‘Major League’ vs. ‘Rookie of the Year’: this year's Indians and Cubs pick sides

CLEVELAND — It’s been so long since either the Chicago Cubs or the Cleveland Indians won the World Series that Hollywood stepped in long ago.

In the 1993 film “Rookie of the Year,” the Cubs got their long-overdue World Series ring thanks in part to a 12-year-old kid named Henry Rowengartner who miraculously could throw 103 mph after breaking his arm.

In 1989, Cleveland native and filmmaker David S. Ward created “Major League,” a movie that aimed to turn the loser Indians into unlikely champs. The fictional Indians didn’t win the World Series in “Major League” or its sequel, but they won their division in the first movie and the AL pennant in “Major League II.” At that point, the Indians hadn’t done either since 1954.

So this real-life 2016 World Series has another bit of subtext beyond the Cubs, the Indians and their respective World Series droughts — it’s also the World Series of “Major League” vs. “Rookie of the Year.”

It might seem silly to compare real baseball to Hollywood fiction from more than 20 years ago, except for the fact that almost any kid who loved baseball in the early ’90s was a fan of those movies, and that’s the very age group of many players in this World Series.

And there’s a good chance you’ll see fans wearing jerseys of fictional fire ballers Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn or Rowengartner during this year’s World Series games. They’re a familiar sight every baseball season.

So with that in mind, we asked players on both sides of the World Series where they stand on a different type of baseball matchup: “Major League” or “Rookie of the Year?”

“‘Rookie of the Year’,” said Chicago outfielder Dexter Fowler. “Henry Rowengartner!”

“Major League for sure,” said Indians slugger Mike Napoli. Why? “Jobu.”

That shouldn’t be surprising, as Napoli and Jason Kipnis erected a shrine to Jobu in the Cleveland clubhouse. As you’d expect, most of the players we talked to stuck to party lines.

“I gotta say ‘Rookie of the Year,’ right?” said Kris Bryant, the Cubs’ star third baseman, who was a year old when the movie came out. “They’re both good movies. Two really good baseball movies and now we get to go at it in real life.”

Very diplomatic answer.

“As a kid?” said Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, who was 7 when Rowengartner arrived throwing rockets. “Definitely ‘Rookie of the Year’. I didn’t watch “Major League” until I was a little older. ‘Sandlot’ and ‘Rookie of the Year’ were my two favorites.”

The Indians, meanwhile, had no trouble claiming “Major League” as a point of pride.

For outfielder Rajai Davis, who led the American League in stolen bases this season, this was an easy one. “‘Major League’ with my main man — what’s his name that steals all the bases? — Willie Mays Hayes, baby.”

“I’m OK with Henry Rowengartner,” said Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall, “but they made several ‘Major League’ movies, so it has to speak for itself.”

Well, except “Major League III.” And there’s no reason to even try to debate that. It’s bad. It’s as bad as Andrew Miller has been good. Miller, the Tribe’s lockdown reliever, has been so good this postseason that he could steal Jobu’s rum and not have anything to worry about.

“Major League, no doubt,” said Miller, 31. “ ‘Rookie of the Year’ is good, but ‘Major League’ is a classic. It’s as good as comedy gets.”

And you’re not just saying that because you’re an Indian now, Andrew?

“I would have said that on any team,” Miller said. “It’s a go-to movie.”

Another Indians reliever falls on the side of “Major League,” but does have a special affinity for “Rookie of the Year.”

“My favorite character from any movie,” says Cody Allen, “is Coach Brickma from ‘Rookie of the Year’.”

Brickma is the Cubs’ wacky pitching coach played by Daniel Stern. Circumstances being what they are, Stern recently dressed up like Brickma. You can bet the Internet would love if he made a World Series appearance. But if Charlie Sheen isn’t throwing out a first pitch as Wild Thing, that’s probably not happening either.

The one player we talked to who didn’t have a problem crossing team lines was Ben Zobrist. We know he loves “The Sandlot,” but he loves “Major League” too.

“As far as which movie I’d rather watch right now? ‘Major League’,” said Zobrist, who was born in 1981. “When I was a kid, probably ‘Rookie of the Year’ just because a kid was the star.”

And then there were the outliers in this query.

Trevor Bauer, the Indians pitcher, is unimpressed by both: “Neither,” he said. “I’m not a big sports movie kind of guy … They don’t interest me.”

And Addison Russell, the 22-year-old Cubs shortstop, well, he was born in 1994. So he’s younger than both movies. Is his response any surprise?

“I’m not even sure if I’ve seen either of those movies,” Russell said. “I would say ‘The Sandlot.’ ”

Never seen either of them? Sigh. Kids these days.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz