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‘For Love of the Game’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin

July 12, 2024 · For Love of the Game (1999) · Drama · Romance · Sport · 1:25:46 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Bill Simmons▶ 14:04Believes Costner's Billy Chappell is comparable to Jack Morris (tail-end veteran ace starting Game 1 of an '84-style World Series), and cites his in-movie stats (30 starts, 211 IP, 111 K, 98 BB, sub-4 ERA) as evidence he was pitching essentially as a compromised but effective veteran; jokes the comp is 'Jack Morris crossed with Tom Glavine, but with an anaconda in his pants.'
Mallory Rubin▶ 9:00Argues Costner's Razzie 'Worst Actor' win was less about For Love of the Game itself and more due to the same-year release of the widely disliked Message in a Bottle; also builds the career comp of Chappell as 'Jack Morris crossed with Greg Maddux/Tom Glavine' using the film's stated 4,100 career innings and implied ~300 wins.
Mallory Rubin▶ 45:17LA Times interview from the film's release: Vin Scully had broad freedom to amend/ad-lib his broadcast lines (he drops the Don Larsen card, has called real perfect games); later also cites the New York Mag write-up with the studio-exec quote 'Do we really need to see Kevin Costner's penis?'

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:53How many pitches did Billy throw in the perfect game — guesses ~120-122 (nine Ks, lots of long counts); on his career stats, jokes Billy must have been a 300-game winner Vin Scully forgot to mention
Mallory Rubin▶ 14:27How many women has Billy Chapel slept with? - posed as her unanswerable question
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:20:37When did the Tigers' owner lose his mind about progress in baseball being a good thing; and how many women did Billy sleep with — answer: thousands (19-year famous career, on the road six months plus spring training)

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 24:58The masseuse sequence with Billy, followed by Kelly Preston's arrival and the doorbell scene; also names Billy realizing he has a perfect game as another rewatchable scene
Mallory Rubin▶ 25:49The masseuse scene (agrees with Bill) - the setup with the masseuse, the towel-clad girl coming downstairs, and the awkward dynamic with Jane/Kelly Preston arriving

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 56:54Kelly Preston (her role/presence in the movie)

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 56:58Annette Bening — Annette Bening almost played Kelly Preston's role

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 58:21Sam Tuttle, though ultimately agrees with Mallory that Dominic Lombardozzi (the tow truck guy, Herc from The Wire, also in Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, Ray Donovan) is the better pick
Mallory Rubin▶ 58:28Michael Papajohn (Spider-Man, The Longest Yard, Jurassic World), then also suggests Dominic Lombardozzi as the tow truck guy/Herc from The Wire

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:32Agrees she's a fair candidate/good runner-up, but would personally vote for JK (likely referring to an actor with initials JK, e.g., JK Simmons or similar) as the actual winner
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:02:10The 'but you fucked my mom' actress (unnamed character/actress) is an automatic Dion Waiters Award candidate per her personal rule

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:03Vin Scully's career peak is this movie (For Love of the Game), arguing it became the best ongoing evidence/document of how great Scully was, since it's constantly on cable and keeps his legacy visible, even if it wasn't seen that way in the moment.
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:06:53Refutes Bill's case, arguing Vin Scully's real Apex Mountain is his actual iconic baseball calls (Koufax's perfect game, Don Larsen's perfect game, Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series homer, Hank Aaron's home run record), not this little-watched movie, since he's been reborn via internet clips/highlights of those real historic moments.

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:29Kevin Costner's character wins it, since he had to take PEDs just to keep giving a good enough performance; honorable mention to Vince Scully
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:21:18Torn between Costner and Vince Scully, but leans toward Costner out of unapologetic love despite the criticism he took for the role

Movies Referenced (14)

Bull Durham (1988)

6 mentions · ▶ 7:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Never Been Kissed (1999)

3 mentions · ▶ 15:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Field of Dreams (1989)

2 mentions · ▶ 7:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Message in a Bottle (1999)

2 mentions · ▶ 9:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jerry Maguire (1996)

1 mentions · ▶ 40:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jurassic World (2015)

1 mentions · ▶ 58:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pitch Perfect (2012)

1 mentions · ▶ 25:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spider-Man (2002)

1 mentions · ▶ 58:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Impossible (2012)

1 mentions · ▶ 1:09:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Longest Yard (2005)

1 mentions · ▶ 58:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Naked Gun (2025)

1 mentions · ▶ 30:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

1 mentions · ▶ 52:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (2)

Kevin Costner

28 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves▶ 2:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Raimi

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Spider-Man, The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness▶ 14:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (29)

Kelly Preston

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Battlefield Earth, The Cat in the Hat, Sky High▶ 3:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vin Scully

24 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for For Love of the Game, Secret in Their Eyes▶ 14:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

J.K. Simmons

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Whiplash, Juno, La La Land▶ 21:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John C. Reilly

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Chicago, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Guardians of the Galaxy▶ 19:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Game

8 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for Street Kings, The A-Team, Coach Carter▶ 2:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Cox

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Troy, X2: X-Men United▶ 43:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Annette Bening

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for American Beauty, 20th Century Women▶ 5:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Larson

4 mentions · Mallory Rubin▶ 45:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Papajohn

4 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for Jurassic World, American Ultra, Spider-Man▶ 58:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Bresnahan

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 12:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chris Schillinger

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Room▶ 43:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bob Seger

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Body Heat, Armageddon▶ 4:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons▶ 14:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Cameron

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 1:25:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 1:05:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗