Bottom of the Ninth

Baseball fans are sure to appreciate this documentary on minor league baseball, which earned filmmaker Chuck Braverman a Directors Guild of America Award nomination. The film spotlights a season with the Somerset Patriots, a Bridgewater, NJ-based team within the Atlantic League who may not have the most memorable name (the Long Island Ducks and the York Revolution are among their rivals), but do have the best shot of winning the league's championship. Bottom of the Ninth repeatedly reminds viewers that minor league baseball is closer to the heart and soul of the game than the overpaid, scandal-thick major leagues. And even if the teams seem stuck in a permanent state of obscurity on the national sports scene, they can always count on their local fans to fill the stands and cheer wildly at each high-flying home run. Combining game footage and interviews, Braverman's film suffers a bit from its repetitious message about the virtues of minor league baseball, but viewers susceptible to this particular strain of spring fever will flock to this engaging portrait. Recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)