A Player to Be Named Later

2005
7.3| 1h25m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 01 January 2005 Released
Producted By: Maternity Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

This inspiring true story of four minor league baseball players charts the course of one season with the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Reviews

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
ccthemovieman-1 I think the most telling statement in the 85-minute documentary came early on when a Milwaukee Brewers' executive noted that only six percent of all players playing minor league ball ever get a taste of Major League Baseball.That sort of set the tone for the rest of the documentary, which focuses on the Indianapolis Indians, the AAA farm club of the Brewers. It follows the team during the 2001 season. Specifically, we follow a handful of players and see the struggles they and - in most cases - their wives go through. As far as I know, most of the guys never made it. I know of Marco Scutaro who now plays with the Toronto Blue Jays. He's a second baseman/utility guy who hails from Venezuela. His wife is beautiful and both are well-spoken for two people raised in a different language than English. Actually, all the players profiled are well-spoken. One is a Stanford grad.We also meet Micah Franklin, Kyle Peterson, Brad Tyler and other players. One of them, who I believe is playing in Seattle as of 2009, is Allen "Meat" Levrault, a big pitcherSome of the stories are kind of sad, like Peterson, who has arm problems and didn't play after the season shown here on the documentary. Brad Tyler and his wife, I think, were the most impressive people. Peterson, Tyler, Franklin and others are about at the end of their dreams and it's a shame. You feel for the people in this film. Baseball is a "field of dreams," and for most, those dreams are never realized.We also meet "Miss Jackie," the number one fan of the Indianapolis team for 40 years, a woman who bakes cookies for the all the players.All in all, anyone who loves baseball should enjoy this film.
MrGKB ..."A Player to Be Named Later" is nevertheless an engaging look at the penultimate stage of the ascendancy of hopefuls to the rarefied strata of Major League Baseball. Via a well-assembled mix of interviews, game play broadcasts and on-field photography, and tangential reporting, director Bart Stephens focuses primarily on four notable members of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A farm team of the Milwaukee Brewers and winner of the 2000 Triple-A World Series, as they pursue their careers throughout a grueling 2001 minor league season. Along the way we meet everyone from managers to wives to Number One Indians Fans, each with a different voice to add to the story. Babies are born, triumphs and failures occur, hopes are lifted and dreams are dashed. One player, toward the end of the season, accomplishes the amazing feat of hitting six home runs in seven at-bats. The (presumably) primary cinematographer, Christopher Ralph, went on to make his own baseball documentary, "City of Baseball". Though of interest mostly to baseball fans, "A Player to Be Named Later" remains a fascinating look at the nature of modern sports as a career, not only by illuminating its difficulties (only 1 out of 20 or so minor league players ever attain even "a cup of coffee" in the Bigs) but also its embodiment of the American Dream. Recommended viewing to all with an interest in the human condition.
DJJOEINC A Player To Be Named Later follows several minor league players through a season in AAA- for the Indy Indians- the AAA squad for the Brewers-- a snapshot documentary where we see bits and pieces of the process- it is fascinating and sad to watch Kyle PEterson struggle thru rehabbing his shoulder and Micah Franklin's mid season slump- it is rewarding watching the progress of Marco Scutaro- I don't know how much this DVD will work for none baseball fans- but it is areal eye-opener for this lifelong baseball fan of how big the struggle is to get even a cup of coffee- only 6% of minor leaguers make it to the bigs- B-The DVD has an update on the players plus their stats-baseball card style