What's your top 10?

As we are often wont to do, a discussion emerged in the newsroom on a recent Friday about the best sports movie ever. Geeky movie watcher and avid sports fan that I am, I got to thinking about my choices. Our fearless business and agriculture reporter suggested "The Sandlot," in my opinion a good choice for its quotable lines (ie. "You're killin' me, Smalls!"). Our adventurous city reporter mentioned "Field of Dreams," a little slow and idealistic for me, but that's for another time.

However, the more I thought about it I wondered what my Top 10 Sports Movies of All Time list would look like. Admittedly, I have some reservations squeezing the breadth of sports cinema into a desert island top 10, so this is a top 10 with the understanding that if someone were to ask me the same question five days from now it may garner a much different answer.

For those who truly understand, or are victimized by, my movie watching, they realize that I am a bit of a film snob. I like independent film over big-budget and I will watch a sports film whether it's fictional or documentary in nature. Having provided a lengthy preface to my list, let me begin …

10. "The Color of Money" (1986) — In the tradition of all 80s movies, say hello to Tom Cruise. Okay, not all 80s movies, but a lot of them. The man was working like a crazy person. Any way, Paul Newman reprises his role as Fast Eddie Felson from "The Hustler" (1961) to take on an up-and-comer in the world of competitive pool playing.

9. "Endless Summer II" (1994) — I know, I know. Surfing, but it's a good film. I think everyone can be at least marginally seduced by the idea of surfing and spending a year chasing waves all over the globe rather than working at a desk job. I, for one, this its a fabulous example of documentary cinema.

8. "The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend" (1991) — If you do not know who Pete "the Pistol" Maravich is, you're not a sports fan. However, if you do know, you understand the awesomeness that is a movie about the life of an extremely gifted basketball player who died much too young.

7. "Varsity Blues" (1999) — I know what you're thinking, "A movie full of teenagers, partying and somehow relating it all back to a sport, sort of." But really, at its core, "Varsity Blues" is one of those films that reaches into the nitty-gritty of high school football and lays it out for the audience, poor coaching, cortizone injections, rampant ambition and all.

6. "Hooisers" (1986) — Need I even make a reference here? Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper teaching basketball: is there a better way to spend two hours?

5. "The Sandlot" (1993) — Yes, the film a la "You're killin' me Smalls!" As you may have guessed, it's one of my favorite movie quotes of all time and is interjected into regular conversation whenever I can squeeze it in. With characters like Benny "the Jet" Rodriguez, the Great Hambino, Squints and Yeah-Yeah what's not to like?

4. "Friday Night Lights" (2004) — A great film about the wonders of Periman High School in Odessa, Texas. The chronicled ups and downs of a team that embodies the hopes and dreams of its community.

3. "Rudy" (1993) — A good friend of mine said it would "be better if it wasn't about Notre Dame." I disagree with that a bit but, again, another time. Who doesn't love a film about the underdog getting to fulfill a dream that extends beyond himself and into his family as well?

2. "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (2001) — This film is a documentary. In general, I don't know much about skateboarding. I'm am a little less than coordinated when I'm walking. I cannot imagine what I'd look like on a skateboard. The story of the development of the Zephyr skating team is interesting though and I was absolutely enthralled (which doesn't usually happen with non-fiction anything).

1. "Remember the Titans" (2000) — I know it's Disney but it's still a good film that deals with segregation and racism and hashes it out between the hashes. The microcosm of a football team being expanded into the macrocosm of Southern life in the 1960s is a great way to address an issue that is volatile to say the least.

Honorable mentions: "Bull Durham," "The Replacements," "Caddyshack," "The Freshman," "Wildcats," "Chariots of Fire," "The Natural," "Rocky," "Raging Bull" and "Any Given Sunday."

Pam Robel is the sports writer for the Columbia Basin Herald. In the rare moments when she is not covering sports, she tries to squeeze in as many films as possible.