The Sandlot Celebrates 20th Anniversary
with Nationwide Ballpark Tour and Cast Reunion
October 2013
"Remember kid, there's heroes, and there's legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."
The Beast. You're Killing Me, Smalls. Wendy Peffercorn. Squints. You Play Ball Like A Girl. The Babe.
Writer/Director David Mickey Evans gave us this lexicon and a coming-of-age story that makes The Sandlot both hero and legend to those of us who grew up loving this 1993 film. Along with Rookie of the Year, The Sandlot has achieved a milestone 20th Anniversary this year, and to celebrate, David and his team of misfits reunited on a national tour of local and professional baseball stadiums to screen the film for fans of all ages.
If you'll recall, Mike Vitar's character Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez eventually moves out of the sandlot to realize his dream of playing professional baseball with the Dodgers. So of course, one of the final ballpark destinations had to be Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where members of the cast gathered over Labor Day weekend on Sunday, September 1st to introduce the event.
After the game, Jumbotrons screened the movie for the Audience in the Outfield - hundreds of fans, old and new, cuddled on blankets under a warm summer sky, ready to travel back to simpler times, when the greatest imagination was what you found in your backyard. Can you imagine a better theater to showcase The Sandlot? If only there'd been s'mores...we've all learned how to make 'em by now, right, Smalls?
Prior to game day, I sat down with David and select members of the production and cast at FOX Studios to discuss the influence of The Sandlot and why it's a classic that audiences will cherish FOR-EV-ER. More than just a PG baseball flick, the film's dominating themes of friendship and inclusion exhibit a relevancy that holds up and hits home, as it were, especially during a time when bullying and self-esteem have moved to the forefront of social consciousness. The roundtable dialogue was inspiring, genuine, and all-together awesome, and I'm pretty sure I could listen to David Mickey Evans talk about anything (incidentally, he's also the man behind Radio Flyer, another personal favorite). Here's to another 20 years!
Art LaFleur (The Babe), Grant Gelt (Bertram), Producer Cathleen Summers, Writer/Director David Mickey Evans, Me, Shane Obedzinski (Tommy), Daniel Zacapa (Police Chief), and Marty York (Yeah-Yeah)
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Yeah-yeah, you'll wanna see this:
See more amazing cast reunion photos, and read about The Sandlot's tour stop at Dodger Stadium in this great write-up of the event.
Here's a few pics from my front-row blanket spot, too!
Here's a few pics from my front-row blanket spot, too!
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