First Call: Watt brothers star on ‘Tonight Show’; sports movie ideas for Stephen King’s list
Share this post:
For “First Call” Wednesday, we try to help out renowned horror writer Stephen King. And the Watt brothers take over “The Tonight Show.”
The offseason of the Watt brothers continues. Steelers T.J. and Derek Watt joined older brother J.J. Watt during a segment on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday.
It was called “Know Your Bro.’” And the gimmick was that the brothers had to guess family trivia questions about one another.
They did pretty well as it turns out.
So the big takeaway there? No pesto for T.J.! We have found his kryptonite.
Meanwhile, author Stephen King must’ve been bored during the shut in. So he got this Twitter thread going.
What's your favorite movie line ever? I'm torn between "We'll always have Paris" and "You're gonna need a bigger boat." (Quotes may or may not be exact.)
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 14, 2020
I know King is a Red Sox fan. So maybe he’ll appreciate some sports movie nominations.
Chime in under the comments section if you like. I’ll get you started.
Now — as a heads up — I’ve gotta keep this clean. I don’t know if you do. But I do.
So with apologies to Denny Lemieux and his trade demand in “Slapshot,” Father Pat for ejecting Jackie Moon, and a lot of what the groundskeepers say in “Major League,” here’s a list of five to lead off.
Oh, and if Darcy Sears from “Varsity Blues” is reading, the answer is yes. I would like whipped cream on my ice cream sundae.
1. “Who do you play for?” (“Miracle”)
With a country in crisis and just after the 40th anniversary of the real “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Olympics, who do we turn to besides Herb Brooks and Mike Eruzione?
Yeah. I coulda gone with any number of lines from that movie.
“Great moments are born from great opportunity.”
“This is your time. Now go out there and take it.”
“A bruise on the leg is a helluva long way from the heart.”
Actually, my all-time favorite line is when Kurt Russell calls the skaters over to the bench before the start of the third period and just makes the team listen to the crowd at Lake Placid and says, “Listen to them. That’s what you’ve done.”
But I … uh … couldn’t find that clip. So “Rizzo” gasping “I play for … the United States of … America” is just gonna have to get you through your day.
Watch the whole movie. Maybe it’ll get you through the next month. It will for me.
2. “I’ll make it.” (“Hoosiers”)
Pfft! What was coach Norman Dale thinking?! He was really going to use Jimmy Chitwood as a decoy? Is he nuts?
Gene Hackman would’ve been Pete Carroll 50 years before Malcolm Butler’s interception.
Well, he would’ve been if Jimmy didn’t talk him out of it.
Speaking of bad coaching, has South Bend ever seen a press before? Man, that wasn’t much of a trap and they dribbled their way right into a crucial turnover to set up Jimmy’s shot.
What a shame.
I’m telling you what! If Jimmy Chitwood had been around when the three-point arc was invented, Steph Curry would still be in his shadow.
Fun fact. Basketball wasn’t the best sport for Maris Valainis, who played Chitwood. He was an all-state golfer in Indiana and was on Purdue’s golf team.
OK. You can go about your day at work now. You can “wow” all your friends on your Zoom conference calls with that little nugget.
3. “Right now it feels like … shame.” (“Dodgeball”)
Dodgeball is a sport. And it is a movie. And Lance Armstrong’s cameo is one of the greatest one-offs in sports movie history.
I’d also suggest that if ESPN wants to finally end its non-stop search to find the best play-by-play team possible for “Monday Night Football,” they should just bite the bullet and hire Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks right now.
That would be a bold strategy. Let’s see if it works out for them.
4. “Pick me a winner, Bobby.” (“The Natural”)
Cheesy? Yes. Overused? No doubt. Essential for a list like this?
Indeed.
A few things about “The Natural.”
• The Pirates blew it again in another playoff game, except this time to the Knights instead of the Atlanta Braves.
Pittsburgh’s big closer gives up the game winning hit after an error earlier in the inning. My God. Why not just call the main character “Francisco Hobbs” instead of “Roy”?
• In the book, Hobbs strikes out in the end. That would’ve been better for the Pirates.
• If “The Natural” was shot today, “Bobby” wouldn’t have been cast as a heroic batboy. He would’ve been in the dugout tunnel banging on a trashcan to give Hobbs the signal as to what pitch was coming.
5. “Anything travels that far ought to have a damn stewardess on it, don’t ya think?!” (Bull Durham)
No rookie should shake off his catcher in the midst of a shutout.
Again, yes. There were probably better lines from this movie. But, I gotta stick with the “keep it clean” rule. So, you are just going to have to look up Kevin Costner’s speech about what he “believes in” on your own, OK?
But “when you speak of me, speak well” after watching the clip.
Speak well of this list, too. Or don’t. And give me some other ideas below.