs a refill . lol

 

[rocksteady1983]

My mind was blown the other day when I made the connection that Cerano is the Allstate insurance guy.

 

[Cagey]

Are you trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

 

[alr1ght]

It blew my mind that Cerrano was David Palmer on 24. Amazing film

Spoiler

(please forget the sequels).

 

[negreenfield]

My mind was blown the other day when I made the connection that Cerano is the Allstate insurance guy.

And USA's first black president.

 

[Syrinx]

I love this movie. Bob Uecker was so great.

"...and one hit. Really? That's it? One goddamn hit?!"
"You can't say 'goddamn' on the radio!"
"Ah, who cares, nobody's listening anyway".

"We're not sure where Hayes played last year, but we're sure he did a hell of a job".

 

[HIGH DEF JEFF]

I was there opening weekend for sure...somewhere in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

 

[Ingueferroque]

It's on Amazon Instant Video.

 

[Yuripaw]

I wish I wasn't so young when this movie was made, because my parents always tell me that we were in the audience for some of the shoots here in Milwaukee, but I can't remember

 

[Windu]

Harry Doyle > all.

 

[negreenfield]

Memories are coming back. I wore out the VHS of this movie, I'm sure I've seen it at least 20 times. Charlie Sheen seemed so cool back then, him Wesley Snipes and Tom Berenger had a sweet three way bromance.

 

[DrFunk]

Glasses with the skull > all

 

[Arkos]

Juuuuuuuust a bit outside.

Love this movie. Wild Thing was juicing with tiger blood.

 

[StriKeVillain]

Love ML. Watch it every year in March.

I'm not even a fan of baseball.

 

[Brian Fellows]

I still get choked up every time Wild Thing comes in at the end.

 

[Raptomex]

Tom Berenger is an underrated actor. His performance in Platoon was incredible. Oh, and this movie is hilarious. You got the Allstate guy. That dude is badass. I was saddened to see him get blown away in Heat.

 

[jello44]

C'mon Dorn, get in front of the damn ball. Don't give me this "olé" bullshit!

Best Baseball movie.

 

[crimzonflame]

Wild Thing is what I remember.

 

[Wizman23]

As a native Clevlelander and fan of the Browns, Cavs, and Indians it's a shame that this movie is the closest the city has ever come to a championship in my lifetime

 

[Arkos]

Tom Berenger is an underrated actor. His performance in Platoon was incredible. Oh, and this movie is hilarious. You got the Allstate guy. That dude is badass. I was saddened to see him get blown away in Heat.

Umm excuse me, his name is President Palmer

 

[Dragon]

As a native Clevlelander and fan of the Browns, Cavs, and Indians it's a shame that this movie is the closest the city has ever come to a championship in my lifetime

The Indians made it to the WS in '97, game 7 went to extra innings. This movie they lose in the first round of the playoffs I thought?

 

[CouldBeWorse]

Thank you for this thread.

This is on the Mt Rushmore of baseball movies and comedies, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I can recite nearly the entire goddamn movie.

Brilliant, brilliant stuff, and I love these insights.

 

[cr_blah_blah]

Too high. It's too high!

 

[Mighty Chin]

I hate this fucking song!

 

[firehawk12]

It's no A League of Their Own though.

But I can't believe the movie is 25 years old. It makes feel old.

 

[Henchmen21]

How is #7 shocking? Uecker was even still doing Mr. Belvedere during all this.

 

[explodet]

Too high. It's too high!

Too high? What do you mean too high?

Spoiler

Who gives a shit? It's gone!

 

[jello44]

Thank you for this thread.

This is on the Mt Rushmore of baseball movies and comedies, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I can recite nearly the entire goddamn movie.

Brilliant, brilliant stuff, and I love these insights.

I can too.

"I've only got one thing to say to you. Strike this motherfucker out!"

 

[XiaNaphryz]

How is #7 shocking?.

I don't think the article anywhere claimed that the list would be shocking.

 

[PhantomZone]

It is an awesome movie, i even have a fondness for the sequel and the lamer jokes still made me giggle.

 

[sprsk]

Fun fact: Movie was HUGE in Japan (hence super famous comedian being in the second one) and they still fuckikng use the montage music when they show baseball clips on tv to this day.

 

[rokero]

They just don't make them like this anymore what a great movie I bought the blu ray for 7 bucks at walmart a while ago gonna re watch it this weekend

 

[Copenap]

This is one of the movies that gets even better as time goes by. I will never stop watching this masterpiece.

 

[Brian Fellows]

It's no A League of Their Own though.

It's a hard to top Jimmy Dugan.

I love both movies though, Throw in The Sandlot and I'm in baseball heaven.

 

[Mindlog]

Fun fact: Movie was HUGE in Japan (hence super famous comedian being in the second one) and they still fuckikng use the montage music when they show baseball clips on tv to this day.

Between him and Bob Ueker I remember laughing my ass off when I saw that as a kid.

Fun movies.

 

[mysteriousmage09]

Great movie.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

I still haven't seen the alternate ending, even though I think it sounds better.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I still haven't seen the alternate ending, even though I think it sounds better.

Looking around Youtube, I'm surprised noone's posted it up there yet.

 

[Cipherr]

Juuuuuuuust a bit outside.

That still cracks me up. Priceless delivery.

 

[Schattenjäger]

Absolutely adore this

"Come in Dorn get in front of the daaaaaamn ball... Don't give me this ole bullshit!"

 

[Deleted member 47027]

One of the finest movies ever. Timeless.