A few meters situated from the Gulf of Aden, I spend my third restless night in a row. Locals smash bottles against the outside of my room, stray dogs howl and I fight off a constant swarm of bugs every time I turn in my bed.
Morning brings refuge but that’s quickly washed away the moment the sun reaches its apex. How I ended up in this forgotten part of the world is too long a story to tell, but I’ve found refuge in routine. The surprises and small delights have also helped pass the time, though I’ve since grown tired of my daily plate of canjeero and stew after a month. When a gentle breeze rolls through town and you can only hear the waves in the distance, for a moment you drift, your body and mind wistfully occupying a beach cabana.
The heat brings you back and hope is once again gone. I was sent here to cover the continued crisis that plagues Somalia, and how locals cope whilst in the midst of a pandemic.
My mentor, Dr. Harkins (professor of contemporary literature at the University of Edinburgh) always told me, “It is home that brings us back, home which can be our salvation. If you find your home you’ll always be free.” Words have never rung truer, and I’ve spent the last week trying to find home during my daily walks through this isolated village. It seemed a fruitless pursuit until a few nights ago while I hopelessly plugged away at my computer and I found an old folder filled with movies from my past.
Limited connections to the outside world have led to many a dull night, but finally my home. A treasure trove of ’90s films.
Then it hit me, in a summer slowed and drained by COVID: the world needed to know my top three kids’ baseball movies of that beautiful decade.
So here it is, from the far side of the world and golden coast of Bereeda:
#3: Little Big League: The most inside kids’ baseball movie I’ve ever seen. The story follows the young and brilliant Billy Heywood (great name), who has just been willed the Minnesota Twins after the death of his beloved grandfather. Billy has previously ingratiated himself with the players and uses his encyclopedic knowledge of the game to name himself manager of the team. Eventually, with the team on his side, they make a last-minute run toward the postseason.
This movie features the most big-league star power of any baseball film from the ’90s. It’s got a lot of heart and is surprisingly limited on roll-your-eyes kid stuff, even though it’s a kids’ movie. I love this movie but it is number three on my list because no kids actually play meaningful baseball in this film.
#2: Rookie of Year: John Candy is all that really needs to be said about this film but it does offer so much more. Every ’90s kid’s dream comes to life, when Henry Rowengartner’s broken arm heals incorrectly and he joins the Chicago Cubs because he can suddenly throw a blistering fastball. Although this is an absurd premise, especially given how Henry never develops a secondary pitch, this is on the Mount Rushmore of ’90s kids’ movies. It offers an excellent supporting cast and provides my favorite versions of both Gary Busey and Daniel Stern. The film is endlessly quotable and has some really great baseball sequences. It also successfully navigates a postseason series.
#1: The Sandlot: There is no proper place to begin or end with this film, except to say it is the beating heart and vibrant soul of every twelve-year-old boy who loved baseball and had a summer without plans. A film filled with perfect nicknames, baseball history and famous scenes, it takes us back to a bygone era, when baseball was all that mattered. Scotty Smalls is new to town and happens upon a group of neighborhood boys who have a secret shrine they visit every day of the summer. They befriend him and we journey with them as they enjoy the misadventures of youth, until one fateful day when Scotty uses a ball signed by Babe Ruth in a pickup game.
The ball is lost behind mean Mr. Mertle’s fence, which is dutifully protected by his dog, the Beast. We get summer love, neighborhood legends, baseball history and the famous line, “You play ball like a girl.” Forever this film will stay with me.
This momentary escape will get me through another day on the forgotten coast, as I drift off to sleep thinking about s’mores made by Ham, hot ice and a wad of dip wrapped in Big League Chew. It’s 3:00 a.m. and the dim light of my laptop the only gleam for miles, as I dig into another viewing of my top three.
If you enjoyed this entry in a truly arresting travel journal, make sure to catch our Revenge of the ’90s episode on Angels in the Outfield: