MovieChat Forums > Field of Dreams (1989) Discussion > Irony with Graham

Irony with Graham

posted 12 years ago by BaseballLiving
12 replies | jump to latest

Archie Graham always regretted never getting an at-bat. Though he did finally get his chance to hit at the end of the film, he still never got an at-bat, since he hit a sac-fly! Oh well, at least he got a plate appearance.

[–] JR541 12 years ago

The sac fly rule was not always a rule. For example in 1941 when Ted Williams hit .406 you were still charged with an AB when hitting a sac fly. Had te rule been in place at that time he would've hit .411.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

[–] Alyssa-the-Critic 12 years ago

Irrelevant. Doc Graham never said anything about an "at-bat".

He said he wanted the chance to stare down a big league pitcher, and wink at him. Then his "dream" scenario elaborates. He wishes he at least got to have a go verse a major league player. At ray's field he does.

You failed at following dialogue and tried to school an air tight plot point with your irrelevant knowledge of baseball.

In this case, a mis-applied failure.

[–] benntura 12 years ago

Yeah

[–] mikek3022 11 years ago

If you know baseball, then you know that the OP's posting was actually kinda interesting. It made me go, "that's true!"

Thanks OP.

[–] HowYaLikeDemApplesWill 9 years ago

You're right...snarky, but right. Except after he said that, he went on....

I never got to bat in the major leagues. I'd have liked the chance -- just once -- to stare down a big league pitcher.
Stare him down and then just as he goes into the windup -- wink! Make him wonder if I know something he doesn't.
That's what I wish for. The chance to squint my eyes when the sky is so blue it hurts to look at it, and to feel the 'tingle that runs up your arms when you connect dead-on.
The chance to run the bases, stretch a double to a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrapping my arm around the bag.
That's my wish, Ray Kinsella... that's my wish.

So his wish wasn't exactly as he envisioned....

Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] doowopfan 11 years ago

My whole thing with his plate appearance is he still didn't get his wish. He got to the plate but he didn't hit a triple.

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I did sixty in five minutes once...

[–] Speranza9 10 years ago

Can somebody with a keen interest in baseball - as distinct from my working knowledge at best (although I have watched the whole of Ken Burns' `Baseball') - explain what a sac-fly is.

[–] doowopfan 10 years ago

Well a sacrifice in general is risking your life to save someone else, right? Well in baseball a sacrifice fly is when you hit a fly ball, it is caught (getting you out), but a runner advances. In the case of Field of Dreams, Graham hit a fly ball, it was caught (he's out) but the runner on third tagged up and scored.

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I did sixty in five minutes once...

[–] Speranza9 10 years ago

Many thanks. Good explanation.

[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

Yeah, I think that's the whole point about him having a sac fly in that situation. This way he gets to face a big league pitcher but technically he still never had an at bat in the big leagues.

[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

Yeah, I think that's the whole point about him having a sac fly in that situation. This way he gets to face a big league pitcher but technically he still never had an at bat in the big leagues.

[–] Owlwise (1513) a month ago

He hits a sacrifice fly because he sacrifices his baseball dreams to become a doctor, not just once in in early life, but a second time to save Karin. And the second time he does know that if he crosses the line that he gives up becoming a baseball player, yet he does so anyway, knowing that what matters most in the end is being a doctor. His single time at bat foreshadows that choice.