The Sandlot

David M. Evans 1993 sports classic The Sandlot has enough sentiment and fifties are nostalgia to fill up any hallmark card. The Sandlot follows a young boy by the name of Scott Smalls in the summer of 1962 as he has just moved into a new neighborhood. Scott is intelligent and more fascinated by science and erector sets then jumping on a bike or even playing baseball. He dresses neatly, is polite and respects adult authority and has no friends his own age. What kind of kid is this anyway? In one particular scene Scott is encouraged by his mother to make friends, play, get roughed up and even cause a little trouble. Scott's clean and safe behavior are in direct contrast to the reckless and nonsensical era that was the sixties. Full of slang, culture and adolescents thirsting to be rebel without any particular cause. Scott follows the Romantic Model of Childhood which researchers Carrie Hintz and Eric Tribunella describe children as the pinnacle of innocence and as something that not only needed to be cherished but also protected (15). Although Scott is smart he is also naive and his awkward nature makes his interactions even more interesting. When Scott stumbles onto an old sandlot he meets a group of young boys who are fascinated with the game of baseball. They talk tough, play hard and enjoy the game so much they don’t even think to keep score. There more mischievous nature serves as a foil to Scott's innocent demeanor, and guess what they get Smalls into a big pickle when his stepfathers baseball that was signed by Babe Ruth gets knocked over the fence and is now in the clutches of a rather large mastiff dog. Sandlot is a great film because we see Scott at the beginning of the story as awkward and lonely and near the end he is much more confident and can he knock a few balls over the fence. He goes from not knowing who Babe Ruth is (your killing me smalls) to all the sudden having to orchestrate a plan to recover his step dads baseball. Films often forget that character development is a quintessential part of any story but The Sandlot makes it look both fun and natural. I truly enjoy this film not only because its entertaining but it honors both the game of baseball and the mischievous nature of the sixties. Great writing, character development and a sincere love for baseball are what make The Sandlot a timeless classic.

To Read Roger Ebert's Review of this film simply click http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-sandlot-1993

This link will take you to Youtube. The clip covers part of Scotts Mom talking to him and his first meeting with the boy's at the Sandlot. Look for Scotts innocent nature and how well mannered and shy he is as compared to the other kids. https://youtu.be/rF2EKw9bcWw

 Hintz, Carrie, and Eric L. Tribunella. Reading Children's Literature: A Critical Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print. 

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