Friday Flicks: Casey at the Bat

July 18, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Bat boy holds baseballs during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The offseason can be tough on baseball fans. Why not get your baseball fix through the Silver Screen? All offseason long, check out “Friday Flicks” at lunchtime for a baseball movie review. Want to suggest a movie for review? Comment below with the title. We’ll continue until the 2013 regular season begins.

Juggling a questionable catch, while trying to ignore a questionable hit, led to an intriguing situation in last week‘s review. This week’s review briefly considers a Disney film that dates back to 1946.

The film features over-the-top characters acting out the famous“Casey at the Bat” poem. The teams are made up of goofy misfits. Just like in the poem, Casey comes up to bat as a hero that could save the day. The women swoon and the men cheer for the Mighty Casey, but just like in the poem, everyone is disappointed when Casey strikes out and the game is lost.

Is it a hit? You can watch the Disney film here. Maybe it’s a difference in era, but I found the 8:37 minute clip to be so-so, and I give it a single. You could argue it deserves a double. I find, however, that its over-the-top characters make it too silly and not nearly as moving as the original poem. It doesn’t tug at my heartstrings like the brief reference to “when the mighty Casey struck out” in Centerfield by John Fogerty, at that contains only two brief lyrics that reference the poem. Speaking of Centerfield, I generally like original versions of songs best, but here’s a great version of Centerfield where John Fogerty is joined by Keith Urban.

Next week, a man’s obsession with the Red Sox gets in the way of life and love…