The Sandlot: 9 Minutes at a Time: Recent Episodes
VCR Privileges
Today wraps up the movie The Sandlot when Scotty and Benny realize they’ve been living next to a baseball legend this whole time. After learning that the dog’s name is Hercules and giving Bill a ball signed by the 1927 Yankees’ Murderers’ Row, we find out what happened to all these guys when they grew up. Alice Lauren (The Podcast Socialite) advocates for more coming-of-age movies and gives her review of The Sandlot: better than Top Gun. Sully (Locked on MLB) argues that Mr. Mertle should have been Mr. Carter after James Earl Jones’s character in The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings. We get our fill of talking about George Herman Ruth, Josh Gibson, and Maury Wills before turning to the career of Major Leaguer Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez.
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Natalie Cole “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?”
It’s a field day for the Beast as a boy jumps into his yard and wants to play chase! Doris of American Graffiti: One Song at a Time shares both her and her dog’s review of the big scene where Benny finally recovers the Babe Ruth baseball. Rachel lets slip that all kids who cause trouble take an oath of omerta. Megan of MASH Minute reminds of us of valuable life lessons. And does Tierney manage to work in references to both “Tales from Jabba’s Palace” and the Apollo space program? You bet! Pop on The Surfaris, protect your cakes, and practice your wolfman howl because today “Gunner” aka “The Beast” is out on the town. Ok, they end up exactly where they started and a fence falls on him but DON’T WORRY: the dog is OK! And gives us an excuse to meet Mr Mertle at last.
PS - We also talk a lot about James Earl Jones and how good he is at acting since apparently he has zero interest in baseball
PPS - It was really hard not to name this episode “Ooo a Big Doggie”
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Les Brown “Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio”
The boys close catapult, but the autographed ball remains The Beast’s as the sandlot gang gives up on their various plans to steal it back. Smalls and Benny both have dreams, although only Benny’s features the prolific character actor Art LaFleur as a kindly Babe Ruth. “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” Benny buys a new pair of PF Flyers and jumps over the fence to confront The Beast. Here to question Benny’s shoe allowance and the usefulness of an erector set mouse droid are Jonathan and Tabitha Carlisle from The Princess Bride Minute. We discuss the influence of Jaws and westerns on this part of the film as well as Louisville Sluggers, playing with dogs, and Henry Aaron. Will Benny get the ball? Either way, this is about to be the best day of The Beast’s life!
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Sports Collectors Daily “Oh! You, Babe Ruth”
Rachel and Tierney hop on the mic to talk about the 2022 Field of Dreams game between the Cubs and the Reds. We’ve got thoughts about striped batting helmets, Joey Votto, and holograms. Come for the corn, stay for the… more corn.
Shout out to the Movies by Minutes community and Sesame Place and Bleacher Nation and A League of Their Own and For All Mankind (looks into bag) And none for Robert Manfred.
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Intro: The Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do is Dream”
The unreliable narrator returns as the sandlot gang schemes to get their ball back from The Beast. Two guests join us to debate why these plans failed as well as to talk about vacuums, Ham’s leg strength, and that little extra bit of mustard on every line. It’s screaming children and dog puppets all the way down for James Anderson of Timeline Scavengers and Roger Wistar of The Roadhouse Minute when the movie turns into “machine versus nature”. We also discuss Timmy and Tommy Timmons (or was it Jasper and Gordie?) and how they almost got this movie an R rating.
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Don Henley “The Boys of Summer”
When Benny hits the ball so hard that the cover comes off, Smalls thinks it’s an omen of good things to come. He quickly learns differently as he volunteers to steal Bill’s signed baseball so they can keep playing, hits his first home run, and realizes that the lady whose signature was on the ball was actually none other than The Great Bambino himself. The boys make a decoy ball to fool his mom until they can recover the real Babe Ruth ball from the beast. Off screen, we are joined by Movie Rob himself to discuss what makes a baseball a baseball, the Stand By Me-ness of The Sandlot, “Bitchin’ Benny”, and Brandon Adams as Kenny. Shout out to Dr. Meredith Wills for everything Tierney knows about baseballs. Shout out to The Goonies for another Baby Ruth moment. And shout out to Pocahontas-themed Happy Meals for helping Rachel survive Little League. What’s the most amazing thing you ever saw?
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Randy Newman “Knock the Cover off the Ball”
From the highest highs (Ham’s chatter! Accurate batting stances!) to the lowest lows (Chaw! Tabants!), it’s another nine minutes of The Sandlot. After Ham insults Phillips and we tell you to check out Baseball for All, it’s off to the diamond for a show down. Our guests, Darius Austin of Baseball Prospectus/Bat Flips and Nerds, and Nick Strangis of Banished to the Pen, talk old school batting helmets and the wisdom—or not—of playing baseball in jeans and tennis shoes. After trouncing the Little Leaguers, the boys celebrate at the carnival by chewing tobacco and listening to “Tequila”. There’s no Pee Wee Herman here, just Bertram making regrettable life choices. We round out the episode by asking some important questions: Who does the laundry for these kids? What IS Bill’s business? Is this actually a baseball movie?
Join us online @VCRPrivileges on Twitter and Instagram or in The Sandlot Listeners’ Treehouse on Facebook
Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: TMNT “Ninjitsu”
Today a very naughty Squints finally puts his moves on the lifeguard and the gang is banned from the pool forever. That doesn’t keep them from celebrating the 4th of July with an epic night game. Today Rachel and Tierney are joined by Pete Mummert of the Indiana Jones Minute to listen to The Drifters, Ray Charles, and Booker T & the MGs. We ask the really important questions: who swims with their glasses on? Has “Green Onions” ever been the bad guys’ theme song before? Is Yeah-Yeah the most relatable player? Of course we address the controversy of Squints and Wendy’s kiss, but don’t worry about us getting bogged down discussing sexism—we talk about racism too! On a lighter note, this episode is the only place to hear behind the scenes stories of filming The Sandlot AND where the world’s largest municipal outdoor swimming pool is located AND what our favorite poolside snacks are.
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: The Treniers “Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)”
So many title possibilities for this episode! “Prime Puppet Time” “A Ham Sandwich of a Section” “He Got Eaten” “Sparring with Squints” The list goes on… Rachel is joined by Brian Boucher of Top Gun Minute and Bentley Michaels of Wayne’s World Minute as the boys have their campout in the treehouse, Smalls learns the backstory of the Beast, and the group rebels against Benny when it’s too hot to play baseball. It’s a flashback episode! It’s also the episode where we discuss s’mores slang, the real estate market around the sandlot, cinematographer Anthony B Richmond, and the cast’s access to period-accurate Playboy magazines. Grab your sleeping bag and ‘mallows and call your local police station if there are burglars missing in your neighborhood—it’s CAMP OUT!
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Dan Bern “This Side of the White Lines”
Scotty joins the game at the Sandlot and Benny shows us his Little League Coach soul by helping him make his first catch. Hosts Rachel and Tierney are joined by Mike Donovan from The Blake and Sal Show who trades in his knowledge of Luis Mendoza for Benny Rodriguez today. We talk about burning hats, the pure joy Ham has when he hits a home run, and Baseball Things to Remember. Plus a Player Profile of Patrick Renna as Hamilton Porter followed by discussion of The Beast!
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Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Peter, Paul and Mary “Right Field”
It’s all about the nicknames as Scotty tries to learn to play catch and is brought back to the sandlot to fill out Benny’s team. Rachel “Holy Edsel!” Mummert has a theory about Scotty’s father while Tierney “The Great Bambi” Steele can’t handle all the spitting when Scotty meets the gang. We’re joined by two great guests: Sean “Big Cuff” German and Johnie “Don’t Use Tobacco Products” Powers to talk about steaks, black eyes, and fitting in when you aren’t good at sports. We also talk about two great actors: Karen “Swoon-worthy” Allen as Mom and Dennis “So Young” Leary as the baseball-loving stepdad Bill
Join us online @VCRPrivileges on Twitter and Instagram or in The Sandlot Listeners’ Treehouse on Facebook
Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: 1980 commercial starring Sugar Bear
As the opening credits roll, a grown-up heads into work at Dodger Stadium. Back in 1962, Scotty Smalls moves to a new neighborhood in southern California and tries to make friends with the local boys who play baseball at the sandlot. Although he is impressed by their playing, Smalls makes a less-than-great introduction as he fails utterly to play outfield. Scotty also talks to his stepdad about learning how to play catch and ends the segment playing with an erector set in his room. Hosts Rachel and Tierney talk about the wonderful nerdiness of Scotty’s room, their dads playing Little League in southern California during this time period, and their unlikely connections to Ryne Sandberg and Daryl Strawberry.
Join us online @VCRPrivileges on Twitter and Instagram or in The Sandlot Listeners’ Treehouse on Facebook
Intro: Maury Wills “Somebody’s Keeping Score”
Outro: Tom Paxton “My Favorite Spring”
Rachel and Tierney are back with another classic summer movie from their youth: The Sandlot! Although the movie came out in 1993, it’s set in 1962 when Scotty Smalls moves to southern California and tries to fit in with the local kids. These boys are all baseball fanatics, and Smalls quickly learns about baseball, Babe Ruth, and how to make friends. But when he loses his stepdad’s signed baseball over a neighbor’s fence, it will take all nine of them to get it back from “The Beast”. Each episode of our podcast will cover 9 minutes of the film. Episodes start releasing weekly on June 21, 2022. See you at the sandlot!