Hollywood turned the Cleveland Indians from perennial losers into World Series contenders 27 years before Terry Francona did.
With the Indians seeking their first World Series championship since 1948, the iconic film “Major League” is back in the spotlight. The 1989 movie had quite a cast — Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Wesley Snipes, Rene Russo, Dennis Haysbert and Bob Uecker, among others — and provided quite a few great one-liners (with colorful language) from its memorable Indians characters.
Like “Juuuust a bit outside.”
And “Yo bartender, Jobu needs a refill!” (Side note: Jobu, complete with rum, made an appearance in the Indians’ clubhouse this season.)
Like this year’s squad, the fictional Tribe weren’t expected to do much, but they won the division pennant in remarkable fashion. I mean, when was the last time you saw a walk-off bunt?
Those Indians lost to the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS, creating an obvious storyline for the far-inferior “Major League II,” but fans of the original film aren’t concerned about any bad juju carrying the World Series. They’ve called for Uecker to replace Joe Buck in the FOX broadcast booth and for Sheen to throw out the first pitch before Game 1.
Both won’t happen, but they show the power of the silver screen when fiction becomes reality.
