The greatest sports movies of all time

I'm almost embarrassed to have watched any television at all last weekend.

It was the first really warm weekend of the year, and I did spend a little time outside, at least enough to get the lawn mowed, play some ball with the kids, and get a nice little sunburn.

But it was also a good weekend to watch some TV, especially for anyone who is a fan of sports. There was the NFL draft, covered in minutia by ESPN, a couple of Cardinals-Cubs games, and a mini-marathon of sports movies on the AMC cable channel.

I stayed up way too late Saturday night watching AMC. First was “Rudy,” then came “The Rookie.” Both are fine sports movies.

I think anyone who is a fan of sports is a fan of the sports movie. Sure, there’s been a load of duds. But there’s also been a whole lot of winners, the kind of films that capture the essence of the game, tell a good story and are worth watching over and over.

All this got me thinking about the greatest sports movies of all-time, and I decided to come up with a list of my personal favorites.

But there are a couple of caveats. For one, there are a few sports movies considered among the all-time greats that I just haven’t seen. This includes movies like “Pride of the Yankees” and “Raging Bull.” They may be great, but I just wouldn’t know.

Then, there are those so-called classics that I’ve seen, but only long after their original release, when the magic was no longer there, at least for me. This would include flicks like “Rocky” and “Chariots of Fire.” Both are fine movies, just not films I would rank among my favorites.

So what follows is what I would consider my list of the greatest sports movies of all-time (or at least of “Andy-time”). It was too hard to cut it to 10, so I'm presenting a top 12, in descending order:

12. “Seabiscuit.” The horse-racing movie, starring Tobey McGuire, is often forgotten among top sports movies, but it’s a good one nonetheless.

11. “Hoosiers.” A great underdog story, a tale of what a team can do, working together.

10. “The Rookie.” Another great underdog story. The father-son angle offers added meaning for me.

9. “Miracle.” Based on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, this movie is special, as it is framed around one of my earliest sports memories.

8. “A League of Their Own.” As the father of a little girl who plays ball, I have to include this one. But I always find myself rooting for the little sister, rather than the Geena Davis character. Perhaps this is because I, too, am a younger sibling, and can relate to being in an older sibling's shadow.

7. “Jerry McGuire.” Really more of a romantic comedy than a sports movie, but a good supplier of catch-phrases, if nothing else.

6. “Remember the Titans.” The struggles of race relations are played out on the football field. Movie is still poignant today.

5. “Major League.” A great cast, and a very funny movie. The scene near the end when Charlie Sheen walks out as the whole stadium sings “Wild Thing” is great cinema.

4. “Rudy.” The “underdog” theme continues. It would be ranked higher if it wasn’t Notre Dame. I can’t stand Notre Dame.

3. “The Sandlot.” A story about baseball in its purest form. A great coming-of-age movie.

2. “Field of Dreams.” As a native Iowan, I obviously have an affinity for this one. Besides that, I’ve even been to the actual field. It's still there,, and it’s open to the public. You can even bring your bat and glove, and hit a few balls between the corn fields. It's not heaven, it's Iowa.

1. “Bull Durham.” This movie has it all. Great characters. Great comedy. Great storylines. It captures the essence of that wonderful world known as minor league baseball, and tells a great story along the way. I watch this one every time it comes on.