'It Happens Every Spring'

That's the title of one of the funniest "baseball" movies that Hollywood ever produced. Each year about this time, I begin to renew my own love affair with our original American pastime. I hope that one of the classic movie channels, reruns this hilarious movie.

The movie was made the same year as my birth, 1949. It had a legendary cast. The lead actor was Ray Milland, who acted in many movies over several decades. His female headliner was actress Jean Peters. I always thought she was one of the most beautiful actresses ever. She also starred in many movies, but the one I remember best was the true biographical story titled "A Man Called Peter."

(Wikipedia source) Two other famous character actors in the cast were Paul Douglas and Alan Hale Jr. Many of you will remember Hale as the captain on the comedy series "Gilligan's Island."

I guess I love this movie and so many other baseball cinemas that always appear around this time of year, because they never fail to whet my appetite, for another spring training season of baseball.

The humorous plot of this movie is quite outrageous, but it is so worth your time. Milland plays the part of a college science professor. An accident in his laboratory produces a liquid that when applied to a baseball, causes it to repel from contact with wood (in particular a wooden bat).

Milland manages to become a member of a baseball team in St. Louis, where (Douglas) his catcher, and the rest of the team make it all the way to the World Series, because no one can hit his pitches. I won't ruin your enjoyment with any more details, just watch for the movie rerun, rent the video, or download it.

There are several other baseball movies that will be airing in the next few weeks. Perhaps the greatest American classic of this genre is "Field of Dreams." I will try and watch them all once more, because they never get too old for my taste.

My mind turned to this subject, when I noted this past week that the pitchers and catchers, were reporting to their various spring training camps, in Florida and Arizona. If you are a baseball enthusiast, you know what the terms ---- "Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues" stand for!

A few years ago, I was visiting a cousin in Florida. He took me to the Philadelphia Phillies training camp in Largo. I was amazed to see how large this complex really was. There were at least a half dozen secondary practice fields, and one substantial stadium, where they played their spring training games. That stadium had seating for several thousand fans, and I was astonished to discover that most of the tickets were sold out. It seems that that is quite normal for most training camp games.

Most of the Major League teams offer one program that I wish I had been able to try a few years back. They have these "fantasy camps" which are mostly for middle age baseball lovers. As an attendee at one of these camps, you get to go through the motions of training camp, just like the big leaguers. These camps generally have coaches who are baseball stars from the past.

In our area baseball fans generally fall into two loyal fan bases. My beloved (current World Series Champion) Kansas City Royals, host their spring training in the Cactus League, in Surprise Ariz. I won't make it there this year, but a trip to see spring training there, is on my for sure "Bucket List!"

The other fans from our area are dedicated followers of the St. Louis Cardinals. Their spring training facility is on the other (eastern) coast of Florida, north of Miami, in a town called "Jupiter." I have several "Cardinal fan" friends, who have told me of their desire to go and visit the Cardinals in spring training.

Regardless of your fan loyalty to the "Royal Blue or Cardinal Red," this time of year makes you contemplate baseball. You look forward to the end of winter, and towards the warmth of spring. Nothing reminds a baseball fan of spring more.

Since this article is about baseball and movies, I have one other comedy to recommend. I guarantee that you will have sore ribs from laughing when you watch, the 1989 film "The Dream Team."

The comedy cast in this film includes -- Academy Award winner Michael Keaton as the headline star. He is accompanied by two of Hollywood's most legendary comedian actors, Christopher Lloyd and Peter Boyle.

A quick synopsis of the plot should make you put this movie on your own bucket list. Keaton plays the part of a man who suffers from mental illness. He is in another stint at a local mental hospital. He and several other patients are on a field trip with their psychiatrist to attend a baseball game in New York City. When their doctor gets incapacitated, the characters begin a trek that will leave you in stitches.

My world has changed where baseball is concerned. As a kid we only got to read about spring training in the newspapers. Once the season started, we could listen to all the games on the radio, but our favorite teams were only on television a few times each season.

The baseball channel now keeps you updated on every aspect of spring training, and fans of the Royals and Cardinals, are blessed to have all their games on television during the season.

In 2014 I got to attend my first ever World Series game in Kansas City. Last fall, I made my first trip to London, England, to watch the Chiefs. We had to hunt for Pubs that actually had the World Series on. If you think they don't understand American football, you ought to see their faces when you try and explain baseball to them.

It's spring again. Nothing can be better than to hear the words, "PLAY BALL!"