The Saint of Second Chances

Starts out as a documentary on the owner of the chicago white sox. Father bill veeck and son mike both owned teams at different times. With different levels of success. When bill owned the white sox, he and mike came up with fun gimmicks to keep the fans entertained. A barber shop, circus animals, fireworks for home runs. Luxury suites. Theme nights. Blowing up a dumpster full of disco records. Which unfortunately turned violent. And when that era ended, son mike went on to put together another baseball team. The saint paul saints. One downside is the sound level near the beginning... one minute it's sky high, the next it's so low, we can't hear the speakers. Since dad bill had died years ago, we do hear quite a bit of the story from son mike veeck himself. Along with many other baseball greats. Quite a bit of time spent on the complicated darryl strawberry story. Interesting stuff. Some ups, some downs. Get the kleenex ready! Directed by jeff malmberg, morgan neville. Interesting story of an interesting family.

Baseball is a huge business like other huge businesses. Most teams have to win to put fans in the seats making the owners and the entire apparatus flush with money. Bill Veeck felt like the game should be fun regardless of pennants, etc. Taking ownership of the Chicago White Sox he believed he could add that fun He was on to something and the fans responded. Of course he would want his son to be a part of it. Mike Veeck became head of promotions and together he, and Bill, were building a solid following that was not wholly dependent of wins vs. Loses. An unfortunate promotion well known to history went wrong and the Veecks were, more or less, cancelled before it became a movement. Bill, having already achieved legendary status in his profession was gracious in bowing out. Mike, however, was young and had much to do in spite of the major blow they both lived through. This is a story that deserves to be told. High profile people just don't get second chances in a world so quick to blame. Even though Mike lived through several years of bone-crushing lows, often supplemented by his own behavior, A second chance comes from an unexpected place with a bottom rung potential. For a guy like Mike this was his second chance that he wasn't about to mess up. That, along with meeting his soul mate, elevated Mike to once more be able to do what he was made for. But, that would in itself only make half of this story.

This story is how Mike learned to give other marginalized people, players, fans, and the game of baseball a new platform for redemption. Oh, and, importantly, joy. Life interlaces joy with sorrow, Mike and family would face their own duality of it. How this plays out makes this documentary/film rise up. The filmmaker has used the device of old films, current interviews, and recreated sequences quite effectively to respectfully take us on the journey. In the end making a film that is emotionally rich and positive. There's a message in here that we can all benefit from. Oh, don't forget to have fun along the way.

I loved this doc, I loved the story it told, happy and sad. I loved the creative way the colorful tale of Mike Veeck (and the fun he brought to baseball) was brought to life. And most of all I loved learning new backstories about baseball and seeing it as a backdrop for a great story about family, love, and redemption.

You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy and appreciate this. So much of the game we see now, especially in the Minor Leagues, has its roots in wildly creative things that Bill and Mike Veeck dreamed into existence. Baseball is eternal, but the fun of going to a game for fans of all levels, was greatly enhanced by the marketing these guys did. And Mike accomplished all that while dealing with his "outsiders" legacy, his brutal failure (the "Disco Demolition" debacle), and a life outside of the game that was both tragic and courageous. His story is an inspiration. Well done, all involved with this exceptional film.

I am a former college baseball player but I can't say I actually knew the story of Mike Veeck or his family. This story is bigger than baseball in fact it has very little to do with baseball at all. This is really a story exactly emblematic of its title, we may fail spectacularly and may think we have reached the end of our road but with sheer strength of will and dedication one can do the impossible and Rise From the Ashes.

Mike is truly an impressive individual I can't say that I've been more impressed by somebody and sometime. His passion, commitment and perseverance in the face of so much adversity is astounding and he is worthy of admiration.

I highly recommend this documentary for anybody whether they like sports or not I think everyone has something to gain from it.

The Saint Of Second Chances takes you in one direction but shifts into something so much more touching than watching men try to hit a fastball.

As the title says, this is a story about second chances and how to make the most of them when they come your way. It's a movie about baseball. It's a movie about mistakes made and the associated regrets. It's a movie about creative hustling. But most of all, it's a movie about family and the legacy it leaves one generation after the next.

You don't have to love baseball to enjoy The Saint Of Second Chances. But if you do, you will understand how the Veecks have influenced so many facets of the game and how their family influenced each other.