The greatest manager in Cleveland Indians history passes away. RIP Lou Brown!

[POJO_Risin]

Lou Brown has passed away...

James Gammon, played Lou Brown in 'Major League,' dies at 70
By David Brown

The funniest, crankiest and perhaps most-beloved manager in the history of the Cleveland Indians has died.

James Gammon, who played skipper Lou Brown in the film "Major League" and its first sequel, died in Costa Mesa, Calif. on Friday, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Also a resident of Ocala, Fla., Gammon was 70.

Via the Sentinel:

"He had cancer two and a half years ago," his wife, Nancy, said Saturday. "It came back aggressively about a month ago in his adrenal glands and liver, and he was very weak. They couldn't do surgery or chemotherapy. He decided he wanted to come home, and we did hospice."

So sad. Hopefully, with Gammon's suffering over, his spirit is in a better place.

The Sentinel hits the nail on the head by describing Gammon as a "superb character actor." He had a face and a voice that were perfect for westerns, cranky grandfather types and, of course, as manager of the most hopeless team in baseball.

Amid considerable hijinks, those fictional Indians (in case you missed it) won the old AL East despite their owner attempting to tank on purpose so she could move the team to Miami. (The movie, which premiered in 1989, predates the real Marlins.)

For fans, the movie's characters have stayed with us ever since. If you're like me, scenes pop into your head and quotes come out of your mouth. It's long become part of baseball's popular culture.

And we don't reference only Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn or Pedro Cerrano's voodoo god, Jo-Buu. Lou Brown was just as quotable:

"I think you can go get him now."

"Give 'em the heater, Ricky."

"You may run like Mays, but you hit like s***."

"Don't give me this ole' bull[oney]."

"Lemme think it over, will ya, Charlie? I got a guy on the other line about some whitewalls. I'll talk to ya' later."

Even some of his other lines — such as "Tire World" and "Oh, I dunno" — still crack me up. It's a wonderfully nuanced performance. It wouldn't be the same movie without him.

The same goes for real life, too.

[POJO_Risin]

More from manager Lou Brown:

Me, I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat!

[fryingdutchman]

He was hilarious in "Major League." You're right...it wouldn't be the same movie without him. His manner of delivering lines made him a character to remember.

R.I.P. Mr. Gammon.

[POJO_Risin]

the player that drove him the most crazy...

Nice catch, Hayes. Don't ever fuckin' do it again.

[POJO_Risin]

Hayes again:

You may run like Hayes. but you hit like shit.

[POJO_Risin]

I actually remember him in a couple of things from a long ass time ago...

I saw him in an episode of Kung Fu...

and he was the bartender in an Eastwood movie, ironically, not a western, but 'Any Which Way You Can."

[Unchainme]

it's just such a classic movie, and hasn't ever really shown it's age.

as a cleveland fan, you can't not relate to every aspect of it. RIP Lou Brown and god bless you.

[chefcraig]

I must say that I loved Major League, and saw it so many times that I could narrate a great deal of the dialogue. It pains me when so many so-called "quote" sites gets things wrong. For instance, this is how the Tire World segment should read:

Lou: [answering the phone] Tire World.
Charlie: Lou, it's Charlie Donovan from Cleveland. How would you like to manage the Indians this year?
Lou: Oh, I don't know...
Charlie: What do you mean, you don't know? This is your chance to manage in the big leagues.
Lou: Let me get back to you, will ya, Charlie? I got a guy on the other line asking about some white walls.

James Gammon also played the part of the robber Dawson in the film Silverado, and convincingly stole a good part of the film with one of his few lines:

Dawson: I think there's just a couple o' guys up there and this asshole is one of them!

RIP, Mr. Gammon.

[lesfunk]

Major League: Great Baseball movie!

[chefcraig]

Major League: Greatest Baseball movie, ever...almost!

Fixed that for ya.

The film of course exaggerated a great many things, yet perfectly captured what life goes on day to day with a baseball team, from the crummy conditions and tedium, to the reasons a club pulls together. Bull Durham captured a great deal of this as well, and while The Natural is a terrific fable about baseball, it is only that.

The truth is, if you really want to know what baseball truly means, then you have no choice but to go with Field Of Dreams. The other films managed to display baseball's importance, yet nothing explained it's heritage quite like the Costner movie.

[POJO_Risin]

Well...as a Cleveland fan...there's so much about that movie that spells out what we've gone through over the years...and what it would be like to actually get there...

I do agree with the Field of Dreams analogy...

The quote in City Slickers always struck me...when Bruno Kirby talks about he and his dad always being able to talk about baseball...and Field of Dream captures that. It's funny. I went and saw it with this girl that I had idolized for years. Of course, we were best friends, and I had no damn shot in hell. So we go to this flick, and I was enamored with it. I didn't really think much about the point of it...just sort of took it all in, realizing that I would no doubt do the same thing that Costner did. So, I'm sitting there with this girl, and the Dad starts walking away, and I'm already dropping the single tear...and when he fucking throws out the "Hey Dad, you wanna have a catch..." Shit, that was all she wrote.

Seriously, you want to talk about an absolute accidental lock and load, I got laid moment...

THANKS KEVIN COSTNER...I SURE AS SHIT DID HAVE A CATCH!

In all seriousness though, if there's a better moment in the movies than that entire scene...

Other than...

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sBfdl6hNZ9k&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sBfdl6hNZ9k&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

I actually rolled this scene out in a stupid drama class I took my senior year in college...with a girl in my class that was in the play "equus." About a month into the class, we go to this play on the auditorium, and I was pissed. Fucking five bucks for some stupid ass play about some psycho and this horse he fucks up...

Of course that all changed when all the damn chicks in my class came rolling into the play with their tits hanging out.

What the hell were we talking about again?

[chefcraig]

Well...as a Cleveland fan..
Of course that all changed when all the damn chicks in my class came rolling into the play with their tits hanging out.

What the hell were we talking about again?

Ummm...of course I did not quote all of the above, yet I think the above effort goes on my list of coolest posts of the year. Simply outstanding.

[twonabomber]

the Major League premiere was here in Cleveland. somewhere at Playhouse Square, maybe the State Theater.

i had gone to the airport with my friend to pick up her parents, they'd go to California every spring. we're standing there by the gate and this guy i recognize walks by and says "hello," and i can't remember who he is. my friend's mom gets off the plane and she says (kind of excitedly) "did you see who that was?" then i realized it was Corbin Bernsen, in for the premiere. a small brush with greatness at Hopkins International.

[High Life Man]

This one slipped under the radar. Love "Major League". I remember when they filmed it here - quite the big deal for the Brew City.

BTW - they are making a 4th ML. Uecker let it slip last year.

[POJO_Risin]

Major League, Fucking 4...

unreal...

If they got the original cast together...it could be...interesting...

Start it off like the original, except with coaching...

Jake Taylor's managing under an owner that sucks...maybe have Dorn in the GM slot or whatever...he hires Hayes as his hitting coach, and then Vaughn as his pitching coach...to help this new kid out that reminds Taylor of Wild Thing...

They need good vibes as the year progresses...so they then hire Cerrano as their spiritual leader...

I don't know...actually...talking that all out made me think the SHOULDN'T do it...

Of course, none of these guys are doing anything substantial other than Sheen, and I wouldn't call him a blockbuster movie star anyways...

They better do it quick though...Willie Mayes Hayes is goin' to jail...if they can catch him...

[chefcraig]

They better do it quick though...Willie Mayes Hayes is goin' to jail...if they can catch him...

Didn't Wesley Snipes bail out of the first sequel? After several years of direct to video action films and no vampire killer movies on the imminent horizon, he'd probably jump at the opportunity of a paycheck. I dunno, this could end up being as inspired as the first film or as insipid as something like The Sting II and Smokey and the Bandit 3...or any of the other Major League sequels. Keep your fingers crossed that it is either great or better yet, simply never gets made.