Wahh? There's nothing gingerly happening in that clip. Look at her grimace before she gets charged. She's ready to take the hit and not let go. I still think she meant to hold onto it.
Post by beefcheeks on Mar 20, 2015 15:55:38 GMT -5
If she was going to throw the game, why did she give the pitcher the advice about the high ones? If she wanted Kit to win that badly, she wouldn't have said anything to the pitcher, and she would have hoped that Kit got something she could hit. Clearly, she wanted to win the game.
If she wanted to throw the game, she could have STRUCK OUT when she was up to bat. Or, drop the ball on the THROW instead of letting her sister plow into her.
I like this explanation from the comments in that youtube link. it's long.
"I'm of the camp that believes she dropped it on purpose. Perhaps she initially wanted to win -- which is why she returned for Game 7 and why she played hard against her sister and told Ellen Sue to pitch high -- but I think once she saw Kit rounding third (even though the third base coach was giving her the stop sign) she made the split-second decision to give it all to her sister, because had Rockford won, Kit would've been rightfully blamed for Racine's loss, since she took the risk to go home. There was no need for her to do that. The game was tied thanks to her triple, and even if the next batter struck out, they would've gone into extra innings until someone scored.
So if Kit had been called out, she would've been dropped from the team for losing them the title -- or even the league altogether, since no other team would want her for making a foolish decision. She'd have to return home to Oregon with her tail tucked between her legs and once again be second-best to Dottie, because then Dottie would be seen as the hero. The announcer even says after Dottie caught the ball in the dugout, thus making the penultimate out of the game: "There's not question who the star of this game has been!" So even up to the last out, Dottie was dominating the praise -- also remember, her double in the top of the 9th caused both Mae and Doris to score, giving Rockford the lead -- and had she held on to the ball and won the World Series, she would've been bigger than ever -- and Kit would be the pathetic loser who was sent home packing.
I think Dottie realized this, and as Kit came barreling toward her, she made the instant decision to give her also-ran sister the win. After all, Dottie was quitting the league after the game and returning home with her husband to start a family. She had no further use for it. But the league was everything to Kit. It allowed her to escape from home (where she was most unhappy), and the win finally gave her the chance to also escape from under her older sister's shadow. It made her a star in her own right, and in the context of the film gave her a place in baseball history since her actions won her team the first World Series of the AAGPBL. None of this would be possible if Dottie hadn't dropped the ball.
Furthermore, there was also foreshadowing to the climax. At the beginning of the movie, Dottie tells her oldest grandson to give his little brother a chance to shoot the basketball. But the most telling was when, during the season montage, a bigger player from Racine knocked over Dottie and she still held onto the ball.
So in conclusion, that's why I believe Dottie dropped the ball.
ETA: For those who might argue that Dottie wouldn't let her team down, well, her sister's happiness and well-being were more important to her, as evidenced in the fact that Dottie agreed to travel to Chicago for the tryouts so that Kit could have a shot at the league and when she asked to be traded to another team so that her presence wouldn't overshadow her sister. Also, in the touching scene between the sisters following the game, Dottie made it clear that she wouldn't miss the league but she would miss Kit. Like she said, baseball was just something she did, but her relationship with her sister was of utmost importance. "
Furthermore, there was also foreshadowing to the climax. At the beginning of the movie, Dottie tells her oldest grandson to give his little brother a chance to shoot the basketball. But the most telling was when, during the season montage, a bigger player from Racine knocked over Dottie and she still held onto the ball.
This is an interesting analysis, but I don't agree.
I don't recall the hard hit in the montage...that is interesting.
I just...if she did it on purpose that just means that Kit is really just a shitty player and the movie ends on the concrete evidence that Kit really is shitty and Dottie really is magic?
I'm so tickled that this debate spans 3 boards, lol.
You are? I started that debate! This is a total win for me today!
Also, I'm tickled that over there it was a total different response, including that Dottie was..what was it? Oh yes.... "by showing that the feels of your kid sister outranks all the hard work and sacrifice your team made. way to show that women are too emotionally fragile and will let down entire teams and months of hard work just so they can hug a family member a little tighter."
I'm all confused! For over 20 years I thought she let Kit win and dropped the ball on purpose. Now I don't know anymore. The arguments for Kit winning are compelling.
Seriously I wonder if Penny Marshall has Facebook or Twitter. We can ask her.
Post by noodleskooze on Mar 20, 2015 17:11:14 GMT -5
The big sister instinct in me can see why it's plausible that Dottie would drop the ball on purpose. But that impact also looks like it knocked the ball out.