 Today we're gonna be making sense of life through the Sandlot Smalls as he his mom and his stepdad move to a new part of the America Smalls LA Is it? I don't know somewhere Smalls who considers himself a bit of an egghead doesn't have any friends in the new place And his mom is encouraging him to get out there and have adventures and meet friends He falls in with a group of renegade misfits and then one day the backcatcher hits a home run over the fence They can't go get the ball back because of a legendary beast dog That eats kids and steals baseballs and you just you just can't go over there Smalls doesn't know this so he's like no No, I can get another ball. I have a ball in my place He steals his stepdad's baseball and they play with it also gets another home run and everybody's super excited for the fact That he's hit this home run. He's not excited and people are kind of confused. Why aren't you excited? He just hit a home run and he's like My stepdad's I stole it from his trophy room. It was a present or something somebody gave it to him But we gotta get it back. He's gonna kill me. Where did your old man get that ball? Yes, she even signed her name on it. They're all obsessed with Babe Ruth He's their hero to all of them. So then they devise ways to try and get the ball back Where he just decides to face his fears and decides to just jump over the fence and just goes head-to-head with the beast They get the ball. They end up running back over the fence. The beast goes right through the fence fence balls on the beast They decide to help the dog out and then from there they form a friendship with the owner as well They have to talk baseball with them and in return. He doesn't you know, I don't know Sue It's a coming-of-age story even if you didn't grow up in the 60s or played baseball There are a lot of things that are relatable to you. I really liked it. I definitely like the lessons a lot I watched this movie probably the first time when I was maybe a little younger than most the kids But watched it around that time and I was playing baseball as well at the same time for four years So it was kind of just a movie I could relate very easily to there are lots of things that remind you of when you were young You know when you were carefree all the shenanigans that you took part in and the friendships that you had It's a really good movie on childhood friendships and memories all of those things Yeah, it really takes you back and in such a great way. So that's something that makes it really really special I think it does a good job of that. I think it's just it's wholesome. It's a fun adventure For kids. They get up to no good. Treehouse stories. Yeah, treehouse stories. They puke on a bunch of people It's just a realm. It's very memorable things like the coats for example the movie itself in general is quite memorable But like the coats for example for And oh yeah You're killing me Smalls. I'm pretty sure that I've heard people say that. That's from other music. Oh, that's where it's from. Yeah, that's where it's from. You're killing me Smalls. You're killing me Smalls. I'd say even like the heroes are remembered but legends never die It tickles the soul in a way that I find satisfying. Characters, Scotty Smalls, his mother and his stepdad And then he got Benny the leader of the Sandlot crew and then he got the rest of the team He got Mr. Myrtle and his dog the beast or Hercules. Smalls He's relatable in that for anyone that either does have to make a new start somewhere or just in general Is struggling to find his place his community where he belongs and also going through what you go through when you're trying something new You start off not even knowing the basics like, you know, the other kids just think he's a total Dweebazoid because he doesn't even know how to throw but it's things that you take for granted all these skills that you gain You take for granted the basic fundamentals all the time whenever you get to a certain level of skill If you actually have people that believe in you or willing to give you a chance or willing to mentor you you can Actually get very good. Yeah, he's also a good example of everybody has their own insecurities or challenges about things So he's very very good in school. And so if you look at someone like that Maybe if you're at school and you're another student who isn't a high achiever, for example You'd think oh man, this guy is set to be something great in life, you know But meanwhile he's always calling himself names Meeting himself up about the fact that he can't play baseball and can't make friends that kind of stuff So everybody has an Achilles heel basically It's up to you to make that move and just say I don't want to carry this weight on my back And I want to actually pursue something in my life. His mom wants you to get out into the fresh air and make some friends Climb trees hop fences get into trouble for crying out loud Not too much, but some You have my permission to how many mothers do you know who say something like that to their sons? Well, none mothers I guess I think she sees a big part of where he's insecure And it's like yeah, it's great that you're so good at academics But here's a way to be more well-rounded and actually be a kid. Yeah, I definitely like that about her She does notice that you know, there's more to life than just getting good grades And she realizes that I want my kid to have a well-rounded experience She really is invested in that even with the stepfather, you know, he's always busy I can't help with baseball or whatever He's always making excuses about to have all of this work to do and it's very scary for smalls to ask him And so she's just always kind of like nudging. Okay. Come on. You can give him some time. Okay I'll get my glove She's really invested in her kid. Probably both the kid and the stepdad Understandably you're probably feeling awkward around each other So she's like come on like if we're gonna be a family, let's be a family And I try to get them to interact more and the stepdad. Yeah, I think he's a good guy I think he was probably still getting used to the role that he is now in So it takes some time just like the kid's getting used to calling him dad instead of his name He just needs to get nudged a little. Yeah, he definitely needed a nudge We don't really see a lot of him. So it's hard to really dissect what kind of person he is But I did feel like he was really kind of dragging his feet a little bit Smalls the whole time is playing with a toy glove and I'm like, why aren't you getting yourself? Yeah, that's true That's not being super aware Yeah, so that was the thing. Those are the things that I'm just kind of like you're dragging your feet here You see that your kid doesn't have the equipment You know, and I'm like be on it and to his credit Smalls was really trying to garner that closer relationship I mean bill Remember you You promised you teach me to play catch. Mm-hmm. Can you teach me? And it's really hard for a kid. I'm like, why aren't you stepping out? Yeah, that's true of benny. Here I have a paper out I helped the guy once. Okay. Well, tuck it like you would throw a paper When your arm gets here, just let go. There's a reason why I think everyone looks up to him He's a good leader in that way. He basically makes sure that everyone gets to play He always hits to everyone equally so everyone kind of feels equally treated and yeah, he just takes care of people Really a good person. He's aware of everyone. He sees everybody for who they are and knows how to bring people closer You know what I mean based on what he's observed of each of them and how to maneuver the situation so that everybody's accommodated That's timmy and tommy timmons Mike squints pellet ores Al McClellan, we call him. Yeah Bertram Grover Weeks Kenny DeNunes and Elton Porter. We call him. The rest of the team, you know They're all generally again good guys, but I think benny's a little older too But they're not maybe quite as mature or as understanding as him They're really a good depiction of how hard it is to be a kid, you know Because they don't actually have the moral capacity yet to understand that if someone is struggling with something You don't laugh at them. It doesn't mean that they're bad people It just means that they're kids and they still have some going to do Yeah, you don't really think too far ahead They'll just eat a bunch of chewing tobacco at one point because they celebrated a win against some snotty Gang of boys. They all have the nice uniforms and everything So maybe they come from a prep school or something who knows but they look down on the sandlock crew because they're like Oh, you know you play in a rundown place Like you guys are just a mismatch of like, you know, none of you even look like you play baseball You know and then they wreck them because they're actually a tighter unit They actually are more passionate and that makes a difference instead of just having the right shirts The beast you get first introduced to the beast through stories from the kids And of course they exaggerate they make it larger than life So you get a sense that the beast is a truly a monster. It's true They never found a single body not one Some people say they all got away, but we all know it really happened The beast ate them He ate them bone And all Really it's just a guard dog If you look at the beast as a character, it's just one of those things sometimes people seem scarier or Things seem scarier than they are. He's a perfect example of that when you were a kid everything looked so much bigger Dogs seemed bigger more ferocious than they truly were And I think we probably all have had an experience with a dog where it just seemed like oh my gosh Also, it's like when people live in a certain in their uncertain environment It also makes you think there's a certain way. So it lives in a pretty spooky place There's a lot of dolls with one eye It's like a scary place to be Kind of also gives you an exaggerated sense of what this animal is, but really it's uh, just a decent creature Yeah, just a decent creature misunderstood. That's about it. Mr. Myrtle same thing The kids assume that the owner of such a monstrous dog must be a monster as well Actually, just a chill retired baseball player You know, he went blind and just wants to live in peace that guy that I think had a lot of time to Kind of reflect and gain the peace about his situation There's more to a person more to an animal than what you may see, you know What's revealed to you and also the stories that you hear about people I think that that's really important with the beast because this is a legend a lot of people have heard All of these stories about this dog is a beast, you know But you're listening to all the stories without actually ever having met this dog That's something that you can see with people where you just go along with whatever you're hearing about someone Without actually meeting the people first to see what kind of person they are, you know People's perceptions of something aren't always accurate Yeah, at one point after hearing all these stories and the kids hyping up the beast Then they tell small stuff go out there and he's feeling really scared and then He's down there You know, he gets a sense that I saw it and like, oh my god I totally believe what you were saying because at that point you kind of make an image in your mind from all The stories and all the hearsay that you've heard from other people because you've never actually had a personal Experience with the person or the thing that's being talked about things. Yeah Form your own experience Opinion Form your own opinion off your own experience. Don't just take it from hearsay rumors and gossip Face your fears Yeah Miles does that when he decides to pursue these guys follows them to the sandlot at one point He faces this fear of making friends and of playing baseball doing something that he's really insecure about And in the end what he gets out of that is like a brotherhood I don't ship a man But yeah, and then of course Benny faces this fear at the end It's a dream where Babe Ruth is basically like I'm here because you're in some kind of pickle, right? Yeah A baseball With my John Hancock on it went over a fence and you can't get it back, right? Yeah, right Then just hop over there and get it actually just be serious about this You can do it also just looking at the positive outcomes when you do face your fears a lot of times There are positive outcomes. You may not get the outcome you were expecting But whatever outcome you do get is even more rewarding For example with Smalls and the friendship that he forges with these guys He later looks back and he's like every summer was great But none of them ever came close to that first one When one guy would move away we never replaced him on the team with anyone else We just kept the game going like he was still there It was these people that he met that created that moment in history that he will never forget On top of that I think it gave him his job because he ends up becoming what a sportscaster And you would have thought when you met him you'd have thought you're probably going to work in a lab at one point But he found his calling. I don't think we could take this ball Daddy what? You guys come by here once we can talk baseball with me We'll call it an even trade. Mr. Merrill's like, okay. Well because you kind of were calling such a Why don't you come by and then we'll call the fair trade? So if they had just initially gone to ask they wouldn't have developed their relationship So in the end it still worked out that they went through everything they did Which a lot of times it is right you come through the the trials and tribulations And a lot of times it was worth it. You grow from it and other unexpected things come about Another one I'd say is that you know, some friends are temporary and some last longer and that's okay Each summer that passes another member of the team leaves and they never replace them So there's that kind of loyalty but at the same time they go off and they have their lives Well Bertram got really into the 60s and no one ever saw him again So sometimes your friends, uh, just get related to the 60s You never see them again and other friends really last and and that's okay again Some friends are just meant to be for summer really cherish the friendships you have and the moments that you share with these people Because you don't know how long you have with the people you have in your life How often are you going to have the experiences that you're sharing with these people that you care about you can't out hustle passion If baseball is life to somebody they're going to win after benny pickled the beast his reputation spread all over town From then on he was known as benny the jet rodriguez And the nickname stuck with him for the rest of his life Benny was the only one that went to the major leagues because everyone knew he was just on another level of Passion and drive and love for and those things will carry you far beyond anything else give people a chance Benny did that and got a great summer out of it You know if they hadn't met smalls that whole debacle where the beast wouldn't have happened That's a huge experience that they'll always look back on even just the shenanigans of trying to get the ball Before they end up meeting mr. Myrtle. Yeah, those are things that they can look back on You know giving people a chance when the guys meet smalls at first. They just they think he's a joke Well, which is kind of interesting to me too because really smalls is like them They're all misfits, but I think they've forgotten because I mean if you look at squints ambino, I mean they don't exactly Look like professional baseball players, but I think they've gotten used to their group So then they're kind of still a little like Off put by uh outsiders You know, ultimately you never know what someone is or will be to you or it's going to become to you Yeah burning questions Do you think there was a way that they could have got the ball back without just doing what benny did? Maybe there was some other contraption that could have used or they got so close so many times Do you think it was right of squints to like oh, yeah to the lifeguard questionable action there They kind of painted as like it was Oh you So maybe that wasn't necessarily the best thing to do in that moment It's you know, because I remember when when it happened I was really annoyed with yeah, because I was like man, that's so messed up. It's her job Imagine if every boy did that. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, and you know, when you start a precedent now you can't you're like Oh boy, you cried wolf. I don't know. Are you just pretending? It could cause a lot of issues. Yeah, so, you know Maybe the way ambino, uh cooks as s'mores is that the best way to do it with the molo? Do you go raw molo or cooked molo? Yeah. Yeah, mellow molo Is Babe Ruth really the greatest baseball player that ever lived? Oh, what about Hank Aaron? What's your favorite nickname king of crash colossus of clout But uh, that was some stuff that we had to say about That was some stuff that we had to say about But that was some stuff that we had to say about the sand line What'd you guys think let us know in the comments down below share your thoughts on our thoughts and until next time Thanks for watching. That's right Everybody gets one chance to do something great Most people never take the chance either because they're too scared Or they don't recognize it when it spits on their shoes This is your big chance Then you shouldn't let it go by