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1994 was a tough year for a lot of us. John Candy died, followed by Kurt Cobain, and then baseball went on strike.
But that September a little movie hit the theatres that we all thought would be a bright spot during a dreadfully dreary time.
The movie was The Scout, starring Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser. I remember going with my brother to the Hyland 2 to see it on opening weekend. We were both big Albert Brooks fans and the fact that this was Brendan Fraser's follow up to the uproarious Encinco Man made it all the more appealing.
I don't want to tread too close to Bill Simmons' territory and do a full on sports-movie review, but I will say this: there was definitely something amiss with The Scout. Perhaps is was the dark subplot of Brendan Fraser's abusive father or the long stretches of character development with no baseball being played, but both my brother and I left The Scout with a bad taste in our mouths. Even hilarious cameos by George Steinbrenner, Keith Hernandez et al. and this classic exchange by Brooks and Fraser on top of Yankee Stadium at the end can't save the movie:
Steve: Al, you're like a dad to me.
Al: But I'm not your dad. I'm just a guy taking 15 percent.
Steve: I thought it was 10.
But for all of The Scout's faults, it does bring up a compelling question:
How much could Steve Nebraska make in today's MLB?
Let's weigh the pros and cons.
Pro: Pitched 81 consecutive, un-hittable strikes for a perfect game in the first game of the World Series
Con: Achieved such a high level of glory too early in his career. It'll be hard for him to top that.
Pro: Can consistently pitch over 105mph.
Con: Seems to only have a fastball. Eventually batters will find a way to hit off him, even it it means starting their swing before he starts his wind-up.
Pro: Can hit home runs with the regularity of a steroids-era Barry Bonds.
Con: Being at the plate will make him the target of bean balls. He'll also start being intentionally walked a lot, which could open him up to even more injuries having to run the base paths.
Pro: He's a tall, handsome, white guy that would be a great face for any franchise.
Con: Is clearly a loose cannon with severe father issues. He could self destruct at any time. Also, it's not clear how old he is, even barring some sort of psychological implosion he may only have 5-7 years left in his prime.
Final Figure: With the right agent and a nice bidding war, Steve Nebraska would command approximately $55million/year. I know some have suggested he would garner upwards of $70million, but I believe he has too many "issues" to receive that kind of salary.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this hard-hitting topic.
Additional information provided by my friend Hurricane Horowitz, a guy who genuinely loves The Scout.
2 comments:
if Clemens can command 28 I say give him a 1 year at 77. just think he's fluently bilingual (could play for ozzie), he'd be great in tortilla ads, and he's a giant man-child maybe he could push pharmaceuticals, that and he'd never need a DH.
although I disagree with your critique of the movie, you bring on many interesting points. If he doesn't freak out, you would be paying for a guy who has a 1.000 OBP (assuming he walks every time), with no hr, and minimal RBIs (only when he walks a rune in) but he would score somewhere around 350 runs in a year (assuming average speed) and would also win 40 games a year. 80 million a year seems right.
Best sports movies
1. Raging bull
2. The Program
3. Blue Chips
4. The Scout
5. The Air Bud series (why didn't they put that lovable pup on skates, perhaps it is too unrealistic).
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