Plenty of baseball fans can appreciate this movie centered around the career of Grover Cleveland Alexander (Ronald Reagan). He was an epileptic (perhaps due to a beaning early in his career, per Baseball Reference Bullpen), shell-shocked war vet (which the movie minimized, unfortunately), and one of baseball's greatest pitchers ever. However, much of this movie is more about the relationship between a man and the woman he needed desperately than it is about baseball. Moreover, for those who aren't conversant in baseball, a detailed knowledge about the game isn't essential even during the game action although the movie was correct about at least one essential baseball detail. Alexander's control was indeed excellent. He led his league in fewest walks per nine innings five times.
Ronald Reagan was as affable in the role of Alexander as player/manger as Rogers Hornsby supposedly was irascible in real life, preferring to forego any activity (including watching movies) that might harm his eyes as he claimed he did nothing during the winter but wait for spring and think about hitting. Doris Day apparently has at least a few mild critics, but Reagan's eagerness to work with her again after a previous film does speak in her favor. Of course, some people might say that had more to do with romance than it did with professional appreciation. Regardless, it's almost eerie that Day remarked (per Turner Classic Movies) on Reagan's love of talking and said he should be making speeches all around the country. As for Day herself, she was believable as a dutiful spouse and did evoke considerable pathos during the carnival scene-which was almost certainly apocryphal (like the timing of GCA's House of David tenure). Alexander never missed significant time in his MLB career aside from his military service during the 1918 season, which precipitated his sale to the Cubs (because the Phillies were nervous about the war and its potential consequences). Alexander pitched for only three MLB teams and never had to look for work after his phenomenal rookie season.
There are also some errors like uniform numbers and car models and clothing and certain buildings, but this is a solid film about an elite pitcher who was in fact a drinker yet nonetheless still remains unfairly maligned by certain myths (e.g., a purported Game 7 hangover, which Rogers Hornsby heatedly contested throughout the remainder of his life, insisting he had asked GCA after Game 6 to be ready in the bullpen in case Pop Haines developed yet another blister or some other issue). The movie also takes some liberties (e.g., NL MVP Bob O'Farrell throwing out Babe Ruth trying to steal second base, not a strikeout, actually ended the Series). Nonetheless, it still remains closer to the spirit of the truth than the myths about Alexander and Hornsby do.
The hullabaloo in the movie about Alexander's "unbreakable" records isn't mere hyperbole. He does indeed still hold three impressive records that almost certainly will never be even remotely approached unless the game changes dramatically and/or MLB experiences something like a Serling's Mighty Casey redux. Alexander still owns the all-time records for shutouts in a season (16 in 1916) and most wins against one team (70 versus Cincinnati). His 28 wins as a rookie are also a "modern-day" (post-1900) record. Furthermore, in an age when so many Hall of Fame inductions are debatable, Alexander's resume is one of the strongest. One of Cooperstown's earliest members (1938, third class), he won five earned run average (ERA) titles and no pitcher has topped his three Triple Crowns (consisting of ERA, Strikeout, and Win titles in the same season).
Some viewers might not care that the greatest right-handed hitter in history (Hornsby, by both conventional stats and advanced metrics) was wearing a number (7) he never wore during his entire MLB career, per Baseball Reference and Baseball Almanac. Numbers were worn sporadically before 1926, but players did not wear numbers consistently at that time. Hornsby wore both #4 and #6 for the Cardinals, but never #7 according to available records. However, at least one serious baseball fan is willing to overlook it despite the noteworthy omission of a fabulous conversation on the mound during Game 7 after Lazzeri nearly hit a homer twice but pulled the ball foul both times because Alexander had him out in front (or swinging early). Hornsby was rattled by the loud fouls, but ended the discussion by asking "who was he" to tell GCA how to pitch. Yes, in the case of this movie, the errors can be overlooked in the spirit of enjoying an entertaining and uplifting film that gets the important facts and the sense of it all right in all the right places.
"I could throw harder than Grover, but he could put the ball through a knothole. He had perfect control."
Ronald Reagan was as affable in the role of Alexander as player/manger as Rogers Hornsby supposedly was irascible in real life, preferring to forego any activity (including watching movies) that might harm his eyes as he claimed he did nothing during the winter but wait for spring and think about hitting. Doris Day apparently has at least a few mild critics, but Reagan's eagerness to work with her again after a previous film does speak in her favor. Of course, some people might say that had more to do with romance than it did with professional appreciation. Regardless, it's almost eerie that Day remarked (per Turner Classic Movies) on Reagan's love of talking and said he should be making speeches all around the country. As for Day herself, she was believable as a dutiful spouse and did evoke considerable pathos during the carnival scene-which was almost certainly apocryphal (like the timing of GCA's House of David tenure). Alexander never missed significant time in his MLB career aside from his military service during the 1918 season, which precipitated his sale to the Cubs (because the Phillies were nervous about the war and its potential consequences). Alexander pitched for only three MLB teams and never had to look for work after his phenomenal rookie season.
There are also some errors like uniform numbers and car models and clothing and certain buildings, but this is a solid film about an elite pitcher who was in fact a drinker yet nonetheless still remains unfairly maligned by certain myths (e.g., a purported Game 7 hangover, which Rogers Hornsby heatedly contested throughout the remainder of his life, insisting he had asked GCA after Game 6 to be ready in the bullpen in case Pop Haines developed yet another blister or some other issue). The movie also takes some liberties (e.g., NL MVP Bob O'Farrell throwing out Babe Ruth trying to steal second base, not a strikeout, actually ended the Series). Nonetheless, it still remains closer to the spirit of the truth than the myths about Alexander and Hornsby do.
The hullabaloo in the movie about Alexander's "unbreakable" records isn't mere hyperbole. He does indeed still hold three impressive records that almost certainly will never be even remotely approached unless the game changes dramatically and/or MLB experiences something like a Serling's Mighty Casey redux. Alexander still owns the all-time records for shutouts in a season (16 in 1916) and most wins against one team (70 versus Cincinnati). His 28 wins as a rookie are also a "modern-day" (post-1900) record. Furthermore, in an age when so many Hall of Fame inductions are debatable, Alexander's resume is one of the strongest. One of Cooperstown's earliest members (1938, third class), he won five earned run average (ERA) titles and no pitcher has topped his three Triple Crowns (consisting of ERA, Strikeout, and Win titles in the same season).
Some viewers might not care that the greatest right-handed hitter in history (Hornsby, by both conventional stats and advanced metrics) was wearing a number (7) he never wore during his entire MLB career, per Baseball Reference and Baseball Almanac. Numbers were worn sporadically before 1926, but players did not wear numbers consistently at that time. Hornsby wore both #4 and #6 for the Cardinals, but never #7 according to available records. However, at least one serious baseball fan is willing to overlook it despite the noteworthy omission of a fabulous conversation on the mound during Game 7 after Lazzeri nearly hit a homer twice but pulled the ball foul both times because Alexander had him out in front (or swinging early). Hornsby was rattled by the loud fouls, but ended the discussion by asking "who was he" to tell GCA how to pitch. Yes, in the case of this movie, the errors can be overlooked in the spirit of enjoying an entertaining and uplifting film that gets the important facts and the sense of it all right in all the right places.
"I could throw harder than Grover, but he could put the ball through a knothole. He had perfect control."
- George Pipgras, speaking about Grover Cleveland Alexander late in his career.