The Winning Season (2004) (TV)

Director:

John Kent Harrison

Writers (WGA):

Dan Gutman (book)
Steve Bloom (teleplay)

Release Date:

4 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sport

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Baseball Card | Nine Year Old | Baseball Team | Young Boy

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Matthew Modine	...	Honus Wagner
Kristin Davis	...	Mandy
Shawn Hatosy	...	Joe Soshack
William Lee Scott	...	Ty Cobb
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matt Aquin	...	Owen Wilson
Sharon Bajer	...	Flo
Chad Bruce	...	Photographer
Jackie Burroughs	...	Mrs. Young
Rebecca Gibson	...	Flora
Michal Grajewski	...	Viv
Kerr Hewitt	...	Program Boy
Ryan Hollyman	...	Babe Adams
Robert Huculak	...	Stranger
Matt Kippen	...	Tiger Player #2
Dave Lemoine	...	Sam Crawford
Stan Lesk	...	Nate
Michael McMurtry	...	Stanley Piedmont
Carin Moffat	...	Terry Soshack
Steve Ratzlaff	...	Hotel Clerk
Mark Rendall	...	Joe Soshack (at 11)
Sandy Robson	...	Dots Miller
Colin Rosemont	...	Mike Petty
Darren Ross	...	Tiger Player #1
Ray Shuper	...	Second Base Umpire
R. Morgan Slade	...	Vendor
Candace Smith	...	Nurse
Blake Taylor	...	Groudskeeper
John Tench	...	Cap Clarke
Samantha Weinstein	...	Reeny Soshack
Barry Wowk	...	Homeplate Umpire

Also Known As:

Honus and Me (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and some violence.

Runtime:

USA:120 min (including commercials) | Germany:87 min | Argentina:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | UK:U | Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Hotel Fort Garry, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

TNT Originals

Trivia:

The character of Mandy is fictional. Honus Wagners real wife was named Bessie Baine Smith. They dated for eight years before marrying in 1916. The movie takes place in 1909.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Supposedly in 1985, when young Joe does his home run, a modern-day White Buick Rendezvous can be seen parked in a driveway behind the field.

Quotes:

Honus Wagner: There ain't much to being a ballplayer, if you're a ballplayer.

OK but not what it appeared to be

Other posters are certainly welcome to take me to task for what I am about to say. Based on the commercials, I thought this TV movie was the story of a baseball legend, Honus Wagner. What it actually turned out to be was a muddled fantasy about a boy going back in time to meet Wagner. The boy, who plays baseball but is not very good at it, ends up becoming a much better player for having met Wagner. There's also a Spielbergian subplot involving Wagner's one true love, who got away. Thanks to the boy's intervention, she ends up being reunited with Wagner. The key to all this is a signed baseball card featuring Wagner, worth much dinero and critical to a plot element that has the kid coming from a financially troubled home. Ladies, get your hankies out. Men, drink a brew before approaching this.