Justin: Baseball flick ‘Little Big League’ deserves more Minnesota love

“Little Big League” isn’t the finest movie ever shot in Minnesota. It probably wouldn’t crack the top 10. But the 30th anniversary of its original release deserves at least a little fanfare.

The film cleared only $12 million at the box office, a disappointment when compared with other ‘90s baseball flicks like “A League of Their Own” ($107 million) and “Angels in the Outfield” ($50 million), but neither of those hits have beloved play-by-play announcer John Gordon bellowing out obscure statistics, Emmy winner Timothy Busfield getting soaked by the Flume at Shakopee’s Valleyfair and water balloons being dropped from the top of St. Paul’s Landmark Center.

And then there’s the fact that it’s all about the Twins, a team forever in need of motivation — and what’s more inspiring than a film about a basement-dwelling outfit that catches fire after a 12-year-old becomes their coach?

“All baseball movies are pretty much heartwarming, but I don’t think you could come up with a more feel-good example than ‘Little Big League,’” said Gordon, who shot his scenes behind a WCCO radio microphone but went by the name Wally Holland. “It’s a movie that hasn’t died.”

The screenwriters probably didn’t own Homer Hankies. Producers picked Minneapolis because of the same tax incentives that drew “Jingle All the Way” and “Fargo” to the state. And the Metrodome offered a covered site where they could film around the clock no matter the weather conditions.

“Having a roof was the key part,” said location manager Robert Medcraft, who returned to the now defunct venue for 1998′s “Major League: Back to the Minors.” ”It wasn’t the most beautiful ballpark in the world, but I never complained. Between those two films, I made almost a year’s salary.”

Medcraft, who went on to open Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store in St. Paul, introduced the Hollywood hotshots to other local sites. Part of the fun of revisiting the film is seeing how it incorporates the St. Paul Hotel, Edina’s Countryside Park, St. Paul’s Groveland Park Elementary and Minnehaha Falls.

Super-alert viewers may recognize Minneapolis native Vincent Kartheiser as one of the teenage stickball players. He later moved to L.A. and snagged the juicy role of Pete Campbell on “Mad Men.” And if you hang around for the credits, you’ll notice that Bill Pohlad, a son of then-Twins owner Carl Pohlad, is listed as a second unit director, experience that probably came in handy when he produced “12 Years a Slave” and “Wild.”

But you don’t have to be from the Midwest to appreciate the film. Diehard sports fans often cite “Big League” as one of the most realistic baseball movies ever made, in large part because director Andrew Scheinman insisted on casting actors who could actually play.

Medcraft remembers chauffeuring Scheinman and a producer to the airport to meet with a potential lead, but not before stopping at a sporting goods store to pick up a glove and ball.

“Between the actor’s flights, we went to a local park and they threw the baseball back and forth,” Medcraft said. “He didn’t get the part. They thought he threw too much like a girl. That’s when I realized these guys were really serious.”

Tony Todd, who played baseball at the University of New Mexico, had no acting experience when he stumbled across a casting call at Marine Park in Santa Monica. Talent scouts didn’t want to give him a tryout because he didn’t have an agent or even head shots. But Todd persisted.

When they finally allowed him to take a few swings, he sent one over the fence. He ended up playing second baseman Mickey Scales, a role that opened the door to a career that has included roles in the TV series “Anger Management” and the blockbuster “Black Panther.”

“All of us could play,” said Todd, who has fond memories of hanging out at the Loon Cafe during downtime. “If they needed me to hit a home run, I was going to hit a home run.”

Luke Edwards, who played the kid who inherits the team, was just 13 during the shoot, too young for hijinks at the downtown Minneapolis bar. But he took full advantage of checking out local sporting events and the live theater scene.

“I definitely had fun, too,” said Edwards, who most recently starred in a horror film, “The Trip.”

Edwards is a friend of Thomas Ian Nicholas, who played a young prodigy in 1993′s “Rookie of the Year,” a film set in Chicago.

Nicholas gets invited to Cubs events almost every year. Edwards hasn’t been to a Twins game since 2014, when the team screened the movie after a game.

“Every time Thomas goes and does something in Chicago, I think, ‘I would like to do stuff like that,’” Edwards said.

A star-studded reunion could draw interest.

“Gilmore Girls” fans who don’t know the difference between a balk and a bunt would jump at the chance to meet cast member Scott Patterson, who went on to play diner owner Luke in the beloved series. Busfield would earn extra points if he brought wife Melissa Gilbert, an honorary Minnesotan thanks to “Little House on the Prairie.”

Todd realizes it’s too late in the season for a proper 30th anniversary bash. But he’s hoping to help organize some kind of event in the near future, guaranteeing that he can recruit famous friends like Tony Oliva to attend.

“I’m one call away from making it happen,” he said.

Matt Hoy, senior vice president for Twins operations, said he’s more than happy to hear Todd’s pitch.

“That’s what’s great about baseball, great memories and great traditions,” said Hoy, who was working for the team during the shoot. “That movie is part of our history.”

Correction: Previous versions of this story misidentified the school where several scenes of “Little Big League” were shot.