Barry Levinson’s film of Bernard Malamud’s novel is Baseball as Mythology. It is also one of the most lyrical, beautiful, and sparse sports films ever made. And even though the ending of the film is RADICALLY different from the novel, we still feel this is a perfect movie--and that’s what we’re here to talk about, yes?? Sadly, twenty-three years after the fact, Mr. Levinson went back and tinkered with his film some more, slightly damaging its perfection, in our estimation.