Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim's team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field--until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim's still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there's no telling where he could go.
The lives of an American expat and a half Japanese construction worker living in rural Japan are forever changed over the course of three days as they engage in an unexpected romance.
The true-life drama about a handicapped Baltimore woman living on welfare who organized a sandlot baseball team and ended up coaching more than 50,000 boys and girls over nearly 40 years.
The film is about the band Stockholms Negrer, but also about what formed their music, about being Swedish but still being viewed as an outsider.
After two months of a hard-fought strike, accompanied by a day-and-night occupation of the premises, Jeune Afrique's workers were the victims of a court order authorizing their CEO, Bechir Ben Yahmed, to have them removed by the police. If they resisted, they risked falling foul of the law against rioters. To avoid the African comrades being deported from France, the strikers decided to leave. But before leaving, they organized a demonstration of solidarity with hundreds of journalists from the traditional and revolutionary press.
Quite a bit can happen over the course of a single day in L.A., and when smooth-talking scam artist Johnny decides to throw a bachelor party for his best friend Bill the events of the day take a bizarre turn. As the festivities get underway, the appearance of a transvestite prostitute, a trigger-happy ex-con, and a notorious porn king signal that this isn't going to be a typical night out.
The long lasting Palestinian-Israeli conflict has created appaling phenomenons that have horrified the Israeli society. the "politically conscience-refusals" or those individual soldiers refusing to fight in the occupied territories, are one of those phenomenons. In opposition to them stand a thousand immigrants from the former Soviet Union, ex-military men from the Red Army, who yearn to be recruited into the IDF and fight for Israel, but who are denied the right to serve in the army. Through the stories of Oleg and Alex, immigrants and the battalion's charismatic commanders, the story of the Russkii Battalion is told. It is a story of contrasts between the hardships of the daily struggles they face as new immigrants against the pride and the sense of belonging they find in the battalion. The Russkii Battalion is a film about a militaristic social bubble, in a country that is in constant war.
"Through the Fire" chronicles the journey of Coney Island basketball star, Sebastian Telfair, from famed Lincoln High School straight to the NBA.
Coral biologists are concerned about the genetic health of many endangered coral. This short film follows a team of Smithsonian scientists as they attempt to use cryopreserved coral sperm to introduce DNA to new populations of elkhorn coral. If this technique works, it could have lasting impacts on how we are able to protect and restore endangered coral species from near extinction.
The story of Boston fans, from their "birth" as the 200 "Roxbury Rooters" in 1897 to their transformation into millions known today as RED SOX NATION. Through rare images and film the saga is told by Boston baseball legends like Johnny Pesky and Peter Gammons, historians, Red Sox players and officials, everyday fans and the Red Sox Nation members descended from the original "Rooters".
From its grand opening on April 20, 1912 Fenway has enthralled fans with its quirky shape, playing field oddities including the Pesky Pole, the Triangle, and Green Monster. John Updike called it, a lyric little bandbox of a ballpark, Hitters call it a haven, and the legions of passionate fans who inhabit Red Sox Nation call it home. This official MLB Productions program blends stunning archival footage, rare historic interviews, and all- new exclusive interviews with current and former Red Sox players to tell the tale of this wonderful ballpark. Fenway Park the heart of Boston, New England, and all of Red Sox Nation.
Winning their first World Series in 86 years, the Old Town Team made baseball history, and true believers throughout the entire nation. History Rings True offers complete coverage of the historic Red Sox Ring Ceremony that took place at Fenway Park on the 2005 Home Opener on April 11th 2005.
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Gabriel, Bobby and Costa are old friends from Altona, a multicultural hood in Hamburg. Just out of prison, Gabriel wants to turn his back on crime, but the others continue to operate as petty criminals. Friendships are tested as the trio navigate a dark world of mafia bosses and deals gone wrong.
Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD, then worked for decades counseling drug abusers. Dock's soulful style defined 1970s baseball as he kept hitters honest and embarrassed the establishment. An ensemble cast of teammates, friends, and family investigate his life on the field, in the media, and out of the spotlight.
New York layabout Willie forms an unexpected bond with his young Hungarian cousin Eva when she pays him a surprise visit. Later, Eva moves in with their aunt in Cleveland, and Willie takes his best friend Eddie to see her—a visit that culminates in a strange, eventful trip to Florida.
Two trouble-causing brothers, who in the second generation after World War II Germany live, are in the center of this German made for TV movie. The movie makes a subject out of their everyday lives and the helpless attempt for them to build a normal life.
A girl is on the verge of immigrating and leaving her home behind, while memories of her childhood linger in every corner of the room.
Hollywood veteran Bing Russell creates the only independent baseball team in the country—alarming the baseball establishment and sparking the meteoric rise of the 1970s Portland Mavericks.
A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.