There are few things worse in the middle of summer than a night with no baseball on TV. It’s quite irritating when the Boys of Summer have a day off and you’re stuck flipping trough an endless amount of reality TV shows and Pawn Stars reruns.

Why not use these nights off in a more productive fashion and watch a classic baseball movie. Baseball makes for not only great sports movies but some of the greatest movies in Cinema history. Here’s a list of movies to watch either starring or in someway featuring the Yankees or Mets.

Yankees

The Pride of The Yankees – Gary Cooper will forever be remembered for his portrayal of Lou Gehrig in this legendary movie.

The Scout – Brendan Fraser is supposed to be the next big thing when a scout from the Yankees discovers him. But of course things don’t go so smoothly along the way to his major league debut. Also keep an eye out for cameo’s from Keith Hernandez and Bret Saberhagen.

The Babe – John Goodman plays Babe Ruth in this biopic depicting the all-time greats life

Major League – The Yankees play the role of the villain in this classic baseball film. This might be my favorite baseball movie as the Yankees take on the Indians for the division title.

For Love of the Game – Kevin Costner is the king of baseball movies. With his roles in Bull Durham and Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game seems to be overlooked by many. This movie showcases what the old Yankee stadium truly was like to play in.

Honorable Mention

Bad News Bears – This little league team of misfits takes on a team name the Yankees in the championship round. They may not have been the big league Yankees, but they seemed to carry the same type of aura around their squad. It doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to baseball movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1-zBIIvl5g

Mets

The Odd Couple – Oscar and Felix will go down in history for their unique relationship with one another. Oscar wore a Mets cap as part of his daily wardrobe and was in attendance for a triple play at Shea Stadium hit by the Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates. Unfortunately, he misses the play due to a phone call in the media box from Felix.

Last Play at Shea – The combination of local Hero Billy Joel and the history of Shea Stadium make this a must see for both music and baseball fans a like. The concert shots are outstanding in what was the last concert held at Shea. The back story of Billy Joel growing up alongside Shea and the Mets is fantastic.

Knuckleball – R.A. Dickey is featured in this documentary about the hardships Knuckleball pitchers go through to make it in the major leagues. Dickey was a fan favorite and won the Cy Young in 2012 with the Mets. The movie is very well done and gives great insight on the lives of these pitchers.

Frequency – In this Science fiction thriller, a father and son are connected 30 years apart from one another through a transistor radio. While helping one another stop one tragic event after another, you relive the passion these two shared through the game of baseball and the Mets magical 1969 world series win they shared together.

Rookie of the Year – The Mets play the role of the villain in this 90’s children’s baseball classic. All that stands in the way of the Cubs making the playoffs is one final game against the hated rival and slugger “Butch” Heddo. Keep an eye out during the strike out montage of Bobby Bonilla as he goes down swinging, which about summed up his career with the Mets.

Honorable Mention

Seinfeld – Jerry Seinfeld is one of the biggest Mets fans in the entertainment business. It may not be a movie, but Seinfeld is one of the most famous shows in history. There are countless references to both the Mets and Yankees throughout the series. Keith Hernandez’s guest starring appearance’s may be the greatest made by any baseball player in the history of television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBz3PqA2Fmc