The List — Dueling Favorite Movies

There have been hundreds of movies made about sports, from basketball to golf to figure skating, and I’ve probably seen at least half of those to hit the big screen.

For no apparent reason, a discussion started up today in our newsroom about sports movies, so it has prompted this week’s reverse-order list: My favorite sports movies of all time.

(By favorite sports movies, that does not necessarily mean the “best” sports movies. There are plenty of classic films that can’t go without mention, such as “Rudy” or “Hoosiers,” but aren’t necessarily considered a favorite of mine. Also, I’m not including “Jerry Maguire” for everybody’s sanity.)

5. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006)

The first time I watched Will Ferrell’s racing movie about a driver with the same IQ as a loaf of Wonder Bread, I turned it off halfway through. Yet somehow, I watched it again. And again. And again. And each time, it was funnier, and funnier, and funnier.

Favorite quote: “OK, so here’s the deal. I strapped a kilo of Colombian bam bam under your car and called the men in blue. Now either you grow some hair on your peaches and run or get arrested.” — Reese Bobby, trying to get his son behind the wheel

4. “Space Jam” (1996)

A recipe for a great movie: Danny DeVito voiceovers, Michael’s secret stuff, Bill Murray cameos, Newman, Lola Bunny, Muggsy Bogues and Shawn Bradley in the same scene, Jordan striking out in baseball and “I believe I can fly… I believe I can touch the sky…”

Favorite quote: “I promise I’ll never swear again. I’ll never get another technical. I’ll never trash talk … I won’t go out with Madonna again.” — Charles Barkley, on losing his basketball skills

3. “Remember The Titans” (2000)

Denzel Washington was born to play the coach of a segregated high school brought together by football, Sunshine is a baller and the guy from “My Name Is Earl” sings “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in the best football movie made. Take a seat, Rudy.

Favorite quote: “All right now, I don’t want them to gain another yard. You blitz all night. If they cross the line of scrimmage, I’m gonna take every last one of you out! You make sure they remember, forever, the night they played the Titans!” — Coach Yoast, urging on his defense to make a big stop

2. “Seabiscuit” (2003)

Too many sports movies lower themselves with sentimentality, but “Seabiscuit” takes win, place and show by putting the movie in the context of the Great Depression and using beautiful cinematography to tell the story of a diminutive racehorse that beats out the indestructible War Admiral.

Favorite quote: “The horse is too small, the jockey too big, the trainer too old, and I’m too dumb to know the difference.” — Charles Howard, on the chances of Seabiscuit’s success

1. “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)

There isn’t a more powerful sports movie than Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning masterpiece. Call it dark and a downer, but “Million Dollar Baby” is the best tale of how sports can bring two unassuming people together and how they can proudly go down together even in the worst of times.

Favorite quote: “If there’s magic in boxing, it’s the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.” — Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris, on one of his many philosophical boxing diatribes

For a rebuttal from Sports Blog contributor Sean Ely, see www.statenews.com.