Another umpiring deprived idea from the offseason.

[Rulekeep]

I've been watching some baseball movies recently and an another bad idea from offseason sickness has hit.

An umpiring movie.

As far as I know, there's no real movie about umpires. No, the Third Team doesn't count. Why? Because that's nonfiction. I'm talking like, Moneyball, Bang the Drum Slowly, Bad News Bears, you get me? Fiction that could possibly be true but eh.

Maybe a mocumentry of a LL umpire who works their way up into MiLB or something. I'm still thinking it over but my film maker side is starting to take over...thoughts?

[alex7]

Limited audience is likely the problem.

 

Option 1)  Sell out with a zany slapstick about an off-the-handle coach who finally is suspended and his punishment is to umpire games.  Yada yada, learns to view things from the other side, mellows out, learns a lesson, and ends up moving up and umpiring a game that includes his coaching nemesis!  Brendan Frazier must be involved somehow.

 

Option 2)  Would be the most interesting but least likely to get filmed.  Follow around for a year a AAA umpire who is in his make-it-or-get-cut season.  He's a bit older than most and has the young hot-shot umpires moving up and breathing down his neck.  Many times these are his partners, and he's conflicted about helping them vs wanting to beat them.  Starts drinking a little too much, sleeping around as he travels around the country on long drives with little money, chasing that elusive MLB dream.  Has a daughter from a previous marriage that he's missing much time with and adds another layer of conflict.  Finally sees an MLB umpire scout at one of his games.  He shines in this game, focusing like never before, hustling, and nailing a tough call.  Scout calls in the crew after the game and tells the younger umpire that he's being called up to the show.  Sends young umpire on his way, leaving the veteran (pretend it's a 2-man crew for simplicity) in the office, where he delivers the news...

[Rulekeep]

The first one seems kinda cliche but I could work with it...second one I could possibly do but I don't know how I'd be able to cast the protaganist.

[tjwoelfel13]

I like the second idea.  

[Majordave]

There was a movie about a high school umpire starring Nick Nolte. He was single/divorced, a drunk and not a nice guy. Off the Black

[Rulekeep]

One. One movie then.

[Majordave]

More of a character-drama movie about a drunk/ father who has no relationship with his own son and his friendship with a high school kid/pitcher who has a father with whom he does not communicate well with. They both have needs the other fills. Baseball is the reason they have to deal with each other. Nolte makes a call in a game that costs the kid's team the game. The kid and his friends come to Nolte's house and trash the yard and house with garbage and graffiti and Nolte catches this kid and makes him clean up to avoid Nolte calling the police. Very few baseball scenes.

All this being said, nobody (other than umpires) really gives a damn about umpires other than we are a necessary evil. On CBS news this morning the female co-anchor commented during an interview with Harold Reynolds of MLB network that would the instant replay cut down on arguing with umpires. People like that. It's part of why people go to games. Really? Sad but true.

[Rulekeep]

I'd get an audience out of this site.

[Stan W.]

3 movies....

 

William Bendix 1950 "kill the umpire"

Nick Nolte 200? "on the black"

Charlotte Ross 2011 "the umpire"

 

they all stink......

[Rulekeep]

3 movies....

William Bendix 1950 "kill the umpire"

Nick Nolte 200? "on the black"

Charlotte Ross 2011 "the umpire"

they all stink......

Well here's a chance to make a good one!

[Jocko]

Deprived?

[Rulekeep]

Deprived?

Season doesn't start for another month and I'm getting desperate for a live baseball fix. Hell, I'd call 6U/8U if it got me back on the field.

[conbo61]

Limited audience is likely the problem.

 

Option 1)  Sell out with a zany slapstick about an off-the-handle coach who finally is suspended and his punishment is to umpire games.  Yada yada, learns to view things from the other side, mellows out, learns a lesson, and ends up moving up and umpiring a game that includes his coaching nemesis!  Brendan Frazier must be involved somehow.

 

Option 2)  Would be the most interesting but least likely to get filmed.  Follow around for a year a AAA umpire who is in his make-it-or-get-cut season.  He's a bit older than most and has the young hot-shot umpires moving up and breathing down his neck.  Many times these are his partners, and he's conflicted about helping them vs wanting to beat them.  Starts drinking a little too much, sleeping around as he travels around the country on long drives with little money, chasing that elusive MLB dream.  Has a daughter from a previous marriage that he's missing much time with and adds another layer of conflict.  Finally sees an MLB umpire scout at one of his games.  He shines in this game, focusing like never before, hustling, and nailing a tough call.  Scout calls in the crew after the game and tells the younger umpire that he's being called up to the show.  Sends young umpire on his way, leaving the veteran (pretend it's a 2-man crew for simplicity) in the office, where he delivers the news...

 

Option 3 - a total "Bull Durham" rip-off where a career AAA guy is sent down to rookie ball to mentor the dim witted hot-shot.  He had some fill-in time at The Show, traveled first class, but never got the FT call.

 

Who would you cast and what would there character names be as:

 

The career AAA umpire 

The Dim Witted hot shot

Wiley Veteran Manager #1

Wiley Veteran Manager #2

Wiley Veteran Manager #3

Love interest for Career AAA guy

Miscellaneous Players

 

GO!

[Rulekeep]

NO! NO LOVE INTERESTS! NO! IF IT'S GONNA BE A UMPIRING MOVIE THEN THERE'S GONNA BE UMPIRING AND I'M NOT GONNA RUIN IT WITH A CRAPPY ROMANCE SUBPLOT! I DO NOT CONDONE THE PLOT DEVICE OF ROMANCE IN MY ACTION/SPORTING MOVIES!

Sorry. Had to be said.

That aside, I could always cast myself as the dimwitted hotshot...

[goody14]

Option 2)  Starts drinking a little too much, sleeping around as he travels around the country on long drives with little money, chasing that elusive MLB dream.  

 

Let's hope his timing isn't too quick when he is sleeping around...

 

I don't know about fiction because frankly Hollywood has trouble making fiction movies about baseball in general.  I don't have confidence in them making a good one about the specifics.  It could be a B plot that is used to drive character traits in another kind of movie.

 

I think a documentary would be very, very interesting.  Or maybe even a reality show if it is not exploitative.  I mean, they make docs about anything and everything from the world record in Donkey Kong, competitive scrabble, and others.  

 

The thing umpiring has going for it is very (and I mean very) Type A personalities.  That translates itself well sometimes to screen. 

[Rulekeep]

I don't know about fiction because frankly Hollywood has trouble making fiction movies about baseball in general.

Pssssssh I'm better than Hollywood. Besides, actually coming from the background would make it a lot more realistic in the writing.

[Rulekeep]

Who remembers this haha?

Anyways, I'm going to actually have a chance to make an umpiring movie. My pitch was approved even though it's crap. Single camera production. I'm the narrator, screenwriter, director, and producer, and one of the cast. The film will follow four minority high school and/or ASA umpires through the season and include interviews. Still working on the storyboard and open to any extra suggestions.

[Ump29]

NO! NO LOVE INTERESTS! NO! IF IT'S GONNA BE A UMPIRING MOVIE THEN THERE'S GONNA BE UMPIRING AND I'M NOT GONNA RUIN IT WITH A CRAPPY ROMANCE SUBPLOT! I DO NOT CONDONE THE PLOT DEVICE OF ROMANCE IN MY ACTION/SPORTING MOVIES!

Sorry. Had to be said.

That aside, I could always cast myself as the dimwitted hotshot...

 

 

Hotshot - yes ... dimwitted - no.

[Rulekeep]

NO! NO LOVE INTERESTS! NO! IF IT'S GONNA BE A UMPIRING MOVIE THEN THERE'S GONNA BE UMPIRING AND I'M NOT GONNA RUIN IT WITH A CRAPPY ROMANCE SUBPLOT! I DO NOT CONDONE THE PLOT DEVICE OF ROMANCE IN MY ACTION/SPORTING MOVIES!

Sorry. Had to be said.

That aside, I could always cast myself as the dimwitted hotshot...

Hotshot - yes ... dimwitted - no. Eh. Could still do it.

[Rennolds]

During a high school game a pitcher throws a fastball 88 MPH sending the umpire back in time where he bumps into Shoeless Joe Jackson and Kevin Costner. In order to get back to his own time they must all team up and win a Inter-galaxy tournment, but who would play with them... in walks Jordan in a White Sox uniform followed by Marvel characters. Movie gold

[Rulekeep]

During a high school game a pitcher throws a fastball 88 MPH sending the umpire back in time where he bumps into Shoeless Joe Jackson and Kevin Costner. In order to get back to his own time they must all team up and win a Inter-galaxy tournment, but who would play with them... in walks Jordan in a White Sox uniform followed by Marvel characters. Movie gold

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

[Ump29]

 

During a high school game a pitcher throws a fastball 88 MPH sending the umpire back in time where he bumps into Shoeless Joe Jackson and Kevin Costner. In order to get back to his own time they must all team up and win a Inter-galaxy tournment, but who would play with them... in walks Jordan in a White Sox uniform followed by Marvel characters. Movie gold

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

 

 

That wasn't you, it was me.