-Bull Durham

Ron Shelton drew from his experience as a minor league baseball player when writing Bull Durham, which was also his directorial debut. Bull Durham is narrated by Annie Savoy, a part time English instructor and full time acolyte of the “religion of baseball.” For Annie, baseball transcends sport to become her spiritual home. While mentoring “Nuke” LaLoosh, a gifted but undisciplined young pitcher, she falls in love with Crash Davis, an aging catcher also charged with molding the pitcher. Bull Durham enjoys enduring popularity because it appeals to a broader audience than simply baseball fans. Anyone who has ever striven for a goal but come up just short will identify with Crash Davis. Emily Dickinson summed Bull Durham up best, although not the intention of her poem, when she wrote “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed . . .”