Monthly Archives: June 2023

Lollygaggers of the World Rejoice: Bull Durham Turns 35

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It can be argued that tomorrow, June 15, 2023, marks the 35th anniversary of one of the most pivotal days in shaping who I would become.

While there were many days of triumph and tragedy that contributed to the mosaic of my life, it is not hyperbole to say that the release of the movie “Bull Durham” not only shaped many of the words I use in conversation, but it also set me on a Don Quixote like quest to land a dream job working in Minor League Baseball.

Although I am still tilting at windmills as I try to land a job working for a Minor League Baseball team, oh what a run ride it has been along the way working in other aspects of sport.

While there were many days of triumph and tragedy that contributed to the mosaic of my life, it is not hyperbole to say that the release of the movie “Bull Durham” not only shaped many of the words I use in conversation, but it also set me on a Don Quixote like quest to land a dream job working in Minor League Baseball.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the movie, “Bull Durham,” stars Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

The movie, which “Sports Illustrated” called the, “Greatest Sports Movie of all Time” follows the exploits of a Class A Minor League Baseball team called the Durham Bulls who play ball in the Carolina League.

Although I totally agree with it being the best sports movie of all time, I was already a fan of baseball when “Bull Durham” came out in 1988.

So, it is entirely plausible to think that I would have still wanted to work for a Minor League Baseball team even if the movie had never risen like a tobacco leaf out of the North Carolina soil. However, seeing the movie only made those dreams go stronger.

As I have noted many times before, I spent many an afternoon and evening with my mom catching Minor League Baseball games at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida. Often times, we were joined by Pat Williams, the general manager of both the Orlando Magic and the Orlando Sun Rays, who would sit at the end of our row and watch a few innings of the action on the field.

I saw how much fun Pat Williams had getting to sit and watch baseball and decided then and there under the hot Florida sun that someday I wanted to be just like Pat.

One day, I even asked him to sign a ballpark napkin. I framed the napkin and it has stood as a reminder of my goal to work in Minor League Baseball ever since.

As a side note, although it has been years since the Orlando Sun Rays existed, and Tinker Field has since been torn down, Pat Williams is still chasing his dream of bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando proving that one should never stop chasing their dreams.

Seeing “Bull Durham” only reinforced those desires to chase my dreams by creating a magical world that showed all of the ups and downs of working in Minor League Baseball from the bus rides to far away towns, to the great lengths that players would go to in order to break out of a slump and hopefully claw their way up to “the show.”

“Bull Durham” is the base of the Kevin Costner baseball movie triangle that also includes “Field of Dreams” and “For Love of the Game.”

There is something for everyone in the Kevin Costner Baseball Triangle.
Photo R. Anderson

While each of the sides of the Kevin Costner Baseball Triangle are good in their own ways, I have always identified more with the comedy infused “Bull Durham.”

I still watch both “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams” each year at the start of the baseball season, and both continue to make me laugh and cry in various ways so many years later.

I suppose “Bull Durham” resonates with me so much because while I was never a Minor League Baseball player, I was very much a Minor League Baseball fan and was attending games around the same time that the movie came out.

The movie also provided several concepts that I use even today as part of my daily life.

While I have been known to recite numerous quotes from the movie through the years, one of my favorites is, “This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.” While the quote is about baseball, it could just as easily describe life in general.

The concept of creating your own rain delay when the grind gets too tough and you just need a day to catch your breath is a theme that I have embraced from the movie.

Although I have never turned on the sprinklers in the office, I have certainly found ways to give everyone a rain day here and there.

As the years have passed since “Bull Durham” first hit movie screens, I have become increasingly glad that I got to see one of the actors from the movie perform at a ballpark in person.

In the movie, and in real life, Max Patkin was the Clown Prince of Baseball. For over 50 years Patkin went to Minor League ballparks across the country and Canada performing his baseball clown act.

I was fortunate enough to see Patkin perform during an Orlando Sun Rays game at Tinker Field. Patkin’s act was shown in several scenes of the movie and Patkin even got to dance with Susan Sarandon.

To this day when I watch his performance scenes in the movie, it is like I am right there watching him in person while trying to avoid getting sprayed by his water trick.

Although he died in 1999, Patkin will forever live on in his scenes from Bull Durham. That is both a testament to the man himself, and to the filmmakers for recognizing the important role he played in conveying the essence of Minor League Baseball.

That is part of the understated magic of “Bull Durham.” Although it is considered a romantic comedy focusing on the love triangle of human characters, it also stands as a love letter to baseball itself and a testimony to all who pray at the “Church of Baseball.”

While Bull Durham has stood the test of time for 35 years, every once in a while, a rumor surfaces about a potential sequel being made. Sequels can certainly be tricky business as few ever really are as good as the first, or meet the lofty expectations set for them by fans who are protective of the source material.

But, even with all of that being said, I would still watch a sequel to Bull Durham. Do I think it could ever be as good as the first movie? Probably not.

In 2022, Kevin Costner gave fans a glimmer of hope about a potential sequel when during an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show” he said that he would be open to doing a sequel if the film’s original director, Ron Shelton, was on board and thought the script was good enough.

So, you are saying there’s a chance?

However, a sequel does not have to be as good as the first movie. It just needs to help show where the characters ended up some 35 years after we left them on the porch and field.

Not much has changed with the Durham Bulls logo since Bull Durham came out. It is still one of the more iconic and recognized looks in the Minor Leagues.
Photo R. Anderson

I think it would be interesting to see how an old-school baseball lifer like Costner’s character, Crash Davis, handled managing in the new reality of baseball. That could lead to many potential plot twists including the possibly of Crash managing his own son.

I have my own ideas about what happened to the characters. So, if a sequel is never made, I will still carry on my version of the story in my head. But it would be nice to see the cast get back together for one more trip around the bases.

The world of Minor League Baseball has changed a lot in the 35 years since “Bull Durham” came out. Arguments can certainly be made as to whether those changes are good, or bad.

One thing that has not changed is that thanks to “Bull Durham” there is a snapshot in time of what Minor League Baseball was like when I was fortifying my love of the game.

Like I said, June 15, 1988 was a monumental day in my life. There have been other days since, and the good Lord willing, there will be more monumental days to come for this occasional lollygagger.

I may even finally hit that proverbial bull and win that Minor League Baseball job before I wipe the dirt off of my uniform for the final time.

And if that day does finally come, I have a feeling that I will summon up my inner “Bull Durham” fan and say, “I’m just happy to be here. Hope I can help the ball club.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am off to watch “Bull Durham” and continue to dream of a life spent working in Minor League Baseball.

Copyright 2023 R. Anderson

Partnership Between PGA/LIV Golf Exposes Huge Divot in Fairy Tale of Sport

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For centuries, cultures around the world have used fairy tales to communicate various cultural norms in an attempt to pit good versus evil in their storytelling.

In Medieval times, morality plays sought to tell stories that dealt with the very battle for one’s soul.

I thought of fairy tales and morality plays when I read that two feuding professional golf organizations had agreed to combine their operations.  Two sports leagues merging is certainly nothing new. The National Football League (N.F.L.) is the result of a merger between two smaller leagues.

Still, the merger of the PGA and LIV Golf is bigger than just two competing leagues combining forces.

According to published reports, the new merged golf league will be funded exclusively by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. This continues a trend by Saudi Arabia of sportswashing as a means to cleanse their image and launder their reputation through investment in various athletic events, teams and leagues.

The new golf partnership gets more slippery than a sand trap when one remembers that PGA commissioner Jay Monahan noted when asked in June 2022 about the Saudi kingdom’s ties to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack that, “I have two families that are close to me that lost loved ones. My heart goes out to them and I would ask that any player that has left, or that would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

It has been said that there is a prize at which anyone’s principles can be bought. It appears that the price at which the PGA principles could be bought was just paid by an entity tied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Graphic R. Anderson

What a difference a year makes.

While PGA leadership seemed to have no issues with the old take the money and run approach, by trading in their principles faster than someone seeking free room and board with someone that they have philosophical differences with, it was reported that Tiger Woods turned down $700-800 million to play in LIV last year.

I certainly have not agreed with everything that Tiger has done in his life, but I certainly respect his stance in this regard.

It will be interesting to see if that stance remains now that the Saudi kingdom is basically signing the checks for Tiger and all of the other players in professional golf.

There is no reason to think that Saudi Arabia will stop their attempts of image repair at the 18th hole.

In addition to rumors that they want to buy World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), it is completely plausible to think that the kingdom could set their sights on buying one or more franchises in the MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL.

I could rattle off fact after fact about all of the reasons that selling sports assets, or any other assets to foreign powers is a bad idea

I could also list the various reasons why Saudi Arabia is not really the best country to be doing business with.

Instead, I have written a fairy tale of my own about the risk of compromising one’s principles and selling off sport assets to the highest bidder.

Once upon a time, there was a far away kingdom that was built upon sand. Underneath the sand, flowed a magic black goo that the rest of the world coveted.

Although this black goo was harmful to the planet, and other options existed to ween the world off of the goo, much like a cowboy on a mountain, the world did not know how to quit the black goo.

The kingdom knew the power they possessed. They wielded great might over the price of the black goo throughout the rest of the world by limiting how much of their goo they made available at any given time.

Much of the world was so dependent on the kingdom’s black goo that they turned a blind eye to many of the activities that occurred within the kingdom walls.

They would say, “while we certainly would not do things like that here, who are we to judge what other’s do behind their kingdom walls? Besides, if we do not buy their goo they will just sell it to someone else.”

The kingdom made so much money from selling their black goo that they did not know what to do.

One day, a man in the kingdom thought, “why don’t we use our black goo money to buy other things that the world is addicted to?”

For the kingdom knew that someday the world might decide they no longer wanted their black goo.

Therefore, the kingdom thought, we will use our money to buy prestige and respect in the world of sport in an effort to be someone others will admire and support.

And so it was that the kingdom started to acquire race horses and race cars and entire leagues of athletes with their black goo money.

There were quiet whispers from the rest of the world stating, “but we should not support this kingdom, they do not share our values.”

Still, those whispers went unheeded as many people were blinded by the shear magnitude of the amount of money the kingdom was willing to spend on their sport assets.

Even organizations that once shouted loudly from the clubhouse of the atrocities of the kingdom were won over by the vast amount of money the kingdom was willing to pay for their principles.

For you see, as long as the world remains dependent on the black goo that flows under kingdoms built on sand, few will be willing to take a morale stand.

To be fair, the issues in professional and collegiate sport run far deeper than whether or not assets are sold to Saudi Arabia.

The golf merger is just the latest example of how the world of sport is changing, and not for the better.

In addition to rumors that they want to buy World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), it is completely plausible to think that the kingdom could set their sights on buying one or more franchises in the MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL.
Photo R. Anderson

In the same way that a theology student might unexpectedly become an atheist after getting disenchanted with what they learned at their seminary, I became more and more disheartened with the world of professional sport the deeper I got into my Sport Management master’s program.

I have spent a large portion of my career working in various capacities within the sports world.

For the most part, I enjoyed each of those experiences.

However, in the last few years I have noticed a rapid change in the way the sport industry operates.

The ideals of fair play and competition are rapidly giving way to greed and corruption at all levels of sport with no signs of stopping any time soon.

While the professional golf merger can be described as a cash grab way for the rich to get richer, it is certainly not the only example of sports leagues choosing profits over principles.

One need only look at how professional sports leagues went all in on embracing sports books and gambling to see how they are willing to monetize all areas of their business despite the optics.

As I noted in a column earlier this year, entire leagues are being created as mere television product giving little thought to building actual support from fans with the community.

In other leagues where fans are a factor, ticket prices are often inflated to the point that the average fan cannot afford to go see their team in person even if they wanted to.

In the current climate, there is every reason to believe that Saudi Arabia will seek to gain a larger foothold in American sports. There is also every reason to believe that if they do come calling, they, and their cargo planes full of money, will be welcomed with open arms.

Like someone believing all fairy tales have happy endings, perhaps it was naïve of me to cling to the ideals of sport bringing out the best in society.

Sport, like the rest of the society seems poised to continue to move towards a place where greed is good and only a small percentage get to live happily ever after.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have the sudden urge to read some Brothers Grimm.

Copyright 2023 R. Anderson