A new alliterative sports-history journey has begun: Friday Funday. We have Sunday Surmising(s), Monday Musings, Tuesday Teasings, Wednesday Wizengamot(s), and Thursday Thorns. Someday soon we will add Silly Saturdays, as well. But until then, we start the Friday Funday with sports stuff in the same vein as our recent NFL Thursday piece on pick sixes—just fun stuff that we can share so that it can be shared again.

These won’t necessarily be weekly features, but they will show up quite often, sometimes as a second post on the day … sometimes as the primary post for the day. Either way, we hope to make it “fun” for you. So, if you remember this piece, we’re going to chime in today with our Top 10 baseball movies of all time. Remember, art is subjective, so this is not our declaration of a definitive list … it’s just our idea of the funs.

10. Major League
This is basically the equivalent of the Scary Movie formula for baseball. But it works, because the casting and the writing were so well done. The classic quips from Bob Uecker and Margaret Whitton are unforgettable, while James Gannon established a whole new stereotype for the grizzled veteran coach with a bunch of misfits. Don’t forget Chelcie Ross with yet another sports-movie effort that sticks in our brains.

9. 61*
An underrated movie, for sure, probably because it was an HBO production in days long before streaming—so many people still have not seen it. Thomas Jane and Barry Pepper, relative unknowns at the time, turned in engaging performances as Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, respectively, and the period-specific production values were pretty well done. This is a true story, which still takes liberties, but it works.

8. The Sandlot
This is like Stand by Me for baseball. It’s always a little surprising to us that none of these child actors really went on to have long acting careers, but for this moment in time, they’re all locked in our hearts. It’s almost an afterthought to remember James Earl Jones in yet another baseball movie, but this one is truly better than the other one you’re probably imagining right now. Why? Because it connects more emotionally, really.

7. For the Love of the Game
Speaking of emotional connectivity, this could be described as a love story merely set in a baseball player’s life. Kevin Costner does a good job of portraying a baseball player who is not a polished human being, even at the end of his career. Jena Malone may be the breakout actor in this movie, however: her performance is really nuanced and perfect. The non-linear narrative may not work for everyone, but this is a loaded story.

6. Eight Men Out
Everyone knows the story, mythology and all. Yes, there are some historical facts that are ignored in favor of smoother storytelling, but the acting really stands out here, especially in the smaller roles—so many faces a viewer connects with so many other films. The production qualities, too, are excellent for the period piece, set in 1919 Chicago, with forays to Cincinnati and New York. Credit to filmmaker John Sayles here.

5. 42
No list would be complete with the best-produced version of the Jackie Robinson moment in MLB history. Was Harrison Ford the best choice to play Branch Rickey? Probably not, but the rest of the cast is stellar. The attempts to modernize the story for a twenty-first century audience aren’t always effective, but at the core is a factual narrative that changed not only the sport of baseball—but also large parts of America itself.

4. Moneyball
What is there to say about this, a baseball film that focuses on the problems that still plague the game today? We lived through it, and we even have a cameo as an extra in the movie itself (no joke). It’s another true story that takes liberties in conveying the moment to the audience, but the acting is top notch thanks to Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Chris Pratt. Plus, Aaron Sorkin … What could go wrong? Very little, actually.

3. Bull Durham
Iconic in its own right, it’s the film that made us all associate Costner with baseball, for better or for worse. And the love triangle between Costner’s character and those portrayed by Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon is a classic. Yet at the core of the story is the true depiction of the grind the sport truly is for most players, the ones who never reach the major leagues and experience glory. The baseball clichés endure for all.

2. The Bad News Bears
The original from 1976 really informs a modern audience of the origins of sports’ problems, starting with parental over-involvement in youth sports to the ethics and morals of how far some coaches and players go to win at any cost—not to mention gender politics. It’s a time piece for the mid-1970s, but its themes and tropes are still applicable to today’s realities. The acting and the writing are top notch; it never gets stale.

1. The Natural
Yes, the filmmakers changed the ending of the book to be a more feel-good conclusion, but it was the right thing to do. Robert Redford is at his best, and the supporting cast is memorable, too. Full of wisdom, life advice, and observational commentary on the nature of choice, there is nothing better than watching this film and experiencing the ending as the ultimate culmination of a life journey that defies logic and reason.