April 9, 2000 – The Made-for-Television Movie Angels in the Infield Premieres on ABC
“Prove myself? How am I going to do that if they never let me play?”
On April 9, 2000, the made-for-television movie Angels in the Infield premiered on ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney programming block. The film was the third in the series of films, beginning with 1994’s Angels in the Outfield, and the second film to feature the Anaheim Angels baseball team. It was written by Richard Colin, Holly Goldberg Sloan, and Robert King, and was directed by King. It starred Patrick Warburton as Eddie Everett, Brittney Irvin as Laurel, David Alan Grier as Bob Bugler, Colin Fox as the Devil, Kurt Fuller as Simon, and Rebecca Jenkins as Claire.
The movie begins with a heavenly ballgame, being played by the likes of Babe Ruth. This new angel named Bob Bugler starts complaining to the other angels while sitting on the bench that he’d finally gotten the chance to be the starting pitcher when he dies, and he’s once again warming the bench. Down on Earth, the Anaheim Angels are getting ready to play a game, with pitcher Eddie Everett acting like a bigshot. He has the nickname “Steady Eddie” for his slow and deliberate pitching style, which gives him the worst record of any starting pitcher, and the team overall has the worst record of any American-league team this year. The fans boo him in the stands, and Eddie gets ready to pitch against his nemesis, Fleck. The Angels once again are falling apart, and Eddie soon gets a call from his ex-wife Claire, who is there watching the game. Claire is about to move to Boston, and is going to leave their teenaged daughter Laurel with him for the rest of the season. Eddie, who hasn’t seen his daughter in six years, is not thrilled about this, and manages to strike out the next hitter due to his frustration. Wanting to finish the game in record time, Eddie manages to strike the rest of the hitters, while Eddie’s agent attempts to stop Claire from leaving.
Eddie picks up Laurel after the game, and the meeting is more than a little awkward
Eddie and Laurel head to Eddie’s apartment, and he is less than prepared for her arrival. He doesn’t attempt to get to know her, and he soon realizes that his life is not the way he wanted it to be. He watches a game from his rookie year, where he was a star pitcher with an almost perfect game. He stops the game as it plays, and when he presses plays again, it is revealed that Eddie bungled the game, and the Angels lose the World Series. Laurel prays that God could help her by giving her father a second chance so he can do everything right this time. Bob, who had been practicing his pitching, suddenly falls from Heaven, landing near Laurel’s ballet class. When one girl in Laurel’s class starts bullying her, Bob steps in and stops the girl from dumping her drink all over Laurel’s head. After class, Laurel is picked up by Eddie’s manager, Simon. Bob appears in the backseat of Simon’s car, and after a confusing conversation with Simon, Bob reveals that Laurel’s the only person that can see him. He explains that he’s answering her prayer and is there to help her dad win the pennant, although Laurel is highly skeptical. She finally believes him after he pulls some tricks, and they get to work on helping her father.
During the game, Laurel calls out to her father and asks him to believe, although Eddie is confused by their exchange. Bob tells her to look to the sky, and she sees two balls of light coming out from the sun. The lights are angels, and they help one of the outfielders fly up to catch the ball, although they fail miserably. Bob reveals that they’re a little out of practice, as they’re the second-string team of angels. Laurel is highly disappointed, and Bob decides that they will have to train. In the Angels training room, the manager is giving a speech about going back to fundamentals, and Bob mirrors the same speech to the angels. At home, Laurel asks her dad gently about Bob and his career, and then explains that Bob’s here as an angel to help, but her dad doesn’t listen to her. She then takes matters into her own hands and decides to learn how to manage a team herself so she can help the angels. Claire soon calls, and reveals that it was Laurel’s idea to stay with her father, as she wanted to know more about Eddie. Eddie then tries to reach out to Laurel, but she decides that she doesn’t want his help after all. Bob convinces her to ask him again, and he helps her learn how to manage. In turn, she uses her ballet skills to help Eddie improve his pitching game.
Laurel tells her father to just believe, although he is skeptical of her message
Bad news comes to Eddie when his manager gives him his release. Laurel tells him that he has to believe, and he can win the game. Bob panics slightly, as he feels the angel team isn’t ready yet, but Laurel tells him that it’s now or never, or her dad is done with baseball. A mysterious figure shows up at the game, and he removes his hat to reveal that it’s the Devil. The game continues, and the Angels are losing horribly. Eddie looks to Laurel, and she calls to him to believe, making the sign of an angel. She prays to Bob, and Eddie takes the mound, using the ballet moves Laurel taught him. An angel appears on the field, and Eddie pitches a smoking fastball. The second pitch has the ball on fire, and hardly anyone can believe it, especially when the third pitch knocks the umpire and the catcher out. The Angels win the game, and Eddie remains on the team. The Devil, who had been watching, is for some reason not pleased with the results. That evening, as Eddie’s rival Fleck practice batting balls at a large image of Eddie, the Devil appears and offers him a deal: sign away his soul, and Eddie will not only lose the pennant, but his life will be completely destroyed. Fleck agrees readily.
Meanwhile, Laurel’s ballet dreams come crashing down, as she is kicked out of class for missing three classes in a row, and Bob practices in secret to help her out. Laurel then goes in to class to re-audition for the class, and Bob helps her out with everyone watching as they are taken over by Bob’s influence. She not only is readmitted, but she gets to represent the whole school in the district recital. Eddie wants to go, but she tells him that it’s the same day as the championship, so he doesn’t need to go. Bob pulls out a video for Eddie would watch, and Eddie sees that he never saw her recitals. He is even more heartbroken when a young Laurel says that her father is probably embarrassed by her, which is why he never attends her recitals, and he’ll probably just tape over it, which he accidentally did. When she gets home from school, she is angry that he didn’t pick her up, but is then shocked at how he turned his former weight room into her room, with pink painted walls and everything. He apologizes for being a bad father, and promises to be there at her recital. At the next game, Laurel sees that the player Jacobs should be batting, as he’s ready, although he’s not in the line-up. She convinces her father, who convinces the manager, and Jacobs hits a grand slam. The Angels win the game, and continue their winning streak, much to the annoyance of local sports commentator Dexter Deekin.
Bob confronts the Devil, with the Devil giving a cryptic message that Eddie won’t make the game
Fleck’s team is assisted by demons, who help the team to win in a gruesome way. Bob confronts the Devil, but the Devil assures Bob that he plans to cheat, and Eddie will not be in the playoff game. The Angels play against the Crimson Devils, team of Eddie’s rival. Claire calls, and the two seem to be bringing back the spark they once had, as Claire had been following all of his games, and Claire soon books a flight to LA. Bob is confused by the Devil’s promise that Eddie won’t be in the game, and won’t have to go near him to do it. The Devil causes it to rain, bringing about a rain delay until 4, which means Eddie will miss the recital. Laurel waits for her father to arrive, but is disappointed when he is not there, and falls on stage in the beginning of her solo. As she sits, close to tears, she sees her father in the doorway, making the sign of an angel, and she is encouraged to dance once again. After she finishes her first dance, Bob informs her that Eddie wants to see her last dance, and this means he will miss the show. She wants him to go, and Bob helps out by speeding up the show.
The game suffers without Eddie, but after Bob speeds up Laurel’s dance, he is able to make it to the game just in time. Although down by two runs, Eddie believes that they can win the game. Laurel watches the game, and sees that devils are stopping the Angels from playing properly. However, with the encouragement of Eddie, telling them to believe, the team comes back. Eddie is able to play his best game ever, with the game riding on Fleck versus Eddie. The Devil tells Fleck what pitches are coming, and Eddie looks defeated. He starts praying, and turns around to see Bob, who reveals himself to Eddie. He points out to Eddie that his angel is arriving, and Eddie looks up to see Claire in the stands. She makes the sign of an angel, which starts the whole stadium making the sign. Eddie has the confidence that he used to have, and throws the pitch to Fleck. Fleck hits it as a bunt, but Eddie’s history doesn’t repeat, and he catches it and throws it to first, giving the Angels the pennant. Eddie and his family are reunited, and Eddie shares a kiss with Claire. Bob watches down on the family and waves goodbye to Laurel before returning to Heaven. In Heaven, Bob is a great pitcher, and has finally earned his wings.
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