I'll never forget my first pro baseball game. It was May 15th, 1987 and I was there with most of my sixth grade class. I was already a huge Twins fan and Kirby Puckett was far and away my favorite player. At this point, we had no idea what that season had in store for us. We were just excited to be inside the Metrodome watching Señor Smoke take the mound against the Boston Red Sox. Long story short, or at least less long, the game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kirby stepped up to the plate and took Bruce Hurst deep for a 2-run shot. We lost our minds. The pure joy and adrenaline of that moment has never been matched at a game since. Why? I've seen walk-offs, but I'm not a kid anymore.

Kids see baseball differently. That's a primary theme of "Little Big League." While the main character, 12-year-old Billy Heywood, is a bit of a baseball nerd, full of facts and strategies, he loves the game as only a kid can. When his grandfather, who owns the Twins, passes away, Billy inherits the team. He eventually fires the hard-nosed manager and takes over the duties himself. He finds success when he injects some fun into the team's daily grind and sure enough, they start winning and make a run for the playoffs. Of course, while Billy tries to bring out the kid in his players, he struggles trying to live an adult life as a 12-year-old. 

"Little Big League" is a baseball movie made for kids. The premise and some of the acting is pretty cheesy. The end result is, however, kinda fun. You see cameos from MLB stars like Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Carlos Baerga, and Rafael Palmeiro. The overall acting is pretty solid. Timothy Busfield does a good job as Lou Collins, the team's steady-eddy veteran who also woos Billy's mom. (Bonus points if you can name what other baseball film he's appeared in!) John Ashton is likeable as Mac, the assistant coach who takes Billy under his wing. 

Best of all, you get to hear John Gordon (as Wally Holland) announcing all the baseball action. I got sentimental tingles when he shouted, ""Touch 'em all, Mickey Scales!" 

"Little Big League" doesn't make my top 10 and maybe not even my top 20, but it's good innocent fun. Grab a hot dog, some popcorn, and give it a shot.

Scorecard: Double

Best line: “Baseball is a kid’s game...grown-ups only screw it up” (Bob Lemon as quoted by Billy Heywood)

Run time: 1 hr 59 min

Where can you see it? Find the DVD at your library? This one is tough (but not impossible) to find online.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110363/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_little%20big%20le