Some have wondered why the Cleveland Indians are not even mentioned in the third installment of the "Major League" series. Here's why, plus my notes on this movie: 1) Between 1994 and 1998, when this movie was released, the real Cleveland Indians made the playoffs every year and went to the World Series twice. There's no fun, and really no point, in making a movie about underdogs when the real-life team is one of the best in baseball. This is why the producers did not focus on the Tribe, but partially on the then-hapless Minnesota Twins. The only scene where you even see a reference to the Indians is in a Sporting News article Gus is reading while riding the bus, describing the Tribe as contenders.
(a side note: I've been a die-hard Indians fan for 30 years, so I may sound a bit prejudiced here) 2) I wish we would have known whether the Tribe won the World Series after Major League 2 ended. My guess is no, because I think it would have been mentioned if the Tribe had come out on top. None of the principals (Pedro, Rube, or even Dorn) sport rings in this movie, but even the pennant winners get smaller rings (I've seen the ones the Tribe received for winning the AL pennant in 1995 and 1997...they are very nice indeed).
3) We know that Pedro left baseball and came back, now seeking Christianity, apparently with some voodoo mixed in, since a ragged looking Jobu makes a cameo here. Dennis Haysbert, who played Pedro Cerrano in all three movies, could win five Oscars and be hailed as the greatest actor ever, and to me he will ALWAYS be Pedro Cerrano.
4) It is mentioned that Rube Baker (Eric Bruskotter, who to me will also be one of Ronald's friends from "Can't Buy Me Love"), who had a home run and an important double in the ALCS in MLII, had been playing with the San Diego Padres before being released. This indicates that the Indians finally got fed up with his throwing problems and invested in a real catcher.
5) Wild Thing and Jake Taylor are nowhere to be seen. My guess is that Ricky Vaughn would have still been with the Tribe, with Jake Taylor as the Indians' manager. They did win a pennant, after all.
6) Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula) must have played with some of these players in the Tribe's minor league system at one time. That's how Pedro, Rube, and Dorn know who he is.
7) Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) recovered from having to sell the Tribe in MLII, resurfacing as the owner of the sad-sack Twins. His character is much more mature and likable here. I couldn't stand Dorn in the first two movies.
8) Harry Doyle's (Bob Uecker) drinking problem finally caught up with him and forced him out of the Indians' broadcast booth, probably after cursing the Tribe out for losing the World Series. He tells Gus on the bus, after they pull up to the Metrodome, that it had "been a while" and "what a year to quit drinking". It seems that Doyle had finally licked his alcoholism.
9) Tanaka apparently took his World Series share and opened that mini golf course you see in the movie. Don't forget, he was a veteran of Japanese baseball when the second one came out, and his part was mostly played for laughs. In 1994, the only player of Japanese origin in the bigs was Hideo Nomo. Now, with Ichiro and others becoming stars, it's almost commonplace. Even the Tribe has Kaz Tadano, a pretty fair relief pitcher, in their system.
10) Finally, this movie is better than the second one. It's not as good as the first one, but MLI oozes so many curses and obscenities that I wouldn't let my kids watch it, if I had any. The second one is much cleaner, but halfway through seeing it the first time, I knew it was a bad movie (even though seeing my beloved Cleveland Indians win the pennant on celluloid covers a multitude of sins). This one is a good Sunday afternoon time waster. It's not that bad.
(a side note: I've been a die-hard Indians fan for 30 years, so I may sound a bit prejudiced here) 2) I wish we would have known whether the Tribe won the World Series after Major League 2 ended. My guess is no, because I think it would have been mentioned if the Tribe had come out on top. None of the principals (Pedro, Rube, or even Dorn) sport rings in this movie, but even the pennant winners get smaller rings (I've seen the ones the Tribe received for winning the AL pennant in 1995 and 1997...they are very nice indeed).
3) We know that Pedro left baseball and came back, now seeking Christianity, apparently with some voodoo mixed in, since a ragged looking Jobu makes a cameo here. Dennis Haysbert, who played Pedro Cerrano in all three movies, could win five Oscars and be hailed as the greatest actor ever, and to me he will ALWAYS be Pedro Cerrano.
4) It is mentioned that Rube Baker (Eric Bruskotter, who to me will also be one of Ronald's friends from "Can't Buy Me Love"), who had a home run and an important double in the ALCS in MLII, had been playing with the San Diego Padres before being released. This indicates that the Indians finally got fed up with his throwing problems and invested in a real catcher.
5) Wild Thing and Jake Taylor are nowhere to be seen. My guess is that Ricky Vaughn would have still been with the Tribe, with Jake Taylor as the Indians' manager. They did win a pennant, after all.
6) Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula) must have played with some of these players in the Tribe's minor league system at one time. That's how Pedro, Rube, and Dorn know who he is.
7) Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) recovered from having to sell the Tribe in MLII, resurfacing as the owner of the sad-sack Twins. His character is much more mature and likable here. I couldn't stand Dorn in the first two movies.
8) Harry Doyle's (Bob Uecker) drinking problem finally caught up with him and forced him out of the Indians' broadcast booth, probably after cursing the Tribe out for losing the World Series. He tells Gus on the bus, after they pull up to the Metrodome, that it had "been a while" and "what a year to quit drinking". It seems that Doyle had finally licked his alcoholism.
9) Tanaka apparently took his World Series share and opened that mini golf course you see in the movie. Don't forget, he was a veteran of Japanese baseball when the second one came out, and his part was mostly played for laughs. In 1994, the only player of Japanese origin in the bigs was Hideo Nomo. Now, with Ichiro and others becoming stars, it's almost commonplace. Even the Tribe has Kaz Tadano, a pretty fair relief pitcher, in their system.
10) Finally, this movie is better than the second one. It's not as good as the first one, but MLI oozes so many curses and obscenities that I wouldn't let my kids watch it, if I had any. The second one is much cleaner, but halfway through seeing it the first time, I knew it was a bad movie (even though seeing my beloved Cleveland Indians win the pennant on celluloid covers a multitude of sins). This one is a good Sunday afternoon time waster. It's not that bad.