Bob Costas, MLB Network to look at baseball films for new series

Calling Bob Costas a huge fan of baseball is a large understatement - it is much more serious than that.   The broadcaster adores the game at a level I could never imagine. 

Costas and the Major League Baseball Network are going to team up for a new series called 'Costas at the Movies,' which will revolve around Costas talking to the men behind classic films focusing on our national pastime. Five episodes have been ordered.

The series begins January 14 with "A League of Their Own." Other movies to be tackled include "Bad News Bears," "Cobb," "Eight Men Out," and "The Natural." Each episode will be 30 minutes long and followed by a broadcast of the film.

“It combines two things I’m especially interested in. Baseball and the movies,” Costas said. "They said Gary Cooper really couldn’t play baseball very well, although he was terrific in the way that he portrayed Lou Gehrig [in The Pride of the Yankees]. We know that Kevin Costner is a good baseball player and therefore is very credible. That's the sort of thing people like to know about."

The broadcast schedule is:

Monday, January 14 - Cobb
Interviews: Tommy Lee Jones  and director Ron Shelton

Monday, January 21 - Bad News Bears
Interview: Actress Tatum O'Neal

Monday, January 28 - A League of Their Own
Interviews: Geena Davis and director Penny Marshall

Monday, February 4 - Eight Men Out
Interviews: Director John Sayles

Monday, February 11 - The Natural
Interview: Director Barry Levinson