And Wide World is the progenitor of today's extreme sports. Thursday, veteran host Jim McKay mentioned something he learned covering events such as Kenny Lebel breaking a world record by jumping over 17 barrels. He said it was because he went to church a lot. And I thought, damn it, I'm not going to make that mistake again. It was the achievement of his life.
Any sports film runs the risk of seeming fake.
Detroit's now-empty Tiger Stadium was converted into Yankee Stadium, which involved repainting the seats and using computer simulations to fill in the rest. Tom Candiotti, the recent big-league knuckleballer, plays pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm. The actor playing pitcher Whitey Ford wears a uniform with backward lettering to become a cinematic lefty. There's Ballantine beer in the locker room. One problem, though.