The Sandlot

“The Sandlot is a movie about the peculiarities of adolescents. It is about that world where adolescents try to perform their best to fit into society. The movie is not the least bit lethargic in scope. There is a romanticism to it that cannot be paralleled to that of everyday adolescence. The locale of the movie is a small town. The time is in the earliest part of the sixties decade. Scott (played by actor Tom Guiry) arrives in town and truly wants to fit. There is a sandlot team comprised of 8 players. He would like to be the 9th player on the team. However, in order to be the 9th player requires that he know how to play the game--which he does not. Scott is not even aware of baseball “great” Babe Ruth. He, in turn, asks his stepfather to instruct him how to play catch. His stepfather is agreeable to the request; however, does not follow through. One day while Scott is placed in the center of left field, a fly ball comes his way which he misses in catching it. Naturally, such a mistake might have ended his participation with the sandlot team if it were not for the kindness of Benjamin Rodriguez who diplomatically instructs Scott what is important with regard to the game of baseball. As a result of the kindness of Rodriguez, Scott has one of the most memorable summers of his youth. “The Sandlot” is representative of summertime adolescent memories. The youths play the sport every single day. Occasionally, the crew visits the local swimming area where it is they daydream about the female lifeguard on duty. On one occasion, the team’s ball goes over the fence. There is this perception of what is considered “The Beast” in the film. “The Beast” is a scary apparatus and merely a figment of the adolescents’ imaginations. Scott saves the team from inhabiting the area of “The Beast.” He subsequently runs home and attains his step-dad’s baseball. The ball however is autographed by baseball legend Babe Ruth. Of course to Scotty the name Babe Ruth is not of any consequence. He is unaware of the value of the baseball. The valuable ball is, next, batted over the fence. It is during this event that the other team members explain to the naïve Scott why it is his stepfather is not going to be all too happy the prized ball has become food for “The imagined Beast.” The other boys are aware of the baseball legend. The events of the movie unfold in an inventive, kind of outside-of-the-box manner. This is obviously deliberate: that is, the exaggeration of the storytelling. (An example is the kids’ imaginations of “The Beast” which is the scary creature who eats their baseballs for lunch when it is their balls travel over the fence.) It is not a typical kid’s movie. There is not even a scene where the movie’s sandlot team wins the big game. They cannot win a big game because “The Big Game” is not even part of the storyline. The film is about growing up. The director of the movie is David Mickey Evans. He co-wrote the film’s script with Robert Gunter. The memories of the film are distinct; and its events: significant. The refreshing bit about the film is it is not about winning or losing: it is simply about being a kid. It is further about what matters most to a kid; on the outside of becoming a teenager-- that imagination is more important, sometimes, than whether you win or lose a game.