The Saint of Second Chances

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.

I loved it! It is a glorious celebration of baseball and a maverick's take on sports and building a fan base. I Lived in Chicago and am still a White Sox fan. WE had season tickets at Comiskey Park. I'll never forget Disco Demolition and watching it on TV and being so angry that they had to forfeit the second game that night. Bill Veeck was the greatest. Mike is amazing and the film shows so much about sports entertainment. I've been in Pro Sports marketing ( NFL) and seeing where so many of the ideas came from is wonderful. I think the storytelling is good and includes many unexpected cameos.

I started out watching this as I love sports documentaries. Great stories on baseball and how the entertainment in baseball came to be. Guy rises, guy messes up, guy falls....guy gets second chance. Seems normal right? Regular documentary story line...Now comes the best part of the story, the dad aspect enters. He introduces his second wife, his kids and how they tie into the storyline. No spoilers here, but there is a wicked twist and it totally makes this documentary one the best I've ever seen, and I watch a LOT of documentaries. I've already told everyone I know to watch it, you should too. You won't be disappointed.

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.

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.