It’s like baseball, except played in the woods — teams dodge trees in the middle of the field, fans sit on tree stumps. And today is the World Series of Woods Baseball, 1997 — three teams began the season but only two remain: the Hutton Sasquatches vs the Lexington Timberhawks. We begin with a Henry David Thoreau quote espousing the joy of the woods, a fake haughty opening over wide shots of a lush forest, which fades into a small clearing where a visionary man, now the coach of the Sasquatches, has created a new sport that he conceived of while unconscious. He finds the players through “deceptive newspaper ads,” and the teams are filled with all types of has-beens and low-lifes. The rules are a little different than real baseball, for instance fighting is allowed, and players can request a “bat match,” essentially a sword-fight with bats. Also, anything else goes, like umpire bribes (for a bag of painkillers) and National Anthems cut short if running too long. Bottom line: consistently funny, filled with goofy sight gags and real deal comic timing, plus a gratifying 90's aesthetic. “Play Ball!”

Directed by Ben Kujawski. Made by Famous Oldie.