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Yes, I know the team in the movie is the Chicago Bruins but you just know it's the Cubs. This is a good movie although not a good baseball movie. A little too cliche' and a few too many errors (pitcher not pitching from the rubber, players changing position, bad baseball skills. etc.) to be a good baseball movie. But a good character study with a great ensemble cast. The couple who fight over the betting, the estranged father and son who came back together, the blind man and the bimbo with a heart of gold and of course, the wacko fanatic played with a lot of zesto by Stephen Markle. A baseball fan will probably enjoy it most but it's still a good movie to watch on a rainy Saturday afternoon when the Cubbies (or your local team) has been rained out.

It is clear that this was based on a play. The scenes are set in the bleachers of a "Chicago Bruins" baseball game during the course of a single game. This movie is a testament to team loyalty as well as loyalty to friends and the comradery of groups. Anyone who has spent much time at baseball games will recognoze some of the characters here. For me the rabid fan cheerleader steals the show, he spices the movie up just as he intends to spice the game up. I found myself rooting for him more than for the team. Nice ensemble piece. Would be interesting to see or read this plays script to see how it was originally set up for stage. If you like baseball or like well scripted movies, you wil enjoy this.

I saw it now as one of the producers is a friend. It has fun bits. The scoreboard scene with Maury Chaykin and Charles Durning is worth the whole DVD. It was set up that they had women up there. Someone said it is the gateway to heaven where they total up your hits, runs, and errors. The Gore Lieberman line is a throwaway, but laugh out loud. And the starting romance is a delight. We hope it works. The woman ever so slightly pulls the umbrella over, twice. A directors or actors perfect touch. Good actors. Good acting. The one flaw is Brad Garrett at the end becoming a mean dude. Not sure it was ever set up. Some funny bits. Worth the hour. Good job brother Rubin. As producer and the Cards manager.

I was actually an extra in this movie and didn't get to see the finished product until much later. The movie was not great, that's true but after some research I found that this movie is based on a play and I think performing this show on stage may give it the endearing quality it lacks on screen. I spent 2 weeks in 2001 working on this movie. The direction was very good considering the seeming lack of budget that was present at the time. It was actually filmed at Varsity Stadium in Toronto and it was a blistering summer. I walked away as an extra earning my 8 dollars an hour and at the ame time feeling a proud and a new respect for all the extras in the movie industry.

Yello, ever-hopeful die-hard Chicago Cubs fan here.

Finally, a movie "loosely-inspired" by my beloved Scrubbies. This made-for-tv flick is a surprising winner in the end. It features some second-rate television celebrities ("Hello, Newman") and great writing. Too bad they couldn't get the blessings of MLB. The "Bruins" sounds funny every time they say it. But otherwise, the characters are developed well and it ends with some imaginative twists. My take: if you see it listed on some movie channel, curl up and enjoy.

Final Grade: a loosely-inspired 7 out of 10.