When David S. Ward's "Major League" slid into multiplexes on April 7, 1989, a lot of people wrote it off as a pro baseball clone of the minor-league-set "Bull Durham." A wise veteran catcher (Tom Berenger) with bad knees looking down the barrel of a forced retirement? Check. A screwy rookie pitcher (Charlie Sheen) with a flamethrower for an arm and no semblance of control? Check. A superstitious slugger (Dennis Haysbert) who demands to sacrifice a live chicken to get him out of a hitting slump? Check.

The very existence of these familiar elements was enough for many of the nation's critics to dismiss "Major League" as a meatheaded comedy. Moviegoers did not concur. The film grossed $50 million in the U.S. on an $11 million budget, and earned an A- CinemaScore before turning into a home video/pay cable sensation. By the time the next baseball season rolled around, "Major League" was considered a full-fledged,...