Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the classic 1984 film, "The Natural." They introduce the film (2:00), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (6:52), and then Ellen issues the first apology in Take Me In to the Ballgame history. Amount of Baseball (15:88) kicks us off with a disagreement, as they discuss the Amount of Non-Baseball versus the iconic, thirst-quenching nature of the baseball depicted, plus a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (21:27) discusses Eddie Waitkus and Ruth Ann Steinhagen, Ted Williams, Wheaties and Lou Gehrig, the Wrigley clock and Bama Rowell, and spitballs and Burleigh Grimes. Is there an issue with Roy Hobbs hitting a walk-off homer on the road? Eric enlightens us on the process of boning a bat. Ellen wonders if Pop is a bad manager. They also address baseball superstition (with reference to Rhys Hoskins and Wade Boggs), commemorative patches, the 1939 Giants (Mel Ott & Carl Hubbell), Reds (Ernie Lombardi & Bucky Walters) and Pirates, the bribe amount, and disintegrating baseballs (Martin Maldonado). Ellen considers the One Baseball Superman problem, the Baseball Is Hard problem, and does a breakdown of Hobbs's final at bat. Storytelling (54:20) addresses Arthurian and Homeric legends, the beautiful cinematography, the "16 years later" cut, the nature of Harriet's mental illness, and some confusion around Roy's flaw and the shame of being shot. What was Roy doing for 16 years? Can someone explain these medical issues? They also discuss Roy's magic, the newspaper photos of Iris, various issues with Judge, the son's whereabouts, and Roy's stay in the maternity ward. The Score (1:24:29) lays praise at the majestic feet of Randy Newman's score. Acting (1:28:56) lauds the ensemble, with special mention of Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Wilford Brimley and Richard Farnsworth, and a question about Kim Basinger. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:39:15) considers Olsen's catcher-esque story function and recognition of Hobbs despite not knowing he was a pitcher, without being a prominent character. Plus, some bonus catchers. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:42:44) is another disagreement. Get ready for Lack of Misogyny (1:46:31), in which our scouts discuss women as either bad-luck seductresses or patient angels in a Madonna/Whore binary, where ultimately women are only a function of their impact on men. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:55:37), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:03:21), Favorite Moment (2:05:33) Least Favorite Moment (2:08:09), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (2:10:22), Dreamiest Player (2:12:09), Favorite Performance (2:13:26) Review Thank You (2:17:58) and Next Time (2:18:25).

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2012 indie zombie film "The Battery." They introduce the film (2:13), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers--including the almost supernatural circumstances of its making. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:44), and have a brief parental advisory: there will be some discussion that is not appropriate for younger listeners. Then, they begin with Amount of Baseball (15:43), discussing the feasibility of fielding a full baseball team in the zombie apocalypse, or in a film with six total living characters. "The Benchwarmers" rears its head. They consider the baseball activities shown instead, including killing a zombie with a baseball bat, and dissecting a baseball, with reverence to the work of Dr. Meredith Wills. Baseball Accuracy (21:27) queries what kind of pitcher Mickey is, and addresses the theory of friendship between a pitcher and a catcher. Eric dives in on Pittsfield baseball history, and Ellen discusses an excellent BP article by Octavio Hernandez about changeup and curveball usage amongst Dominican and Venezuelan baseball players. The John Kruk defense is invoked. Storytelling (54:43) addresses the establishment of the dynamic between Mickey and Ben, the careful and deliberate way that the past is shared with the audience, the toothbrushing scene, usage of long takes, the Mickey Needs Some Action storyline, and the subversion of expectations. The Score (55:09) revels in music by Rock Plaza Central, Brother Claude Ely, Sun Hotel, Wise Blood, The Parlor, and Ryan Winford's score. The scouts also refer to their appearances on Al Melchior's "You Me and an Album" and the "Jaws"-reference usage of "Show Me the Way to Go Home." Acting (1:03:08) focuses on the performances of Jeremy Gardner and Adam Cronheim. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:09:02) considers the very high Amount of Catcher, and what a catcher would do in a zombie apocalypse. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:12:59) also, in its way, considers the Amount of Announcer. In Lack of Misogyny (1:13:38), the scouts find they have a lot to say about the one live woman and the one main dead one, and how women function in the storytelling. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:25:21), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:29:07), Favorite Moment (1:30:07) Least Favorite Moment (1:32:22), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:35:57), Dreamiest Player (1:37:47), Favorite Performance (1:38:17) Review Thank You (1:39:02) and Next Time (1:39:50).

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde scout the 1994 movie, “Little Big League,” grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (2:29) before reviewing the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:26). In Amount of Baseball (15:05), they are dazzled by the variety and amount of on-field play, and a player comp comes courtesy of MLB The Show. Baseball Accuracy (19:32) considers the overwhelming number of players referenced and appearing in the film (Babe Herman, Dazzy Vance, Ralph Branca, Bobby Thompson, Willie Mays, Moses Fleetwood Walker, Jackie Robinson, Roger Clemens, Walter Johnson, Whitey Herzog, Bobby Valentine, Bob Lemon, Rickey Henderson, Tommy LaSorda, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Wahoo Sam Crawford, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco (indirect as Billy’s friends are called the B.B.), Reggie Jackson, Wade Boggs, Sammy Sosa, Bob Uecker, Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Cecil Fielder, Casey Stengel, Freddy Lindstrom, with APPEARANCES by Dave Magadan, Dean Palmer, Eric Anthony, Alex Fernandez, Lenny Webster, Lou Piniella, Rafael Palmeiro, Pudge Rodriguez, Sandy Alomar Jr., Wally Joiner, Mickey Tettleton, Carlos Baerga, Tim Raines, Paul O’Neill, Ken Griffey Jr, and Randy Johnson), Rickey Henderson’s free agency, owners being managers and stadium ownership, illegal pitches (Joe Niekro, Kevin Gross, and Roger McDowell), the crowd at the end, and Little League accuracy. The film’s quality to popularity ratio sends Ellen into an existential crisis to start off Storytelling (51:26), which then leads to discussions of growing up too quickly, the importance of having fun, the issues of presenting Jenny as a struggling single mother, the case for Billy as a bad manager, questionable child references, undercutting O’Farell’s tantrums, the security guard, and kid vs. adult wish fulfillment. Score Tool (1:19:54) laments the music that the team considers forgettable and uninspired, as well as John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” and the Band’s cover of Muddy Waters’ “Stuff You Gotta Watch.” Acting (1:25:07) considers the entire ensemble, including Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, Kevin Dunn, John Ashton, Jason Robards, Dennis Farina, Jonathan Silverman, as well as the general dynamic between child and adult actors. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:31:12) focuses on the value of Mark’s redemption, with some time devoted to Mickey Tettleton’s bad attitude. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:33:56) is a celebration of John Gordon and the weirdly specific baseball stats he shares. Lack of Misogyny (1:36:32) is a bit unfortunate in comparison, with female characters only presented in relation to men and frequently being pretty vapid. Some strange song choices, too! No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:41:38), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:45:36), Favorite Moment (1:48:05) Least Favorite Moment (1:50:43), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:53:02), Dreamiest Player (1:55:27), Favorite Performance (1:56:32), Review Thank You (1:59:32), and Next Time (1:59:56)