SB Nation: I Watched ‘Trouble With The Curve’ So You Don’t Have To

No, I’m here because I can review the part about baseball for my fellow baseball wonks. Is it worth seeing just for the parts about baseball? Does it say anything interesting about baseball, about the soul of a scout? Is this something that a baseball nerd can appreciate?

Oh, god, I want this guy so bad. Maybe if the Red Sox take him, we can work out a draft-and-trade deal.

That was an actual line from the movie. There might be spoilers after this. I’ll do my best to avoid them, but, again, I watched Trouble with the Curve so you don’t have to. You’re probably safe having it spoiled.

That line was uttered by the ostensible enemy of the movie, a stat-lover played by Matthew Lillard. There was no draft-and-trade worked out, unfortunately. It probably didn’t work under the salary cap.

I don’t need to see him play! I’ve got it right here on my computer.

That was another quote. It really was! It was in reference to a high-school player who the Atlanta Braves were considering with the #2 overall pick. Lillard wants him because of his sweet, sweet high-school stats. His mind is made up, and he doesn’t want to send Eastwood to scout the player. Why bother? The stats, man. The stats.

He couldn’t turn on a typewriter, let alone a computer!

Another actual quote. And it’s about Clint Eastwood’s character, who is an old and dumb scout who is old and dumb because he can’t even make a decision on a high-school player based on his stats. Because this is how baseball works in 2012.