"For Love of the Game" by Sam Raimi: a review

Basbeall has never been so well portrayed and introduced to the novice baseball fan than in the movie For Love Of The Game. Baseball meets a love story amidst the decision of an aging pitcher (Kevin Costner) to retire from the game he loves or be traded. All the while, his team is out of the playoffs, playing it's last game of the season and finding himself pitching a possible perfect game.

Many of the scenes take place in the hallowed Yankee stadium where great like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimaggio played so many years ago. Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) finds himself in the last game of his career toward at the end of the season where his team is in dismal disarray. The movie starts with him waiting for his girlfriend (Kelly Preston) to meet him in his hotel room. She never shows and the movie takes us back in time regarding their relationship while he reflects back during the game he is pitching in

As Billy begins to pitch, he must block out the opposing Yankee fans and uses a memorable quote in the movie to block out all the noise. "Clear the mechanism"is the famous movie quote Billy uses to block out the noises. As the game goes on, Billy reflects back on his life, his girlfriend and soon to realize a he is pitching a perfect game. It's like Kevin Costner is recruiting himself as he did earlier in his pitching career.

As Billy reflects back, what I feel as the most memorable line of the movie is given by Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston). She states to Billy "You, the ball, the diamond... thats perfect... perfectly beautiful...". A fitting movie quote during a time when Jane is telling him she is leaving for London and their relationship is over. "Tell Them I'm Through, For Love Of The Game" written on a baseball to the owner of the team right before he walks out to the mound in the last inning before he accomplishes a perfect game!.

If you are a fan of baseball, life, love and success, For Love Of The Game will offer you plenty of memories and quotes to remember.