Tribute to George Steinbrenner: Swaptree Names the Top 10 Baseball Movies

George Steinbrenner might be known to some as the “Seinfeld” guy, but to the rest of the world he was the controversial principal owner and legendary managing partner of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees. Steinbrenner carved out a legacy for controlling his baseball team with vigor and a stern philosophy on the game. He was larger in life than many of the players who played for him. Whether you loved him or loathed him, Steinbrenner made an impression on the game of baseball.

We were sad to hear of his passing on July 13, but in his honor we’ve created our top 10 list of the best baseball movies. Here are our picks for the flicks that best represent America’s favorite pastime, and the game that George loved:

1. The Natural: Farm boy Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is the best baseball player anyone has ever seen.
2. Field of Dreams: If you build it, they will come…
3. Bull Durham: Crash Davis, a veteran ballplayer, is assigned to mature the rookie and both fall in love with a beautiful groupie, who enlightens both of their careers.
4. Rookie of the Year: A broken bone turns into a lucky break for a twelve-year-old Little Leaguer when his healed arm is capable of delivering a 100 m.p.h. fast pitch.
5. Major League: When the widow of the owner of the Cleveland Indians realizes that she is stuck with a small stadium in a cold climate, she takes action to sell the stadium.
6. The Sandlot: When Smalls hits his first home run it’s his stepfather’s ball, autographed by Babe Ruth, that lands in the adjoining lot which is guarded by “The Beast,” a dog rumored to have once eaten a kid.
7. A League of Their Own: In 1943 when the ranks of professional male baseball players were leaving for the war, a group of ladies left their homes to become part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
8. Bad News Bears: A hopeless Little League team hopes to score big despite their a new coach, a grouchy, beer-guzzling pool cleaner who takes the position for some extra cash.
9. Eight Men Out: The movie explores one of the darkest moments in the history of the sport–1919’s infamous Black Sox scandal.
10. Angels in the Outfield: The down and out California Angels are so bad, one dysfunctional family even begins to compare their own tragedies with this baseball team.

Bonus: Pride of the Yankees: The story of Lou Gehrig’s stint as first baseman with the Yankees, and his secret suffering from a crippling and incurable disease.