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Home , Chevy Chase, Gary Cooper, Jake LaMotta

Out of Bounds •I SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT sports flicl

n March 26, the Mo- GRAB A BEER AND A BOWL OF tion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences CHIPS. IT'S TIME TO WATCH THE will host its 72nd an- nual . But before BEST SPORTS MOVIES OF Othe catty pre-show, bad jokes, awful hair, outrageous dresses and acceptance ALL TIME BY MARK LUCE speeches more long-winded than The Green Mile,, we here at "Out of Bounds" World Headquarters would like to pro- pose our own anti-Oscars —The Best Sports Movies of All Time. and make masterpiece. Keep this list handy, 'cause we guar- this wacky look at the minor leagues 1. Hoop Dreams—This powerful antee any of these will beat the hell out both poignant and hilarious. documentary about Arthur Agee and of The Talented Mr. Ripley. 5. Slap Shot—The Hanson Broth- William Gates, two high-school hoops So without further adieu and know- ers hijinks alone make this hip-checking phenoms in inner-city , was ing we re going to anger some of you, comedy worthy of such a robbed at the Academy Awards in 1994. here are the best sports movies of all high place on the list. It depicts how difficult it is to succeed time: 4. Rocky—Yo! Adrienne! This both on and off the court. 10. Hoosiers—Yes, Jimmy Chit- sleeper hit of 1976 put Stallone on the All of the following were in con- wood, the basket is still 10 feet tall, and map and marks one of the times that tention for the top honors, and al- this classic featuring Hackman and the Academy actually got something though they didn't make it, they are all, Hopper cant help but make you root right. Sure, Rocky III through V were in their own ways, great sports movies: for the little guy. drivel, but the original is a . The Bad News Bears, Bang the Drum 9. The Longest Yard—Burt 3. —Shameless pander-Slowly, Chariots of Fire, Eight Men Out; Reynolds didn't yet have a toupee when ing to superintendents, right? Hey, I'm Field of Dreams, The Hustler (yes, we he led a rag-tag bunch of convicts in the no dummy. But it's hard to beat the consider billiards a sport), A League of big game against the guards. Cinderella story of 's Carl Their Own, The Loneliness of a Long Violence-tinged hysterics ensue. And Spackler, the greenskeeper who blasts Distance Runner, Major League, North the old throw-the-ball-right-in-the-pri- his varmints and grows his own grass. Dallas Forty, Requiem for a vates scene late in the movie should Toss in Rodney D. and his epic golf bag, and Running Brave. make you double-over in laughter and when he was still talented The Hall of Shame: These familiarity every time. and Ted Knight's sailor outfit and you should be avoided at all costs: Gus (the 8. Pride of the Yankees— If you don't have the funniest sports movie ever. field-goal kicking mule), The get a chill when Gary Cooper says he's 2. —We all know Story, The Babe, Cobb, The Fish That the luckiest man alive, perhaps you need DeNiro went on an eating tear to gain Saved , Hot Dog: The Movie, to seek help. 60 pounds to play Jake LaMotta. We all Ice Castles and One on One. 7. When We Were Kings— One of know that Scorsese got completely Until next time, enjoy the movies. the two documentaries that made the dissed in the Best Picture category at the And keep the hate mail short. final cut. This look at Ali's and Fore- Academy Awards (it went to Ordinary man's Rumble in the Jungle, certainly People). And we all should know that Mark Luce, a Lawrence, Kan.-based one of the top 10 fightsever , is fascinat- the gritty realism, beautifully brutal freelance writer whos building a base- ing even to folks who don't like . fight sequences and stark black-and- ballfield in his backyard, can be 6. Bull Durham — Susan Sarandon, white cinematography make this a reached at mluce@earthlink. net.