Here's a version of the story of the underdog sports team. The sport is baseball, of course. The place is Cleveland, Ohio. And naturally, juvenile jokes and mindless banter run rampant. They combine to provide some mild amusement for us, on a boring summer afternoon.

Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitten) has just inherited the Cleveland Indians. But she doesn't like Cleveland very much, and she aims to move the franchise to Miami. In order for the Indians to break their lease with the city, they would have to draw a record low number of spectators this season. Which shouldn't be too difficult to do if the Indians turn out to be bad enough to finish in last place. Immediately the front office strives to assemble the least valuable players it can, in order to meet this unusual goal.

You'll recognize many of these guys: pitcher Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), catcher Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), third baseman Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen), outfielder Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes) and slugger Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert). (Hah! This was before Haysbert donned a suit and starred in commercials for Allstate.) Each one has his own special quirks and backstory. These misfits are held in place (mostly) by crusty skipper Lou Brown (James Gammon). But when Lou and his players learn of Phelps's nefarious scheme, they rebel with a new vow: to "win the whole f***in' thing." And that's really all you have to know about the course of the main plot.

A sidebar story focuses on Jake Taylor and his former girlfriend, a librarian named Lynn Westland (Rene Russo). (Lynn's last name is listed as "Wells" in the credits, but on the screen, people call her "Westland.") These two are such different people. Do they have any future together? Jake, for one, would like to think so.

As for the baseball, there's a fair amount of it shown here to appease any baseball fan. Old timers should recognize Rick Vaughn's nemesis, Yankee first-baseman and slugger Clu Haywood, as portrayed by real-life major leaguer Pete Vuckovich. (Trivia tidbit: Vuckovich worked as a pitcher in the American League; so in real life, he never had to come up to bat, thanks to the designated hitter rule.) The Indians fans found throughout the city and who yell in the outfield are played fairly accurately, since they act just as fanatic as avid sports fans often do.

What's most fun to hear is the play-by-play announcing of Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker). When he describes a wild pitch as being "JUUUUST a bit outside," this is classic Uecker at work. Harry Doyle is paired with a young color man named Monte (Skip Griparis), who comically never adds any color to the commentary at all. Their appearance is even more ironic when you realize that the movie was filmed, not in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, but instead in Milwaukee's County Stadium. Uecker played baseball here with the Milwaukee Braves, and to date (2020), he still supplies play-by-play for the Brewers' home game radio broadcasts. The producers did not have Milwaukee-based outfield signs (like for Uecker's radio station, WTMJ, for example) removed for the filming. Continuity, anyone?

Another fun component is the popular tune of old that becomes Rick Vaughn's theme song. Of course, you'll be hearing it in your head for the rest of the day. Thus begins a tradition of relief pitchers having their own special songs in real major league games, so "they" say.

Here's a mildly interesting coincidence. Kevin Costner's movie Bull Durham was released in June 1988, and he plays a veteran catcher who has to help mature a rookie pitcher. In Major League, released in April 1989, catcher Jake Taylor takes on the same role to get pitcher Rick Vaughn up to snuff. Similar stories of the game appeared, less than a year apart.

By the way: This film provides no reference of the Native Americans' dual objections to the team name and to the depiction of the jeering mascot. These concerns are indeed valid ones that continue. Knowing this upfront, viewers can decide for themselves if they want to dedicate time to watching this team; even though in this instance, it's a fictional one that uses the real framework to tell a fictional tale. Still. Give it at least some consideration.

Is the action predictable? Yes. Is it silly, at times? Yes. And this kind of entertainment is just what we need, at certain moments in our lives. Major League is a light-hearted sports comedy that offers mindless amusement, along with JUUUUST a bit of romance. The story continues in Major League II, for more of the same. And for the record: Since these movies appeared, the real Cleveland Indians won the American League pennant in 1995, 1997 and 2016. The World Series title has still eluded them since 1948.